Travelling for business and the wonder of the small miracles - part 1
Copenhagen, taxis, bicycles, exhibitions and a sense of peace
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
― Anita Desai
I cannot agree more with Anita Desai and yes, a bit of Copenhagen is forever in my soul.
Strangely enough, I had the privilege of travelling for business way more than travelling for fun. It is a pattern, and it followed me all my life. When I look back - and yes I do look back as I have a past with all the good, bad, the ugly and it is part of me - life is a tapestry and when one takes a step back, looks at the shapes, connections, patterns emerge and one cannot but ask oneself … how did this happen? Is this a gift from the Universe? A compensation plan? God knows but hey I am here, accepting what is and thinking yes I deserve it! It might come with a lot of pain but by God I claim it!
Don’t get too excited or jealous as it comes with a twist … lots of stressful, frustrating months before the event, followed by exhilarating, exhausting, painful days on site but also a few sweet hours when one pushes through the physical pain, emotional drainage and … uses the 2-3 hours free to explore the city. Well a part of me religiously wants nothing but to collapse on the bed with a tea and a bit of chocolate or .. hey even water with a splash of gin in it or the other way round!!!!
But first, probably I would love a few hours in a Turkish hammam … oh the memories, the warm stone “beds”, the smell of the natural soap and the vigorous massage … dream on girl, dream on! Just watch this and imagine how good it would be to join in the experience …..
Travelling for business! This time, Copenhagen was calling!
What comes to your mind when you say Denmark? I am asking you but let me answer first - Hans Christian Andersen, Royal Family, long winters, Little Mermaid statue hmmmmm I am struggling already …… that was about it! The extend of my knowledge connected to Denmark!
I love stories, always did and always will do. The so called stories for children are far from being only for children. At least not the folk stories I grew up with, not the ones that came to us via authors like the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, Petre Ispirescu, the stories published under the titles “Immortal stories” when I grew up in Romania or the charming Russian folk stories I was lucky enough to be exposed to. Those ones come from the collective consciousness and live forever. By the way, it is worthwhile rereading the stories at various points of your life and experiencing them through your oh so different … SELF!
“She laughed and danced with the thought of death in her heart.”― Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid
But this is not about those stories although I can easily be carried away and allow my soul to revisit the imaginary attic with an imaginary colourful armchair and lots of shelves full of books .. the books of my childhood.
Wetherspoons forever
Back to reality and to the short, about 90 minutes long and sweet - there is nothing like a few chocolates with a cup of coffee - flight from Gatwick to the Copenhagen Airport Kastrup. Each micro community, and the workplace is a micro community / family, most of the time dysfunctional, has unwritten habits and one of ours is to stop at the Wetherspoons for breakfast or dinner or lunch whatever time of the day it is, before flying to our destinations. This time it was lunch at The Flying Horse, Wetherspoons . The food is simple but you always know what you get and the quality is maintained wherever you are. I have to say this is part of our ritual and I miss it when months go by without travelling for another event.
About bikes in Copenhagen
Even on the short taxi drive from the airport to the hotel I couldn’t but notice the special bike lanes being properly used, one bike after another, people of all ages busily pedalling away and enjoying the gorgeous blue sky and sunshine. Coming from a grey, cold and rainy England the whole set seemed surreal! The bike riders belonged to the scenery, it was something unforced, it was not a pretence or trying to show off … it just was and it triggered images from my childhood when I was visiting my relatives in Pushkin. Yes it was a small town but the way people were riding the bikes was the same, the casual, not in your face attitude was identical.
Days later while talking to many taxi drivers I became aware that riding bikes is part of the Danish way of being. It has nothing to do with the ridiculous way governments want to push people to do one thing or another. It is a natural thing and because of that, it integrates perfectly into the Danish way of being.
This is what I read about Copenhagen on one of the sites I explored before my trip:
“Today’s Copenhagen has no glittering skylines and little of the high-stress bustle of most capitals. The morning air in the pedestrian streets of the city’s core is redolent of baked bread and soap-scrubbed storefronts. If there’s such a thing as a cozy city, this is it.”
– Fodors.com
Having been there, I have to say this is quite an accurate description! More about the food, restaurants, taxi rides, ice cream, exceptional people, slow pace and a few memorable encounters in my next post!