First day in Copenhagen

Sunday morning about 11:30 Copenhagen time, which would be about 5:30 EDT. The SAS staff have just distributed the Hot Towels. These are tightly rolled, steamed washrags used to freshen up. It is hard to describe how refreshing it is to get a hot towel after maybe three hours’ sleep in a cramped position.

Trans-Atlantic travel affords about four meals in 24 hrs. irrespective of which direction you are traveling. We had a sandwich at the Hilton bar at O’Hare about 4:30 p.m. CDT, boarded the airplane at 9:20, and they served another, large meal at midnight CDT. Now it’s 4:30 a.m. CDT and we’be been told that breakfast is coming. In the other direction you’re living a 30-hr. day and the same routine . . . we’re going to have to walk 20 miles to work it off.

The plaza in front of the Radhuset (town hall) is a good public space for performers (and gypsies). Here are two flute players performing in the evening.



After a good deal of walking, we settled into a brewpub, the Bryggeriet Apollo, for a light dinner and some excellent beer and wine. Highly recommended. This is a picture of Sven, the waiter, at the next table. He had a couple of food suggestions for later.



Another patron, Annike, added a further suggestion for dinner.



Wendy, a few minutes before we had dinner: "FEED ME!"



9/21
First day of autumn. So far the weather has been splendid—yesterday evening about 23 C., which is about 73 F. Today we are updating our blog in a gay bar, Oscar's, near the Central Station. They serve good espresso. We're catching up on post cards and getting ready to rent some bicycles for the afternoon. Spent the first few hours of the morning strolling through the Latin Quarter, Christiansborg Slot and the Stroget... lots of unique little shops and cafes... cobblestone streets, canals... great architecture. So.. we've had our caffeine fix and are ready for the bikes..... to be continued....

Preparations

The bed in the guest bedroom has had piles of clothes on it for weeks now. I had a test run of packing the backpack that I will check, and so far everything fits. However, I keep turning up books which I will want to have, too late to be included in the general mailing. So I think one of my Friday chores will be to go by the PO and send another box o' books.

"Beware of any enterprise which requires the purchase of new clothes," says Henry David Thoreau (an approximate quote). In that case I have reason to beware, as I have several new items: Wendy has put me onto the Ex Officio brand of light, fashionable, durable, outdoorsy clothes, so I have a fleece, long-sleeved shirts, and two pairs of wash-and-dry underwear. In the clothes box en route to Poland are several new ties and shirts, slacks and a suit coat. But I suppose their purchase was not required--the trip served as an excuse to update my wardrobe a bit.

In two days and eight hours from now, we'll be checking into MBS airport. Fortunately, the airlines changed our departure from the original to an earlier time, giving us a few hours in Chicago. We might elect to leave the airport and take a taxi to a decent restaurant nearby, or we might allow nerves to keep us at O'Hare and sample what they have. I've eaten at the Chili's there, and Andy says they have a good hot dog stand.

I've gone all summer feeling pretty laid-back about the whole experience, but as the time approaches, it's getting more and more exciting. The house prep has moved along quite manageably. I cleaned carpets yesterday--not exactly a sign of panic. Guide books have been thumbed. Polish has been studied (a little bit, at least). If I'm overlooking something important, it hasn't come to me yet. Wendy's prep has been tighter thanks to her work schedule, of course, but I think things are falling into place for her as well. We're off, in two days and 7.5 hours now.

First post--from home

This weblog is being set up in order to send news back to friends and family in the US (mostly) about our travels Sept. 19-Oct. 2 ("our" = Wendy Franz and Gary Thompson). Itinerary has us leaving the US via MBS-Chicago, departing thence via Scandinavian Air to Copenhagen. We'll get in there, all jetlagged and caffeinated, @ 1:20 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20. We'll be staying at a sort-of bed and breakfast near Tivoli Gardens for three days, then leave the morning of Sept. 23 for Warsaw. We have two days in Warsaw, then off to Lublin to set up in Gary's apartment. After that, the schedule is indefinite, with some sightseeing in Lublin and probably travel to Krakow, maybe Zakopane, maybe Oswiecim (a.k.a. Auschwitz), before classes start at UMCS and Wendy returns home.

Just in case we don't get around to photographing it while there, here's a picture of the little mermaid, cadged from http://z.about.com/d/cruises/1/5/h/s/1/copenhagen010.jpg.



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