My 24th: a peaceful take over of a Thai restaurant in Norrebro, followed by blues in a pharmacy

I thought it would be a bit of fun to spend my birthday in Copenhagen this year. Here were the results:

Wednesday I come home to a lovely package from mum, dad and the girls containing, amongst other things, highlighters, tim tams, The Eraser (from the girls - great choice Elle), and fancy woollen socks. I fail to notice the price tags on the socks - thankfully mum mentions that they cost a lot over the phone. Bless you, mum!

Wednesday evening I go to handball practice, and on the way home I fall off my bicyle by the lake. Cynthia comes to rescue me out of pity and I decide to sleep on my bung arm.

Thursday morning ("the day") Cynthia presents me with a bottle of divine jasmine perfume and we catch two buses down two streets to emergency at Frederiksberg Hospital. The place is completely empty! A doctor arrives, shakes Cynthia's hand a little too vigorously, and speaks only in danish for a few minutes while contorting my arm. A bit of a Patch Adams. Seems "ouch" doesn't translate.

Cynth buys me a Mork Chockolade Kage from Fotex and we go home to have tea and cake and plan the afternoon, and I read lovely emails from lovely family and friends.

We decide to head to Bang and Jensen, a funky little bar-cum-cafe on Istedgade in Vesterbro for coffee. Nevermind is playing, and it's so hot on the pavement that we move inside. Stor laffe for Cynth and Is kaffe for me, and then Claire and Jemma arrive, who come bearing lovely gifts: a pot plant, danish lollies and more chocolate cake, which comes with a side of honeydew melon.

Thursday night is Danish Folkdancing night. I decide to sleep on my arm a bit more after some fantastic long conversations with dear friends and family members. (See Cynth's post on that night).

Friday I go to a free screening of The Queen at 9.30am as part of the Copenhagen International Film Festival. I do some shopping on Stroget as a birthday treat and buy a winter jacket from Zara.

Friday night a few of the girls and I head to a Thai restuarant in Norrebro for some Pad Thai and Chicken Green Curry that we had been dreaming of for weeks. Claudia and Daniela have their first ever Thai experience. We nearly staged a peaceful insurrection when Daniela's meatless green curry was the same price as our chicken one, and considered suspending the menu, etc. but decided against it upon realising our three bowls of rice were for free. Lovely, plant-filled place and only 85 kr p.p. I receive some organic strawberry jam, an italian phrasebook, and some beautiful hairclips from the girls.

After dinner we stroll to tiny, old Café Blågårds Apotek in Norrebro to see the Prahl Grønholm Blues Quartet, some cats in their early 20s. The bar has great buzz, kaffe and service and an unpretensious local crowd, but sadly for me, no Frangelico. Contreu will do.

And so I am one year older! Thanks everyone for a super fint Danish Fodselsdag.