9/8 Rail to Copenhagen

Thursday 9^th train to Copenhagen

Nice easy start to catch a 9.30 train to Denmark. We even had time to stock up on Bismarck Baguettes (with Rollmops) – I am probably the most unpopular person on the train. The countryside is flat and lush, with small farms and cows and old style farming equipment. Some of the houses and villages are extremely pretty and there is a lot of land left in its natural state.

There was nothing to mark the border with Denmark – they just changed conductors and announcements thereafter were in 3 languages. She sounds like Sabrina from the ABC radio garden show. We had to change trains at a station that doesn’t sound anything like how we would pronounce it, so it was as well we were looking out for it. You would have expected that most of the passengers would be wanting to go to the national capital but very few got off to change.

If we thought the German trains were luxurious the Danes take it a step further. The chairs are large and very comfortable and spaced out rather like a mens’ club with acres between seats. And great roomy areas for wheelchairs, sheep whatever. There is mobile wi-fi but, as with most such, you have to subscribe to get internet access.

Unlike most of Europe, they have their own currency, which is a bit of a nuisance. And everything is bloody expensive! Maybe we should have brought enough food for 2 days until we get on the next boat. Hell it only seems 48 hours since we got off the last one.

Copenhagen was very crowded and we took quite a while to get to our hostel – the Generator. Very large very new VERY expensive. We are in a 6 bed dorm and paying $40 a day . . EACH. We headed off late afternoon and had salmon in the park. It chills quite quickly once the sun sets here. The streets were full of people who were out and about – lots of pavement restaurants that were packed with diners, many rugged up in blankets provided by the restaurants.

We found our way to the waterfront, where there were rows of historical sailing boats and modern yachts. There were signs advertising a sand sculpture exhibition created by artists from 4 continents. It took us a while to find but it is large and impressive, albeit with relatively few exhibits. We admired it from the other side of the canal because we didn’t have a camera – might pay to go in tomorrow.

There were a hundred or so people nearby engaged in mass Tango dancing. They all seemed to know each other but not necessarily in couples – must be a club. There were some interesting sights – one heroically busted and unsupported woman  who, incredibly, seemed to have difficulty finding a partner. Many of them were deeply absorbed in the dance, which seemed to comprise lengthy periods of standing still, followed by 3 or 4 shuffled steps and then another poignant pause. There was also a lot of thigh rubbing as we learned in Argentina. I wonder if Stewie has recovered from J’s enthusiastic attack yet? (oi)

We wandered on past what might have been the royal yacht – certainly it was very large and impeccably done up. Shortly afterwards, we approached a corner and suddenly found ourselves confronted about 3 metres away by one of the guards from the palace. He was a big fellow wearing a bearskin hat, which made him about 8’ tall and he was carrying a rifle with fixed bayonet. His sudden unexpected appearance at such short range was a total shock and he seemed momentarily surprised to see us as well.

There are about 6 buildings around a circle and apparently the Queen and Frederick and Mary and other royals live in them. There were about 6 uniformed guards patrolling around the circle, one of whom had arrived at the corner at the same moment we did. And pedestrians walk around in between all this. We went straight through and out the other side.

We reached the hostel about 10pm – just after Usain Bolt completed his sprint double at the Olympics. Strange that he probably missed setting another world record because he was busy making little hand gestures instead of running. The dorm was full but the others were still out – we dropped right off and didn’t hear them return.