Scene 29 - 18th July
In my account, I call today "the Crazy Day". Why? Because in one day, we will travel from Berlin, to Hamburg, to Copenhagen, spend an afternoon in Copenhagen, and then finally to Lund, Sweden, which is a short distance from Copenhagen. Probably today is the day where we will travel the greatest distance. Plus; we wake up insanely early...
I have to admit that having a hostel located so close to the Hauptbahnhof of Berlin did not serve us THAT well when it came to sight-seeing in Berlin - usually from where we were staying, there had been a reasonably long walk to where all the interesting stuff were.
Sure, there was an advantage in arriving from Mainz in the sense that we didn't have to go looking around for the Hostel like in Rome or more obviously in Venice etc, but generally, there was no further benefit of staying so close to the Central Station. Until now. Especially since we're catching a really early train to Copenhagen.
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Up till today, the 18th of July, I wondered long and hard as to why Denmark is part of Scandinavia. Sweden, Norway and even Finland, I understand. But Denmark seems to be closer to Germany than those countries. Until today, because, today, I discovered that Denmark is actually made up of islands!
Lase had helped me to discover this when he asked me my opinion on whether we would be taking a ferry across to Copenhagen. That was when I discovered that somehow or another, a water crossing had to be made, i.e. Copenhagen was on an Island. Zealand, to be specific.
I opined that we would be taking the long route around so that the water-crossing distance would be kept to a minimum i.e. we could cross on bridges. After all, the whole train couldn't go into a ferry, right?
Well, if you're wondering, that is a picture of the train that we were on, sitting comfortably on a ferry.
As usual, Henrik Larsson is correct, and we're on a ferry crossing across from mainland Europe to Zealand island on which Copenhagen is located. Its still hard to believe that the whole train fits nicely into the hold of the ferry; but now that I think about it, this was an unusually short train, with much fewer cabins than regular trains.
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Anyway, I don't think the fact that the train can fit nicely into the hold of a ferry would be the highlight of today. Because we're going to see Copenhagen!
FYI, all I know of Copenhagen is that it hosts the famous Little Mermaid Statue. I don't really know what's so famous about that, but I'm guessing that maybe its a direct reference to Hans Christian Anderson (author of the Little Mermaid), who might have been Danish.
Anyway, as we don't have any accomodation in Copenhagen, we have to leave our baggage in the lockers in the train station; and after figuring out how to operate the lockers (after withdrawing Danish Crowns), we leave the station. Today we have a guide - Yasmine. Honestly, I might be getting her name wrong - it might be Jasmine; but Henrik calls her Yasmine, therefore, so will I. The doubt is only there because Henrik Larsson calls the programming language Yava, and not Java.
Anyway, Yasmine's friend has lived in Copenhagen for some time and will be showing us around later. Yasmine lives across the border in Sweden, but works here in Copenhagen. Further reason to accept that Denmark is indeed part of Scandinavia.
First thing's first, the Little Mermaid.
And it turns out - its not there!
What's left behind? Webcam pictures showing the Little Mermaid sitting in - of all places - China!
Turns out that its been loaned to Shanghai for the World Expo there. Fail. The initial disappointment soon gives way to Shanghai jokes, particularly those directly referencing the widespread piracy there. Maybe the Little Mermaid will be the next Suzhou Industrial Park, and it will be a matter of time before they would have their own Little Mermaid etc...
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Well, if you were following, the Little Mermaid was the only thing I knew was famous about Copenhagen; but apparently, there's more to Copenhagen than the Little Mermaid.
Copenhagen, traditionally has been a very important harbour city. A quick glance at the map above will tell you that it sits comfortably at the border of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. So, probably the age-old adage "location, location, location" is applicable to where to find a city. Just like Singapore. Anyway, this strategic location of Copenhagen was critical to its development; though probably the path it took was quite different from the entrepot trade of Singapore. Apparently, ships passing through had to pay a high toll; and considering the traffic, well, obviously Copenhagen would become rich. This richness of Copenhagen obviously contributes to the fact that one CANNOT get a decent meal for under S$20. Fortunately, of course, we're only there for half a day.
Anyway, the point of me bringing up the harbour is not to complain endlessly about the high cost of living. Its to bring up the point that the sea follows you a lot in Copenhagen.
All this while I was under the impression that the Little Mermaid was the only thing in Copenhagen that I knew about. However, apparently, there was something else - a picture that I had been carrying around since the beginning of the trip - that there was to see. The picture on our Europass Ticket! (look carefully at the pic)
Lase wants to take a ferry around the harbour area; but the cost is a severe deterrent. Obviously. And Yasmine suggests it may not be the best use of money anyway. So we walk.
Denmark, like England, is a monarchy. Which just means that it is ruled by a Queen. Just as a visit to London could be considered incomplete without a visit to Buckingham Palace, we visit the Royal Palace of Denmark. Its nothing much to look at, to be honest. However, something does catch my eye - it is built rather like the Vatican City. Shape-wise, I mean. Add this to the fact that the Fortress nearby really looks a lot like Castel St Angelo, and I think there definitely is a link between this palace and the Holy See.
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The Church of Our Saviour is one of the more unique churches is Europe. Like a lot of the other churches, has a spiral staircase leading to the top of its church tower. However, this church has its spiral staircase outside its tower. Likeso:
I'm very tired of walking already and it costs money to go up. I tell you this - Eurotripping will get you tired after some time. And I am tired. I'm also feeling a little under the weather; so I tell them: You guys go ahead, I'll wait down here. Yasmine waits down here with me while they climb up the church tower.
I can't say much for what they saw, so I will let these pictures that they took speak for the scenery that they saw.
Can you spot me sitting down on the grass? Hint: Yasmine is wearing a white top and she's lying down on the grass next to where I'm sitting...
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Its not really the end of the day yet - nowhere near in fact - and we're all feeling abit tired from all the walking and the Eurotripping. Of us all, Lase seems to be getting energised slowly as he smells the scent of his beloved Sweden from across the straits. Yasmine's friend joins us to bring us around Christiania.
As we enter Christiania, a sign warns us that we're leaving the European Union. You see, Christiania is a self declared free state - where residents (apparently) are absolved from paying their taxes. Basically, it is a hippy-town.
Tourists, while intrigued by the concept of Christiania, do not often venture inside as its difficult to find a guide inside the place. We, on the other hand, have a guide who is showing us through Christiania (Yasmine's friend lives here, I think). One of the first things we see - Weed. On the street. Not the type that grows on the street - the type you smoke.
Obviously we don't try to buy any of it.
But apparently its a characteristic of a hippy-town. Lase and I look around this place with academic curiousity - I for one, know that Singapore will never be like this - at least not in the foreseeable future, thankfully. I don't actually know what's going through Lase's head because I'm pretty sure that this kind of place might very well sprout up in Sweden some day. But for me, Academic Fascination. That's what this Eurotrip was meant to be - to see things that we won't see back home.
We walk through the "self-proclaimedly free" district for awhile more, and we see the resident's houses - apparently they build the houses themselves. That is actually quite fascinating. I point out that they still are taking power and potable water from the tax-payers on the otherside of their self-proclaimed boundary with the European Union; but I think here our guide can't really answer for the rest of Christiania.
All this while, with as much academic fascination that I was experiencing; Gobi and Eugene look on with undisguised horror. Gobi was wondering how unfair it would be for children to grow up in an environment such as this; and Eugene, well, I think Eugene had just managed to convince himself that HIV was airborne.
Really. These people had planned to go to Amsterdam? Hmm...
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Finally salvation for them as we make our way back to the train station. It is a bit late by this time; but there is enough time for us to walk back to the station.
Yasmine is taking the train back with us across the Danish-Swedish border because (have I mentioned this before?) she lives across the border in Malmo. Lund is a little off from Malmo; so we're taking the same train as her. Lase has to buy a ticket for the trip from Malmo to Lund, because apparently Lase's Europass ticket is invalid in Sweden. Well, finally, a perceived disadvantage of being European in Europe.
In the end Yasmine joins us to Lund - Lase offers to send her back to Malmo after dinner.
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By the time we reach Lund, the sun has already set considerably. Considering where we are and the fact that its pretty much the middle of summer; that means the time is almost 2230.
Lase's brother Stefan offered to put us up for awhile while we're in Lund because his two roomies were back home for the holidays. I think. Anyway, whatever it was, the fact remains that we're staying there for a bit.
Lase makes pancakes because we're all very very tired by now after a really long day; so a simple meal suffices.
I offer to accompany Lase to send Yasmine home to Malmo so that he doesn't fall asleep at the wheel; but by the time dinner is over, all I really want is the bed; I trust that the Swedish air has empowered Lase.
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