The next travel leg of the Northern Lightning tour takes me the rest of the way across the strait, over to the Scandinavian mainland. Along the way I cross two straits: first the Storebælt ("Great Belt") between Fyn and Sjælland ("Zealand"), and then the Øresund between Sjælland and Sweden.
Before I go, I finish the last quarter of the Kringel.
I also have to do some impromptu repairs on my fox pouch. And that's why I always bring needle and thread along.
Then I pack up and leave another empty room behind.
I leave the Airbnb at 9:00 and head for the station.It's still pretty cold, but warmer than the days before.
At the station, I get a ticket from the vending machines, and the process is pretty straightforward and simple. I guess that's a side effect of this small country having a railway network that is about the equivalent of the greater Munich region.
I also don't have to wait long for the train to arrive, which is a pleasant side effect of me playing today by ear and this being the main line where trains run frequently. Also note that they have modern check-in-check-out poles here in case you prefer using an app.
The train is pretty modern, and also pretty empty yet. It should get pretty full by the time we reach Copenhagen though. It also features magazines at the seats in a special table pocket. This train is one of the express trains, by the way.
And thus begins my journey across the fields of Fyn.
Before long, we reach the Storebæltsbroen ("Big Belt's Bridge"), which covers half the Storebælt until the island of Sprogø. From there, a tunnel covers the remaining half of the Storebælt until we reach Sjælland.
Crossing Sjælland is actually the longest part of this ride, as the island is roughly 100km across in that direction. It's landscape consists of fields and forests, and even a few hills. The town of Slagelse in particular has a very peculiar station, so I'm marking this down as a place to visit if the winds ever carry me to Denmark again.
And then, I arrive at Copenhagen, where I have a layover that is pretty much as long as I choose to make it.
My first stop is the luggage center, because I sure as Dragon don't want to run around Copenhagen in full gear. I quickly find it, and it's very modern: Just put your luggage in, close the door, pay by holding your card to the sensor, and out comes a receipt with a QR code that you can use to claim your luggage again later.
And then I'm off to explore the city for a bit! I don't want to stay for too long, but it's enough for a short lap through the inner city.
As I step out of the station, the first thing I notice is the mountain just across the road.
Don't worry! I'm still in Denmark! It just turns out that Copenhagen has an amusement park called Tivoli right there in the middle of the city.
Another nearby thing is the Tivoli Food Hall, where I immediately crash for some quick lunch. Today I'm going for something Indian.
And then, I'm off to explore Copenhagen for good. There are many interesting buildings around: Some old, some new.
Copenhagen also has artistic manhole covers.
Then, there's this beasts perched on a stone fence.
Plus a rainbow-colored 7-Eleven.
Also, Ducky Memories, which is about as spot-on a name as possible for this.
Furthermore, I pass the Museum of Illusions, the Drunken Flamingo, and the Greek Church.
And then, I pass through the Jorcks Passage.
Moving on towards the nearby channels, I find a statue of two naked men carrying a naked woman at the Gammel Strand ("Old Beach" ...probably).
My passage across the Højbro marks the northern turning point of my little exploration stray.
The way back isn't quite as interesting, and before long, I am back at the Tivoli park.
And then, I reach the station, where I am able to get my luggage out of the locker easy as that. I also get to explain another traveller how the system works, making my Flirial side happy.
I did also purchase my ticket for Malmö, and am now waiting at the station for the train to arrive. This time, it's a local, box-shaped train.
This one is pretty full right from the start.
The train soon enters a tunnel, but before that, I can still glimpse a very interesting building.
And then, I'm crossing the Øresund. Interestingly, this time around it's the exact opposite to before: First a tunnel ,and then a bridge. I guess they must not want any bridges connecting to Sjælland.
The bridge also marks my crossing over into Sweden. On the other side, in the town of Hyllie, the train takes us past what I'm gonna call the flying sauccer landing site.
And then, it's back into another tunnel all the way to Malmö Central station, where my first experience with Swedish infrastructure is a broken escalator that I have to walk up with all my heavy luggage.
As I cross my first street in Sweden, I almost get myself run over as I gawk at the double-bendy-buses they have here.
It is now 14:00, and time for a change of plans. Originally, I wanted to go to my Airbnb place and unload my luggage. However, my host wrote me that she had to take care of something, so instead I am now heading for the site of the NFC, which conveniently is not very far from the station. I haven't been there before, but something is telling me I'm on the right track.
So here we are, at the Clarion Hotel, which for the next few days will turn into the fuzziest and huggiest place in all of Europe
First off, I have to get to the check-in to pick up my con badge. And though they've got signs pointing the way, this task is made uncharacteristically hard for a furry convention, because there is no queue. I get there, and there's only, like, three people in front of me instead of the usual three hundred, so I can pickup my badge and be on my way quite quickly.
Afterwards, I find myself a bench to sit down on, and it is there that I have my encounter of the day: A nice furry from Hannover, who is looking for the luggage drop. Having some luggage to drop myself, I am quite happy to go find it with her, and after a short time, we find a place to drop our respective bags.
But it doesn't end there. She tells me that she booked a ticket for the furry cruise, but was late for the meetup. Now, I'm not a volunteer helper for this con (yet), but hearing that naturally sets my Flirial instincts on fire, and before I know it, I have asked Security and ConOps for help, gotten directions, and escorted her over to the port, where we arrive just in time. Also, I got free hugs in return. =^,^=
Having taken care of that, I take a somewhat scenic route back to the hotel. And by that I certainly do not mean "got lost and wandered into construction"!
Along my odyssey excursion, I take note of the Swedish "push to walk" boxes at pedestrians' crossings. Some of them even have proximity sensors.
I also cross over a rolling lift bridge, which can also be used as an emergency crushing device.
Eventually, I manage to make my way across a very recently finished road and bride, that is as of yet not found on most maps.
And then, I'm back at the NFC, with all its fuzzy goodiness.
I quickly report in my quest at the ConOps office, and then I'm free to explore the NFC for a bit.
Not for too long, though, since a message just came in from my host that she's back home now, and I can go and check in. So I pick up my luggage, say goodbye to the NFC for today and am on my way. But I'll be back tomorrow!
As I walk through the nearby streets, I notice that at least one food place in the area is riding on the event and hosting a furry week.
Now, the good news is that my Airbnb place is just two streets over and then down the road. The bad news is, it's a loooooooog road (roughly 1.5km, and I'm carrying my full luggage again).
Alooooong the way, I pass what might be a pet food store, a gym with neat Lego sculptures in the window, and this interesting building by a channel.
And then, I arrive at my Airbnb place. what are the odds that my room is on the top floor?
Surprise! My room
is on the top floor (well, the top liveable floor, because there's also an attic)! Fortunately, there's an elevator. A really, really old and small elevator. In fact, it's just about big enough for me o fit in in full gear.
Check in proceeds smoothly (this time, there is no queue
at all), and I finally get to unload my luggage for good in my spacious room.
It even has a little balcony, with a view of the big backyard.
Also, it has a nice laptop-friendly workspace, which I'm making good use of right now.
Once I finish getting settled in, I head out again to grab some dinner. On my way here I already marked down a place across the road by the name of Street Fam, which serves French Tacos. Fox is curious about those, so I order one, and when I get it, I have a revelation that hits me like a brick: Those are the same kind of "Taco" that I had already been surprised about in Paris (see Book V ~ Chapter 32 ~ Fun in France, just before The Urban Undertaking), hence the name. Befittingly, they are also called Taco Bricks. Very tasty, by the way, and the fries are some of the best I've ever had.
Afterwards, I walk all the way over to Värnhem.
There, I shop at the ICA supermarket, which apart from groceries and other necessities also serves witchcraft supplies.
I then take the scenic route back, which happens to take me through a little shopping-and-adventure center, with various stores, a large model train, laser tag, and the extreme zone.
After that, I head back to my Airbnb for good.
Oh yeah, and in case you're wondering, my overall route on this first day in Malmö went somewhat like this. That's about 7km altogether, the majority of which was with heavy luggage.
And that's it for today. Tomorrow, my adventures at the NFC start for good, and I am already looking forward to that. For today, though, my bed beckons.
So see you tomorrow, and until then, be of great cheer! =^,^=
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