The Copenhagen Report

Early this morning I had the rare opportunity to float over a little part of Denmark from a big red hot air balloon. A memorable experience indeed, from the first blast of the hot air burners that lifted the huge balloon off the ground, to the deers running away as the balloon passed above them, and the dogs barking as they sensed us approaching in the distance and the waving school children who were probably almost as excited about what they were seeing as we onboard were looking out over the land below that stretched as far as our eyes could see. And of course the landing which ended with the basket tipped sideways, as is normal when there is anything more than very light winds.

The flight passed directly over the thriving Danish metropolis of Ringsted (population 30,850) before eventually landing in a farmer's field some kilometers on the other side. But I'll just let the pictures do the talking.


...the hot air burners begin to lift the balloon off the ground


...your truly dwarfed by the 21 by 2o meter balloon


...whoosh!!




...scaring the deers


...windmills, windmills and more windmills on the horizon of the
Danish countryside


...Ringsted


...'I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill
and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain,
and the crooked places will be made straight'...I think he visited Denmark!



...today, the dream of identical houses is alive...in Ringsted.


...the place, it turns out, where apparently trampolines are seeing a resurgence


...excited school children watching us float over town


...but what a view!!

the EU flag aflutter in the breeze...but not in Denmark

One thing that has always annoyed me is the Danish governments insistence on minimalising - which is to say entirely avoiding - flying the European flag on any official government buildings in the country. Anywhere. Pretty much every other European country happily flies the blue EU flag, alongside their own, in front of most government buildings - which is surely the way it should be.

It's a shame this doesn't happen in Denmark though. After all, Denmark has a lot to offer Europe, particularly the new members - the less developed countries.

And it's not like there is any risk that flying a few EU flags will ever overshadow the Dannebro, Denmark's own flag. After all, this is a country where families wrap garlands of Danish flags around the Christmas tree each year (thank goodness the Americans haven't caught on to that idea...), and on birthdays Danish flags are flown in front of homes, or little Danish flags decorate the table and the birthday cake, and the garden (or surround the 'birthday group' if they choose a park as the setting for a birthday gathering - which is a frequent sight in the warmer months).

But maybe this will change one day and EU flags will appear in Denmark...

...'Verdens Mindste Kaffebar' ('The World's Smallest Coffee Bar)

Copenhagen is at its best when it is at its quirkiest. And there are few quirkier establishments then 'Verdens Mindste Kaffebar' - 'The World's Smallest Coffee Bar'. Located on the little known street in Vesterbro called Tullinsgade (which runs of the more well-known streets, Vaernedamsvej). There's room for about 2 people inside (or 4 squeezed).

Drop by if you need a shot of caffeine. Or on a nice day, if you're in the mood for a game of table tennis - on a miniature table, naturally.

As anybody who lives in Denmark, or has visited the country well knows, there are few places more bicycle friendly than Denmark. Not surprisingly, cycling is the primary means of transportation for a huge number of people in the country - particularly in Copenhagen.

But it's not just Copenhagen.

This past weekend I was out in the countryside, about 45 minutes north of Copenhagen - I'd brought along my bicycle on the train so I would have a means to get to where I was going once I reached the closest train station. I was amazed at what I found. Not only was there a sizable bicycle path taking me directly to my destination from the train station (this was not the surprising part), as I cycled towards my destination I couldn't believe my eyes when I came to a 'roundabout' in the middle of the cycle path, where the path intersected another. It was a 'roundabout' constructed entirely for bicycles!

...the inspiring fruit and vegetable section at Fakta, one fine morning quite recently

Imagine you are the manager of a grocery store. What, might you think, would be the single most fundamental aspect of your job?

Hmmm....

Yes, you might say hiring staff and making sure there are enough people are filling all the necessary positions so the store will run smoothly, or something along those lines. Not a bad answer.

However, not quite right, I would suggest. Rather, after countless visits to various grocery stores in Copenhagen over the years, it struck me that there is something even more fundamental - making sure that the shelves are stocked with food. You know, so the customers actually have something to buy (and preferably what they actually came into the shop looking for!).

However, in Denmark there are many grocery store managers who just don't see things this way. And in truth, I have no idea how grocery store managers are assessed, but at this point I'm pretty certain that the ability to keep the shelves stocked with food from morning to night is definitely not one of them.

Because oh so often there just seems to be rather a lack of it. Two things are probably occurring to you at this point.

Firstly, you are likey thinking it seems odd, even improbable that this could be the case, since selling food is, well, basically their entire business. And in the case of places like Netto and Fakta, two discount supermarket chains in Denmark, that task is actually even easier since they offer a pretty damn limited product range - at least relative to 'normal' Danish supermarkets (who also aren't exactly superstars when it comes to keeping the basics stocked).

Secondly, you are also probably saying to yourself, 'then why shop at these place - just go somewhere else!' And this would be a good point!! Well, except for one little problem. See, in some parts of Copenhagen (and elsewhere around Denmark, for that matter) they really are the most convenient places to get to, meaning it's not always so easy to just 'pop' over to another store.

Worse still, when you have a short time until the shops close (way to early, if you ask me) at 8 each night (and the even more annoying 5 PM on Saturday) sometimes you just have to run to the closest shop to make it. When the closest shop turns out to be a half-empty supermarket, it can be rather fucking annoying. And these discount grocery stores are pretty much the only grocery stores open most Sundays of the year.

Yes, apparently it is a challenging job managing a grocery store in Denmark. So for now all I can do is roll with it...and not to get too frustrated when it takes visiting a couple stores on the way home from work just to find a carton of milk or head of broccoli...

Below: a typical end-of-day picture at Netto or Fakta - they often look about the same for the first couple hours in the morning as well (since they often don't bother to stock the shelves until after the stores have opened).


and I'll just grab some milk and eggs from the fridge...oh well, never mind

A Blue flag of the Danish Outdoor Council in at Kamares, Sifnos in Greece

After spending the last 2 weeks in Greece, I figured it was as good a time as any to write a little article about clean water and swimming.

You've perhaps noticed Blue Flags on beaches, both around Denmark and elsewhere around Europe and the rest of the world. During a trip to Greece this summer, I was surprised to discover that the organisation that runs this Blue Flag Program is actually a Danish organisation based in Copenhagen - The Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE), or 'Danish Outdoor Council' (seems they are a bit confused themselves about just what name they would like to be referred to as...)


An unlikely sign to find on a sunny Greek island...

Surprise, surprise. Denmark is light years ahead of pretty much any other (non-Scandinavian) country when it comes to environmental issues. It's not coincidence that cars in Denmark cost about 3 times what they cost everywhere else thanks to the incredibly high taxes they are subject to and cycle lanes exist on pretty much every street found in Copenhagen and in cities elsewhere around the entire country (not to mention countless cycle paths connecting cities and towns).

There are beaches and marinas in 40 counties around the world participating in the Blue Flag program, at this point.

To digress away from blue flags, Copenhagen is one of the few major cities out there, at least at present, where it possible to swim in the channel the cuts through it. In most European cities (as is of course generally the case elsewhere as well), if there is a major river or channel or other body of water running through them (or nearby), you can be all but certain it's too polluted to swim in. The list of such places is long - the Thames in London, the Seine in Paris, and so on. But swimming in Copenhagen is no problem.

The authorities in Copenhagen had the grand revelation a few years ago that if the channel cutting through Copenhagen was clean enough, people might actually enjoy swimming in it. Who would have imagined that people might actually like to swim when it's hot and sunny out? It's kind of embarrassing that the authorities in other cities haven't come to a similar conclusion. Perhaps one day, someday, they'll also get it...

It all began about 6 years ago now, following a lengthy series of clean-up efforts that improved the water in the channel, with the addition of a handful of swimming areas (havnebåd) in the Copenhagen channel, and since then the dynamics of life along the channel - particularly at islands brygge - have changed dramatically.


...the swimming area at Islands Brygge

People lounge on the grass in huge numbers, a number of new cafes have opened up, and on a hot spring or summer day (or even a warm one) the area swarms with life. In short, it's a fantastic place to be. A second swimming area is found on the other side of Fisketorv, the large and ugly shopping mall on the other side of the channel from Islands Brygge, and now connected by a pedestrian bridge.

It's pretty rare to find natural salt-water public swimming areas in the middle of a major city - in fact I can't think of another city where you find such a thing. If only there were more hot and sunny days in Denmark to actually use them.


...lounging on the grass at Islands Brygge

Cafe Tjili Pop (Ranzenzgade 28 in Nørrebro) is one of those place just off the radar that shouldn't be though it's probably a good thing that it is. It's located in a rather unlikely location, one not known for it's cafe's and nightlife. As a friend of mine remarked as we wandered in on Wednesday evening, "I hadn't even considered that there could be an interesting place in this part of town". Indeed, there very much is.

Actually,, its not an entirely fair charge to make against the area - given that it's within walking distance or a very short bike ride from the central part of Nørrebro (Blågårdsgade and Sankt Hans Torv), an area very well known for its numerous cafes.

I must confess it's been at least a couple years, perhaps even longer, since I've dropped by. That is going to change. Finding these sorts of independent places with a kind of underground feel is both a worthwhile and a challenging pursuit. Frankly, there isn't a whole lot of them in Copenhagen - but there are a few around.

If you're going to check the place out, I suggest dropping by on Wednesday when it's singer/songwriter night, or on Friday or Saturday when the place is open late. Of course, with a decent selection of beers, really any evening will do just fine. Just tuck yourself into one of the cozy corners, be open to chatting with others - there isn't a load of space - and enjoy.





Or check out the review over at Something Rotten - apparently I'm not the only one who things it's worthwhile.

Big, golden, kitsch and fake - the perfect welcome to a contemporary China exhibition.

Having lived for a little over a year in China, in Shanghai from late 2005 to late 2006, I was more then a little keen to check out the Made in China exhibition at the always fantastic Louisiania to see how it stood alongside my memories of the place.

If you want to know more about this experience, check outFor more on the experience of living in China, take a look at The Shanghai Shakedown, my Shanghai (and elsewhere around China) blog from last year. If you want my take on the political situation in China, always a popular issue, you could read this article about Democracy in China.

In my view, Denmark and China are actually an amusing study in contrasts, as the aspects of business and industry that drive Danish society - design, organisation, trustworthiness and innovation - are the sort of buzzwords that I would never ever ever use to describe China. Which means Danish companies have skill very useful to Chinese ones (and indeed plenty of them in Denmark are realising this and taking advantage of it).

To the images.



Here we have one of the classic images of China - the Yellow Mountains located near Huanshan, found on many a cheap Chinese restaurant wall the world over...and an image certainly mercifully not found anywhere in Louisiana's Made in China exhibition.

This one below was, however. Yes, look closely and you will realise that these indeed are real live (hairy) photographed asses from China...and, of course, not the Yellow Mountains.



Shanghai in a suitcase I found rather amusing and clever - from the Jin Mao tower to the Hangpu River and the Pearl Tower. Of course, even contemporary art can't keep pace with the frantic pace of change in China - the new Shanghai World Financial Centre, which has now surpassed the Jin Mao tower as the tallest building in Shanghai (and one of the tallest buildings in the world) does not appear.



Below - the symbol for 'demolision' - found on many a soon to be demolished areas around Beijing, Shanghai and countless other cities around China.







This pooch probably ate some of that Chinese dog food full of grade F meat...

Editor's Note:

I know I've been a bit lax about posting this month, but as it is July I think you can figure out why. Nonetheless, there are a bunch of half-written posts waiting to be finished, and still more that I haven't got to writing at all. Hopefully I'll get to them over the next days...before running off for more vacation for most of August.

Hey, it is the summer...

Cheers!
Tim

The rain may have (basically) stopped after Thursday, but the mud had nowhere to go. Nonetheless, it was a Roskilde Festival worthy of it's somewhat legendary reputation. The big names didn't really disappoint - with the exception of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which I will get to in a moment.

As is always the case, it was the unexpected bands that carried the festival. Because it's these bands that one fills the hours in between the big acts playing at the Orange stage.

This year, I'd highlight 3 in particular that stood out: Nortec Collective from Mexico (a fantastic take on electro music with a mexican twist - 5 guys on laptops, 2 horn players, an accoustic guitar player and an accordian player), Goose from Belgium (pure synthesiser focused energy - non stop bouncing for an hour), and 120 Days from Norway (extended electronic tracks with a deceiving amount of power and energy).


Nortec Collective at the Roskilde Festival

But the guy who arguably stole the show this year was Trentemøller. Coming somewhat out of nowhere in Denmark over the last 18 months, with his live performance at Roskilde on Friday evening, he cemented himself a reputation as a live performer of the highest caliber.

Which brings us to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Watching Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Keidis on screen, with black bags under his eyes, well, he looked rather tired. It was only later that I learned why - it seems the Chili Peppers played 3 shows in 24 hours, first in Paris yesterday evening, then earlier in the day in London, before hopping on a plane and arriving in Copenhagen for their 1 AM show at Roskilde. Sadly, it was their fans in Roskilde - and I am without question one of them - that suffered from this ambitious bit of scheduling on their part.

It was lackluster performance. No, I'm being kind. It was outright shitty and somewhat embarrassing and worse of all, standing watch it, it felt like we were all unwitting victims to some sort of inside joke the band was playing. A joke that went something like, 'if we pretend we are a bunch of teenagers jamming for 2 hours, will 50,000 people still cheer'. The second part of the joke was, 'how few songs can we squeeze into 2 hours'.

Here's how it went:

When they were playing their hits they were fantasic and the crowd was into it. Unfortunately, it was the space between the hits that was the problem. During these times, we were treated to an extended warm-up session. It was painful, being subjected to guitarist John Frusciante's endless guitar-wanking. The band sounded like a bunch of kids trying out instruments in a music shop. It would have been cool if this had a couple times during the show, but it happened between every single song they played. And by the end of the 2 hours, they could have easily played at least 5-6 songs more - and it's not like they have a shortage of songs to play! No question the 50,000 plus people watching would have responded energetically, if they had.

Instead, when the band left stage before the first encore, after feeling kind of like we had been stuck in very slow moving traffic that started in stopped for 2 hours - you'd move a bit, then things would crawl to a stop, and so on for the entire performance - it was a feeble cheer that the crowed mustered before the encore. The encore proved to be another couple guitar wanks, then 'Give it Away' now (again, excellent), followed by another 5 minute guitar wank to end the show (Anothony Keidis having already left the stage by this point).

In retrospect, I realise that the fact they opened the concert with a 3-minute jam session/guitar wank was actually a warning for what was to come.

And I know they can put on a great show. Last time they played Roskilde, they packed their set with pretty much all the biggest hits from their albums.

But as I said, Chili Peppers aside, it was an outstanding festival, especially given the weather conditions. The camping area may have been a sea of mud (that I all but avoided, opting instead to take the bus into Copenhagen each evening to sleep in the comfort of my own bed). You see, at a festival years ago I learned that human beings can live in mud, much to my surprise, and I didn't need a second lesson this year around.

By: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)


That's The Killers, live onstage, if you were wondering...

Yesterday the music started at the Roskilde Festival. And the rain continued. I was there. I will sum it up in some detail below.

Mud mud mud rain rain.

Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud. Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain.



Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud. Mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud. Mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain. Rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud.

Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud. Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud. Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud. Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud.

Mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain.



By the way, The Killers, playing at the outdoor Orange stage, were outstanding in spite of the mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain, mud mud mud rain, rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain, as were Arcade Fire.



Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud. Rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain mud mud mud rain rain. Mud. Mud. Rain. Ugh.

I can barely wait to get back to Roskilde this evening for more of it.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)



The lack of mountains in Denmark has always been a minor point of contention for me (or as one friend of mine put it, 'a real country has mountains'). That said, a 'real country' should also have sea - preferably a lot of it. And Denmark certainly has that.

There are no shortage of places in Denmark to get a good look at it - along with a whiff of deliciously salty sea air.

On the other hand as you watch the sea someplace or other in Denmark, if you are hungry, haven't brought your own lunch and are looking for more than a questionable Danish pølser (hot dog) to fill your stomach with as the sea breeze sweeps through your hair, well, the choices do drop off a bit.

However, one option that can be counted on, would be Odden Havn (Odden Harbour) up on Sjællands Odde. It's not quite just another of the charming but countless Danish harbour towns that exist.

Aside from the pleasant harbour, as home to unpretentious Odden Fisk (Odde Fish), a wonderfully designed pier to wander along, and being only stone's throw (if you've got a good arm...) from one of Denmark's famous design relics - the fiskerøgeri (fish smoke house) from 1943 of (deceased) Danish designer Arne Jacobsen - it makes for a pleasant afternoon car trip.


the exterior doesn't give a hint of the magnificent fish and fish dishes being sold inside...


maybe the funkiest pier in Denmark...walking encouraged naturally


Arne Jacobsen's iconic smoked fish factory today...


Arne's smoke house back in the day (circa 1943)

And the scenery around Sjaellands Odde is well worth the drive, at least on a sunny day.


an iconic image of Denmark...

But oh, those tasty fish! And it's most definitely a place to stop if you're on your way to the ferry to Jutland, the one departing from the tip of Sjaellands Odde.