Paris in 24 hours
Thursday someone said “You know; you can go to London, have a beer and go back home on the same day?!”Friday I started thinking, and in the end of the day I’d bought a ticket and booked a hotel room in Paris for Saturday. Saturday morning – or in the middle of the night – at 3 am I got up and went to Copenhagen Airport to catch the 6 o’clock plane. Paris Beauvais Airport is in fact not in Paris (just like London Stansted is not in London) so it took a little over an hour to get from the airport to the city centre, but from the bus station I could literally walk around the corner and look all the way up Avenue de la Grand Armée to Arc de Triomphe. So I started walking in that direction completely unconscious, like a fly attracted to shit. It was a beautiful sunshiny day ☀️, no wind and about 1°C. I had to do a selfie in front of the Arc to convince some friends online, who had the audacity to doubt if I had actually gone to France (a priority, right?), before going to an underground metro station to buy a île de France Navigo card loaded with 24 hours free public transport in central Paris (zone 1 and 2, 10 Euro). The card itself can be topped up, so keep it. They have an app but it’s rather annoying. Heading for the Latin Quarters on the M1 line I passed over the Seine, left the metro on the next station, and backtracked one station, to enjoy a French breakfast at a café facing the river. A French breakfast is an espresso ☕️ and a Gauloise ?, while a French luxury extended breakfast is an Espresso, a Gauloise, a croissant ? and the latest edition of Le Monde ?. It was Saturday, after all, so I got the one with solid food. After this extravagant meal I was on the metro once again heading for the Latin Quarters. A had a quest. This particular date – January 20th – was the date my brother was found dead, and according to family tradition we light candles ? in any sort of church or temple. So I found the catholic church Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet, and spend half an hour changing a 100 Euro note in neighbouring shops to be able to buy candles in the church. Next a wonderful meal of very tender beef with baked potatoes and a glas of red wine ?, before walking up hill ? to Montmatre. As I have frequented Paris on a couple of occasions before, and went there solely to soak up the mood of the city I had no ambitions about visiting any tourist traps, which gave me a wonderful feeling of tranquility, looking only for meals and beverages – in other words a day of pauses. Long walks from restaurant to café, and from café to restaurant, drinking coffee and eating only starters, traveling 20 km by metro and walking 16 km, according to Google Maps Timeline. As this wasn’t the kind of day for buying entrance tickets it was peculiar to discover the Eiffel tower is now inclosed by a barrier that takes standing in a queue and an entrance ticket to enter. Never mind; I walked around it and found a bar for a draft beer ? and a local newsletter to see what the locals are stressed out about ?.(Spoiler alert: Inflation and poor public service.) The hotel – Hôtel Tolbiac, 122 Rue de Tobiac – is the worst possible shit hole you can imagine, straight out of a dark and gloomy B-movie, but the cheapest thing I could get without ending up in a dormitory. And frankly I didn’t give a shit since I was only using it to have a bed to sleep in. The heavily overweight and somewhat unhygienic guy handing out keys only added to the whole ambience of the experience. Sunday it was cloudy and I left the hotel as fast as I could get my arse out of there. As this was Paris obviously there was a nice and atmospheric café just around the corner, where I could buy yet another luxury french breakfast (☕️ ? ? ?). when I arrived downtown, to be close to the bus station for my trip home, i felt like a glass of white wine, only to discover France now has a rule about serving alcohol before 12 o’clock.(Spoiler alert: “Non!” ?) Tips Contrary to popular belief, all Parisians are fluent in English ?. As soon as they heard that I speak bad French, they switched to English – without exception or delay. A starter/small meal will set you back 8-10 Euro, while a full meal with a glass of wine is more like 20 Euro ?. You can pay with credit/debit card almost everywhere, but not always tip. As tipping is customary keep small amounts ready in bills and coins that you can leave at the table. 10% is reasonable if you have received satisfactory service. ? You can use online comparison services (skyscanner, Momondo etc.) to find the cheapest airline, but go to the airline’s website to buy a ticket even cheaper, in a separat browser tab. ✈️ In Paris, booking.com has a better selection and prices than hotels.com for accommodation. The sightseeing sites I didn’t visit this time, but you should definitely see once in your lifetime: A boat trip on the river Seine Musée du Louvre Eiffel Tower Notre Dame Musée d’Orsay The Palace of Versailles The sites that I did see: Arc de Triomphe Montmartre and Sacré Coeur Latin Quarter Small local cafés and restaurants Trips on the metro A lot of walking the city streets
Reykjavik
Saturday November 25th about 10 am I suddenly felt like going to Reykjavik, for no apparent reason. I just needed to go. Now! Unfortunately the flight from Copenhagen leaves at 11.45, and there was no way I could get from Malmö to Copenhagen that fast. So I had to shoot it up to Sunday, which made me rather impatient. I wanted to see the Icelandic Sagas for my self, in the National Museum. I wanted to stand in awe in front of the Sólfar sculpture, and take a few pictures. Most of all I wanted to have a beer with my friend Trausti. But in all honesty: All these reasons came to me after I had purchased the flight ticket. At three o’clock Sunday I finally left the airport in Keflavik, boarding a bus to Reykjavik. For reasons I can only guess Keflavik Airport is situated 50 km (1 hour) from Reykjavik, and buying a shuttle bus ticket in advance is a very good idea, and will set you back c. 4,000 ISK (≈27 Euro). There are no trains in Iceland, and the only alternative to the shuttle bus is taxi (c. 37,000 ISK). Once in Reykjavik I checked in to Flóki Guesthouse, ten minutes walk from the Hallgrim Church and the city centre. “Checking in” is maybe not the correct term, as there were no staff. I simply entered the house and the room using a pin code I received by mail, from booking.com. That’s what you get when you save money, but I was prepared for it, and both the guesthouse and the room itself were very cozy. Everything was nice and clean, there was a coffee machine in the hallway, with cookies and everything. I’m not particularly sensible to noise from traffic, but if you are, you might want to chose a guesthouse or hotel a little further away from a busy road. Once I’d left my backpack in the room I ventured out, as I was hungry, curious, and it was already getting dark. Sunrise 10:30/sunset 16:00 in Reykjavik in the end of November. Luckily one of the first places I found to get a bite to eat also turned out to be a very nice one, worth revisiting (Salka Valka Eldhus, Skólavörðustígur 23). After dining I just wandered the main street, some side streets, checking out a few shops, and generally familiarizing myself with the city. You know – having a locally brewed beer in a nice place, before backtracking to my guesthouse. Waking up on Monday – eight o’clock, two hours before sunrise – I was eager to see all of Reykjavik, first of all the Sólfar (Sun Voyager) artwork, and then breakfast, which I found in Kaffibrennslan (Laugavegur 21). Excellent selection and a very cozy atmosphere. From there I walked through the city center, towards the National Museum, making a few stops on the way: The Icelandic Punk Museum (Bankastræti 2) in a closed down underground public restroom, and the Iceland Model, situated in the Reykjavik City Hall (Tjarnargata 11). The National Museum (Suðurgata 41), however, turned out to be a little disappointing. They’ve got some nice stuff on display, but the exhibitions are made in a very conservative museum-like way. So I hurried on to the Saga Museum, that turned out to be much more interesting. With or without an audio guide you walk through displays of life size wax figures describing important moments in Iceland’s dramatic history. If you don’t like audio guides, there are signs explaining the displays. On the way back for a short pit stop at the guesthouse I entered the famous Hallgrim Church, to find it… Well, less is more, I guess… But not really that exciting. That night I went out with my friend Trausti, to have a beer. Or a few beers. And some whisky. Alcohol makes the tongue loose, and we haven’t seen each other for almost ten years. So… Ironically we ended up in Den Danske Kro (The Danish Inn)(Ingólfsstræti 3), not because it’s Danish, but because it’s a nice place, with live music every night. Tuesday was just walking around, checking out the city, shopping a little, breakfast, coffee, lunch, chilling, getting Reykjavik under my skin. Once I reached the harbor, and a super cozy café (Reykjavik Röst, Geirsgata 5), I asked how to best spend a few hours doing something interesting: “Save them for your next visit” the owner of the café said. “Go to FlyOver Iceland!” So I did (Fiskislóð 43) and it was an amazing experience!!! Strapped into a seat you are moved a little back and forth and sideways, sprayed a little cold mist in the face, surrounded by a huge round screen showing a 3D flight through Iceland – sharp mountain peaks and green valleys, glaciers and waterfalls, cities and unique nature, in a nerve-wracking speed, filmed from drones and helicopters, stitched together to give you an experience that will make you hold your breath. At night I wanted to see Fjörukráin – The Viking Village – at Strandgata 55, Vikingastræti 1-3, Hafnarfjörður. An hour by bus. It’s a good idea to download the Klappið app to find bus schedules and buy tickets. From the outside the Viking Village looks good, but close up the whole theme falls to pieces. It’s a hotel and restaurant, and the theme is only at the surface. The hotel rooms looks like any dull hotel room anywhere else, and the theme in the restaurant is inconsistent, at best. Disappointed and hungry I gave the kitchen a chance, and ordered the lamb. And as if a magic wand had been waved over the lamb, everything was suddenly okay. That meal was enough to justify the train from Malmö to Copenhagen, the flight to Keflavik, the bus to Reykjavik, and from there bus to Hafnarfjörður. The next morning I had to get up at 3:30 to get the shuttle bus to the airport bus, to get to the airport and check in for
Stockholm
Sail and stroll for days and days, and never get tired of the sights and the endless variations. Stockholm is a two million strong big city spread out on 500 small islands, connected by bridges and small ferries. Each island has its own vibe and charm. Recommendations
Hamburg
After lemming the trend going to super hyped Berlin you will discover that Hamburg is actually the place to go, in Germany. The city center is shaped around the great lake Alster, with several out door serving offers giving you a stress release, looking at the sail boats and cycling boats. There are plenty of ways to get fat, drunk, lazy and poor as everything is available all over the place, around the clock, and on every corner you want to sit and eat or drink something, gazing at life, street performers etc. Recommendations
Georgetown Penang
Georgetown is located on Penang Island (Pulau Pinang) in Malaysia, but cities by that name can be found in every country ever occupied by the British… This Georgetown, however, really stands out. The ethnic minorities have developed cultures completely unique to the island, and the different religious and cultural festivals are out of this world. Another trick Penang has up its sleeve is the next level street food. The time you are not spending eating and gazing at insane festivals should be spend walking the streets studying everyday life and street art. Recommendations
Copenhagen
Copenhagen has been a rather insignificant northern European mid size city until recently, attracting only cruise ship pensioners doomed to be disappointed with the Little Mermaid. (“Little” is actually in the name, dumbfuck!) But these last few years the city has exploded with new weird bicycle bridges, interesting street food markets, alternative guided tours, museums and exhibitions gearing up for an international audience with higher expectations. Copenhagen has become Wonderful. Recommendations
Lund
Lund used to be the capitol of Denmark, but the bastards moved the entire city to Sweden in the end of a war. Lund is a cozy and sleepy little town in the southernmost part of Sweden, with a lot of culture, museums and other geeky attractions for its size, on top of a medieval city centre that will take your breath away. And then the university starts, and students from all over the world flood in, and the city comes alive: Weird traditions, noisy parades, heavy drinking, loud music, student pranks, and out-of-this-world costumes. Recommendations
Malmö
Malmö is not just a suburb to Copenhagen, but a small big city in its own right. Difference is that it doesn’t take forever to get from one place to the next. Recommendations
Bangkok
Bangkok is probably the best place in the world to get lost. The real name of the city is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit**, and that basically says it all: This city is large, insane, mind blowing, and endless. The real adventure is not Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Golden Mount and all the hundreds of other must-see hotspots, but the narrow streets, the night markets, the local temples, the street food, and the everyday life of the Bangkokians. Thais will not steal from you or assault you, but there are many who will trick you. Anyone approaching you, like a young student or a taxi/tuk-tuk driver, with suggestions: Do not follow them. Do not buy precious stones, under any circumstances. If you follow this advice (and obviously stay away from prostitutes and drugs) you are presumably in one of the safest places on earth. If it’s too noisy, too crowded, too many cars and too stressful you are on the wrong side of the river. If it’s too quiet, too tranquil, more boats than cars, you are on the other wrong side of the river. The western side is the calm side, with all the small canals and floating markets, while the eastern side is the bustling side, that will make New York look like countryside. On both sides you can find adventure, especially if you drift into the small lanes where ordinary people live, eat, work and offer incense and whisky to the local spirits. If you place a compass needle in Bangkok, the pencil outside Mumbai, and draw a circle, more than 80% of the world’s population live inside that circle, making Bangkok the de facto centre of the world. Recommendations * Pat Pong Night Marked is not recommended for everyone, as it is strip shows (some rather extreme), ladyboys, prostitutes, fake brand merchandise, and everything else that makes up the underbelly of Bangkok. ** กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์ If you can read Danish, my dear friend in Bangkok, Tony Wynnseree, was interviewed for Politiken about what to see and do in Bangkok:
Helsingør (Elsinore)
I can’t praise Helsingør enough, and find pleasure in thinking back on the years I had the fortune to live there. If you ask a child to make a toy city they will squeeze all the good stuff into a tiny space, and leave out all the boring stuff, like living, industry and shopping malls. This is exactly what Helsingør looks like. I lived near one of the squares, and if I made a cup of coffee, and walked out the door, I could be in the woods, the beach, the small boat harbor, the cultural harbor, the ferry harbor and central station, the city center, or the Kronborg Castle, by foot, so fast my coffee would still be warm. I would, however, never bring my own coffee to Kronborg, and soon you will understand why. Almost the entire medieval city is made up of pedestrian streets, and the number of outdoor eateries, cafés and pubs is amazing. Many of them you will find in the courtyards inside the alleyways you’ll see everywhere. Helsingør is a city where you discover things all the time, while being mind blown by its charming beauty. Keep an eye out for murals, as they really add to the experience. If you think a library is a quiet dull place for studying, you’ll need to go to the library in Helsingør, also known as Kulturværftet (Culture Yard). I can’t think of a single kind of cultural activity or expression that isn’t going on there. The architecture is unique, in the way they have preserved the integrity of the old shipyard, and simultaneously turned it into something contemporary, or even science fiction. Next to it, down an old dry dock, another architectural marvel holds the maritime museum. A must-see! Behind Kulturværftet you’ll find the streetfood marked. And now, when you think you can’t experience more, without losing your marbles, you can’t leave without entering the world famous Kronborg Castle. It is the epiphany of a medieval castle, and holds amazing stories, both real and pure fantasy. The way they market Prince Hamlet you will leave with the sense that he was really a proud son of the city, and not a figment of imagination. You will find Holger Danske in the basement, guarding Denmark, always ready to stand up to protect the country. You will see the canons that made Denmark rich by taxing every ship entering or exiting the Baltic Sea. And when you can’t take any more culture and impressions, you are in luck, as you will – without a shred of doubt – find the world’s best cup of coffee at Strandvejsristeriet, inside the compound of the castle. Only ten minutes by ferry from Helsingør the larger, a little less charming, but important big brother Helsingborg. Helsingborg is in Sweden, and Sweden has different rules and taxes on alcohol. This means the area in Helsingør close to the ferry harbor is littered with alcohol shops. You will meet many Swedes in Helsingør, and they will add to the charm and experience, from Sunday to Thursday, but Friday and Saturday night you don’t want to be in Helsingør, especially not with kids. According to Danes, being “Swedish drunk” means not being able to hold larger quantities of alcohol without losing all dignity and self control. Helsingør is the place to eat authentic Danish cuisine, like roast pork with potatoes, red cabbage and brown sauce, sliced roast pork with parsley sauce, plaice filet on rye bread, Danish liver pate etc. The “pork” part of it may not sound appealing due to your religious beliefs, but they can’t possibly be THAT important, no matter how dedicated or fanatic you are. Once you try it you will realize both life and afterlife is insignificant without Danish roast pork. And when you visit Helsingør you will acknowledge that life has, so far, been a warm up session.