Scandinavia 2008 - Day 9
Part 1:
The 30 minute train ride from Malmo to Copenhagen is spectacular. It quickly takes off from the station and heads out into the country side. The train makes a wide loop to the south of Santiago Calatrava's famous Turning Torso Tower. Riding the train you really get a sense of it twisting and turning. Before long the train was out over the ocean crossing the channel on the monumental Oresund Bridge. The experience of riding on the bridge over the ocean for several miles is well worth the cost of the ticket.
In Copenhagen I placed my belongings in a locker then walked towards the city center. It was early and not many people were awake yet. I mostly had the city to myself. It was still nearly an hour until Thorvaldsen's Museum opened so I found a church that was open.
The Vor Fraue Kirke is one of the nicest churches in Copenhagen. Its not heavily adorned, mostly plain white with a small amount of gold highlights, but the statuary is fantastic. When I walked into the quite church from in off the empty street I found that I was the only awake person there. Inside the nave are long rows of wooden pews and here and there sat a snoring homeless person or drunk who were all sleeping off their Friday nights in the quite confines of the great white hall. After walking down one side aisle then up the other, looking at the statues is I walked, I took a seat in the back corner pew to rest. The echo of snores were the only sounds until I heard some racket coming from above me. Suddenly the cough and wheeze of air came squirting out of the pipe organ as the organist turned on the air pumps. Soon the organist was warmed up and they began playing cords and rhythms on a eerie scale that danced up and down. None of the drunks rustled. I sat and listened to the organist play song after song, and yet no one came or went; the drunks slept on. I enjoyed listening to the music while writing in my journal, but it was time to continue touring so I packed my writing utensils and walked out the big doors to the street.
At Thorvaldson's Museum which is part of the Danish Palace complex, I was the first one in as they unlocked the doors. Other than 2 caretakers I was the only person in the museum, and it was even more quiet than the church. The museum collected many fine works of Thorvaldsens, but there were not to many pieces that stood out as pure genius.
From the museum I took a short walk around the palace grounds and took some photos along the canals before going back to the station where I gathered my belongings and proceeded to ride the train to meet my couchsurfing host, Rikke. The underground metro system is clean and new, and when I exited the car I found myself in a large naturally lite atrium space that brought me up to the surface via escalator. Out of the station I found myself in a green park in a tidy suburb of nondescript 3 story apartment buildings. I dug through my things, finding my map, and began to determine where I was and where I should go. After a few false starts I realized Rikke's street was just a block behind the station, and within minutes I was standing at her front door with my pack squarely on my shoulder. I rang the bell and a kind voice invited me in and up the stairs.
Up four flights of stairs I knocked on Rikke's door and proceeded to meet Rikke and her boyfriend, Anders. Rikke's apartment is as warm and comforting as she; I had to myself the back bedroom with a large window and door that opened to the back garden where I had a nice view out over the village towards the sea in the East. Rikke's apartment is very large by European standards, she has a large living room with a balcony opening onto the street. And her bedroom is off the living room through a pair of gorgeous but understated French doors. Her kitchen is narrow but enough, and her bathroom was a water closet and shower combo. That is to say you could shower while sitting on the toilet. All throughout Rikke's apartment the walls are painted in white or light pastels, and her floors are soft white wood, chipped and cracked with character.
The only photo of Rikke on-line is of her wearing a hat over her face, and she is dressed up in some foam muscle costume that makes her seem intense but fun. In real life I was surprised to discover a short girl with crystal blue eyes and long blond hair. I was not surprised to discover that she was as fun and intense as her photo portrayed her. She has a bight smile that welcomes all and a strong demeanor that is tinged with softness and care. I knew immediately that I would like Rikke.
Her boyfriend Anders has a thin build that it makes him seem taller than he really is. He seems more reserved at first but you know by the mess of curly unkempt hair on his head that he is an intelligent and unassuming guy who is everyones friend. I knew immediately that I would like Anders too.
After introductions I unpacked and showered. When I was finished washing they had a light lunch prepared in the living room (cheese and meats with breads, but not as a sandwich). It was not more than a few minutes until Anders and I began to talk music and I learned that like me, he loves music.
For several months I had been waiting for this day, because this was the day of the Beatday Festival, where after many years, I would finally see the band Sigur Ros perform in concert. And now it was time to leave to go to the show. We walked to the metro and soon were on a train with many other young people headed to the concert. As soon as we arrived at our stop I realized that I did not have my ticket. Rikke had given me a spare key to the apartment, so Rikke and Anders went on ahead to the show and I quickly rode back to the apartment to get my ticket. By the time I got back to the train stop near the concert it was nearly an hour later. I was not sure which way to walk, but luckily there was a line of young people standing around drinking. I asked some people where to go, but they informed me that no need to walk, that a bus was coming to get us. The people I talked to (two guys in black leather and a tall lovely girl) invited me to cut in line and talk with them. It soon dawned on me that I was the only person not drinking, so I ran inside the nearby corner store and bought a 40oz beer. When I came out of the quick shop the bus had arrived so my friends waited with me while I chugged the 40, handing the empty can to a man with a bag of recyclables, then I joined them on the bus. Much like Finland there were many people wearing black hard rock shirts, but not nearly to the degree and seriousness of the Finnish themselves.
I was surprised at what length the bus drove to get to the front entry of the festival. I borrowed a cell phone from one of my new acquaintances and called Rikke to let her know I was there. We were through the gate soon enough and we went straight away to the beer tent where my friends bought me a beer. I thanked them, saluted my drink, promised to return the favor, then went to find Rikke. The music had already started but I could tell it was nothing I would miss. I found Rikke and Anders and we settled in and proceeded to drink and talk some more. It was still 5 hours until Sigur Ros would play.
Needing a refill I went back to the beer tent, I had spotted my new friend from earlier so I bought two beers and surprised him with one. I also bought Rikke and Anders a drink. After several more acts we began to get hungry. It was moving on into early evening and the light was getting nice. We bought some traditional food at a nearby food tent and ate while the young teen rock band Dune played. Dune was followed by Mercury Rev, who started their act with a thinly veiled insult of Dune (Dune everyone. Now for our version of teen Emo rock!). Unfortunately his insult was the best part of their show, because the next hour was him waving his arms like an eagle while singing the same song over and over in falsetto. After Mercury Rev was the frumpy hat-ed lead singer of the Guillemots, who my friends had never heard of, but liked (the have some decent songs). Halfway through the Guillemots show I left to go get a front row spot at the stage where Sigur Ros was soon to start playing. As soon as the Guillemots show ended everyone rushed to where I was and soon I was packed tight in a crowd of people, luckily Rikke and Anders were able to find me.
Part 2:
Its the morning after the concert and I am still aglow. Sigur Ros' show was every bit as amazing as I could have ever imagined. While I waited for Rikke and Anders to come join me at the front of the stage a group of very tall Danes somehow got in front of me, and beside me were two very loud, very chatty girls. The guys in front of me lite up a HUGE blunt as the band walked out onto the stage, soon I smelled reefer everywhere, everyone was getting ready for the final show. The annoying girls next to me talked and made out (w/each other) through the first two songs, but Rikke got them to go fuck off, while I got the tall guys in front to switch us so we could see the show. So that all worked out. But enough about that, the show was great. They played with intense passion and you could tell that compared to the other bands, Sigur Ros were true musicians and artists. The sound was head filling, and they played the old great songs, as well as the new ones. I was particularly a fan of one the next to last song where the lead guitarist played the guitar with a drum stick, and at the end the lead singer went freaking berserk and smashed his cello bow to bits on his shiny white guitar. The very last song was one of my favorites, it was the one where the whole marching band comes out and at the very end they shot off confetti out into the audience. It was a tense hour and a half that was full of artistry and wonderful surprises.
I learned two things last night, first Sigur Ros' songs are the most butchered songs in history, absolutely no-one knows the words, but everyone sings along. And secondly, everyone fancies themselves a drummer.
When it became apparent that Sigur Ros was not playing another encore, we all began the long walk back to the metro line, where we and thousands of others, caught the last train back to Rikke's apartment.
Back at the apartment I thanked Rikke and Anders for a great evening, and I opened the door to the garden and peacefully dreamed while a cool fresh breeze from the ocean swept across me.
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