Copenhagen, episode 5. In which we go local.

If you watched last week's fleamarket video clip, here is the selfie Mari and I snapped that gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon following our marvelous market morning at Ravnsborggade. The final dozen (I'm not kidding) items I purchased that morning came from yet another secondhand shop. There's a story (of course).

A few years back when SpikeTV was still SpikeTV, Mari and I got hooked on the sadly short-lived reality program Thrift Hunters.

The hunters in question were two Vegas buddies who scoured thrift stores, antique malls, estate sales, garage sales (sound familiar?) in search of treasure that they would then resell online. The 2014 series' sixteen episodes were not only popular entertainment in our home at the time of their accidental channel-surfing discovery, but also provided valuable and practical tips for finding value in the undervalued.

While Mari and I don't often purchase with the intent to resell, there are times when newer old collectibles catch our eye and find their way into overcrowded collections at home leading to an occasional "we're bursting at the seams" yard sale purge or eBay liquidation.

My typewriter ribbon tin collection is currently on the verge thanks to last fall's Rose Bowl visit, but I'm not quite ready to admit that yet.

(Hence the italics.)

What does my walk down cable TV memory lane have to do with my last 12 items purchased on fleamarket Sunday in Copenhagen you ask?

Almost there.

Thanks to self-proclaimed Thrift Hunters Jason and Bryan, Mari and I became aware of the Savers chain of thrift stores and the two Austin locations have become regular stops for us during our travels to that familiarly favorite city. On our very first visit a few years ago to the North Austin store, I hit pay dirt and found a new, unused, bright red enamel fondue pot with wooden handle. Approaching the register with what I considered an unbelievable eight-dollar bargain, I was further dumbfounded to realize its bright green tag meant that my bargain basement vessel would soon be melting away in my home at half-price.

Four dollars for fabulous fondue!

Leave it to Mari to be the voice of reason and ask this excited bargain hunter the silliest of all silly questions, "What are you going to do with a fondue pot without fondue forks?"

Beloved voice of reason notwithstanding, the bright red future vessel for melted Swiss cheese and Belgian chocolate (not on the same evening, of course) sat at the back of a shelf in the kitchen pantry for two frustratingly full fondue seasons until... that's right.. an authentic, still-in-box, glistening set of 12 fondue forks (six for cheese, six for chocolate) seemed to stand at unbelievably bolt upright attention on a sardined shelf of kitchen miscellany in the back room of a Copenhagen thrift store. Although costing about twice the price of my original severely-discounted Savers' windfall, my newfound Danish deal would finally bring my shiny red fondue pot to the front of my pantry and melty cheese and/or chocolate to my waiting palate.

I know that was a long way to go (literally and metaphorically) for fondue forks, but it was such a perfect payoff for this collector. Needless to say, past travels had taught me that those pointily-pronged implements would necessarily remain tucked safely away in my checked baggage until I could rejoin them with their awaiting American culinary cohort.

Be sure to visit the Savers site to learn more about their innovative community programs and their dedication to keeping once-loved items out of landfills. We are hoping to visit a new-to-us tropically-located Savers location during our upcoming summer travels.

savers.com

Finally leaving the Ravnsborggade flea behind, Mari and I found ourselves fairly famished as one of Copenhagen's convenient and charming sidewalk cafes opened itself up to our cravings for local fare and nourishment. We were excited to sample several smørrebrød along with a refreshingly restorative fruity elixir as we rested and reflected on our busy fleamarket morning. Smørrebrød is a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich served on heartily grainy dark rye bread (always a favorite for this New Yorker, of course). The toppings are any tempting combination of gourmet goodies, usually very fresh and delicately savory.

I stuck with a traditional smoked salmon with fresh dill while Mari was tempted by an unusual combination of fingerling potatoes and micro greens.

Living in the tropically humid climes of South Texas, we are not often able to enjoy an outdoor meal, especially in the summer, so we were thrilled to take advantage of the breezy sidewalk table, deliciously fresh local fare, and the warm and friendly service to which we were quickly growing accustomed.

We snapped the remarkably unretouched colorful photos above after unloading our fleamarketed treasures back at the Admiral then carefully avoiding the character-filled beams following a quick disco nap.

Discotheques are not usually etched in our post nap agenda, mostly just more sightseeing but always with a disco flair.

Unsurprisingly, the Sunday afternoon harbor area was buzzing with families enjoying the beautiful summer day.

Several cruise ships were sailing the following day and Copenhagen was chockablock with foreign visitors taking full advantage of Danish delights.

During our meanderings about the city, Mari and I were surprised to stumble upon a familiar favorite from our college days where we stocked up on bottled water. Cruise ships have been funny about bottled water lately, so check with your specific cruise line about how much bottled water (if any) your are allowed to bring aboard. (That is so not our rental car by the way.)

We get ready to board next time as we make the most of unexpected (you know how much I hate unexpectations!) itinerary adjustments.