Copenhagen - Ice Rinks and Danish Elephants
On my first visit to Denmark, I fell in love with the country
and the city of Copenhagen. Contrary to my guidebook, you could
see elephants and experience ice hockey in the dead of summer.
The Hanson Brothers
Upon arriving in Copenhagen, I was burned out from backpacking
and looking forward to a good nap. I was traveling with three
other Americans and we became distressed as each subsequent
hostel told us all beds were sold. After asking around [okay, we
were in a bar], we were given a lift by a local to a "hotel"
guaranteed to have space.
I could only sigh as we pulled up to the ice rink for the local
professional team. Since we were "high and dry", we entered and
booked our beds. Left face off dot. Yes, our beds were arranged
around the left face off dot. To make a little extra money
during the summer, the rink melted the ice and set up beds
everywhere. The scene can best be described as a giant
collection of cubicles in an office with beds instead of desks.
It was cheap, dry and had a communal feel since you could hear
everything. If you've seen the movie "Slap Shot", it was like
living with a few hundred Hanson Brothers.
Danish Elephants
Okay, there was one Danish elephant. Okay, it was made out of
wood. And poured beer. From its trunk. Ah, let me start at the
beginning.
Having been befriended by some local Danes, we were asked in
hushed tones if we would like to see real Danish elephants. Yes,
we'd be able to touch them. No, they weren't dangerous. We could
even ride them? Wow, this was going to be a great entry in my
Nomad travel journal.
We were picked up at the ice rink that evening and taken to the
center of town. We stopped in front of what looked like all the
world to be a small tavern. This is where they keep the
elephants? We walked into a small tavern with...a life-sized,
wood elephant.
As it turned out, the elephant was the world's biggest and best
beer dispensing unit. Put you glass under the trunk and pull
down on a tusk to dispense your beverage of choice. Each tusk
provided a different beer, but I investigated the mechanism far
to often that evening and don't recall the brands.
Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be an aspirin elephant
anywhere to be seen the next morning.
If you're going to be visiting Copenhagen and don't give a hoot
about privacy, the ice rink hotel can't be beat for price and a
communal spirit. Well, maybe by the Danish elephants, but don't
tell anyone I told you.