Roadspill

TIMEWARP ALERT! This is my border expedition report for July 9, 2003:

Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Oelstykke, Denmark

The alarm goes off at 7.
The alarm goes off at 8.
The alarm goes off at 9.
Rapping on the door alerts me to the fact that I am still a bit jet lagged, or in my elderly state, I need more sleep. Peter’s knocking continues until I mumble some sort of retort to his call for breakfast.

After a shower and a feed of cheeses, meats, and breads, I dive into a bowl of muesli yoghurt. I busy myself with last minute preparations, the never ending quest to book my Belize flight, email a confirmation to the folks I’ll be working for in Belize, and eat some more. Peter has a bunch of things to do today, so that means Mike and I will head into Copenhagen. Mike wants to see Tivoli, a big amusement park in the centre of Copenhagen. I fancy something with less walking. Perhaps I will stay on the train all the way to Malmo, Sweden. Actually this is not possible, as the S train does not go to Sweden. The airport train does – so if you miss the airport stop, you end up in another land. Cool!

11:15am: We are stepping off bus 303 at Oelstykke Station. Then, aboard the train to Copenhagen we decide to go our separate ways: Mike will check out Tivoli while I will hire a bicycle and zip around town. Later, we must meet up with the rest of the border freaks at another of Peter’s favourite watering holes. I am tired of walking around Copenhagen, simply because I have done so much of it. It’s one of those things: are you wasting a vacation when you want to just chill out and do nothing? Or is it a waste to feel obligated to do touristy things. Ah, the big dilemmas of traveling.

Outside Central Station, I find one of the rental bike racks. It is a simple operation, and similar to retrieving a shopping cart in Canada. Stick a coin in and off you go. The bikes are plastered with advertising and feature one speed and hard rubber tires. No matter, it is still a kick to be able to cycle Copenhagen. The only bike in the rack has super stiff steering – it probably hasn’t been oiled since Copenhagen was founded.

As Mike heads to Tivoli, I take off at an angle down a busy thoroughfare. My bike is the equivalent to a shopping cart with a bum wheel.

My first goal is to find a replacement bike. After checking out numerous empty racks, I finally find one – and I am now set to ride to my hearts content. Unfortunately it is a hot and muggy day, and I turn in to a hot and sweaty tourist. After a bit of this, I return to the main square and whip out a book. I spend the next hour alternating between people watching and reading. And I feel no guilt what-so-ever.

I meet up with Mike after returning my bike to an empty rack. It is snapped up immediately. Mike and I hit a grocery story and buy some food for lunch and some snacks for the ferry. After we meet the other border freaks at the pub, we will be headed back towards Nyhaven and the ferry to Poland.

The store has a great selection, and the bananas sport barcodes. We fill up our baskets and then head back to the main square to eat. I am drinking a beer with my lunch. An elderly Chinese woman comes up, and gestures that she wants the bottle. As it is still half full of beer, I gesture that she can go away. She walks about 20 feet away and is joined by a young boy. A minute later, he is gesticulating that I should finish my beer and give him the bottle. Soon, this escalates into a war of the wills. I become extremely possessive of my bottle and determined to keep it until the last possible second. Finally, after been stared at and likely cursed in Chinese, I give in.

Mike and I walk towards the bar where we are supposed to meet the rest of the group. We stop for ice cream (Magnum bar #1) at a 7-11 and then enter the bar. We are the first ones, so we order a beer and a napkin to wipe the ice cream from our chins.

Suddenly, familiar voices are heard: it is Anne, Harry and Peter! We all exchange hugs and start chatting away about what we’ve been up to since the last border expedition. We’re waiting for our newest member of the group, Hans-Peter.

When Hans-Peter arrives, he orders another round for us, and then picks up the tab. Again! What a guy!! He knows a lot about modern European history and he fascinates me with his stories.

On our way to the ferry terminal, we stop and see what is supposed to be a big deal in Copenhagen: the statue of a mermaid on a rock in the harbour. I decline to tell everyone about the one that resides in the harbour in Vancouver.

There is a line-up at the ferry terminal, so I walk around exploring and taking pictures. It is around 9pm.

Finally the ferry begins to load, and we pass through Danish customs control. I had not expected to get a stamp or go through customs before Poland.

The ferry reeks of oil. On the car deck, in the pub, even outside – the pungent smell is inescapable. The sun is beginning to set as we cast off. The group of us is standing outside, watching Copenhagen slip past. We’re only 5 minutes behind our scheduled departure.

We pass the Oresund bridge (one of the longest in the world) as well as a row of huge windmills standing out in the sea. With the sun setting, it creates a beautiful scene. Pictures to be posted soon!

The Polish ferry features a bar with a hot tub and lots of Polish women. They are very different from the Danish women – more stylish and less earthy. It’s like Denmark is the land of milkmaids and Poland is the land of models.

There is a duty free shop on board, but there isn’t anything too exciting to buy. After a snack it’s time to crash. I’m still hungry – so I make some sandwiches from the leftovers from the meal in the square earlier. I wonder if warm 6 hour old salami is harmful? I also struggle to keep up with my journal. And I spend more time texting people back in Canada. The content of the messages usually has to do with beer, the book McCarthy’s Bar, and beer again.

The cabin is small, and I am sharing with Jesper. He has the top bunk, mainly due to my fear of rolling out of bed in the middle of the night. There is a sound system built into the wall which features four audio selections. All seem to be Polish dance music.

I set my alarm for 6am and drift off to sleep, and all night I dream that I work at an oil refinery.

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