Rock and Run

 

Picking up the fairy tale from yesterday Hans Christian Anderson as a point of correction had nothing to do with the size of grandmas teeth. But peas under mattresses, and ducklings turning into magnificent swans do resonate more. I can find a Swansea City connection wherever I roam!

Right back into the present, and more fairy tales written today by parkrunners who have many fictional goals that can be satisfied by a 5K run. I'm generally satisfied by a run of that distance, and to do one in a different country, and in a different environment is enough for me. Whether it is a parkrun or street run its a great way to see the world on 2 feet. But today the records rolled as people were able to to tick off running a parkrun on a Thursday amongst I'm sure many other arbitrary measurements and were able to share these achievements via spreadsheets or online message groups to the awe of fellow stattos.  Quite the middle class subculture.

It did mean an early start to the day with a lot of groggy faces in the hotel lobby before the walk to the nearby Amager Faelled Parkrun. The numbers were record breaking for a 2 loop jog around a bit of scrubland, but the vibes were positive, and the director a character so will take that away from the experience. Plus of course the bunch of good folk from home I was able to share the experience with before, during and after. Queuing up to take a photo with the welsh and danish flag to post on our Lliswerry club page back home a minor in the moment highlight.

Couldn't hang around though as Chrissi and I had breakfast (included) back in the hotel. Now, a tip for all you travellers who don't have a morbid distaste for British Airways. If you are going to book flights with them, do the hotel at the same time. You often get a knock down rate, don't have to pay all up front, and will often get breakfast thrown in for pretty much a decent rate.  We do this as a matter of course but hadn't realised others do things differently. It meant we had access to a huge selection of danish finest produce, whether that be bacon, pastries, or coffee. The smoothies were a particularly fruity highlight post run and we were able to take a few things out with us to consume later in the day.  What's not to like?

The icing on the cake during this time was some contact with daughter back home, revising in Uni, but securing me Metallica tickets and keeping us posted. Looking forward to sharing that experience with her next year, a little closer to home in Cardiff, but as the first band I ever saw live, it will be I'm sure a magical experience. 

So with a metal spring in my step I was even more ready to make the trip to Roskilde, the former capital of Denmark, but more importantly, home to one of the worlds largest music festivals. Yes, there is a viking ship and a cathedral but the Ragnarok Rock Museum was our rock n roll destination of choice foe the day.

Chrissi and I tracked back in to central Copenhagen and the train station, always up for a rail journey when abroad, and a station always a great throwback to historic structures. We bought tickets and then had about 4 minutes to find the track, Chrissi thought we were being filmed for Race across the world as she sprinted across the concourse. We got onto the train with seconds to spare. Disaster averted as there wasn't another one for at least 10 more minutes.  

Around 30 mins on the train and we rocked up at Roskilde train station. A fairly understated location and googlemaps pointed us towards Ragnarok. Oh how I love that name. Might have not made it there mind as a flying cyclist nearly took me out. Now, it would have been my fault, The cycle lanes our here are superb and of course you need to factor that in when crossing roads and paths. For a simpleton like me I have enough problems acclimatising to traffic going the other way without also factoring in the cyclists. But I will learn, quite rightly . They are brilliantly set up with the insfrastructure and storage.

Walked through the suburbs to the area of Musicon where a lightly industrial, domestic zone is the home of a massive gold building with a 'red carpet'' to the front door. The Ragnarok rock museum, home to counter culture and the history of youthful protest and rebellion in Denmark. Whether it be leather jackets, psychadelic furs or Beatlemania, something for everyone. Definitely a bit of insight into Danish music, but also the music industry more generally. Fabulous memorabilia, reminders of many of the bands that have played the Roskilde festival over the years, but most importantly a tribute to the power of rock to change minds, thoughts and politics. Yes, one can be quite idealistic and naive, but so much better than corrupt and corporate for this Generation Xer.

The area it was in was also surrounded by lots of shipping containers that were offices, sound studios and bars. All really cool, and took a moment to sample some local brewery, a mango based ale that almost felt healthy in the bank holiday sun. Yes, forgot to mention ,the reason they had a parkrun on a Thursday here is that it is Ascension Day, something religious that Scandinavians mark as an important festival to celebrate and shut the shops for .. on a Thursday!

Meant little was open in Roskilde, but we did take a look at the UNESCO heritage cathedral from the outside, the mausoleum the resting place for all previous Danish kings and queens. The current one is a bit of a dude I gather so reckon he'll be all over Roskilde. The architecture marked as very cutting edge for the 11th or 12th century, brickwork in particular to be commended I gather. Well, that's what I was musing over as we found a bar called Skank by the station and tried another local, fruity brew.

Chrissi and I then caught a slightly delayed train back into Copenhagen, and had to rush across town to meet our parkrun buddies who had stayed central to do some sightseeing. They clearly hadn't taken as many breaks as we had, as our lively start to the evening felt more like end of the day to them, as they had seen it all kid, they had seen it all ... we nourished ourselves on a buffet style dinner, then took a lovely stroll with a couple of the gang who still had a bit of energy to walk back to the hotel. Such a lovely city to walk around, never feels crowded, space to stop and scope, can heartily recommend. 

Chrissi and I had one last drink, a gassy Tuborg. To think I used to wax lyrical about that lager back at the tender age of 17 when I last visited Copenhagen, and was just discovering the joys of beer.  Brewing has certainly advanced a lot since then.