Stormy North Sea Sky
June 11, 2010 by Bird
Filed under Blog, On My Travels, Skywatch Friday, Summer
So where have I been this last fortnight? Away in Copenhagen visiting our friend Sonja at the Distortion Festival, and it’s taken me about the same amount of time to recover. R and I decided a while ago that if we were going to do any short haul European travel we wouldn’t fly. It’s not just for environmental reasons either – making the travel part of the fun is a huge reason too. Ferries and trains in Europe are a lovely way to travel. Hint: always carry a bit of root ginger, crystallised ginger, ginger ale or whatnot, as ginger calms travel sickness like nothing else can and makes a rough voyage as comfy as can be. Anyway, our love of slow travel is what enabled me to get this picture of a stormy evening sky over the North Sea. You can’t see it in the picture but there was quite a swell already; by nightfall it was raining and there were huge waves too.
The ferry was vast and incredibly comfortable, so much nicer than being cramped in an aeroplane. However the bar was terrifyingly expensive; we got some beer anyway and sat watching the “floorshow” – a hard bitten Glasgwegian wedding singer who plainly had cabin fever and couldn’t wait for his last show to end. His jokes probably hadn’t been funny when he began his tour and he wasn’t even pretending any more – at one point he walked off mid song and disappeared for about five minutes, presumably to take a big slug of Dutch Courage. Seriously, I could write a novel about this guy, but before I am tempted to do so I should describe the rest of the journey. The waves were pretty huge by the time we went back to our cabin, but thanks to my root ginger habit (see above) I was not feeling in the least seasick. However I was disconcerted when, once in bed, the ship was lurching and swaying so much that my head was hitting the headboard and I was sliding up and down the bed at irregular intervals. Luckily I was tired enough to sleep well once accustomed to the movement.
The train Journey across Denmark to Copenhagen was breathtaking – the countryside in gloriously sunny early summer (just a couple of weeks behind GB) was mesmerising and I longed to walk in the meadows and woods I saw speeding by. The huge bridge and tunnel that takes you across to the island of Zealand is an extra excitement. And the train its-self was comfortable, spacious, and fast. I love train travel – it accustoms you a little to the new place you are in. So much better than having to fly.
For more beautiful and fascinating images of the sky around the world, visit Skywatch Friday!
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Welcome back, Bird! And I’m so glad you had such a good time…sounds delightful! I’m afraid to fly…I know, I know…so your modes of transportation are right up my alley. Only once have I been on a ship and that was only 11 hours, from Portland, Maine, to Nova Scotia, but I loved it. So, might there be a few more pics on the way??? *fingers crossed*
By the way, beautiful sky! Have a great weekend!
Hi Holly, 11 hours on a ship is a decent amount of time, the trip from UK to Denmark is about the same, just the right amount of time to feel like a little adventure without it eating too much into the time you spend on dry land. I’m pretty scared of flying too – I mean not so bad that I can’t be marched onto a plane but it’s a wee bit too overexciting for me. I prefer a window seat as I can then fantasise that I am flying the plane – if I can feel the movement of the plane but not see what is happening, that’s what I hate more than anything, control issues I guess
Perhaps I better change the subject…
There will be more photos, here and elsewhere, I will keep you posted
Sounds like it was a wonderful trip. I also sometimes enjoy train travel. I saw the “ruins” of a castle in New York once that way (after having been raised there & never even knowing about them!)
Hi Lana – a ruined castle? How fascinating! Did you find out anything more about it or is it still a mystery to this day? I LOVE the thought of it! It’s a great strength of train travel, you often get to see views that can’t be accessed any other way. When I lived in my small Lancastrian hometown I loved the approach to Manchester, I’d be riding the train at dusk to meet my friends and go clubbing, and the elevated track went through all the old industrial quarter of the town, the warehouses, factories and museums, and the bright lights of the city ahead. All these years later I remember how exciting that was and how much I loved it.
Hi Bird (I’ll call you Pat when I email you
I’ve been on that (well one like it) ferry when I used to work in Denmark and Norway.
I’ve always preferred ferries and trains. Air travel is cramped and stressful and I don’t much enjoy being projected at high speed, in a metal tube.
The sky-shot is very atmospheric.
xh
ps: I’ve never been tempted to work on ships – I was asked a couple of times, but I don’t like the thought of being trapped with my audience for days
Hi Henry – what did you think of Denmark? I absolutely loved it, the people are very warm and friendly and everything seems so well thought out and straightforward there. I’m told the Danish are all about Citizenship, and to me that really shone out. Of course I wasn’t there long… but I already want to go back!
That poor singer was an object lesson in why not to work on ships. He’d done a three month stint and we saw his last gig, which for him was obviously a tiny private hell. He was like a character in a Mike Leigh film.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Sounds like a great trip. We’ve heard so many great things about Denmark from Family and Friends and never been. Your blog re-confirms that we really must make a trip across there (with our bicycles).
Hi flightless travel, Denmark is a lovely place and in Copenhagen it seems like the best way to get around is by bike – it’s a bit like Amsterdam for the cycling culture. You should do it! (that’s a great idea for a website, by the way – good luck!)