Scandinavian Public Transit / Fredricksborg Slot

Today I'm feeling like one sick puppy so I am home in my pajamas, listening to Harry Potter.... 8 chapters into the Goblet of Fire already. It's sort of good to be reminded by my body that I need to slooow down and take a moment to do a little bit of nothing. Our course exams are coming up - mine is on the 24th. We have the choice between a 24 hours written and a half hour oral exam. I'm doing the oral... I'd rather have it more quickly over with than anxiously losing sleep for a day. And I like to talk.

Public transit. I don't have much to say about the actual workings of public transit.... it's much better here than a lot of the US, especially the West Coast, which is my referent for American. About a third of Copenhageners simply bike... which of course significantly lessens the burden placed on public transit and roads. Biking isn't a hip eco-friendly or athletic statement about who you are... it's mostly just a way to move around. I love my bike :) It's only one gear and I've got quite the beast of a hill up to my place, but all the better for my workout.

BUT WHAT I MEANT TO TALK ABOUT - Danes / Scandinavians on public transit. My Finnish friend, Lotta, told me a story the other day that so beautifully captures the atmosphere on Danish public transit that I have to share. She was reading a Swedish book on the train (Swedish is her first language, not Finnish), sandwiched in between two guys - one who she presumed was a Dane and another who - !!! - was reading a Swedish book as well. She contemplated striking up a conversation with him - he's a cute guy, reading an interesting book, in Swedish, they have some time before the central station... but then she decided against it thinking - "no nono, Lotta you don't bother people on the train!" So instead she leaned her book pointedly into his field of vision, near to his book. Nothing. When the other guy at the window seat got up to pass them a bit later she said "Excuse me" to the maybe-Swedish guy with as thick a Swedish accent as she could muster. Didn't work out.

This seemed like such a caricature of Scandinavians interacting in the public sphere that I had to sphere. I have gotten better at the subtle body language that says "my stop is coming soon" and saves you from actually saying anything to your seat mate.

On Tuesday, Lotta, Hege and I visited Fredricksborg Slot in northern Sjælland! Sjælland is the island Copenhagen is on.... Fredricksborg slot is the largest Renasissance castle in Scandinavia. It's been a national museum since the late 1800s and is full of paintings depicted various stages in Danish history. It was particularly cool to be there with Hege and Lotta because of their own connects to Nordic history...  In one room there was a painting of a Danish guy who was the founder of Hege's town in Southern Norway and a guy that has supermarkets in her town named after him. There was of course many battles with Sweden and Norway as well. The weather for our trip was less than perfect.... but that made it a little bit hilarious and "extreme". Here are some photos... the first is of me sprinting across the large castle courtyard in order to limit my time in the torrential downpour and tropical storm caliber winds.