Xenops' Log

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rdearman
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Re: Xenops' Log

Postby rdearman » Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:25 am

PeterMollenburg wrote: included as Nordic countries due to historical 'ownership' of, conquering by, or mixing with the Scandanavian cultures.

Yeah, but if you include these then you have to include almost all of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Re: Xenops' Log

Postby luke » Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:45 pm

rdearman wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote: included as Nordic countries due to historical 'ownership' of, conquering by, or mixing with the Scandanavian cultures.

Yeah, but if you include these then you have to include almost all of the Northern Hemisphere.

Shouldn't we also include the Minnesota Vikings?
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Re: Xenops' Log

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:49 pm

rdearman wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote: included as Nordic countries due to historical 'ownership' of, conquering by, or mixing with the Scandanavian cultures.

Yeah, but if you include these then you have to include almost all of the Northern Hemisphere.



Once again ignoring the Norwegian claim on Antarctica. How do you feel all those people down there in those Norwegian speaking Antarctic cities feel? Because there are several million people down there.
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Copenhagen

Postby Xenops » Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:11 pm

I decided I really did want a keyboard, and I was able to find one at the electronics store in Copenhagen. This one is compatible with iPhone via Bluetooth. So I am currently in an Espresso Coffee place, and currently trying to figure out how to find punctuation marks on the keyboard. I do have a computer with a Danish keyboard at home, but this one is a bit different. Oh wait, I think it is because I also use the Danish keyboard system on the computer, rather than the American alphabet. Got it.

The first surprise when I got the Copenhagen airport was the ease of arrival. To arrive in the U.S. or Japan, you have to fill out declarations and stand in long lines. Here I only had to show my passport, and nothing else happened.

Secondly, I inquired at Information about renting a mobile hotspot. She did not know of any such place. Because I get lost in every sense possible without my GPS map on my phone, the only option that appeared to me was to use my phone carrier’s international plan—not my preferred method, as the data is limited, but it is functional for GPS.

Thirdly, I realized that the electrical outlets are different. Thankfully the electronics store was next door when I realized this. So that is another in-country purchase.

I dropped off my luggage at the hostel, and went to the medical museum on my first day. I was surprised when I asked about the photography policy, as the only restriction was “no flash”. At the little medical museum at Harvard Medical School or the one in Philadelphia (which I would like to go to as well), photography in general is forbidden, I think because the theory is it’s not proper to take pictures of human remains. Here in the Copenhagen museum it was free-reign. They did have a very impressive collection of preserved diseased organs and tissues, and preserved abnormal fetuses—conjoined twins, anencephaly, “mermaid syndrome”, and others. As interesting as these were, my main goal for photography was to take pictures of medical technology. They also had Gram’s microscope on display, who was an important fellow for bacterial identification, and we still use the Gram stain in laboratories and classification.

I am staying at Japanese-inspired hostel with sleeping pods, which I appreciate the basic privacy they provide. I’ve had to take naps more than once. The customer service has been excellent.

Today I’m wandering about Copenhagen, mainly the shopping area by Radhuspladsen (sorry, still trying to figure out the keyboard). About the city itself, I noticed there’s wider streets than in Boston, which I find surprising. All major roads have an adjacent bike lane—a real bike lane—and sidewalk. The cleanliness of the streets is about the same as in Boston. Something I find refreshing is the lack of commercialism, or maybe just advertising. Yes, items are displayed in the store windows, but you’re not flooded with pictures of the ideal man or woman.

Another surprise I have is that real people live here, and not super-polished fashionistas. ;) The idea of European countries in the U.S. is that everyone is looks a model. This idea made my perfectionistic self go crazy, as I was afraid of judgement upon arriving. Now that I’m here, I realized the Americans are more self-conscious than the Danes. In the U.S., if your shoes look like they were—gasp!—worn outside, you need to buy new shoes. Here, not so much, and I appreciate that.

Not sure what my plans are tomorrow. Wednesday I will take the train through Jutland and catch the overnight ferry to Oslo. I thought of going to Helsingor, or maybe the more touristy places like a castle.

That’s today’s update, stay tuned.
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Re: Copenhagen

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:50 pm

Xenops wrote:Something I find refreshing is the lack of commercialism, or maybe just advertising. Yes, items are displayed in the store windows, but you’re not flooded with pictures of the ideal man or woman.


Interesting. My Australian friend living in Oslo has often said she does not like shopping in Australia much nowadays when she returns here, as there is always loud-ish music and the marketing is ramped up compared to in Norway. It seems the Scandanavians are more casual in their approach to marketing. I think were you to live in one of these northern European countries it would take some adjusting, but I'd assume one would appreciate the quiet and space with regards to shopping in the end.

When I've visited some Asian countries in the past, although I was warned, it took some inner self talk to prepare myself for tolerating street vendors desperately trying to talk me out of my money. I wonder if Scandanavians feel like they're being hounded into buying things when visiting some other Western countries such as the US?

I hope you are enjoying being Scandanavia Xenops!
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Helsingør

Postby Xenops » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:06 am

For those that are curious, I am using the Logitech K480, and the keyboard corresponds to whatever you set your phone to, regardless of what it says on the physical keys of the board.

Anyway, yesterday I visited Helsingør, which is a sea-side town north of Copenhagen. It is the site of the Denmark Maritime Museum (which I did not visit) and the Kronborg Castle (which I did visit). It was a 30-40 minute train ride from Copenhagen.

First I walked about the town, which I thought was adorable. There were cobble-stone streets and multicolored houses, and an old brick church, and lots of little shops and pubs and cafes.

About a 10-minute walk away is the Kronborg Castle, which is where Shakespeare´s Hamlet is set—though to our knowledge, he did not visit there himself (though the tour guide noted that the play has some accurate details, so the playwright must have gotten info somewhere). It was build over a previous fortress by Eric the Pomeranian, then remade to a castle by Frederick VII in the 1500´s.

Despite Rick Steves saying in his guidebook that there are more impressive castles elsewhere, I did fit his description of a «person that never met a castle they didn´t like», so I ventured to the castle. This was my first European castle (the first ever castle was Osaka Castle). The exterior is quite impressive, and at the center is a stone courtyard. Much of the castle was open to sightseers, including the casments. These were the ground floor and the level below, and a flashlight is required (so saith Xenops): the cobble-stone floor is uneven, and the ceilings low, and they are dark. Really dark. It made me think of a cave or, if you´re familier with the Earthsea books, the Tombs of Atuan. Since there wasn´t a lot of see (in more ways than one), I left the casements to return back to the courtyard. In the royal quarters they still had some of the original tapestries, and had photos of modern folk in Renaissance-inspired clothing to give a a face to the monarchs. They also had the had the royal costumes on display, but these were not originals.

The tour I took was «Secrets of Kronborg», where a small number of tourists were taken to usually-locked spaces. The two highlights of the tour were the secret doorway the king would use to escape to his private, quiet room in a tower, and atop another tower (or was it atop the castle itself?), where we had a very nice view of Helsingør and the strait between Helsingborg in Sweden. The tourguide also took us to lofts of the castle, where the castle fold would store furniture and other things when the king was away. There were large doors opening directly to the courtyard to facilitate pulling the furniture pieces up to the loft.

Overall Helsingør was a very enjoyable excursion. I felt I need to see another town outside of Copenhagen, and I´m glad I did.

Today I´m taking the speed train to Aahus and Aalborg, to catch the ferry to Oslo. Passengers board at 9:30PM, so I´m debating whether to hope off the train at Aarhus and spend some time there, or to go all the way to Aalborg and spend the afternoon evening there. I do have some luggage to…Uh, lug around, so mobility isn´t ideal. I´m so glad I packed light—my little purse, my backpack, and an underseat suitcase. It also helps discourage me from purchasing too many souvenirs. ;)
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Through Jutland and Aalborg

Postby Xenops » Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:31 pm

Today I took the speed train past Odense and through Jutland. Right now I am waiting for the ferry to Oslo. I thought it was supposed to arrive around 9:30PM, but the ticket lady informed us that it will arrive shortly before midnight.

Bummer.

So I’m in the waiting area, which unfortunately does not have Wi-fi. So I write this, and I can post it with my limited data.

I sped past Odense and Aarhus, but I could tell I might like them better than Copenhagen for a simple reason: there’s lots of trees. That was a basic thing that won me to Boston, as it is a city with a nice balance between green spaces and buildings. I did not stop in Aarhus this time, but I might make it to Odense when I circle back to Copenhagen. I didn’t realize that it was only an hour ride from Copenhagen—I thought it was further away.

My train ride ended at Aalborg, and I walked about a bit. It looks like a condensed version of Copenhagen, building-wise. Since I had some time before I had to get to Frederikshavn, I went to the little Aalborg museum. The first floor was on the theme of «Resistence», and presented artifacts from the 1970’s to the 1500 hundreds. It provided a glimpse of Aalborg’s history in this theme, but I feel I am still missing some context. The upper floors had different areas: some 1700-1800’s clothing and construction, landscape paintings that depicted old Aalborg, and a wooden panel room from the Renaissance period. It is walls covered in detailed wooden carvings. The museum’s info boards had all content in Danish and maybe 40% also translated into English. I wasn’t confident in my ability to use my rudimentary Norwegian to decipher Danish spelling.

Then I took a train to Frederikshavn, where the shopping area looks surprisingly American—except most everywhere save for a few restaurants were already closed. I ordered pizza at one place, and the Hispanic cashier was confused about the credit card option to pay in DK or USD.

Cashier: USD…What is that?
Me: US dollar.
Cashier:…United Kingdom.
Me: No—
Cashier 2: US dollar.
Cashier: Ah…Trump country!
Me: Not anymore!

As most places were closed, I walked to the ferry terminal area and just waited. A confession for all of you: before I left the States, I had the idea to inquire of the Crunchyroll app. This is an anime-streaming service, but with the option to download episodes for offline use. I downloaded all the current episodes of Attack on Titan, but also a series I discovered to be a spin-off of the Fate/Stay franchise. It was fine—it essentially recycled characters from the franchise, but put them in a magical girl scenario. The animation was beautful, but plotwise nothing groundbreaking. I found the humor a bit grating as well. I won’t continue it. AoT might be on the menu tonight, depending on my mood.

Finally the ticket place opened. In front of me were a grandmother and her teenage granddaughter, I found out from Oslo. I saw this classic exchange take form before my eyes:

Ticket lady: (obviously speaking Danish with every glottal stop)
Grandmother:…Hva?
Ticket lady: (saying something else in Danish)

The grandmother turns to the granddaughter for help.

Granddaughter: Can you speak English?
Ticket lady: oh, I was just saying that the ferry will arrive just before midnight.

So tomorrow is Oslo, and meeting with a Llorg member. :)
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Oslo

Postby Xenops » Fri Aug 12, 2022 8:19 pm

What little I’ve seen of Oslo I’ve liked. What guidebooks (and posters on travelling forums) don’t tell you is that Oslo is actually a pretty city. Guidebooks seem to only show pictures of the newly developed waterfront, but not of the abundant amount of greenery: huge pots of flowers, frequent parks and easy easy access to nature. This leads me to wonder if if I simply have different standards of beauty than other people.

It could also be that I found the city so approachable because I grew up in the Rockies (Idaho specifically), and grew up in a house on forested property. My adult self does not find the West Coast a good fit—I need more diversity and cultural experiences—but I still have a weakness for nature.

The city is diverse enough. I have not encountered the homogenous population, but perhaps that is more present in smaller cities/towns.

Thursday morning I met with Mista, and we went to the Edvard Munch museum. I admit that previously I was only familiar with The Scream, but during the visit I saw a lot of variation of style and content. She then took me to her favorite Norli bookstore, and I was impressed with the selection of language-learning books: I’ve never seen a bookstore carry Genki or Grammaire Progressive books before. She said that it’s probably because of the proximity to the university. I bought the latest (and I guess last?) volume of the graphic novel series Nordlys, and we went walking around old residencial areas.

Today I admit that I’ve been tired and did not venture very far. As an example, when at a 7-11:

Cashier: (saying something in Norwegian)
Me: Uhh…Snakker du norsk?
Cashier: (starts laughing)
Me: (realizing my mistake) Snakker du engelsk?
Cashier: Yes. Don’t worry, I’ve been there.

Tomorrow I fly to Stockholm, then a couple of days there, and then a couple of days in Malmö, and one last night in Copenhagen before I fly out.
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Re: Xenops' Log

Postby garyb » Sat Aug 13, 2022 9:21 am

I loved Oslo. Very pretty, friendly, and laid-back city and I liked the massive park. Great for nature lovers: it's a 40-minute train ride from mountains where you can ski in the winter and hike or mountain-bike in the summer. I visited a few years ago in July and went to the waterfront to swim in the fjord. I was actually very close to being there right now to meet up with a few people, but being disorganised and busy as usual I didn't make it in the end.
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Oslo Airport and Stockholm

Postby Xenops » Sat Aug 13, 2022 5:45 pm

Today I saw more excitement than most people would be prepared for.

I was at the Oslo airport, waiting in by the gate. Most of the other passengers seemed normal and healthy, save this one Caucasian man a few chairs over from me. I thought at first he was mentally disabled, and sometimes he coughed or made hacking sounds. The lady across from him did not look impressed. He would then doze off and on, and made slurred efforts at conversation. The two guys about my age would snicker, and maybe give brief exchanges.

After about thirty minutes of this, the ill man (now I’m thinking he’s high on drugs) stood up, walked about 6 feet away, and stopped. Then still remaining control, he sat on the ground and then laid down. We onlookers were surprised. A plane crewman walked by and knelt to see the matter. Then I see him chest compressions. :shock: Another person brought the defibulator, and a low-volume siren sang in the area of the airport. A few people joined to help, including a woman in her 40’s giving directions and respositioning the ill man. I see him lift his head up or move his foot, so I knew he was still alive. An older gentleman joined and said he was a doctor.

Finally emergency servicies arrived, and the original volunteers wandered off except the woman in her 40’s. Only when we had to board the plan did she leave the man in the emergency care.

Me: He had a heart problem, and…Drugs?
Woman: Not drugs, alcohol. I asked him if he had known heart problems, and he said “yes”…But I don’t know how much he understood.

Judging by her manner, I would guess she was a nurse, since she had an air of authority but also took input from the older doctor.

Then the rest of us boarded the plan to Stockholm. I managed to get to the hostel in Gamle Stan without too many moments of being lost, and I felt like I walked into what I imagined Spain or France would look like: narrow cobble-stone streets, earth-colored buildings, lots of people eating and drinking outside, etc. I walked a bit outside of Gamle Stan, and I think this what people think of when they think of Copenhagen or Stockholm: historical buildings with a Rococco air, a city square seemingly frozen in time, a city of past military prowess and wealth.

Oslo, what I saw of it, made me think of Seattle: some old, some modern, lots of greenery, not so much past glory. It is unable to be pretentious. It is a place where you can buy an acai smoothie or a reindeer pelt (which I confess I was tempted to buy, if for nothing else a source of fur to pet in my pet-less home). I suppose as an American, Oslo seemed more familiar, whereas the other two cities will remind you that you are now in Europe.

Tomorrow morning I will do…Laundry! ;) I I have worn my shirts and shorts more than once, and no doubt sweated in them as well. Afterwards I admit that visting the Vasa Museum sounds interesting, but I acknowledge that it might be busy. The Nordic or Viking Museums could be good too.
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