Travel Virgins In Scandinavia

It Came Out of the Mist

It came out of the mist. A veil of rainclouds added to its mystery. It was strange and monstrous, but that was only because Copenhagen was a large city, and unfamiliar territory. The clouds prevented us from seeing what we were going into after the long overnight flight from Toronto. But what is travel if not an opportunity to jolt yourself away from comfort, security and the sameness of the challenges faced at home. The quality of adventure is strangeness. And strangeness begets stress, but at least it is new stress. Although you try to plan and prepare for what is to come, a trip is still a dive into unknown waters.
Am I bouncing around? Yup. If you get the impression of mixed feelings, you are with me. But I have paid the money, and I am going to enjoy this trip, dammit.
However, to get my money's worth, I need to not only survive the challenges I face. I need to glean what I can learn from those challenges. There is a heirarchy of learning, and at the top of the heirarchy are those golden nuggets of wisdom that let you understand what is happening and why.
On the flight over, the lady beside me thought I had taken her satchel from beneath the seat in front. It was my satchel, but it was identical to hers. I usually place some decorative tape or decal on my bags to make the bags easily identifiable. However, I hadn't put anything on my satchel. Nugget.
After customs and baggage claim, we walk out to the cold and wet of Copenhagen. There is supposed to be a free bus service to take us to the car rental. I see a bus stop, but there is no information on how to identify a free bus. (It turns out it is the yellow one). I have the phone number for the car rental, but I don't know how to dial a European phone number. (I should have found out how before). I go to a nearby hotel for assistance with the call, and then catch the correct bus.
The car rental was prepaid. However, because I am in Denmark, and want to drive over the Öresund bridge to Sweden, there is an additional charge. The annual pass is registered to the car license plate, and can be read automatically by equipment in certain designated lanes. It subsequently occurs to me that the bridge pass for my rental car has likely been paid long ago, and the fee I was charged is extra profit for the rental company.
I usually stay up until midnight at home. When we landed in Copenhagen it was 8 A.M. there, but it was middnight at home. That is why I could not sleep on the flight. By the time we get the rental car it is 1 p.m. in Copenhagen. We have been up 25 hours.
Eventually we find our way to the hostel we have booked. Some hotels will let you check in early if rooms are available, but not this hostel. We are directed to a nearby mall for our first meal in Europe, East Indian food! We then purchase European power adapters, since the "global" adapters don't work in this part of the globe.
Returning to the hostel, we are finally permitted to register at 3 p.m., one hour before the normal checkin time. Note: For future trips to Europe, ensure that the hotel will accept early arrival if needed. Also, flights leaving home at night are more likely to enable a person to sleep during the flight.