Thursday, June 29, 2006

Calm Waters

I write this post as my ship, the Crown of Scandinavia, cuts through the North Sea. It's 9:35 pm and the Sun is just barely starting to set here. It has been a full day for me, packing to check out of my Dorm room (Trying to creep like a mouse is impossible when you're packing three giant crinkly ziploc bags into a backpack. Miraculously, everything fit in my pack, and I managed to lock it up at the train station (When I leave for the ferry, I figured the best route is to take the S-Tog local trains to Nordhavn and walk from there). I set out for Strøget (The shopping district for those of you that haven't been paying attention), for a coffee and Danish. I stop for a chocolate croissant and a latte. A nice quiet moment to savor, it's about 8:30am, and nothing opens until 10. Upon finishing, I get up and walk down to the Slotsholmen area, which is a man made island in the middle of Copenhagen, isolated by the canal system. There are bridges everywhere leading to it, so maybe isolated is the wrong word, but too late now. Slotsholmen holds the Library and, more importantly, Christianborg Palace, the center of power in Denmark. This is where the Parliament is located, and where Queen Margarethe entertains foreign dignitaries and audiences of her realm.

There's a guided tour at 11am which gives me just enough time to first take in The Jewish Museum of Denmark, which lays out the history of Danish Jews through artifacts and video displays. The Museum is designed by acclaimed architect Daniel Liebeskind, who has designed, among other things, the tower to be put up at One World Trade Center. The Building itself is an older building, it's the layout of the Museum built into the old building that is interesting. Liebskind has taken the letters of the Hebrew word Mitzvah (In this context it means an act of goodness) and incorporated them into the physical layout of the museum. The wooden floors rise and fall, and the corridors criss-cross, allowing you to determine the order in which you view the exhibits. Prayers and passages from the bible are projected onto the walls, and videoscreens tell of Denmark's Jewish History. Liebskind's use of the Mitzvah motif is meant to recall that Denmark saved Jews during the Holocaust, sending 7,000 of them by boat to Sweden (and safety), and that Denmark's collaborator government was able to self-manage a concentration camp that, while not idyllic, was not a death camp, and people there mostly survived. It is an unusual and moving exhibition, and it's built under old brick casements and feels like a melding of the old with the new.

I was particularly happy to share the experience with other Jews, Mitchell (I think?) and Debbie, ex-Montrealers now living in Florida. I was able to make a connection in that Debbie knew people who had lived in my parents building, and who I even went to school with. I suppose if you're going to play Jewish Geography in Denmark, the Museum's the place to do it.

From there I went up to Christianborg Palace to take the guided tour. Christian IV, the builder king, is the most beloved King in their history, serving nearly 50 years and losing almost every war he fought. He basically built Copenhagen. So if it seems to you that everything is named for Christian (Christianshavn, Christiania), it's just how it is here (And to underscore that, the guided tour was given by a man named Christian). The Castle has many opulently appointed rooms, but less interesting than the actual rooms is the fact that this is where things happen. We stand in a room where the next day, Queen Margarethe is apparently meeting with the president of the EU. The rooms are fascinating however, full of paintings, tapestry, furniture, and libraries. Even the stains in the carpet seem to have a story to tell. A highly recommended tour, worth looking like a goof in slippers that slide over your shoes (Although the tour guide seems to get out of that!)

From there I hustled down to Christshavn, which is on the south side of the river, and Our Savior's Cathedral, which is notable for the spire that you can climb up about 400 feet I think? After climbing the claustrophobic tower, you come upon a winding staircase that will take you to the best lookout in the city, from where you can see the bridge to Sweden, and all the way across town. The climb is a Herculean effort, and when I get down I am exhausted (And strating to dehydrate). I buy a bottle of water and head across the river back to downtown, and my lunch place, Riz Raz Vegetarian Buffet. Recommended by the Lonely Planet and Rick Steves, this is an inexpensive delight for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, especially for lunch. Piles of Pizza, Pasta, Vegetables, Salad, Falafel are yours for the taking at a reasonable 69kr.

After a bit of window-shopping on Strøget, I grabbed my bag from the train station locker and made my way up to the port and caught my ship. After the hustle of Copenhagen, it feels great to be able to take it easy for the night, have a room and bathroom to myself, enjoy a gourmet meal and rest. I am also enjoying the Kakuro puzzles my brother gave me as a send-off that I was very reluctant to bring. Tomorrow morning I arrive in Oslo! Until then, I will enjoy what the ship has to offer, even if it's just a sound sleep!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Copenhagen (Day 3 - 'Round Copenhagen)

Apparently you can get a free ride in this town! I just took a bike ride on a Copenhagen free bike. It was a lucky find, having only seen ones with broken chains, poles where the seat should be, etc. I drove it all the way past the waterways bordering the city on the north side (Actually not that far up, but in crossing the water I was breaking the free bike rules and could face stiff fines! I am in one piece, and so's the bike. This is a safe biking city, with special bike lanes criss-crossing downtown, and lights set up just for bikers. It's very safe.

The better part of my day has been spent outside Copenhagen, starting with Fredricksborg Castle, a renaissance era structure that's often called the "Danish Versailles". It bears resemblance with its opulent gardens, which stretch a kilometer from the castle and include waterways and greenery cut to the image of the royal seals of the Danish Monarchs. The castle itself is nice, with a lavish church, and some nicely appointed rooms, but I can barely remember it 8 hours later. I then bought a Shawarma sandwich near the train station and hopped over to Helsingor, a nice, bustling little market town directly accross the water from Helsingborg, Sweden. Swedes apparently come here en masse to buy liquor, which is controlled by the government.

The castle there is notable for its connection to Hamlet (Helsingor/Elsinore). Shakespeare's engraving is carved here. But the connection is meaningless, Shakespeare was never there, he only heard about it from travelling performers. And it was built centuries after the time the legend Hamlet is based on was said to have occurred. Although Olivier shot his version at Helsingor.

I wandered the streets for a little while and took the train back to Copenhagen. I ate dinner in Det Lille Apotek, which is the city's oldest restaurant, almost 300 years old. Hans Christian Andersen himself has apparently dined there (Albeit not recently). There was a Rick Steves' tour group dining there and I chatted with some of them during dinner.

So here I am, having had a nice meal and a nice bike ride (And I finished last night's post). Going to surf the web a bit more, but I have to return to the hostel(I am working from a net cafe in the train station that's half the price of the hostel). I have to get ready for 9am checkout and I need to make sure I can close my bag again! Tomorrow I want to hit the Danish Museum of Jewish History and Our Savior's Church, which apparently has a spectacular view of the city from the top of its spire.

Signing off...

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Copenhagen (Day 2)

First off, apologies for the chaotic writing in my last post. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, in a rush to complete it and I'm thrown off by this keyboard and its æ's and ø's and å's where real letters should be.

I've just been watching the soccer match on the telly here at the hostel. Don't have the energy for much more than that right now after my day in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is a beautiful city, but the sun only came out at about 5pm here. I was originally thinking of taking the day to explore some of the countryside, because lots of things are apparently free in Copenhagen on Wednesdays, but they're just some minor museums, nothing I'm rushing to get to. So after a night of real sleep (Good sleep, too)I eat the hostel's buffet breakfast, which I peg at about $9,50 Canadian for some cheese and cold cuts to make sandwiches, some Orange Juice and some Muesli with yoghurt. I don't want too much of it (Cold cuts could be risky), so I set off to the city centre and I'm about to buy a 24 hour transit pass, when I decide that I don't really know where I'll be going yet, so I forgo the pass and start off by doing a walking tour that was in one of my guides, through the Strøget, which is basically a long pedestrian street full of trendy shops, restaurants, bakeries, fast food outlets, etc. Along the way I have a danish, which would have made a good breakfast by itself. Walking the length of the street I start to understand the city's construction much better, get an understanding of where things sit in relation to the center of the city.

In the tail end of the walk I arrive at Nyhavn, a harbour area that use to cater to sailors with brothels, dives and gambling dens, and now has one lonely strip club sitting among the high priced restaurants and cafes that have sprung up since the 80s. And the Sailors have been replaced by cruise ship passengers. So I see that DFDS (The same boat company that's taking me from Copenhagen to Oslo) is doing canal tours out of Nyhavn. Oh good, I think, I read about this in my guide. This is a way for me to see the city without all that walking around! I pay my 60 Kroner (about $11C) and get on the boat, open my guidebooks, and find out that another group called Netto gives the exact same tour for half the price! I turn my head, and sure enough, there's the Netto boat with the posted rate at half of what I paid! (Hey kids at home, here a fun drinking game. Each time Steven gets taken for a rube, everyone take a shot. And you're already one behind for the overpriced hostel breakfast, so have two) Still, the tour is interesting, the boat takes us out on the water to see the stunning new opera house, the Amalienborg palace where Queen Margarethe lives, the Little Mermaid statue (We can only see here back, but it's underwhelming and I'm not motivated to see what she looks like from shore)and the pretty, canal-lined Christianhavn Neighbourhood. It spits rain a bit, but it's actually no more than a mist. After that I have lunch at one of the brothel-turned restaurants in Nyhavn, Cap Horn, which Lonely planet recommends for its 69kr 3-smorrebrod sampler (Smorrebrod is an open-faced sandwich) It's delicious, but Lonely Planet has it wrong, the meal is 159kr. With my beer, it's over 200kr. (Time for another shot kids! Although I knew the real price and decide to stay, so it probably doesn't count)

After Lunch, I took my waitress' advice and checked out Rosenborg castle, which is a Danish Royal Museum, the Crown Jewels of Denmark are kept there, and it's a museum to Christian IV (It was his home). Some of the pieces are hilarious and speak volumes about Christian's ribald sense of humour. I was chatting with a middle-aged couple from California who are on a very similar route to my own, they had some good insights into the pieces, and were holding the same guidebook I was. Nice to meet them, but a bit scary. Are these the people I share common interests with? I decided to head to Christiania, a hippie-squatter community within Copenhagen which has created its own mini-culture and lifestyle, building ramshackle housing on an abandoned military base. On the way I stop into the city's Cinematheque, which is beautifully designed with a gourmet restaurant and wide open spaces for people to lounge, read magazines, and order up copies of videos they want to see. I know Toronto has one, I just don't remember it being this nice. They have a Roger Corman retrospctive on now, which is pretty cool. So I head back to the main circle at the end of Strøget, near Nyhavn, and catch the subway (Very modern, on the honor system, I bought a ticket out of respect) to Christianshavn, which is the suburb south of the Inderhavnen river. I enter Christiania, and the first thing I think about is the main drag in the series, "Deadwood". Everyone seems to be in the street, it's dirty, there's loud saloons left and right and a general lack of law and order. I get some trouble for trying to take a photo of a street sign (Some stoner thinks I'm trying to take his picture) I walk around to the river where I see the houses that have been built there from parts of other houses. Places have a kind of hobbit vibe, except not so green, since the land is poisoned from years as an army base. I'm not overly excited by it, so I grab a beer at Nemoland cafe, where young kids are watching the World cup match between Brazil and Ghana, like everyone else. On the way out I snack on a Shwarma pita and check out the high-end restaurant there, Spieseloppen (Too high priced). As I leave the Christiania sign says, "You are now entering the EU".

I actually walk into town, and while looking for a place to eat, I stumble across one of the city's many free bike racks. Copenhagen has a program where they offer free bikes to anyone who wants them, for a 20 kroner deposit. You put 20 kroner in the bike to release it from its chain, then you drive it around until you want your money back (Or the bike gets stolen for the 20kr, or it breaks, or both). The fact is all the bikes I find either don't work or are locked to other bikes. I walk a long way east before I give up, and on the way back to the hostel, I pass a Turkish buffet restaurant suggested by the guide (Only 69kr for dinner). But the coke I order is another 29kr! (Take another shot here). So I am watching the France-Spain game and chatting with some people (Not making any real connections though, everyone's talking about smoking up...), and crap, France wins! Oh well, I'll probably read a bit and head to bed.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Amsterdam to Copenhagen


Well, I have 15 minutes to get this post in before my net time runs out (I am perpetually racing the clock). I picked up my flight to Stockholm in Amsterdam and arrived early enough to just miss the Arlanda express that would get me to the station just in time for my train to Copenhagen, as I predicted, but it never mattered, because to validate the pass at Stockholm Station I had to wait about 100 places for my number to be called. And of course, The ticket people took my railpass in back for about 15 minutes and I thought they were going to tell me it was no good. In fact, the format was invalid for some reason, but they modified it so it's now a working railpass.

So I was in time to get my ticket that I reserved for Oslo to Stockholm next week, but what's with the 2:20 train to Copenhagen? Completely booked. I will have to wait and take my chances with the 3:45 which gets in 3 hours after the 2:20 train. I really don't want to take the later train and my only option is a first class upgrade for about $80 CDN, so I take the option. The ride is nice, the car is clean, I get a light snack with a can of light beer, and pretty soon the extensive travel has left me light-headed. I am comfortable, that much I can say, but I need sleep. The train arrives in Malmo, which is just across the water from Denmark, still in South Sweden. I have time to tyake some pictures, and then I board the train, which turns out to be the wrong section of the train, which turns out to be the wrong train altogether! My image of Scandinavian efficiency is shattered. I arrive, finally, in Copenhagen at about 8:06pm and find my hostel easily. I'm in a crowded, co-ed, 8-bed room. I'm happy to have a place to crash, but I'm looking forward to having my own room starting Thursday night on the boat.

I went walking around the downtown area here in Copenhagen near the hostel, found a good dinner and half litre of beer at the Apollo Brewery (Rick Steves' recommendation), and now I am off to catch some shut-eye. Apologies for the rush, hope everyone's well!

Arrival in Amsterdam

Well I might as well post since I find myself with some time to kill and just enough Euros to buy 15 Mins of net time + Breakfast (1 Croissant Sandwich and Grapefruit juice). Amsterdam Airport is huge...the signs warn me when I exit my flight from Toronto that my gate for Stockholm is 34 minutes on foot! I also notice another Stockholm plane leaving shortly but with checked baggage and a 30 minute hoof to that gate I'm stuck! And the sad part is I'm really trying to get to Copenhagen anyways. My flight lands in Stockholm at 11:25 am local time, just early enough to barely miss a train that would put me in Copenhagen 2 hours earlier. I should be checking into Danhostel around 8 tonight my time...

I have energy, but I know Jet lag's gonna hit hard later....

Sunday, June 18, 2006

...Go!


This post continues my earlier post regarding the Ottawa Marathon.

When the airhorn sounded I walked slowly towards the start line with my group. When I hit the line, My chip time starts (The chip attached to my foot will time my actual completion time), and the race is truly begun. There's no trace of pain in my right leg, where I'd been dealing with a calf strain right up to the day before.

The run starts along Wellington St., and we run past the Parliament buildings, and towards the bridge that will take us into Hull. I recall that I ran this exact same route 4 months ago when I was in Ottawa at a conference. Right now, the weather is cool and I am pacing with Anna, on of my fellow clinic runners who has done a few marathons already. It's a comfortable pace, and I don't feel winded maintaining it.

We pass the first water/gatorade station at the Museum of civilization, and I grab for some Gatorade. I want to start hydrating early! Anna keeps going, and I lose ground on her, stopping to down a cup or two of electrolytes. I catch up a few seconds later, but I realize this is an effort I don't want to have to keep making.

Past the museum, We round the corner and head back over the Alexandria bridge towards Ottawa. We turn onto Sussex and start heading East towards the neighbourhood of Rockliffe, where Rideau Hall and 24 Sussex are located. I am pacing with Anna and still feeling fairly strong. We make a few weird zigzag turns in Rockcliffe, and we hit the 6km mark, passing another water/gatorade station. Again, I lose ground on Anna, and this time I decide it is not worth trying to make it up. I will continue my even pace. I am checking my Garmin watch, my pace is good, I'm feeling fine, everything's ok.

Somewhere in all these turns in Rockcliffe, I pass the infamous turnoff that many of today's frontrunners miss, landing them back on the course prematurely. The resulting accidental shortcut and lost 400M will prevent these top racers from having ratified times. It is a black eye for the marathon. I am absolutely aware of none of this.

In my solitude, I decide it's time to kick in the music. I have been running with my MP3 player off and I switch it on. "Born Slippy", by Underworld blasts me off. It's a great techno track that provides the end title theme for TRAINSPOTTING, one of my favorite films of the '90s. It starts me off nicely. I hit the 10km mark in Rockcliffe after 56 minutes. Excellent. I still feel great. I have my first gel, about an hour and 5 minutes in. I am on pace and feeling great as the run twists and turns its way back towards downtown Ottawa. At 14 km, I hit what I consider to be a milestone, 1/3 of the way through. So far it has been relatively easy. But now the sun is starting to strengthen and I begin to feel the same efforts yielding less return. Just before the bridge back to Hull, I am caught up to by my fellow running room runners. I chat with them briefly, but am not willing to push their pace. Sam, Maureen, Lorne and Stephen pass me by. I continue at my pace, and cross back into Hull. The crossover back to downtown Ottawa is through the Scott Paper factory. We run back through it to the other side. It is here that the full force of the Sun becomes apparent and the 4:00 pace bunny that I have been desperate to outpace, comes into the picture (She is way too perky, I think to myself). I run up into the city through the arches opposite the supreme court,and run down Albert St., towards the halfway mark. Some kid hands me a gel pack, I thank him and toss it in my pouch for later. I hit the halfway mark at approx. 2:02. I have now officially abandoned the idea of a 4 hour marathon, as I know I won't be able to increase my pace in the second half. I also remember the brutal, unshaded, second half of the course from when I ran it last year as part of the half marathon.

Still...Halfway there!

I start heading south on Colonel By Drive. Every Water station is a relief. Up until now, I have been doing 10 minute runs with 1 minute intervals. My legs start to feel like rubber, and I realize that I will not be able to hold out for 10 minutes at a time, as my legs are cramping up. I realize that to fix this for future marathons, I need to build up my Core strength, which will insulate my leg muscles from shock. At some point I reach into my pouch for a gel pack, only to realize that the pack that kid handed me earlier was opened for my convenience! My entire pouch is filled with sticky, tropical fruit flavored gel! I hit the 30k mark on the turn up Hog's back road. I think I'm now at 3:15, with 12 km left to complete. I will finish, but it's a tough haul. I am getting muscle spasms every minute or two, each one feeling like a threat to shut down my legs completely. But on the plus side, I am rational, coherent, and still possessed of my wits. I am not dehydrating, not by a long shot. I find myself running with some guy who looks like he goes to the gym 7 days a week. He and I chat as we pace together. Both of us are having difficulty, and I pop some advil to tough it out (I might as well suck on a placebo). We round the curve towards the bridge that will take us across the canal to the last 8km stretch. There's a lot of looping, and I see dreadlocks in the distance, which I recognize as Lorne. He's having a tough time too, by the looks of it. I eventually make it to the bridge over the canal, a tough uphill. I have decided to walk it, which sucks, because "All these things I have Done" By The Killers is playing on my MP3 player, and I want to be going hard for this song, but I know I can't. I reach the turn for Prince of Wales drive, and I see the med station. There's a runner, lying on a towel, twitching! This is a frightening prospect, one that reminds me of my collapse from last year. This guy has clearly dehydrated. I still feel mentally alert and I keep running. I think there's a cop talking to me, but he's taling to the woman behind me. I strike up a conversation with the woman, who has run some 10 marathons. We make a deal to start running in 2 minutes, but I am unable to get my pace going. I pick it back up now, as I am being passed by the 4:30 pace bunny. Somewhere after the arboretum, I catch up to Lorne, who is pretty much walking. We agree to run together for a bit, but he is cramped too severely, while I still have a bit of race left in me. I start to pace, and I eventually catch the woman I was running with earlier. We learn each others' names (Hers is Janet). Eventually, I kick up my pace and start pushing, at the last kilometer, the crowds are cheering us on (Of course now we're being passed by the best of the half marathon, which started at 10am). At the 750m line I start to push myself, no more walking, as my leg spasms start to die off a little (Although they still buckle me violently). People are cheering me on, my MP3 is playing "Music for a Found Harmonium" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra from the film IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG, and I hear John Stanton calling my name just before I cross the finish line. I cross about a half second shy of 4:40. I am in pain, but I am overjoyed. I have accomplished something I have wanted to do my whole life. Three weeks later, I have some minor ankle pain. When it's healed I will be back to running, and sometime in the next year I plan to do another marathon, this time improving my time, hopefully by at least a half hour. I have a lot of technical learning to assimilate, and a lot of weight to lose, but I will achieve my goal!