Are We Having Fun Yet?

Another first for me today: I fainted. But let's go back a bit to explain the context. The one thing I haven't written in my blog yet is that for the past 4 or 5 days, I have had a pain in the groin. This goes back to the day I wore a new pair of pants that does not seem to fit very well: the seam is very uncomfortable. I had been sitting for long periods of time, either on the plane, or on the train, or on a subway, and the seam just dug into me, or it would suddenly switch and squish me. Long story short, ouch. So, I put those pants at the bottom of my suitcase, and figured it would heal naturally. But after a few days, I started wondering if I had sprained or bruised myself. This morning, in the shower at about 9:00 a.m. (after having first been awakened by glaring sunlight and singing birds at 4:00 a.m.), I gingerly explored the spot where I have soreness and discovered what I thought was a lump, which was very painful. A wave of nausea washed over me suddenly, and I had to exit the shower, take a sip of water from the sink, and sit for a minute. My head and face were fully lathered, so I thought I would rinse off and go lie down for a bit. I must have gotten up too quickly because I saw stars, and heard a whooshing in my ears. I then got the feeling that I was not really awake, but just dreaming all of this, so the last thought I remember having is that it was OK to let go. I must have fallen very daintily, because a very light tap of my head on the tile jarred me awake. I quickly rinsed, hastily wrapped a towel around my waist, and called for Tinna, whom I hoped was still in the house. I emerged from the bathroom and explained to her quickly what had happened. I cannot believe how professional she handled this situation. She told me to lie down in bed for a bit and brought me a glass of water. She returned to my room to tell me she had cancelled her shift at the cafe, called Emil to get his doctor's number, and scheduled an appointment with the doctor for 11:30 a.m. In the meantime, she went to the store and came back with painkillers (she assured me they were very mild, like children's Tylenol) and a couple of croissants. I ate the croissants ravenously because I was very hungry. She asked how I felt and I said I was tired, so I lay back in bed and slept. At 11:00 a.m., she knocked on my door and told me it was time to get to the doctor's.

The doctor works about 5 minutes away from Tinna and Emil's flat. And after having had a wonderful interaction with her, I take back everything I said about Danish rudeness. She had the best bedside manner, and really knew how to assuage my fears. She examined me and then informed me that I had nothing to be concerned about. She said I seem to have a classic bacterial infection of the testicle. She says more than likely I have caught cold or the ill-fitting pants contributed to it. In any case, she prescribed a course of antibiotics for me for ten days (bye-bye drinking). She said that the nausea and the fainting were a natural reaction to not knowing where the pain is coming from, and that now that I know it is benign, I shouldn't be experiencing any of those symptoms again. She said it was a very good thing that I checked with a doctor, because if left untreated, I could have experienced severe pain. So, Tinna then walked with me to the pharmacy (apotek) to get my antibiotics. And she then accompanied me to the debit machine so that I could get cash out to pay the doctor (and then get reimbursed by my insurance when I get back to Canada). It really wasn't too expensive: 300 Danish kroner (roughly 60 dollars). Because all of this walking and waiting in line took some time, Tinna and I really had a long conversation, and I got to know her. (I now regret not having had the opportunity to get to know Jarl in Stockholm). I learned that her father was Thai, but she was born in Iceland, with Icelandic as her mother tongue. At 4, she moved with her family to Sweden, where she learned Swedish and English. She has now been in Denmark for 5 years, and she assures me that after 5 years of learning the language, she still doesn't feel she has mastered it yet because it is so difficult.

Now because the doctor said that I could go anywhere I wanted and that there was nothing to prevent me from doing what I wanted and enjoying my trip, I decided to venture out into the city. I was much relieved and obviously feeling a lot better by then. Tinna accompanied me to the 7-Eleven where I bought myself a few pastries to get my blood sugar up. I thanked her profusely for her extreme consideration, and she assured me she could just imagine how scared she would be to be in a foreign country, not knowing the language, and something like this happening to her. I really want to surprise her with a big bouquet of flowers before I leave here on Wednesday.

I took the bus to the city centre. Since I bought a Copenhagen card, which was a little pricy but provides me with free transportation by train, subway and bus for 72 hours, I figured I should start using it. I got into the city centre about 20 minutes later. The flat Tinna and Emil live in is in the hippest, most vibrant part of the city, in Nørrebrod, and it is rather reminiscent of the Södermalm neighbourhood in Stockholm, except there is a lot more graffiti here, and men seem to have a predisposition to urinate in doorways, in alleys or on the street. Anyway, I got to the city centre about 1:45 p.m., ready to start my day. I began by doing some window shopping in book stores, CD shops, etc. I finally bought gifts for both my friend Martin and my sister. I was hoping to buy myself an English translation of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, but the book store did not carry "Fear and Trembling".  I don't remember if I have already mentioned it (and if so, it bears repeating), but Copenhagen is expensive. The 25% sales tax has everything to do with it! (And as an aside, when I visited the Assistens cemetery, it really made me pause when I discovered that at 42 years 6 months of age, Kierkegaard was a little younger than I am now when he died in the 1850s.)

I really wanted to see the Hans Christian Anderson Eventyrhuset this afternoon. When I got there, I discovered that it was free with my Copenhagen card. It was located next door to the Guinness Book of Records museum. The H. C. Andersen museum was OK, but I know I would have absolutely loved it had I been 8 or 9 years old. The museum started off with an exhibit on the life and times of Hans Christian Andersen, author of countless fairy tales. The second part of the exhibit is actually different fairy tales come to life in clever montages. I guess it was fun to listen to the narration of timeless classics I hadn't heard in a long time, like "The Little Mermaid", "The Little Match Girl", "Thumbelina", "The Steadfast Soldier" and "The Emperor's New Clothes".

I left the museum probably around 2:45, and headed to the 7-Eleven for a light bite to eat (I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner). I got what is known here as Little Bites: what looked like three spring rolls, but when I bit into them, I discovered they were actually spicy, cheesy burritos. They were pretty tasty, and I washed them down with Faxe Condi (the Danish equivalent of 7-Up). I then returned to the Tourist Information Centre, where I was served by a very friendly Swede now living in Denmark. We got to speak Swedish again. I told her I was interested in going on a tour of the Kronborg castle in Helsingør, Denmark tomorrow. This is the castle that inspired Shakespeare to set his play Hamlet at Elsinore Castle. Every year, there are performances of Hamlet there in the summer months. And it is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. I explained that I was hoping to go to Helsingør direct from Copenhagen, cross the strait from Helsingør into Helsingborg, Sweden on a ferry, then make my way south to Malmö, Sweden, before crossing the bridge back into Copenhagen, Denmark. She informed me that there is such a ticket available, for the ridiculously cheap sum of 200 kroner (40 dollars Canadian). Furthermore, my visit of Kronborg castle is free with my Copenhagen card, and I can stop along the way to explore the Swedish cities of Helsingborg and Malmö, and hop on any train I want to return. (Trains run 24 hours a day, every 20 minutes). I have never been to the west coast of Sweden, and I am really looking forward to this. What is even more special is that tomorrow night, in Malmö, is the start of the Eurovision Song Contest, a hugely popular show in Sweden (and where ABBA got their musical start in 1974). I confessed to the attendant at the tourist information centre that I was not sure I would be 100% able to travel tomorrow, depending on how I feel, but she said that if I decide not to use it and I hang on to the receipt, I can be refunded for the ticket. So, judging that I had nothing to lose, I bought my ticket for tomorrow.

I decided then that because I was going to have to curtail my drinking for ten days, I may as well have one last celebratory drink this afternoon, before I begin my antibiotics tonight. I figured that a drink around 3:30 would be well out of my system by 10:00 p.m. So, I just happened upon the gay district of Copenhagen, and found the Jailhouse bar, a theme bar with bars in the windows and a particular atmosphere. I ordered a Carlsberg from the waiter, yet another Swede I spoke to in Swedish. The thing about bars in Denmark is that they are still smoking, although all restaurants have gone non-smoking. So, I have to say I did not stay long, but I know some friends of mine would have been happy to be able to smoke while drinking. I'm just not one of them.

This brought me to thoughts about dinner. Once again, I really wanted to sample some more traditional Danish cuisine, so I went to a restaurant near the Town Hall, which is reputed to have some of the best home-made dishes in the city. The waiter recommended that I get the traditional Christmas dinner in Denmark: Flækesteg med rødkål, hvide kartofler og brun sovs (Slices of roast pork, served with red cabbage, boiled potatoes and gravy). The portion was a tad bit disappointing, but the taste was exceptional. For dessert, I got the Gammeldaws æblekage med sukkerrasp og flødeskum (Danish style applecake served with whipped cream). Oh my God! Was this EVER sweet. I was reminded of that fabulous quote from Dorothy on "The Golden Girls": "Rose, if God had wanted Man to eat like this, he would have handed him his teeth in a baggy". It consisted of apple sauce, topped with whipped cream, and not much "cake" to speak of. When I told Emil tonight that I had had this and I thought it was a bit too sweet, he said his grandmother used to make it, and as a child he would marvel at the voluminous quantity of sugar that went into it. Let's just say I'm glad I got tested for diabetes before my trip...

That's mostly it for this eventful, and slightly scary day. I made sure to call my mom to make sure she understood that I am doing fine, despite what I was about to write on my blog. The only other thing I should mention is that I dropped my purchases and stuff at the house and went back out for a while to further explore the city. I made sure to write up all of my day's adventures as soon as I came back. Good night all!