Roskilde Festival

I will do my best to describe the Roskilde Festival accurately, but you may want to check out the official web page or another write-up.  The event is a non-profit with money going to the groups that volunteer (football clubs, private schools, political groups) and to charities chosen by the festival committee.

I knew the festival was rated as one of the largest in Europe and I had seen the numbers - 80,000 in attendance, another 20,000 people working and volunteering.  I didn't really understand it until Monday, when I had a doctor's appointment at 9:15. (They don't use a.m. and p.m. because they assume you know that I wouldn't have a doctor's appointment at night - if they think there will be confusion they will add something like 'in the evening' and all schedules, like trains, use the 24-hour clock.  But I digress.)  The office is on the main walking street and not too many people were around, although some vendors were setting up stands with hats, sunglasses, flip-flops, and flags.  When I returned later the same day the place was swarming even though the first concert was not for three days.

near the train station

Even though the first concert is always a Thursday evening, the campground opens (or vaeltning af hegnet, when the fences are knocked down) on Saturday evening.  This gives everyone many days to drink and unwind (to get it out of their systems?  to warm up?) before the main event.

a modest amount because they were shopping just for the day

Some people had dollies of beer and wine and the lines in the stores were enough make me shop elsewhere.

The library is a bit off the main drag, but they had signs up everywhere encouraging people to stop in, noting that they not only had toilets, they had toilet paper!

I had seen pictures of the tent cities and heard stories about the trash and more serious problems.  I had also heard about the recycling program and cultural events.  I thought I would take a peek and see for myself, but when I rode to the site I couldn't see a thing.  I am not sure if I was relieved or disappointed.

In previous years there had been big name groups like Beastie Boys, Bjork, and Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2007.  This year's headliners are Iron Maiden, Arctic Monkeys, and many bands I didn't know.

If you have read this far you might be interested in what really happens at the festival.  Or you might not really be interested in what happens when thousands and thousands of young people get together, in which case you should stop here.

If you are still reading you might be interested to know that the official site has a video all about urination.  Even more typically Danish was this article about sex at the festival (translated with help from Google Translate).  A video, including photographs, about this is also at the official site.

Family Planning Association at the festival took on two notable initiatives: Kussomaten and Pikkomaten
It will, in all its challenging simplicity, say that the festival guests at the Sex and Society stand may have photographed their genitalia. They can also participate in the so-called Sexgames and get advice on safe sex plus win a year's supply of condoms.  Sasja Kalledsøe Project Manager explains, "Being able to take a picture of his dick or pussy is to increase her body awareness, and too many new ways to express himself with his body on.  Many young people are unsure whether their pussy or cock looks common." According Sasja Kalledsøe believe that unique approach to ordinary people.  "In Family Planning, we experience an increased focus on these things.  This is achieved at how many young people asking if it is normal that their inner labia are longer than the outer, that one is longer than the other.  Or ask about how you can get plastic surgery."  Kussomaten and Pikkomaten is a unique opportunity to directly show how different everyday dicks and vaginas look. In 9 years the Family Planning Association has been part of the festival's entertainment program in the days leading up to the gates opening into the festival site, and this year is no exception. Around 18 volunteers from the organization in the coming days create a platform where sexuality and gender are the focus. Every day from kl. 10 to 16 trained advisors will be ready on the phone to answer questions from guests. Every day at kl. 13, three teams compete in disciplines like which is best condom, find the hole, and Condom Dance.  Festival Guests can also socialize with cut / paste, and create both dicks and cunts in papier-mâché. Every day at kl. 15.30 is an author and speaker Lars Ylander past and count erotic stories. STIs-monster released loose on the camping area, where it will rub one in every four guests, just as in the real world.  In total, the organization expects to distribute 15,000 free condoms in the days leading up to festvalpladsen opens on Thursday 30 June.

Not surprisingly, the event is not billed as family-friendly, even though children under ten are free and there is one area that is designated silent and clean.  The older people I know are either volunteering or going just for the day and not the camping.  Or maybe that is just what they tell me!

Viking Swim

Since I have been swimming only 1000-2000m a week (less than I used to swim in a day) I did not think I would attempt the Roskilde Viking Swim, which is 2500m (if you swim straight).  David encouraged me, thinking my training from previous years would be enough to carry me through.  His spark, the location, and the fact that the water in the fjord is almost irresistible to me led me to sign up.

The water temperature has been in the high teens (low- to mid-60s, F), which is lovely to play in, but seemed a little cool for what I thought would be at least a one-hour swim.  I rented a wetsuit, even though I had never swum in one.

I did not watch the weather report carefully since it makes no difference to me whether I swim in the sun or rain, but I was happy it was dry for everyone else.  As I got in the water I felt like only my feet were wet since the rest of my body was so cozy.  I might have grumbled about the price of the rental, but at that moment I thought it was worth every krone.

And we were off, headed toward the cathedral.  It was very different from the marathon without distance markers, without bands, and with the only sound being the water against my ears.  I looked at the jellyfish and thought mostly about my stroke and a bit about people.  At some point I realized I wasn't tired so I tried to pick up the pace, but a short time later I had swum off-course a bit (despite my prescription goggles) so I went back to my slow-but-steady-and-straighter pace.

The slow people started in the first heat with the fastest people starting eight heats and thirty-five minutes later, which made for a tight finish, but not as much of a problem as I had feared.  Each heat was given its own color so as I passed or was being passed I could see where that person started relative to me.

The pace picked up near the finish, which helped me have a little competitive adrenaline, leading to a finishing time of just over 54 minutes.  Unfortunately, I had predicted a time of well over one hour, so no one in the family was there at the finish.  David arrived just a bit later with the tandem to take me home.  He's the greatest!

Before heading home I changed out of my suit and since we were right by the museum and there was a crowd it seemed appropriate to use the tent provided.  No one was worried about privacy when the flap was lifted to allow people to enter and exit, but it wasn't until after I changed that I realized both the women's and men's tents had windows!  Very un-American.

Sankt Hans Aften

the schedule was posted my favorite swimming spot

Even though it is a secular celebration, the date of sankthans or Sankt Hans birthday is why the holiday is 24 June.  It is celebrated the evening before, just like Christmas is celebrated on Christmas eve.  Most celebrations include a bonfire, with (but usually without these days) a witch doll at the stake, a speech, and singing.  We had read about a gathering at the city park, but the fire was being lit at 10:30pm, when it would be dark.  We chose the gathering by the water because it would be beautiful and because the fire was being lit at 9pm.

lighting the torches

along the way

We were not planning to join the walk from the nursery school to the bonfire, but as we cycled pass A. saw a classmate so he and I hopped off the quad and went to investigate.  We felt lucky that they gave us torches (or fakler) to light and we joined the group on the 15-20 minute walk to the beach.  I didn't see anyone burn any clothing, hair, or anything inappropriate.

the cards to catch the wax also had instructions

Even though I had seen pictures of bonfires it was amazing to see it in person.  I was glad it had rained the night before and that there was a large body of water close by, but despite the fact that there wasn't really anybody obviously watching the fire or the kids, all was safe.

throwing the torch onto the fire

We left before the festivities ended, but we were there for the singing of Den danske sang er en ung blond pige (The Danish song is a young blond girl is the literal translation) and Midsommervisen.  

You can hear just a snippet in this video (a first for this blog and after watching it again I can see that maybe it might be the last!).

Some people arrived by boat, including this one that might be from the Viking Museum.

As we were leaving we noticed this backlit cloud, which looked like a Viking Ship to us.

More about high school graduation

the students getting on the truck with a sign about honking

Not only do the students go around wearing their hats, there is a tradition of getting a truck, bus, or carriage so they can drink and be driven around to each students' neighborhood and from party to party.  Everyone else honks and waves and remembers what it was like to be in that hat.

stopping so the driver can give a few instructions

Woodshop: The Horse - guest post

I have finally completed the wooden horse that I have been working on for weeks in my once-a-week-for-1.5-hours woodworking class. The problem that I had been facing was fixing the foot bottoms to get them properly level. Now, it is finally finished. The silhouette was cut using a coping saw. I did not level the feet, the teacher did that with a machine sander. I am very happy with the results. I dyed it with liquid watercolor paint to a mahogany-like shade of red. The horse is sturdy: it has no moving parts, glued or nailed down pieces, and is not hollow. It is also at a reasonable scale for shoving in a suitcase and taking to another continent. It is not a trojan horse: It was not built in Troy, it is not hollow, it does not contain something dangerous like an army or a computer virus. All of these features combine to produce an object that is good to own.

Modul 2

with Vibeke, our wonderful, patient teacher 

I am not sure what it really means for the future, but David and I passed our modul 2 test.  In all there were ten different sections of the exam testing our expressive and receptive language skills, both written and spoken.  The hardest for me was filling in the blank with all the little words (when, often, or).  The easiest was talking about one of the three books I had read.

It was definitely a challenge to study a new language, especially when I felt like it was not a necessity.  These days most people let me attempt to communicate in Danish and we switch when it goes from the general idea to the details.

Maybe I'll study Spanish now.

my certificate

my test results, page 1

my test results, page 2

Shorter days

from Weather Underground

The days are getting shorter, but I don't feel the sense of impending doom as winter approaches.  I feel hope that the day will arrive when the sun does not rise at 4:30 so I can sleep a little later.

If you are curious about why it says the sun does not rise, here is the definition the site provides for astronomical twilight.

The time period when the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon at either sunrise or sunset. The sun does not contribute to the illumination of the sky before this time in the morning, or after this time in the evening. In the beginning of morning astronomical twilight and at the end of astronomical twilight in the evening, sky illumination is very faint, and might be undetectable.

Student Hats

When I saw a person with a cap in the grocery store I wondered about it, but then I saw an article* in the paper about more young people earning the hat.  It seems that it is a bit like wearing a mortar board and there are smiling people all over town wearing them.  Some people were just out running errands, but in the evening I saw some people in hats dressed up and at a club.

different colors can be for different types of exams (I think)

 According to Wikipedia there are many traditions about the caps.

TraditionsThere is a long list of traditions with the Danish student cap. They have, of course, been changed and will vary from place to place. Here are a few:

• It is bad luck to try on a student's cap before completion of the last exam.

• It’s tradition to write the grade given in the last exam in the middle of lining of the student's cap.

• Classmates and friends write in the lining.

• The student with the biggest and/or the smallest head has to give beer to the whole class.

• The student cap can be marked with notches, cuts and so on, in connection with the "rules" of the student cap.

We saw this sign in Copenhagen, advertising student prices, but only if you have your hat on.

* If you paste the website address into Google Translate or use Google Chrome, it will translate it for you.  If you do translate the article above, you can decide if you also want to read the article mentioned at the top of the page about masturbation not making you blind and being perfectly healthy.

Freebies

Sometimes when I come out of the grocery store in the US I find a coupon for pizza or a smoothie on my windshield.  Today when I came out of the grocery store I found a seat cover on my bicycle.

Bonnie Bornholm, the final stretch

In general, most of the locals we met were fairly reserved as most Danes are, while many of the people who approached us to ask about our long bike were from Germany or Poland.

a beautiful rest stop after not going to Rispebjerg

The campground office/store opened at 08:00 to a long line of people waiting to buy fresh bread for the day.  We enjoyed our breakfast of warm bread, pålægschokolade, and fruit in the hostel before heading out to find Rispebjerg, an ancient astronomical site similar in concept to Stonehenge, but made from wood and mounds of earth.  Unfortunately, the route we plotted did not really exist and given the consequences of missing our ferry, we decide to move on.

For lunch we went into Arnager and stopped at the smoke house in town.  It was 2. pinsedag, the Danish Whit Monday holiday, and the restaurant had a wait, maybe because it was the only one around for quite a stretch.  

The over-the-counter sales had no line so we bought some smoked fish and went down to the beach to have our picnic, enjoying both the views and the chance to go in the water.

We rolled out again and rode to Rønne, in some cases on the cycle path parallel to the road, and in other places back into the trees away from the roads.  We passed a mother riding with two small boys and appreciated how it was for them not to worry about riding near cars.

After finding only closed stores we found one market that was open and were able to buy dinner before checking in at the ferry at 16:30.  We had no trouble getting nice seats for the ride to Køge and enjoyed our dinner and time to read on the five hour ferry ride.

With help from the ferry administrator and some well-placed signs we found our hostel in Køge, which had a large covered cycle parking area.  That was great, as it actually rained in Køge that night, but not until the bike was under cover and were in our room.

The Køge hostel was great and included a playground (soccer ball supplied), games, puzzles, and a buffet breakfast the kids were disappointed to skip.  We made our own breakfast in the kitchen before packing for the ride home to Roskilde.  We took a completely different route out of Køge riding on smaller roads without a cycle path, but through several small towns.  We pulled into our own driveway about 11:30, in time for Judy to ride another three miles to catch the end of Danish class, which was important since we have our module 2 test this week.

Overall, we had a fantastic trip covering about 115 miles (185 km) with no significant rain, no mechanical issues, and wonderful views, great experiences, and delicious foods.

(Ed. note - time to start planning the next trip!)

Bonnie Bonholm, part IV

We intended an earlier start on Sunday, but while we were eating breakfast at a bakery along the edge of the harbor we saw carloads of people in period costumes unloading right in front of us. It turns out they were Swedish dancers who were there for a public performance, so we stayed and enjoyed the pinsedag (Whit Sunday) celebration.

At the same time, behind the Swedes, there was a huge barge with two giant backhoes doing their own dance dropping piles of rock into the water outside the harbor.

on the way to the rocking stone

resting after trying to rock the stone

We cycled southward toward the Paradise Hill (paradisbakken) forest to find rokkestenen, the rocking stone.  After failing to budge the several tonne stone a Danish couple joined us.  We stepped out of their way and the husband came right up and rocked the stone!  He even allowed David to help him rock it a second time.

From there we cycled to Nexø for lunch and rode south through the small towns of Balka and Snogebæk.  We stopped to enjoy a beautiful white sand beach on our way to the hostel and campground in Dueodde.

We went to the extremely wide beach with shallow water and miles of extremely fine white sand.  Judy and A. swam in the pool afterward while R. and David cooked dinner in the well-equipped kitchen.  Our cabin had two bunk beds, a private bath, and dutch door.

Bonnie Bornholm, III

Despite the seagulls the kids slept in on Saturday. Three of us went down to the Baltic Sea for a morning swim where Judy managed to jump in off the high dive (see yesterday's photo). After a picnic breakfast we rode north towards the town of Gudhjem. We stopped near Bølshavn, a few kilometers outside of town, to explore the rocky coastline and rampart area on foot. Both kids enjoyed climbing around the rocks by the water, but both stayed dry.

The terrain was hillier as we moved north on the island. We stopped at Baltic Sea Glass  to see a wonderful demonstration of glass blowing.

Pete, the co-owner came over to talk with us, and immediately broke into perfect English even though he has moved from Kansas 34 years ago. We all enjoyed his company and the studio has a back door that goes down right to the water and rocks on the coast.

picnic with beautiful view of the coast

We left and went up to Gudhjem where we stopped for another picnic lunch with fresh fruit, bread, Nutella, cheese, jam, tomatoes, etc. We explored the harbor and all seaside shops, including a stop for local ice cream. 

Østerlars church

We made our ride a loop by going inland to Østerlars to see the largest of the thousand-year-old round churches for which the island is famous. We were pulling in around 5pm to the church, and were prepared for it to be closed. Fortunately for us there had been a wedding there, and the bride and groom were just leaving as we walked up.

view from the church

After the bridal party left, we had a great chance to go inside, and see the clearly dual purpose fortress/church in its entirety, with 3 levels, frescoes, all beautifully restored.

Svaneke water tower

We rode back to past the water tower again and into Svaneke and headed to the smoke house/restaurant, right on the harbor, trying several different types of fish meals.

dinner at the harbor

smoked herring

 After exploring some local galleries and shops we headed back to the hostel.

wire art