LEAVING HOME (2)

When my elder son left home in August to start at Copenhagen Business School, I said that it was more likely that we would visit him than the other way round.

We did just that today. We took him out to lunch in a local cafe, and then pottered around the National Museum for a while, before having tea and cake. He then showed us the pub, where he has a part-time job. It is right on Nyhavn, a canal that sticks up into Kongens Nytorv, one of the smartest parts of Copenhagen. People staying at the posh Hotel D'Angleterre or going to the National Theatre often wander down to Nyhavn for an evening drink; so tips are good. So was the beer he served us.

Like other capital cities, Copenhagen is constantly changing, as neighbourhoods move up and down. The area where he lives, not far from the central station, was originally the mediaeval cattle market and was notorious for prostitutes 20 years ago. Although some remain, it is now being gentrified with new cafes and will probably become even more expensive once the second metro line, running directly underneath the main throroughfare, is completed. Since many students have to live a fair way out from the centre, I think my son has landed on his feet.

As he started his evening shift, my wife and I walked back through Stroeget, the world's first ever pedestrian area, and past Tivoli, packed with families enjoying the autumn holidays. I was reminded how easy it is to get around Copenhagen, a decidedly small and accessible big city. I suspect that we will be back before long.

Walter Blotscher