Off to Copenhagen

On 11/29
My plane to Copenhagen left at 10am so we got up pretty early to catch the bus to the train station. Gratefully it wasn’t raining anymore which made hauling the luggage in the dark of early morning a little more bearable. Wim took the bus with me to the station to make sure I got on the right train. It was so sad saying goodbye to him and it reminded me of last year when I left Gozo and didn’t know when I’d see him again. Thankfully I held myself together and didn’t cry but we both waved like idiots as the train pulled away until we couldn’t see each other anymore. I had such an amazing time. I can’t wait to go back and see him again. I want to see Bruge and Antwerp and some other places as well but mostly I’ll just want to see him. (And Jan, Marjan and Vicky too.) ugh. Sad.

Everything went fine on my flights to CPH. I flew on Swiss Air so I had to connect in Zurich. It kind of stunk because I was going backwards but then again…I’ve never seen the Swiss Alps and the plane ride definitely gave me the opportunity for a great view. I finally arrived in Copenhagen at 2 in the afternoon. Chris was at the airport waiting for me with a sign that said “Jessie’s Girl” which instantly perked me up after my sad trip leaving Wim. It’s a reference to one of our campers from this summer who screamed it at the top of his lungs all of the time. One of those things that was annoying but at the same time you totally loved it.

We took the train to his dorm in Flintholm so I could drop off my luggage before taking a quick walk around the Copenhagen Business School Campus area and the mall near his school. We stopped at the store so I could buy some food to eat at the dorm and cut costs. He made us grilled cheese sandwiches and let me check my emails before we took the train to Copenhagen centre. There was a photo exhibit in the town centre that ties to the upcoming Green conference that’s taking place in Copenhagen. It’s called “100 Places” and it’s these brilliant photos of places that are threatened because of current climate and environmental issues. Check it out online at www.100places.com. Considering it was a cold night and the exhibit was outside it was surprising to see so many people checking it out. But the pictures were compelling, huge, and lit up at night so that as you walked through the circle of photos the next one in the row caught your attention and you had to check it out before you could move on. Next we took a night walk in Nyhavn – the spot that, if you look up Copenhagen on the internet you’ll surely get a photo. It’s a row of colorful businesses, shops and restaurants lining the canal in this amazingly picturesque setting. Not to mention that while I was there, they too had a Christmas bazaar set up with additional vendors. The weather in Copenhagen was colder still than in Leuven…probably down to 30 degrees. I had on a sweater and a track jacket because of course I didn’t pack a winter coat, hat, or mittens for a trip to the Mediterranean and couldn’t think past it to plan for the rest of my trip.

After we walked the main shopping strip we decided to dip into a bar and warm up with a pint. On the way we were texting with our friend Jeff Ball from camp about being in CPH. We teased him saying it was a new camp trip and he actually believed us. That had us in stitches for awhile as we imagined what several of our campers would be like with passports in their hands. We found a place called Heidi’s that was dead compared to the packed bars that were playing the soccer match. The beers came in .5 L glasses. I liked the sizing but they cost approx $10 a pop. Ouch. Amidst the 2 beers a piece we got to hear some choice music including a favorite Lionel Richie song (Do It to me One more time). But the weirdest part was when we were talking about something from the movie “The Lion King” and at that exact moment “Can you feel the love tonight” by Elton John came on. Bizarre. By the time we walked back and caught the train and then walked back to Chris’s apartment it was 2am before we went to bed.