Roadspill

/// Here is the first installment from my Great Baltic Border Expedition notes. This covers the period of July 4 and 5. ///

July 4, 2003

This is the third time in 22 months that I have flown to Europe to take part in a “Great Border Expedition.” This, the Baltic version, promises to be the most interesting yet.

It has been 10 years since first setting foot in Europe. This is the sixth time. Portugal ’93. Bosnia ’97. Malta ’98. GCEBE ’01. GEEBE ’02. And now GBBE in 2003.

As I write this, I am midway between Toronto and Copenhagen. The sun has followed the flight the whole way, creating the longest day. I have no idea what time it is, but I think it is around 3 am Copenhagen time. The plane took off on the 4th, and arrives on July 5th at 7:30am local. I have been aloft since 8:30am Pacific time.

This was a 2 part flight. First from Vancouver to Toronto. That leg was fine, however upon boarding, I was forced to minimize in the world’s smallest seats. The back row sucks. Once airborne, I quickly moved to add another cubic centimeter of breathing room. This landed me next door to a young Frenchman named Christophe.

Christophe was heading home after studying film in Vancouver. He had with him a PD150, the exact same video camera that I own. We talked about all sorts of stuff – and his interest in modern European history. He was reading the Dummies Guide to the 20th Century, something this dummy needs to read.

The sun is shining through the windows opposite. The light is very red, and this multi-hour sunrise will continue as I speed east.

For entertainment, the film “10 Ways to Lose a Man,” was screened. The Kate Hudson (swoon) vehicle was good mind candy. Nothing to write home about, but not the worst thing that I have ever seen.

(Later – Toronto to Copenhagen) I am tired but not exhausted. Two hours in Toronto consisted of a mad dash from one terminal to the other. Luckily my mega-tonne bags were checked through. I am driving myself nuts thinking about creating new revenue streams. It seems this experiment in freelance is not working as well as I’d hoped. Despite huge income occasionally, I find that I am slipping further and further into debt. This is not a good thing.

To chase away the money demons, I fire up my laptop and watch about an hour of the film The Royal Tennenbaums. What is it about this film that I love so much. It is hardly inspirational – and in fact, rather depressing. Could it be that I relate to the characters? All the characters have grown into adulthood, but have not changed since childhood. Hmmmm.

Perhaps it is simply that I love the look, the music, the acting, and the characters? It’s the kind of movie I would like to make. Witty and sad, like real life. Not like “King of Queens” which is what Air Canada is offering the the big screen.

For this part of the flight, I am lucky that the plane is half-full. I have two seats to myself, so I am able to create a little camp. There are lots of kids on the plane, but they are well behaved and starting to drift off.

Officially, the day changes, and it is now:

Saturday July 5, 2003.

The plane touches down, finally, at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen. I stumble off the plane, head through customs, grab my bags, and walk out to be greeted by Jesper Nielsen. Can it be that almost a year has passed since last I did this?

Jesper drives us out to his home, about 30 minutes past the airport in a suburb of Copenhagen. We take the scenic route and he points out all the commune borders along the way. The border expedition has begun!

I am staying at Jespers for several nights, which is very easy on the pocketbook. His wife, Nicolette, has a big lunch ready for us when we arrive. This is enough to push me over the edge. I take a nap.

When I wake up, we decide to see if I can get Jesper’s internet to work with my computer. We plug in a cable and struggle to make it work. Nicolette calls us for dinner, and I put the computer on a high dresser, cable dangling across the floor.

As we eat our second huge meal of the day, Jesper goes to fetch something from the bedroom. CRASH. He has tripped on the cable and my $5000 computer has flown through the air, landing on the floor. Without leaving the kitchen, I know what has happened. Great timing, I think to myself.

Jesper is apologetic when he walks into the kitchen. Then we all go look at the damage… it could have been worse. There is some damage to the hinges where the screen attaches to the body… and some hairline cracks in the case. But, the screen is unscathed and everything appears to still work. A miracle!

After all this excitement, it is time for bed. I sleep for 11 hours.

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