Sunday 12 August 2007

Travel XI, Danish Cricket

I wrote this yeterday so it's out of date, I had rather a good day today but I'll tell that another time. I didn't publish this yesterday because I was tanked, I guess I just don't trust myself;

10 August 2007
Fuck me, I'd rather be in Brussels even though I constantly slag it when I'm there. What I'm really saying is I'd rather be with girlfiend, I invited her out here but she turned me down. That might sound odd but she had good reasons and none of it was my fault.

No need to mope though, I went down to Tivoli to see a free concert, if you think "free" means "shit", think again. Tivoli has all sorts of fairground rides and a couple of roly-coasters (see Larry Sanders). There's heaps of bars and restaurants, so it's easily worth the 79 Crowns to get in, but what got me was - this is a typical outdoor do, sound system like the arse end of a space shuttle and improvised bars dotted around the place, but - the beer is cheaper in there than the boozer accross the road!? eh? On top of that, the Danes are just chillin' and enjoying the music, there's no queue at the bar, ever! It's goes without saying the place was strewn with slinky blondes, it just seemed to good to be true and frankly it made me nervous.

In time honoured fashion I just quietly drank my drink and left politely. I knew the faux (yes that means "shit") English/Irish bars were more expensive but I can't really enjoy a drink when everyone around me is smiling and stepping aside to let me get to the bar. It was a futile search, there are no drunken louts in Copenhagen, well there are but they're not loutish enough. I need to feel like I've escaped a war zone to be able get a good nights sleep, I miss Leeds at times like this.

Shanghai Sam's Karaoke bar looked promising (in the sense that "I have to see this shit") until I got inside, this is hardcore Karaoke you don't hear the singer because the whole pub is singing (shouting). It was full to the rafters even though they charge 30 Crowns to get in, looked like a lot of regulars and no doubt there would be drunken shenanigans later, but not for me.

I sneaked accross the road to another English style pub. "Style" being the operative, they have "Leffe Blond/Brown" and Hoegarden on tap. I felt strangely at home sitting in frong of the Leffe taps but not enough to venture a glass, the Tuborg was doing a more than Stella job so I didn't feel the need to change.

However, after I'd fulfilled the prescription I did feel the need to get a cab back to the hotel. I contrived to let someone get in front of me in the queue so I could get in the second cab with the Eastern European looking bloke. I had a hunch he would be the quicker driver. I was right, he was a maniac, driving two inches up the next drivers arse and constantly flashing lights to get past, it was even better than being in Italy. He got a well earned tip, I can't drive like that even in Brussels but I watched and learned.

It hot here.

JJ