Copenhagen, freezing one minute, boiling the next.

Hi Guys

Okay the weather doesn’t change that much, it is pretty well cold the whole time, and very windy... But if you go inside anywhere then it is hot, so I am hot one minute and cold the next. I will rug up better tomorrow for the outside, but will then perspire every time I go indoors... It is ridiculous!!!

I arrived and had to buy a train ticket to the city, I had no Danish Kroners and no idea what they were worth. I had to pay 35 Kroner to get to the city by train, I did it on my credit card and hoed for the best. I then used the same ticket to get to the station that my hotel is at, 9 stations from the city. I had no idea how to get to the hotel and no map as this suburb is too far out to be included on the city map. I thought of getting a taxi, as a last resort, but decided to have a look around first. Luckily I did as the hotel is in the same complex as the train station and I would have looked a right dill asking the driver to take me to where I was!!! I am on the 8th floor and the view is pretty good, I look out over the sea, presumably the North Sea (can’t Google it as they charge for internet usage and that gets on my goat). I got out 100 Kroner from the first ATM I saw and tried to get info on how much Kroner is worth in Aussie money, so I know what I am spending. It cost me 75 Kroner for a fish and chip meal, apparently 100 Kroner is about $20, so I didn’t get out much. The train ticket was about $7.50, which doesn’t sound half as bad as 35 Kroner.


A busker, I thought he was brilliant, I hadn't seen this one before, a man with no face. He must be a really short guy as he appeared normal size, if you count the missing face and all... Brilliant.

Today I did the hop on hop off thing, I got the ticket for 2 days as it has 4 bus routes and 4 boat routes. I did 2 bus and 1 boat today, will do some more tomorrow. I have spent the last few weeks fighting the humidity and now I am fighting the wind, you just can’t please me.... I am freezing outside and boiling inside, Denmark is crazy. As soon as you step out of the wind and indoors it is hot, outside it is cold...nuts!!
Today we passed a bar called the iceberg and apparently the temperature inside never gets above -5 degrees, all the glasses are made of ice, YES ICE!! I am not going there, you can if you like. I hate the cold!!! The little Mermaid that Copenhagen is famous for is off in China, on some art exhibition tour, so luckily I saw her last time I was here, I am sure she hasn’t changed all that much...


Our boat actually passed under this bridge, we all had to duck, like right down on the seats, it was amazing....


The second bridge we passed under, not as low as the first, but still pretty low!! It wouldn't be allowed in Australia, health & Safety would have a fit. It was fun though...

As I was walking down the street today I saw these two ladies with the weirdest hair, it looked like they had just stepped out of the 1800’s, it was freaky. They had it all piled up on top of their heads, they must have just been to a hair dresser, but it was odd. I got on the boat for the hop on hop off tour and there they were again, only they had multiplied, there was heaps of them, all looking alike. Seriously they were like an army... they all had American accents too, so it wasn’t some local show they were doing. It was weird, really weird... I have never seen anything like it.

The back of the first two ladies I spotted, before they multiplied!! I couldn't take a pic of their front, they would have noticed...


All the ladies were at the front of the boat, you can see some of them. Some of them covered their hair to protect it from the spray, I have no idea why.... I would love to know why they had gone to all the trouble and where they were going that evening....

When I got back to the hotel complex I went to the Tourist information to try to find out about a laundrette and a McDonalds (for free WiFi). Well the only laundrette is 20 miles away, on the other side of the city and the nearest McDonalds is at the next station.... I shall do some hand washing, bugger ‘em.. 20 miles, WTH...


Loved this little dude, he was outside a tourist shop. Really cute..

Denmark is not great on architecture, they have tired occasionally but mostly they have boring plain buildings that they paint different colours to try to hide the fact that they didn’t really try... They have a few new buildings that are all glass and square, just like everywhere else, but nothing that tickles my fancy. They are extremely proud of their new library that is made of black granite from Zimbabwe, and does amazing things to make the water shine early in the mornings... I was there early and it didn’t seem to be doing anything, but I will take their word for it. They call it the black diamond, or something, it wasn’t all that, as far as I could see, but like I say, they think it is pretty wonderful... I guess when you look at all the plain stuff it doesn’t take much to get them excited in Copenhagen!!!


One of the buildings where they tried, not great...


The library they are so proud of!!...??? Oh well, each to their own I guess...


Mostly they are just painted like these, to disguise the lack of architectural talent... But they do look nice.


They are big on spires though, most of the buildings are less decorative than the spires they support though....

I also learned today that the Danes pay 40-50% tax on their income. The poor schmucks... They have one of the best health care systems in the world, but they are really paying for it. I don’t think ours is too bad and we aren’t stuck with that much tax. I really, really wouldn’t want to live in Denmark...

Anyway, that’s it from me today, cheers for now

Lones