scandinavian adventures: copenhagen
i haven't left europa yet, but i have left berlin. i'm sitting in a hotel room in copenhagen right now, overlooking a small courtyard serving breakfast to all of us weary travelers. well, they don't look particularly weary, but i'm feeling pretty exhausted this morning.
yesterday was a beautiful day of traveling by train from berlin to denmark. i was up earlier to grab my train from the ultra sleek new hauptbahnhof station - a colossus of glass, wire and metal not unlike the sony centre near potsdamer platz - and set off from berlin at 7:14am on the dot.
the express train from berlin to hamburg, where i was to transfer to the copenhagen bound train, was a blur of green pastures and small towns on the outskirts of berlin. the express train clocks around 200+ km/h and feels like you're completely stationary, it's that smooth (god, if that kind of a train was offered from montreal to new york, i might actually consider traveling with amtrak again...but it isn't, so no thanks! it ain't worth the cramped 10 hour journey!). so, needless to say, i was in hamburg in the blink of an eye and made my connection to copenhagen. i have a vague recollection that the hamburg train station was the site of a crazy memory from traveling through europe with my mom back in '86...but that's another longer story for another time. the train to copenhagen was less swanky than the hamburg express but smooth enough for me to drift off to sleep with nina simone surround sounding my ears (i've been obsessively listening to uta's nina cd of hits&classics and really can't tire of it).
well, i woke up disoriented with the world tipping slightly side to side. it took me another ten minutes moving in and out of consciousness to realize i was on a boat or, rather, the entire train was now securely on a ferry. i was practically the only one left on the train so i tried to get the sleep out of my eyes and stagger to the upper decks. it was a short journey across the water to south denmark and the ferry was appropriately stocked with overpriced crappy food and the requisite duty free shop. i opted for an apple cake and picked up some AA's and a toblerone from duty free. that's why they call me mr. big spender! right, so above deck was all blue sky blue water and blue eyed nordic folks. enjoyed my apfel kuchen and returned to the train.
arrived in copenhagen on a gloriously sunny afternoon, with a nice cool breeze blowing to offset the heat. thankfully out of the consistent 37 degrees of Berlin city heat which has been great, but really intense. copenhagen is a stunning old city with amazing architecture and i haven't been here since 1998 when yours truly and one mr. p.m.r. orth made the rounds in this town...rambling randomly and roaming wide-eyed about the cobblestone streets...this visit, however, i was greeted warmly by my host (and the promoter of the show) mr rasmus shack - a very cool danish hombre who booked me to play a show here after a friend of his saw me play back in berlin at the ZR show w/ Jason Forrest. nice how it all works out. well, rasmus met me with an extra bike at the station and we piled my gear on the back of the bikes and set off for the hotel... in which i'm presently writing.
after i dropped my gear we hit the streets par bicyclette and made our way to a little lunch spot called, ahem, Pussy Galore's Flying Circus (holy mixed metaphors/references) where ras dropped me off & hooked me up with some lunch...i had a deelish meal there out on a patio in a small, fountain-bordered square over looking various cafes & park benches & assorted blonde/blue eyed beauties. i had forgotten how pretty the peeps up here are...both women & men...all clean lines, freshly cut, summer tannned H&M model types though...
well, now satiated & feeling good about being here i jotted a few notes of gratis down in me trusty ol' journal and zoomed off again on my bike. spent the afternoon cruising about the district checking out buildings & peeps and taking it all in....went down to soundcheck at 7pm and was feeling pretty damn good about life, i must say...probably too good.
the show was to take place on the M/S Stubnitz - an old German maybe fishing (?) boat that was converted into a multipurpose art/work space, venue, bar, & night club in the mid-90s. in fact, it is actually the same boat that i first visited in Stockholm way back in '98 while it was docked there for the summer. i fell in love with the concept as soon as i saw it and have been all gush gush gush about it pretty much ever since. haha. i even remember visiting victoria years later and seeing an old military ship docked in the harbour near the parliament buildings with a big 'for sale' sign on it...and yes i contemplated how to raise money to buy and convert it! silly johnny dreamer.
anyway, the ship is still rockin' and has been going strong ever since i saw it and makes its stay in various european ports throughout the spring/summer, often inviting local artists/musicians and promoters to organize events there while it's docked in the city. after copenhagen, Stubnitz sets off later this summer for Hamburg and then Amsterdam...
so, this brings me almost up to date, except for the details about the show. but it is now officially time for me to leave this city and this hotel and head straight to the airport to get my flight to stockholm. did i mention that i'm going to sweden today? didn't think so. ok, so i will recount the glorious post-boat show details when i get to sverige.
i hope life is good wherever you are. let the scandinavian adventures continue!
love johnny
yesterday was a beautiful day of traveling by train from berlin to denmark. i was up earlier to grab my train from the ultra sleek new hauptbahnhof station - a colossus of glass, wire and metal not unlike the sony centre near potsdamer platz - and set off from berlin at 7:14am on the dot.
the express train from berlin to hamburg, where i was to transfer to the copenhagen bound train, was a blur of green pastures and small towns on the outskirts of berlin. the express train clocks around 200+ km/h and feels like you're completely stationary, it's that smooth (god, if that kind of a train was offered from montreal to new york, i might actually consider traveling with amtrak again...but it isn't, so no thanks! it ain't worth the cramped 10 hour journey!). so, needless to say, i was in hamburg in the blink of an eye and made my connection to copenhagen. i have a vague recollection that the hamburg train station was the site of a crazy memory from traveling through europe with my mom back in '86...but that's another longer story for another time. the train to copenhagen was less swanky than the hamburg express but smooth enough for me to drift off to sleep with nina simone surround sounding my ears (i've been obsessively listening to uta's nina cd of hits&classics and really can't tire of it).
well, i woke up disoriented with the world tipping slightly side to side. it took me another ten minutes moving in and out of consciousness to realize i was on a boat or, rather, the entire train was now securely on a ferry. i was practically the only one left on the train so i tried to get the sleep out of my eyes and stagger to the upper decks. it was a short journey across the water to south denmark and the ferry was appropriately stocked with overpriced crappy food and the requisite duty free shop. i opted for an apple cake and picked up some AA's and a toblerone from duty free. that's why they call me mr. big spender! right, so above deck was all blue sky blue water and blue eyed nordic folks. enjoyed my apfel kuchen and returned to the train.
arrived in copenhagen on a gloriously sunny afternoon, with a nice cool breeze blowing to offset the heat. thankfully out of the consistent 37 degrees of Berlin city heat which has been great, but really intense. copenhagen is a stunning old city with amazing architecture and i haven't been here since 1998 when yours truly and one mr. p.m.r. orth made the rounds in this town...rambling randomly and roaming wide-eyed about the cobblestone streets...this visit, however, i was greeted warmly by my host (and the promoter of the show) mr rasmus shack - a very cool danish hombre who booked me to play a show here after a friend of his saw me play back in berlin at the ZR show w/ Jason Forrest. nice how it all works out. well, rasmus met me with an extra bike at the station and we piled my gear on the back of the bikes and set off for the hotel... in which i'm presently writing.
after i dropped my gear we hit the streets par bicyclette and made our way to a little lunch spot called, ahem, Pussy Galore's Flying Circus (holy mixed metaphors/references) where ras dropped me off & hooked me up with some lunch...i had a deelish meal there out on a patio in a small, fountain-bordered square over looking various cafes & park benches & assorted blonde/blue eyed beauties. i had forgotten how pretty the peeps up here are...both women & men...all clean lines, freshly cut, summer tannned H&M model types though...
well, now satiated & feeling good about being here i jotted a few notes of gratis down in me trusty ol' journal and zoomed off again on my bike. spent the afternoon cruising about the district checking out buildings & peeps and taking it all in....went down to soundcheck at 7pm and was feeling pretty damn good about life, i must say...probably too good.
the show was to take place on the M/S Stubnitz - an old German maybe fishing (?) boat that was converted into a multipurpose art/work space, venue, bar, & night club in the mid-90s. in fact, it is actually the same boat that i first visited in Stockholm way back in '98 while it was docked there for the summer. i fell in love with the concept as soon as i saw it and have been all gush gush gush about it pretty much ever since. haha. i even remember visiting victoria years later and seeing an old military ship docked in the harbour near the parliament buildings with a big 'for sale' sign on it...and yes i contemplated how to raise money to buy and convert it! silly johnny dreamer.
anyway, the ship is still rockin' and has been going strong ever since i saw it and makes its stay in various european ports throughout the spring/summer, often inviting local artists/musicians and promoters to organize events there while it's docked in the city. after copenhagen, Stubnitz sets off later this summer for Hamburg and then Amsterdam...
so, this brings me almost up to date, except for the details about the show. but it is now officially time for me to leave this city and this hotel and head straight to the airport to get my flight to stockholm. did i mention that i'm going to sweden today? didn't think so. ok, so i will recount the glorious post-boat show details when i get to sverige.
i hope life is good wherever you are. let the scandinavian adventures continue!
love johnny
posted by Johnny Valentine at 12:19 AM
1 Comments:
ha ha... the boy is back in the mutterland some decade later. don't fall in love with an H&M cut-out prototypical blondie. a'ight?
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