Coppenhagen - early days, the boring bits
So, I finally receive my laptop, yey! I am mobile and finally able to snatch more then a few hours online. One nice thing to discover about Denmark is that wireless networks are rather the norm then the exception. Have been at work for two days now, we are in a large old building without any air conditioning, thus we constantly feel that we are in an African bundu somewhere despite the fact it is an European autumn outside.
One of the most amazing things about Copenhagen is the incredible amount of bike riders. There is no specific demographic, no target audince and no particular trend towards any bicycle. They are everywhere, outnumbering the cars in a 3:1 ratio. It is not uncommon to find a mom with a toddler in front and an older child in the back gaining speed on the blue lane reserved for bicycles. Small little carts attached to the bicycles for transporting groceries, children and pets are popular making a regular view. Of course it is rather understandable, as the tax on a car is 180%, so owning a car is a luxury. This of course, does wonders not only for the enviroment but for the traffic, the peak traffic laughable by South African standards. When our taxi driver apologetically mentioned that traffic is usually better as we hit a slow lane for about 100m, he could not quite understand our laughter. Working in Sandton, we consider it a good traffic day if it takes us 40 minutes to get to work. A 5 minute delay is nothing yet it visibly annoyed our driver, the Scandavian love of punctuality coming into play.
As for the people themselves - hard to say, our manager is a Swede and there are many overseas personnel working with us. However, having said this, many Danish men do respond to the general stereotype of good looking tall muscular blonde Vikings with ruddy cheeks and square jaws. What the movies don't tell you is that the dark haired lean, albeit square jawed scandinavs are just as hot and delicious as the blonde haired Viking movie extras. And in our very hot building there are enough of both types of hot men with rolled up sleeves to make
Melancthe swoon.
As for the women, if the whistles and the slack jaws that my male unattached colleagues have when we get to work in the morning and pass the female bikers, long legs bared and blonde hair shining in the morning light - I'd say the women are good looking too, although I'm hardly an excellent judge.
I'm off to finish watching "Gosford Park", the TV here often comes with subtitles allowing us to watch everything in English. So I had not been missing my "Las Vegas" episodes.
Any questions about life in Copenhagen? Feel free to ask, although the percentage of unattached cute men in the office will be difficult to procure:)
P.S. The Nordic keyboard is a bit of a mission to master, the extra letters confuse the fingers.
One of the most amazing things about Copenhagen is the incredible amount of bike riders. There is no specific demographic, no target audince and no particular trend towards any bicycle. They are everywhere, outnumbering the cars in a 3:1 ratio. It is not uncommon to find a mom with a toddler in front and an older child in the back gaining speed on the blue lane reserved for bicycles. Small little carts attached to the bicycles for transporting groceries, children and pets are popular making a regular view. Of course it is rather understandable, as the tax on a car is 180%, so owning a car is a luxury. This of course, does wonders not only for the enviroment but for the traffic, the peak traffic laughable by South African standards. When our taxi driver apologetically mentioned that traffic is usually better as we hit a slow lane for about 100m, he could not quite understand our laughter. Working in Sandton, we consider it a good traffic day if it takes us 40 minutes to get to work. A 5 minute delay is nothing yet it visibly annoyed our driver, the Scandavian love of punctuality coming into play.
As for the people themselves - hard to say, our manager is a Swede and there are many overseas personnel working with us. However, having said this, many Danish men do respond to the general stereotype of good looking tall muscular blonde Vikings with ruddy cheeks and square jaws. What the movies don't tell you is that the dark haired lean, albeit square jawed scandinavs are just as hot and delicious as the blonde haired Viking movie extras. And in our very hot building there are enough of both types of hot men with rolled up sleeves to make
Melancthe swoon.
As for the women, if the whistles and the slack jaws that my male unattached colleagues have when we get to work in the morning and pass the female bikers, long legs bared and blonde hair shining in the morning light - I'd say the women are good looking too, although I'm hardly an excellent judge.
I'm off to finish watching "Gosford Park", the TV here often comes with subtitles allowing us to watch everything in English. So I had not been missing my "Las Vegas" episodes.
Any questions about life in Copenhagen? Feel free to ask, although the percentage of unattached cute men in the office will be difficult to procure:)
P.S. The Nordic keyboard is a bit of a mission to master, the extra letters confuse the fingers.