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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Thursday, 16 August 2001

My Dutch hostess Ingrid van Vliet had to go to her work at ten o’clock this morning. We had breakfast at 9.15, after I had a good shower.

Ingrid helped me out with a piece of carton so I could make a sign with today’s destination: Aalborg.

She also helped me with leaving the city as she paid the 13 Danish Kronen for a bus, which would take me to the nearest exit of Århus.

Around 9.45 we said goodbye at the bus stop and I thanked Ingrid for the Århus experience in once day.

The bus took me to the bus stop of the Århus’ division of Danish Radio, outside of the city and near the road leading to the motorway. I had no reason to visit that building at that moment, but I did visit the building on the other side of the road.

There was the Danish School for Journalism and the only one in Denmark. And as a (former) journalism student from The Netherlands, I had to enter this faculty to get a peak on how it would be to study journalism here.

The school was looked like a big upper ground bunker in my eyes. Inside I saw the so familiar information boards where a lot of students sell their books or search for accommodation.

Probably the school hasn’t really started yet, because I only saw small groups of students in the cantina and most classrooms where empty. It wasn’t a really big building. All the facilities (a big library, the administration, cantina) where on one side of the building. On the other side where different lanes of hallways with the separate classrooms. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any television or radio studio, because I wondered how that would be here.

After the stroll through the building it occurred to me that I was in the middle of nowhere, on a big industry estate. I had to walk a few miles to the main road where I sat down at a bus stop cabin.

The sun was melting me and sweat was running down my back. Today’s news had reported that yesterday was the warmest day in Denmark for this day… Fortunately I had a waterbottle with me and Ingrid also provided me some bread for a lunchpackage.

I called up my hostess in Aalborg, who at that moment was still two islands away in Copenhagen. We met each other at this party where the Dutch Mischa and her flatmate Lisa took me to in Copenhagen last Friday. There were all people who work at Quizpeople, next to their fun website also a big entertainment place in Copenhagen. Lisbet Skytte was invited by a friend of hers at this party and just like her I did not know anybody there, but we had a fun time!

She told me that she would go home on Thursday and that if I would come over she would bake Dutch pan cakes for me! And that was a great reason to keep contact and get to Aalborg today.

I took the sign out of my back and started hitchhiking. Probably I wasn’t really standing at a good spot, because it took me over one hour to get a ride.

This guy took me a few miles up the road, where there was a carpool place and where the motorway to Aalborg began.

Here it was suddenly easy to get a hitch. A young Chinese couple took me along. I couldn’t figure out what they were doing in Denmark as their English wasn’t that good. I tried to ask in English if it was possible if they could turn the heating down in their car, but the girl and the guy just kept on smiling and had no idea what I was talking about.

Then the lady said “Moment, I will make cool,” and she turned the cool fan on. Than she turned back to me and asked “I no understand you? Want out?” I shook my head and said everything is alright and she kept smiling. “Ok.”

With the radio on a higher volume I slept against my backpack for an hour until we arrived in Aalborg where The Smileys dropped me off at the train station on the John F. Kennedy Plads.

I looked at the city map to see where my next hostess, Lisbet Skytte lives and find out it was on the street just in front of me. I was happy, no big walk with the backpack for me now!

As Lisbet was on her way to Aalborg herself, I had to wait on her until she arrived at 6.40 pm. That was no problem for me at all. I left my luggage at the front door of her apartment in the small complex as her neighbour let me in the main entrance.

With the camera around my shoulder I decided to explore Aalborg until she would arrive. I walked down the boulevard through the nice historic centre and ended up at the harbour, where I enjoyed the sun for a while and then headed back into the centre again. For some reason there was a band performing live music on a little square, surrounded by terraces of pubs and open barbeques. I sat down on one of the benches and listen to the English coversongs the band was playing, entertaining a lot of elderly people. For me it was a nice thing to kill the time.

Around 5 o’clock I ended back at the train station again, as suddenly gathered dark clouds created thunder lightening and a lot of rain. So much for the hot summer sun. I scrolled trough the little store at the station, reading some newspapers and magazine and ended up in the waiting room.

I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up at 6.30 and my legs where both sleeping. Getting up on my feet again, I was on time to see the 6.40 train arrive and see Lisbet coming out of it.

We got to the apartment, where I sat down on the couch with a big sigh. She just had travelled over 5 hours by train, so she was also a bit tired.

She decided to skip the pan cakes for tomorrow night and I was happy about that. Why should I only stay one day if she came all the way from Copenhagen to Aalborg just to give me a roof for a day?

Lisbet is only one exam away from graduating as an art teacher, but when she had a conflict with her teacher and moved from the west part of Denmark to Aalborg, it was difficult to find a school which would let her finish her study.

She has been living in Aalborg for half a year now, but she doesn’t like it here. “Nothing interesting happens here, I have much more of an interesting life when I am in Copenhagen,” she said. So that’s why she spent the last three weeks with friends in Copenhagen, and to find herself a job to gain some finances. Her new dream is to attend the Police Academy in Copenhagen and become a police officer.

After a cool drink we headed up to the supermarket to buy the groceries for tonight quick dinner, hamburgers with onions, baked potatoes and a delicious hot sauce.

After dinner we ended up on the couch, watching the “[url=]The Late Show with David Letterman[/url]” on to the good-old “Taxi” on television.

Someway I find David Letterman less funny as he was before, that’s why it is also a pity that Denmark doesn’t show Jay Leno’s Tonight Show on regular TV.

And somewhere after Taxi (great to see Danny DeVito act in his early days!) Lisbet went to bed and I fell asleep on the couch.

As she currently has no internet connection, I had to write my reports later and publish it in the local Aalborg Internet café tomorrow. Fine with me, I think I just need that extra relaxing day.

Good night Aalborg!

Ramon.


Today on the website of Radio Bremen, Germany:
"Reiselustiger Niederländer hofft auf gastfreundliche Onliner" (Travel loving Dutch guy hopes for guestfriendly onliners)


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