First Month in Denmark!

That was fast ...

March, to borrow an old expression, is going out like a lion. It is a windy, damp, chilly day. Copenhagen is essentially on an island and the wind here never lets you forget this fact. I invested in a new umbrella, only 25dkk and I got what I paid for as it has to be one of the worst umbrellas I've ever owned. The wind collapsed it on my way to work this morning. I shall spend my money far more wisely in the future.

The bird in the image above is a common Magpie; they are everywhere here. People don't really seem to like them but I think they're quite pretty. One animal I have yet to see is a squirrel. In my mind, Magpies, Pigeons and Seagulls have replaced Squirrel as the common city animal. I'm completely ok with that, squirrels are rats with fat tails is all - vermin.

I've been meaning to mention that it really is Spring over here. Early flowers are in bloom and I can see buds on trees. My friend Melanie was in London this week and she says it was truly lovely so my guess is that we will be in full Spring mode by next week. Mind you, the weather here is nothing if not unpredictable.

Two milestones in one day.

Today I can also claim to be completely meat-free for an entire year. I don't miss chicken or beef at all but I do kind of miss pork. Pork is a staple food here as is fish. I've been mulling over becoming pescatarian and the variety of fish available is abundant. I doubt if I could still bring myself to go to a fish market, but I may eat some if served to me. We'll see ...

Vi ses!

The Handyman.

Avert your sensitive eyes!

The plumbing in Denmark is a little different than what I'm used to in Canada. Sometimes the hot/cold taps are reversed (light switches are upside down, flip down to turn on ...) and there is a higher than normal concentration of kalk in the water making it softer but also tends to leave a bit of white residue on taps, showers and dishware. I always hand dry the dishes now.

One thing, also very different, is the drain in the shower. I'm used to a system where the water goes away down that little hole at the end of the tub and every so often I would pull some stray hairs out to be flushed away after the shower. That doesn't happen here. Here, you must unscrew the drain cover and remove the 'filter' to clean and when done regularly, wouldn't be a big deal. I was dreading this when after taking the first shower in my new place, the water didn't go down the drain. "Suck it up and get 'er cleaned" I said to myself. I went out to get a screwdriver (and other things, but this isn't about shopping today), came home, scooped out as much old shower water as I could, undid the screws and spent the better part of ten minutes trying to remove the cover.

Success! Then, retching. It seems that the previous tenants never bothered to do this so good for me, I have a years worth of someone else's showers stuck in the drain. Soap residue and what looked like Phil Spector's best hair day (don't forget the smell!) and who only knows what else was in there.

This was the grossest thing I have ever done and I've poked sticks at dead animals! Not recently, when I was a kid, stop thinking that about me. Once the drain was cleaned, I sprayed the entire shower stall with BANG (another awesome name for something)! Kate, remember when I cleaned your bathroom sink drain? That was a tropical vacation compared to this, complete with rum drinks and a steel band, babe.

Now for something pretty ...

This city to date has never failed to amaze me. The mosaic pictured above was in a driveway alley kind of thing in a rather bland section of town. The piece opposite was of Adam an Eve in the Garden of Eden but of course some idiot tagged it (in yellow! C'mon! Yellow???) and was even larger.

The art and architechture, both old and new, are a feast for the eyes.

Vi vil tale senere!

Slow and steady ...

Movin' on up!

I got the keys to my permanent place on Tuesday morning and of course, being someone who rushes into things, I lugged my 80 kg suitcase to the bus stop. The new place is on a pretty major road in a region known as Brønshøj. I asked the bus driver if she goes as far as Frederikssundsvej and she had no idea where I was talking about. I repeated it. Nope, not a clue. I knew this bus went up the hill and decided to roll the dice. A very nice, extremely tall man asked me what street I was looking for and I told him. He didn't know it either. I explained it was a pretty major street and mentionned some landmarks there. Hand to God "Oh! FrederikSUNDsvej" ... Ya.

As it turns out, the bus I took stopped 3 doors from where I was going (which was obviously Imaginationland for the bus driver).

I re-worked some of the furniture layout and unpacked most of the case. Alain came by and was quite impressed. It's small but very clean, well lit and a great price.

I get more cable channels so sat down to watch and write a list of things I needed to get for the place.

Am I bovvered?

I GET THE BBC COMEDY CHANNEL! Made my night, especially with 2 Catherine Tate episodes on. If you haven't heard of her, go to YouTube and watch anything; "The Translator" is the best way to start.
Go now. I'll write more tomorrow - you deserve a good laugh.

Mere pakning skal gøre!

How to be careless when packing ...

Ooops ...

So my friend Alain came over on Saturday and mentioned that he was going to Blockbuster to see what's out. I offered him a copy of one of the dvds I brought with me. He has a 50' flat-screen hi-def blah-blah-blah. We opened the box and of course, no dvd inside. Francois, I think it's in your dvd player. That or Warkworth along with the key codes to nearly all the computer games I brought ... sigh

Another cookie crumbles. No matter, I can pick everything up in 2012 when I fly home for a visit.

Actually, the only thing that was damaged on the flight over was a Cheers shotglass from Boston. Everything else (that got into the suitcase, save for the dollar store umbrella) arrived unharmed.

Danger! Danger! Red Alert and the like ...

When visiting Copenhagen, I insist you try a shot of Fisk; much like being skreeched in when visiting Newfoundland without kissing a cod or anything. It's vodka 'mellowed' with Fisherman's friend and I have experienced two types: black and brown. Brown tastes like Halls and doesn't seem so bad until you try to walk anywhere. You then discover that your legs have drifted off into the sunset (2 points to whoever gets that reference). The black is the bile of Satan. Cab fare required if having more than one. I'm bringing a bottle back for you all to try because I want to share the pain.

I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike!

Got to get a Queen reference in once and a while. I went shopping for a used bike today and no luck. I wanted used because new bikes start at about 2000dkk and go up. Way up. Fast math gives us $400 and up. There are a few sales on now so I might just suck it up and get a new one. The used bikes I did see weren't anything special and were mostly 'for girls'.

The day wasn't a complete loss though; I did manage to pick up a present for one adorable little boy who will be celebrating his first birthday this year. No, I did not buy him his first Fisk.

Skål!

Slainte!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The rain has turned to ice pellets so I'm still of two minds about going out for a pint. Canadian brain says "stay in fool!" and Irish brain says "get out there fool!".  Either way I think I'm going to feel foolish.

I tried to Google for events, bars etc. but didn't come to much. I did find a pub called 'The Irish Rover' so if Irish brain wins out, I'll probably head down there.

No one in the office wore green aside from myself and a colleague from Saskatchewan who is of Norwegian descent. Maybe I do deserve a reward/punishment.

Christine, je t'aime.

I'll stop gripeing now. My friend Christine has been reading this blog and has brought me an ashtray. Tusind tak my dear!

Ønsker mig held og lykke!

The day to day stuff

Trains and bicycles and your own damn feet.

"What is 'The best way to get around Copenhagen' Alex?"

Correct! A word about the Metro system. See that picture? Where's the driver? There isn't one as all Metros are electronically controlled and driverless. There is enough room for four people to sit at the front and enjoy the ride, five if someone is standing. From the various ages, genders and religions I've observed (sometimes jealously) in these seats I can conclude that everyone likes to do this.

You can only use the Metro with a pass or a 10-ride ticket (klippekort) and no one sits in a booth collecting any money or selling tokens (are you listening TTC?). The only salaried people working on the trains during operating hours that I have seen are ticket inspectors verifying that your card was punched within the past hour (much like the system on the GO Train).

This is great for short trips because one punch of a card may just get you to where you're going and back again. The city and surrounding areas are divided by Zones but just one klip will get you pretty much anywhere in the city.

When the Metro goes underground (above ground it's like being on a monorail, but with two rails. I think that's just called a train ...) I noticed that the platforms and the tracks are separated by a glass partition with sliding glass doors opening when the Metro stops in the station. Suicide barriers.

These Danes think of everything.

I need to buy a bike.

Soon.

Still can't find an ashtray ...

Indtil næste gang!

And we're off!

Much accomplished today ...

I got up early to go down to get my CPR card - much like a SIN# but is the most essential piece of ID one needs in Denmark. I think I must be getting used to filling out forms and bringing the right papers because this too went off without a hitch. The woman who helped me, Ingrid, was efficient and gave me the number right away. I was then assigned a doctor (directly across the street from the new place) and given a booklet about learning Danish (a hint?).

Off to the bank!

I could now open a bank account but found it odd that they charged me 300DKK for the privilege. Having a bank account means that now I can get paid! Then to Lotte in finance and I'm good to go.

All this before lunch.

Talk to me ...



I finally downloaded Skype on the laptop. I haven't had a live conversation with anyone from home in 2 weeks so this should help keep in touch. Now I only simply have to remember to bring the headset home so that I can use the bloody thing! Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Bought a couple of things from a supermarket called Superbest (another awesome name for a store) and came home to nothing on TV again. Only one week left until the new digs! It'll be nice to settle into a place I can call my own; aside from the house on weekends, I've been living in temporary places and through the kindness of friends since September.

Taler snart!

That was easy.

A smile goes a long way ...

Some of you may know the frustration and tears I went through to get my papers to work in Denmark. Months and money and this morning I was advised that in order to get my CPR card (much like a SIN#) and then open a bank account or get a Blockbuster Video membership or even a library card, I had to register as an EU citizen living and working in Denmark first.

I downloaded the 15 page form and filled it out. Then went to a Foto place to get a passport type picture done (my third in 6 months, I'm getting used to posing in front of a white backdrop) then over to the - pay attention - Statsforvaltningen Hovedstaden.

Say it 3X quickly with me.

I was worried that this would be another log-jam and was thrilled to find there were only 16 people in front of me. As it turned out, I had filled all the papers correctly, the photo I brought was acceptable, I had already made the required photocopies for their records and I had brought all the correct documents.

Say what?

I smiled and joked with the woman behind the counter, wasn't it fortunate that her last client had everything in order? I think she took a shine to me because instead of mailing me the registration papers confirming that I now have a legal right to live and work in Denmark, she whispered "Wait 5 minutes, I'll give you the document now".

I nearly proposed marriage to this bureaucratic angel.

Only 2 more hurdles to go ...

Nothing really to add to this photo except I think it's one of the best names for a store ever. I may just e-mail this to David Thorne of 27bslash6.com.

Look him up, he's completely worth it.

Gå væk indtil i morgen.



Lazy Weekend

Strolling and window shopping ...

In my last post I mentionned that I was going to meet up with some Canadian ex-pats. It was at a bar called Charlie Scott's owned by a man from Edinburgh. They were a nice group of people and before you know it I was on my fifth pint. "Enough!" I said and wandered (read staggered) to the train station.

Woke up with a splitting headache that didn't go away until after dinner.

Determined not to spend another Lørdag lying around, I ventured into Fredericksberg and found I store called Føtex which reminded me a bit of a tight spaced Loblaws Superstore.

They had everything you could need for your home, kitchen and garden. No ashtrays. Some great deals but I was really there to get a better idea of cost of living.

This is a flat toaster. Actually, it's a flat bread carbonizer because I've burnt nearly every piece of bread I've tried to toast. I have never seen one before and I hope to never see one again. I looked at the price of toasters and they're quite reasonable so if there isn't one in the new place, I'm not worried, I can just pop out and get one.

TV

So if you know me well enough, you know that I'm a sucker for the 'Upstairs-Downstairs'-Merchant-Ivory-Brideshead type of thing. Before leaving I had the chance to watch 'Downton Abbey' fulfilling this need of extreme politeness and class war as well as getting some residual Coronation Street fix. At least two of the actors I recognise are from Corrie. Joy! It's just started here so I get to watch the whole thing again!

The odd little purple thing in the picture ... yes. OK well, there's this childrens channel that goes off the air about 8 or 9 and doesn't go to test pattern or anything but shows sleeping people and the countdown to when the next show starts. The people rotate from normal, to clownish make-up then to puppets. If you catch the right cycle, you can hear some of the sleepers farting. Puppets as well.

I think it's brilliant.

There is no real cable in this flat; the man who owns it I don't think goes for watching a lot of TV, he's way more of a music fan. I get maybe 5 channels, 90% of the time it's Danish television shows and the one English-speaking channel I get is Al Jazeera. Ask me anything about Libya. The new place has 40 channels and good because I'm tired of watching TV from YouTube.

One last thing - if you ever hear of a show called 'Miranda' from the BBC, check it out. Such fun.

Nyd din uge!

What does one say?

Very sad.

By now I'm sure you've heard of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Every time news likes this hits us, I am thankful that my friends and family are alive and well and no one I know has to go through such an ordeal. There's nothing I can add or say about this. Keep the people affected in your hearts.

Tonight I'm going to a social gathering for Canadian ex-pats living in Copenhagen. Sounds like a good Friday for a pint and it's in the old city. I never tire of going to the old city. I'm running a little late so that's all for today.

Indtil i morgen ...

HOW'S THE WEATHER???

A good Scottish tan ...

From out of nowhere last night, it started slushing. Not raining or snowing but literally slush was falling from the sky. Slush makes one helluva noise when it hits the window. By morning the temperature had risen and a light rain greeted my bleary eyes. My cheap umbrella broke on the trip over but I noticed there was an umbrella stand at the door so no worries right? Superstitious by nature, I dared not open any of them inside and didn't really need to open it until I got to the corner.

I walk to work because it's fairly close and the houses along the route I take are quite charming. Fearing for the pretty good rock-a-billy do I had sculpted, I opened the umbrella.

If I was a seven-year-old little girl I'm sure I would have been delighted at the white child's umbrella in my hand, barely wide enough to cover my shoulders. Worried that I would be late, there was nothing to do but soldier on ...

The day stayed grey and damp, peppered with sudden gusts of wind. Denmark reminds me a bit of Scotland in this regard. Do you know what else Scots and Danes have in common?

So check this out: I went to the grocery store (actually to find a cheap ashtray, an article that has to date eluded me) and a 6-pack of Heineken was on special for 25Kr. If you read an earlier post of mine, you could quickly work out that this only comes to $5.  Of course I bought it, stop asking silly questions. It was the same price as a bag of chips! Oh, I also bought a bag of chips.

Godnat Canada!

The Sarah Project

Where in the World is Uncle YYZ?

An idea hit me on my last day in Canada. I was at my brother's home and my niece Sarah seemed to be getting upset about my imminent departure. We struck a deal. She would be the person I would contact for updates, news and any information I needed to pass on to the family. She would be the one to read aloud my written correspondence to them all (so that everyone would know I was safe and happy).

She readily agreed to this arrangement and after talking with her parents we came up with a plan.

Any place I visited, I would send her a postcard from that location and she would have to find it on a map. The postcard would contain information on where I was, a brief history of the city or country, a notable figure in history and the like ...

Fortunately, I work with a company where people I know travel to various locations around Europe and I've asked them all to bring me back a blank postcard from wherever they have been or were visting from.

Unfortunately I was unable to find anything at the airport in Paris (a confusing mess by the way; a place to avoid at all costs) so for now, a French postcard is out of the question.

I have so far sent one from Quebec City and tomorrow I send one from Copenhagen. In the next week or two I'll be crossing the bridge into Malmö Sweden and am determined (besides visiting the world's largest IKEA) to get her a postcard from Sweden.

Sunset was blocked by cloudy skies tonight - you can't win 'em all ...

Lykkelig pukkel-dag!

(for X)

Vaskemaskine

An eventuality ...

More discoveries were made today as I went for my first attempt to wash clothes here. The temporary flat in which I reside does not have a washer/dryer so I use the communal facilities. You have to pre-book the time you want to use the machines (just initials in a book and people respect your booking) and make sure there is enough money on the 'vaskekort' (a card with a chip you slip into a reader) and follow the simple instructions. In Danish. On a front loader. My new place has its own machine, no cards required.

The dryer time was sold in slots of 7 minutes each so I bought 3 slots and thought to just hang the jeans to dry. I went back 20 minutes later to collect my smalls and they were on the verge of catching fire with the intense heat from the industrial dryer.

All this panic and confusion for the low low price of about $10 for one load.

This, then sorting 15 pairs of almost identical black socks, took up the evening so I missed the sunset.

Indtil i morgen ...

Fastelavnsboller

Happy Shrovetide everyone!

Today in the office there was a traditional Danish celebration - Fastelavn, or Shrovetide. Actually it was on the weekend but people generally let it spill over to Monday (team building!). It's much like Hallowe'en with piñatas made of wood but still supposed to have candy inside. Much improved from the pre-16th century tradition of what could be termed as 'whack-a-cat'.

It is the end of winter. The fasting of winter has ended and to celebrate, children dress in costumes and go out to collect coins. The day prior, one would prepare a small barrel by soaking it in water for 24 hours, then decorating it with bright paper or what tickles ones fancy, filling it with candy (or a cat, but let's move on from there) then hanging it where then people line up to take a whack at the barrel.

She won, and was queen, so crowned. There was another crown for the king but I don't think we had one because I didn't see any of the guys wearing the crown reserved for them. This was her doing:

As you can see, no cat. But not even candy! To be truthful, there was a basket of Danish licorice that does not taste like what Canadians think of as licorice. Salty soap? Less sweet than Thrills gum ...

If you gave me this gum, I hated you. You were no fun. You ate soap. You smelled like poo. Stop coming to my house. It is not candy, it is a punishment so don't offer me Danish licorice.

And then it was time for cake and coffee! Boller, or buns, are served and we were social and chatted for about 20 minutes. It was a very nice break in the day and lemme tell ya, Danes know how to make coffee!

Sunset was a lava-coloured sky from my window tonight.

Boller op

og boller ned

Boller i min mave

Hvis vi ingen boller får

Så laver vi ballade





Sundown on Søndag

En færdig uge.

Day 7 in Copenhagen and the sun was shining all day. It seems this was the first sunny weekend this year.  I spent a good part of my Saturday nursing a 26oz flu so was determined today to get outside and see some of the city.

A quick trip to Christiania.

It's just as picturesque on the inside. I can only really describe this area as a hippie commune and probably a good place to hide when running from the law. There are open stalls selling paraphanalia of all sorts as well as silver jewelery, 'groovy' clothing and of course pot and hash. For some reason, the police ignore this area and I could guess as to why. The people are calm, keep to themselves, don't seem to cause any problems and the area attracts tourist dollars. Photography is not permitted - a large sign, in English, advises you right before you get to the market area.

Beyond the market is an area where cars are barred, dogs roam free and where the houses seem to be just this shy of being off the grid. Enough of that, it's time for the other end of the spectrum.

Design Heaven, thy name name is Illums Bolighus. Furniture, clothing, home decor - all of it European design and pricey. I could have spent hours  looking at $50 dishes (just a side dish, not a set, not a dinner plate) and $30 tea-light holders (each, not a pair or more) and some of the wildest looking chairs to spring from Scandinavian minds. I'm not even going to talk about the $5000 dollar chair.

I have a friend in Toronto named Michael whose work relates to the design industry as a magazine editor and walking throughout Illums was like strolling through one of his issues. Two doors down is my favorite Danish designer.



It's a bottle opener and I love it. I'm too scared to spend any fun money yet so he will wait until April.

A $7 coffee later (see how good I am with money?) and it was time to go home. Sundown came at 6 and gave me a beautiful sliver of a moonrise.

Godnat.

Og Begynde Blog

European Culture Shock

Let me start by saying that Google translate is a God-send. My laptop has a Danish keyboard, my search engines are in Danish, the blog account is in Danish.  Danish is not English. As my brain can understand it, Danish is a mix of English, Latin, German and of course it's own origin. For example, the Danish word 'rediger' translates to 'edit' and for those who speak French and bother reading my page, the origin and translation then become obvious.

Aside from the inherent physical beauty of the Danish people (Scandinavian you see ...) they have been, to date, understanding, gracious and more than accommodating when they realise that this poor Canadian cannot yet address basic needs in their language. They are very nice people; Canadians and Danes have at least this much in common - politeness.

Money and currency were from the start a confusing issue. Denmark is one of the only countries in the EU that did not adopt the Euro as a national currency - they kept the Kroner. So far the easiest way I can convert quickly is to divide the cost of an item by 5 or 6. For example, a bag of oranges selling for 20Kr would work out to just over $4 CAD. It's best not think too much about a 1.5 litre bottle of Diet Coke sells for about $5. Needless to say, my Diet Coke intake has decreased.

Ahh the food. Danes are great bakers, organic foodies and make some truly remarkable cheese. To date I have not been shy and am determined to try as many cheeses as possible. To not try cheese in Denmark is akin to avoiding pasta in Italy. Submit.

Far from the healthy fresh options, I also have a new love commonly known as Ostepops. Imagine if Cheetos were made from sharp cheddar; heavenly, fattening, full of carbs and goes rather well with Tuborg. These decadent cheese smiles are also pricey, but I now live in a country where McDonalds is not popular and junk food is not common. They are a weakness and I fear for those who have to submit to Ostepop breath.

Pretty much everything is just a little different. Not better, not worse, but very embraceable.

I'm getting there .