The balcony is on the first floor and around the side of the balcony is a staircase leading down to who knows were. Once it stopped raining everyone was running down the stairs...Is that where they keep their umbrellas? Nope. That's extra storage space and all their stored goods were soggy and flooded.
Once the rain stopped, I decided I'd been home long enough and it's time to get a beer. The sky was still grey but it wasn't thundering and it wasn't raining. I thought I was safe. I got about a quarter mile from home and it starts absolutely pouring. I'm about equal distance from home and from 7-11......what to do. It's ridiculous how hard the rain is coming down. A sheltered bus stop is up ahead so I run for it. The sidewalks are about a foot under water and so are the edges of the road so I am running down the middle of a street. A car turns right and is now headed right for me. He is driving down the middle of the street so he doesn't have to drive in the foot of water at edge. We play chicken for a few seconds until I realize he is not moving over. I jump to the right into a river of water about halfway up my calf and the driver soaks me with spray as he speeds on by. Sh#t.
I make it to the bus stop shelter and of course, it stops raining. I get a 6 pack of Carlsberg, sit at the waterfront with a beer, call my sister, and head home.
That was Saturday. Sunday is a hot, warm sunny day. I decided to head to Roskilde to meet up with my cousin. Roskilde is a town outside of Copenhagen where they hold a big huge music festival that just happens to be taking place this weekend. I call my cousin to let him know I'm on my way. The call goes straight to voicemail. I should recognized this sign of things to come and have never left the house. On a normal day it takes 30 minutes maybe to get to Roskilde. Last Sunday it took me 3.5 hours. The first Sunday of the month, the trains are free and the stores are open. Lots of people are taking the trains. In the summer there's even more people, and this weekend in particular with the music festival going on there are even more. After waiting at the closest train station for close to 20 minutes, an annoucment is made over the PA system. No clue. A train pulls up 10 minutes later and a ton of people get off. Tons of people. The train is not the one I wanted. A group of people are bombarding the train conductor with Danish questions. I wait me turn. When they leave him alone he walks away. I run up next to him to see what's wrong with the trains today. Tracks are flooded. Trains are not coming to this station today. I have to catch a train 2 stations up. 2 stations up, piece of cake. I decide to walk it instead of figuring out what bus to get on which is a 50/50 gamble I would end up going the wrong direction. On the map it lookes close. In relaity it took me an hour and a half. I call my cousin. Still goes straight to voicemail. Well I've walked this far, I can't turn back now.
I eventually get on the train to Valby, transfer to a train to Hoeje Taastrup, switch to the regional train to Roskilde and arrive at my final destination around 3. I had left the house shortly after 11. One last shot at my cousin's cell phone...fingers crossed....no such luck. I grab a coffee, sit on a bench ad watch some babies playing in the water fountain, some pigeons trying to mate, group after group of adolescent Danes with muddy rubber boots toting their camping gear and boxes of beer..... Then get back on the train to head back home. I get off at Valby, two stops away from my normal stop and it starts to pour .....again..... I am not walking the 1.5 hrs home. Instead I found out a new bus route.
Sunday was a failure, but I least on Saturday I was able to borrow my friend's Danish bike. Monday, I road my bike to work. I gave myself plenty of time to get there. It took me slightly less than an hour which is the fastest I have gotten to work so far. I memorized the map the morning of my commute. Memorized every cross section, every land mark.. I would not be late and I was fine. Beginner's luck....
The way home I didn't even think about. I worked all day and ran out of the building without even thinking where I was going. Thinking, "I know the way...." Well life sure looks different going in the other direction. A fork in the road is coming up. Did I come from the left? Or did I come from the right? I dont remember (In reality I came from the right, but right before the fork in the road...) So I stay to the right of the fork......This doesn't look familiar. I don't want to turn around because for the past couple miles I have been gliding downhill. And if I am going to be lost on a bike I would rather be lost and going downhill than retrace my steps and have to climb back up. So I turn left thinking that this is the direction I should have come from. The left turn just turns me farther away from where I'm going, but I think I am heading towards the city. I ride on for another hour until I realize I don't recognize anything. I see a big hospital and decide to pull out the map. Holy crap I am no where near where I thought I was!! A nice lady helped me with directions and I eventually made it home over 2 hours after I left work. Sense of direction: FAIL... Daily workout: PASS
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| Carlsberg Brewery |
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| Roskilde |
1 comments:
Where's Trevor??
Mom
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