It was one hectic but incredible week, with my first, last, and only MCQ exam last Wednesday, followed by Sophia’s arrival immediately afterwards. Together with Dave and Fili, we conquered Denmark over the weekend beginning Friday. And by “conquer” I mean visiting all the major towns in Fyn (Funen in English) and Jylland (Jytland in English). Despite planning the road trip months beforehand, the trip itself was pretty much ad hoc, with a democratic vote in decision making whenever the need arose. The Aalborg Carnival was awesome, and so was witnessing the crashing of 2 oceans at the northern-most tip of Denmark in Skagen. The Legoland visit was a childhood dream fulfilled, and the castle hopping road trip (3 castles/palaces in 4 hours) proved how advantageous our rented car was. But this summary isn’t good enough for me, as usual; I need to remember what fun I had on this trip by blogging as much as I can possibly recall, so bear with the long story.
Wed, 24th May 2006
First, last and only exam in Denmark. 26 multiple choice questions in 2 hours, which I finished in 45 minutes.I only walked out after I waited for someone before to make that bold move.
The questions posed meant that either-you-know-it-or-you-don’t.
I was sure of half of my responses, but shaky with the others. I left 5 questions with the 5th option “Don’t Know” because I didn’t dare risk a subtraction of marks if I got it wrong. Here in DTU, when you finish, you slip your answers into a brown envelope and seal it, signing your name at the front to indicate that you acknowledge whatever you submit without other people’s tampering. And then that was it.
Freedom.
Since I got out pretty early, I headed back to the containers to start making the dough for the pizza dinner later, together with Fili’s help. He had also started on his chocolate salami dessert for the first time. At one point in time, he was not sure if the ingredients were right, so he called his mum to double check. After the dough was done and put aside to let it rise, I headed down to Lyngby to await Sophia’s arrival. Credit should be given to her for finding her way from Kastrup Airport to Lyngby via Copenhagen Central all by herself, saving my time and transportation costs.
We got back and started preparing dinner, with 2 reasons, one being my end of the exams and the other being her welcome dinner. I bought and prepared stuff for a pizza and sangria dinner, similar to the time when Qiuchan and Ming Ding came to Campus Village. And since the other Singaporeans didn’t look too keen on my efforts, Soph and I seemed to drink most of the 3 litres of sangria I prepared.
*note to self*: Sangria and Beer don’t mix.
There was some miscomm so the supposed fried rice dish ended up in Edwin’s container instead for his kitchen dinner. Thanks to LC, a quick carbonara course was prepared in a jiffy to supplement the pizzas.
Thursday, 25th May 2006
After a good night’s rest, I took Soph out downtown, to all the tourist attractions Copenhagen offered. We stopped at Østerport and walked towards the Little Mermaid (my 4th visit no less, but a first in spring), and then continued to Amelienborg, the winter residence of the royal couple. Right across Amelienborg on the Christianhavn side stood the new opera house, as well at the well-known hippie neighbourhood of Christiania, the latter of which we visited.
Since it was a public holiday, most shops along StrØget were closed, and after starting at Kongens Nytorv, we ended at the tourist information office opposite Hard Rock Café. Due to the unpredictable weather (can’t say it’s bad since the sun and rain alternate every 10 minutes no kidding – even the Danes themselves admit their weather is crazy), we looked for alternatives to sightsee Copenhagen before it got late.
Friday, 26th May 2006
As early as 7am, I left Campus Village for Copenhagen to collect the car I rented from Europcar. More than a week ago, I had made a reservation on their website after much scouting around for the lowest and best rate. Even though Avis quoted me 958kr (SGD$260) for 3 days over a Fri-Sun weekend, renting the car one day more would mean I have to pay 2400kr (SGD$650) instead. And I would need to pay that rate if I returned the car a minute later than the 3 days they quoted me.
Whilst appreciating their efforts, I said “I’ll think about it” (= no way!).
Then there was another car rental company http://www.no1rentacar.uk.com/, whose website seemed dodgy (even though everything looked legitimate, LC and I agreed we’d rather pay a bit more for the guarantee of renting from Europcar. So, at 1798kr (SGD$485) for 4 days with unlimited mileage, I chose the category B car, a Peugot 307.
To my delight, when I picked up the car at their office along Gammel Kongevej, they told me I was gonna get a bigger car, the Chevrolet Nubira station wagon (manual transmission) instead for the same price! Sweet! At least there would be so much more space for 4 of us in the car.
Having driven in the States before, this was my 2nd time driving on the right (side of the road), but a first in Europe. It wasn’t difficult or long before I found my way back to Lyngby via the highway, in less than 20 minutes without traffic.
Okay now you can applaud my driving abilities and navigational skills.
After reaching back safely in Campus Village, I got Soph to wake LC and Fili up, following which we prepared the car (ie, bring pillows and blankets, food and water etc) for the road trip. Having planned all of Saturday at the Aalborg Carnival, Skagen on Sunday and Legoland on Monday, we only just had a rough idea of which towns to pass through today. So it was pretty amusing when we pulled out of the carpark and I asked, “So, where are we going?”
An hour and a half later, we reached the toll (200kr or SGD$54 per crossing) just before crossing the Great Belt Bridge into Fyn, where our first stop in the town of Odense is.
Standing at 6,790 metres long with a free span of 1,624 metres, The Great Belt Bridge is notably the world's second largest suspension bridge, surpassed only by the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan. The vertical clearance for ships is 65 metres. At 254 metres above sea level, the two pylons of the Eastern Bridge are the highest points on solid structures in Denmark.
Another hour later, we arrived in the historic town of Odense, home to the famous author and poet, Hans C. Anderson. Interestingly enough, the traffic lights for pedestrians are not your ordinary circular shapes; instead they display the silhouette of H. C. Andersons! Cool!
Next stop – Fredrecia.
Upon arrival, we made the decision to alter our travel plans and cancel the Skagen reservation that I made for the Sunday the 28th. Instead of sleeping till check out time on Monday morning and driving 4 hours southwards towards Billund, we decided to leave Skagen in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday so we could reach Billund before noon, and spend more time in Legoland. As a result, I called to cancel the Skagen Danhostel for Sunday night. We would try our luck in finding accommodation once we reached Skagen, and if not, we would just sleep in the car. After all, we wanted to wake up at 3 to catch the sunrise at 3.30am, so there wasn’t a strong need to check in to sleep. More on this later.
I thought the town was pretty boring, walking through the streets with more than half the shops closed and pedestrian-less streets, until we saw something blue shimmering in the horizon.
The coast facing the Øresund sea!
Sat down and ate our favorite Danish pastry Kanelstang that I recommended Soph to buy along our way to the coast. Then it was time to head towards Ǻrhus.
At first I thought Ǻrhus might offer something different than the other towns we visited since it is Denmark’s second oldest city and Scandinavia’s oldest major city. Back in the 8th century, the Vikings founded Aros (and old Danish word for “river mouth”) as an important settlement for the Danish King and his warriors. There is a host of shops and restaurants tightly packed together, cafes lining the river bank which meanders through the city centre. However by the time we arrived in Ǻrhus, only the cafes and restaurants remained opened.
We also chanced upon our fellow DTU friends like Massi, Ali and 3 others when we crossed a bridge and saw those familiar faces sitting by the river bank sharing a crate of drinks. They, and many others, had taken advantage of the DSB Train anniversary day in which you can pay 50kr (SGD$13) and travel anywhere in Denmark between Fri 4am and Sat 4am. We didn’t because we had the flexibility of driving over the weekend, and more importantly, witness the largest parade and carnival in northern Europe the very next day in Aalborg.
But before we headed to our hotel, we decided to drive into Aalborg itself after I received a message from Alessandro Fazio that he was there too. After getting our bearings right, we found the famous street of Jomfru Ane Gade, said to be Scandinavia’s largest and most famous entertainment street featuring discotheques, cafes and restaurants where young and old people meet for high class entertainment. In one of the pubs called Newcastle, we entered and found Ale, Chiara and Oliver! It’s no wonder why we keep emphasizing it’s a small world after all.
By midnight, the trio had to leave north Jytland for the last 4 hour train ride back to Copenhagen in Sjælland, while we continued another 50 km north of Aalborg to our accommodation in Syvsten, because the hostels, camping sites, and hotels (including 5-star ones) were fully booked when I emailed them 2 weeks ago, “thanks” to the largest carnival and parade happening the next day.
Interestingly enough, the hotel that we arrived at sometime after midnight was situated right beside the highway, inside, yes inside, a petrol kiosk! LC and Soph went to check in since he made a prior reservation for a double room, while Fili and I waited in the car nearby. We had already planned for all 4 of us to crash in one room, yet pay for 2, so Fili and I awaited news if there was a way to get in to the one-storey-three-container-long hotel without the receptionist’s scrutiny.
After they got paid 375kr (SGD$101) instead of the supposed rate of 475kr (SGD$130) for the double room, they came out to the car where Fili and I were waiting, and told us that the hotel receptionist-cum-petrol-kiosk-attendant-cum-café-waitress was one and the same! Talk about multi-tasking. After scheming of various ways to avoid the receptionist, one of which included pretending to walk towards the toilet but walking further in towards the rooms, LC found a backdoor with which we could access, right next to the carpark where we parked, and our Room #1 was directly opposite that access door too. So after LC and Soph entered, Fili and I followed suit 3 minutes later, and voila! Since I didn’t take any pictures of the exterior at night, here’s what the petrol kiosk-cum-hotel looked like the next morning we checked out, as well as the two-bedroom-with-TV-and-bathroom looked like.
Saturday, 27th May 2006
Breakfast was good, thanks to LC and Soph who volunteered not eating and passed Fili and me two breakfast coupons. When they both came out later to check out, they too joined us, and Fili and I helped them grab some juice, coffee and bread with a variety of spreads. It was the cheapest and best “hotel” experience by far. Of course, without God’s blessing we wouldn’t have been so lucky in paying half of what we actually needed to.
We drove back south towards Aalborg again for the carnival and were very blessed indeed to find good parking in the heart of Aalborg, where one of the 4 form-up points originated. Parking rates average about 1kr (SGD$0.27) per 15 minutes, but we needed only two and a half hours before it was free (free parking after Saturday 2pm). Just like parking in Odense (or anywhere else in Denmark), you slot in how much money you think you will park for in machine nearby, and they dispense a ticket for you to display on your dashboard inside your car, much more efficient and practical than the URA-style coupons we adopt in Singapore I feel.
Okay, on to the parade.
Fantastic. Incredible. Outrageous. And out of this world.
Carnival in Aalborg is the largest carnival in Northern Europe with up to 25.000 active carnivalists in the Grand Parade, followed by a massive party in the city park, Kildeparken. This year’s theme for the parade is “Exotic-Erotic” and what we saw was what we expected and more. Danes are crazy, and that’s an understatement. Who gets themselves drunk in the day and goes wild in the streets dressed in everything and anything (sometimes nothing, but I only saw one though)?! When we reached the main street around noon, it was already lined up with hoards of people awaiting the start of the parade. I think I’ll let the pictures do the talking from here.
After the parade, everyone proceeded towards Kildeparken, where a major party would go on till the night. Before we headed back to the car, we scouted around for food and settled for some lunch. Our original plan was to join in the fun at the party-in-the-park but because of the dreary weather and ugly sight we saw that greeted us at the entrance to Kildeparken (beer bottles and more junk littered the streets and park), plus the entrance fee of 50kr (SGD$13) and every re-entrance of 20kr (SGD$5), we decided it wasn’t worth it. Moreover, if half the music was in Danish, we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves as much.
So then came a change of plan. We would drive all the way to Skagen and find accommodation for the night, wake up at 3am to watch the sunrise along the coast, and then start driving back down towards Legoland in Billund on Monday. Just as we were about to leave, these 2 guys approached Fili and Dave, asking them if for a ride to the nearby casino 1 km away, clearly looking like they’ve had some drinks, yet sober enough to plead us for a ride. LC and Fili told them to ask me, since I was the one who rented the car and should make the decision so I can be responsible should anything go wrong.
The 2 guys claimed that no cabs were around and they would give us 100kr (SGD$27) for a 10minutes ride that is no more than 1km away. Everyone of us was doubtful (and a bit afraid of what they might do) but they started sounding firm and convinced me that we looked like decent guys who would be able to help them save on walking. I was very reluctant, and even told them we were actually on our way to Skagen, but they sensed my apprehension and flashed the 100kr note in my face, forcing me to take it first as a guarantee. I succumbed, not by the note, but by the fear of what they might do to us or the car if we rejected them further. So I asked Fili to take the wheel, while I sat behind with one of them beside me and the other in front of me, just in case I needed to break their necks if the need arose – to provide protection basically.
Thankfully, the 10 minutes and 1km ride went smoothly and we turned back to pick LC and Soph up at the carpark to carry on our journey towards Skagen.
On the way to Skagen, we stopped by another town, Frederiskhavn, where the sea routes to Oslo (Norway) and Göteborg (Sweden) originate. We drove about into and around the town before leaving for Skagen proper.
Unfortunately, when we finally arrived in Skagen, the reception for the Danhostel was closed and their telephone number was put to an answering machine. We drove to the nearby Motel Skagen, and received the same response – none. The town looked dead at night, and we started getting disappointed each time we looked out of the window with no accommodation in sight. We found a house that said there was rooms for rent, so when Soph knocked on the door, this guy opened and explained to her that the room was not in that house, but a nearby one which he would direct us to. When Soph told him she needed a room for two, he was more than happy to hop in his car and lead us to the house, some streets away. However, upon arrival, she saw that the room was smaller than my campus village one, and was hosted by an old lady! So if we had to sleep, we would be sharing the same crammed room with her! So Soph finally dropped the bomb and told him and the old lady that we were actually 4 and not 2. Immediately their jaws dropped, and exchanged words in Danish with stunned responses. Soph returned to the car and we decided it was best not to take up his offer, assuming it still held.
We drove back to the main road back south to find this Hotel Skagen that I thought I saw when I passed it earlier, took a wrong turn when we saw a couple of signs that meant “bed”, but finally arrived at the Hotel Skagen, which was located in a really deserted place after driving through isolated tracks. Despite it’s poor location, the hotel looked grand from the outside and through the windows inside. As with the Hotel in Syvsten (50km north of Aalborg) the day before, Soph went in to ask how much a room for 2 persons was, before she came out and burst into laughter.
Soph: “Guess how much a double room is for one night?”
Me: “Wow it sounds incredible unbelievable if you are this excited.”
Soph: “Guess lah, quick guess! *hopping with enthusiasm”
Me: “Alright, how about 500kr?”
Soph: “Close, it’s 1200kr (SGD$324) per night for a double room!”
Me: “Get in the car.”
For the next 5 minutes all 4 of us were just amazed at the hotel and how we’ll never get the chance to stay in something as lavish as that. Then we passed by the Skagen Camping site and turned in hoping to rent a cabin for the night, but again, the reception was closed. So we decided to use their toilets to wash up, with only Fili and Soph paying 5kr (SGD$1.35) for 5 minutes of water supply to shower, while LC and I decided it was too cold to shower. By midnight, after we were done brushing our teeth and stuff, we drove all the way to the tip of Skagen to park at the carpark and await sunrise.
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of all 4 of us trying to sleep in the car, but that hilarious picture is etched in me forever. I think Soph adopted the most number of positions before finding her niche while Fili stuck his legs towards the rear windscreen and put his semi-upside down body in a comfortable sleeping bag, with his head snugly behind my driver’s seat, leveled below the door handle. Me? I just sat in the driver’s seat for over 3 hours until waking up at 3.30am for the sunrise.
We trudged through the sandy beaches where the 2 seas Kattegat and Skagerrak meet at Grenen, the northernmost point of Denmark. The two seas, which caress each other when the winds are light and foam in fury when the waves get up - are a natural phenomenon in the international class. It looks pretty cold, especially with Soph covered up in a blanket I brought along on the trip, but everyone warmed up a bit after the walk. After taking pictures, we left Skagen towards Billund, where nothing other than Legoland is attractive.
Along the way, Fili directed us to the west coast, somewhere near Lokken, where he had previously visited during Easter. Despite the bad weather, the breathtaking view at the top of the cliffs more than made up for it.
Lønstrup Cliff is a unique illustration of Denmark’s geology. The 15km long cliff stretches from Løkken to Lønstrup. The 90m high Rubjerg Knude are the cliffs highest and wildest parts. The cliff is made of sand and clay which was deposited during the last ice-age between 5000-10000 years ago.
2 or 3 hours later, we finally reached Legoland in Billund, which was the highlight of my whole trip, even to Denmark. I must have regained my childhood again, when I let the kid in me run wild again, with all the rides and miniature Lego cities of the world. However, I must admit with what Soph said, that the “fun-nest” (I know there’s no such word, but she invented it) part of the 210kr (SGD$56) ticket was building a Lego toy! If you think about it, it beats buying a Lego set since a good one costs about 500-1200kr (SGD$135-SGD$324) and you probably only build it once.
After doing a couple of rides, and the unpredictable rain-sun weather persisted for more than an hour, we stumbled upon this building which said “Lego Technic”, and entered to see what they offered. Soph enquired about the Lego sets they provided and whether we could play with it. Interestingly, completing a set would earn us a diploma! No joke! Due to lack of time, we didn’t choose the most difficult bulldozer (which the staff claims takes 3-4hours), and instead, we settled for the dumper, which was meant for 8+ year olds and takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to complete.
All 4 of us decided to try our hand at it and competed against each other to see who could do it in the fastest time. Yours truly, finished in 1 hour, with Soph coming second at 1 hr 15mins, LC at 1hr 25mins, and Fili struggling with a bad start but kept within 1 hr 45mins.
I was reluctant to leave Legoland, and if I could spare more time and money, I’d have booked myself a room in Hotel Legoland nearby. But everyone was tired from lack of sleep, and so we left Legoland at 6.30pm, reaching back Campus Village around 10pm.
Monday, 29th May 2006
We finally caught up on sleep we lost out on the previous 2 days. After noon, I woke up for brunch, and then headed down to Lyngby with Soph to do some grocery shopping for the Singaporean dinner LC and I were going to prepare in the evening, since we had the car still. We returned back to Campus Village at 4pm when LC and Fili finally woke up, and then hopped in the car for another afternoon of sightseeing in Sjælland (Zealand in English). I myself wanted to visit and show Soph to 3 different castles/palaces in HelsingØr, Fredensborg, and HillerØd.
Thanks to our rented car, we were able to touch-and-go the Kronborg Castle in HelsingØr/ Elsinore, the Fredensborg Palace beside Lake Esrum (Denmark’s 2nd largest lake), and Frederiskborg Castle in HillerØd – all in 4 hours, before coming back to Klampenborg to visit Bakken, the oldest theme park in the world.
Kronborg Castle is one of northern Europe’s most important Renaissance castles, situated 45km north of Copenhagen. It was built in 1577 but its history stretches back to the early 14th century, when King Erik of Pomerania built a heavily fortified castle called Krogen, from where it was possible to control the narrow seaward approach to the Sound (Øresund) between Elsinore and Helsingborg in Scania (Skåne). Stories of the impressive stronghold traveled as far as England, inspiring Shakespeare to make the castle the scene of Hamlet’s life, and thus came about the whole popularity of Kronborg and its nickname, Hamlet’s Castle. Kronborg Castle is also home to the Danish Maritime Musuem, founded in 1915 and is one of the oldest, finest and largest maritime museums in Denmark.
Fredensborg Palace is the result of King Frederik IV’s great affinity for the scenic area surrounding Lake Esrum, as well as a commemoration of the end of the war with Sweden in 1722. Directly translated, the name means ‘Castle of Peace’. Today, the palace is the spring and autumn residence of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik.
Frederiksborg Castle is Denmark’s national gem, where the Musuem of National History is housed. In its present shape Frederiskborg Castle was founded by the great builder among Denmark’s kings, Christian IV during the years 1602-22. The history of the castle begins much earlier, however, with the manor of HillerØdsholm. When Christian IV’s father, King Frederik II, acquired it in 1560, he had it rebuilt and enlarged into an impressive castle. When Christian IV later succeeded the throne, he had his father’s castle torn down in 1602 in order to built the magnificent castle, which today is a source of great pleasure to the residents of North Zealand.
Frederiksborg Castle is an impressively large block of buildings situated on 3 small islands in the Castle Lake. The proper entrance to Frederiksborg Castle is through the town gate on the southernmost island, but we didn’t have time to do so. Circling around the Castle Lake, we got better views of the majestic Castle, and took several pictures before walking into the empty streets of HillerØd.
Rounding up the tour for that day, we headed back to Klampenborg, near Lyngby, where the beach and famous free-roaming deer park and oldest theme park, Bakken, is.
Bakken is not only the oldest amusement park in the world, it is also the most entertaining in Denmark. Bakken has more rides than any other amusement parks in the Nordic region. The park is simply packed with rides of all kinds, some of them fast and furious, turning the world upside-down, and others more sedate, ideal for our youngest visitors. The wooden roller-coaster is more than 70 years old yet still delights young and old alike, and the numerous new amusements make up a complete range of no-holds-barred entertainment for all ages.
We didn’t have time for the rides since it was coming to 10pm (even though the sun was just in the process of setting and the park closes at midnight), and the others were hungry. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to come back again, but if I do, the all-access wristbands to the 35 rides costs 199kr (SGD$54).
Tuesday, 30th May 2006
Early that morning, I woke up (after just 2 hours of sleep) to return the car back to Copenhagen, dragging Soph along since we were supposed to visit the Carlsberg Brewery before her departure. I must commend Europcar’s service and ease with which renting/returning of the car was accomplished. With no hidden charges and possible cash payment, it was a huge relief to get that liability of an expensive motor machine off my chest.
We had breakfast in Copenhagen before strolling down the main walking street, StrØget, and then headed towards the Carlsberg Brewery by noon. Being my 2nd visit, it didn’t take much to convince Soph that brewery beers are the best. Just one beer and we were happy, by the second free beer, we were already scheming for various methods to, errmm, “redeem” their beer glasses as souvenirs, which we did. At first we managed with 1, and by the end of the time we spent at the bar, we had earned ourselves 5 glasses, of which Soph took 2. Don’t ask, brewery beer is just good. Heh.
We returned to Campus Village by 3pm, left again by 4pm for Copenhagen and the airport. It was rather nerve wrecking looking at our watches since Soph’s flight back to Berlin was at 5.50pm and check-in closes at 5.20pm. 40 minutes later, we reached Copenhagen Central Station where I bade farewell and Soph continued on a separate train to Kastrup at 5pm. But that excitement shouldn’t be repeated again. Just before leaving the station, I bumped into Sebastian, who also just sent his girlfriend back to Germany. As if the world isn’t small enough.
**********************************************************
Okay, this took me 9 pages (on MS Word) and 2 days to put everything that happened in a week in words. The pictures are still being uploaded halfway, and I hope you’ll get a good picture with as much a vivid description as I could possibly offer, and then when I find out the problem (maybe I uploaded too much pictures on blogger on previous posts), do check back again on this colorful blog!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment