Danish Chronicles

Why I would like to be Scandinavian in my next life, or My Danish Chronicles.

I am in Denmark, for reasons that are not relevant to this blog. I am in a small city called Køge. I wish I could tell you that that letter there, that funny o is pronounced like the German ö mit Umlaut. I am afraid, instead, that that funny letter voids the poor G. Hence, for phonetic reasons I fail to grasp at present, people say Kooooooooohe when they pronounce the name of this charming city. Copenhagen lays as beautiful as a diamond some 35 kilometres away from here. Roskilde is a 30-minute-drive from Køge. As I am not writing an academic paper on Danish phonetics, I will not go into detail regarding the pronunciation of the two mentioned cities.
I will therefore proceed to explain why I would like to be Scandinavian in my next life.

I would like to be Scandinavia because on the roof of my apartment there is a huge and shining solar panel. I feel very avant-garde knowing that such a jewel of modern technology is looking after me from upstairs. If this world does not explode, we will need to thank the Scandics.

I would like to be Scandinavian in my next life because around the harbour there is a huge white tent from which some strangled music gets spread around. They call it “Conservatory for discarded pianos” – according to the two Swedish artists behind this art event, “pianos are unwanted in our time. They seem too big, too brown, too square for our white washed interiors. First they are being thrown out from the real estate agent’s advertisements. Then they get conditional stays in attics and basements. Soon no one would even like to pay the rent for temporary storing them. Any young girl or boy who starts to learn piano soon receives a modern electric piano for birthday. Pianos are garbage in our time. Maybe there will be other times! Until then, we would like to make you aware of their precarious situation, by making this conservatory for discarded pianos. Please honour them by playing a last tune”.  You can stop by and bang your fingers on their keys.  You can pretend to be Neuhaus for a minute or two. If this world does not stop to be a romantic place, we will need to thank the Scandics. For further information regarding this exhibition, check this link:
Conservatory for Discarded Pianos. Urban Play, Køge

I would like to be Scandinavian in my next life because the graveyard in Køge seemed to me like a garden. I entered it tonight, around 6pm, while shops were closing down and everyone was cycling home. I was alone but I was not scared. All the graves were small and squared and simple. On most of them there wasn’t even the name of who was sleeping there. It seemed sufficient to write mum or dad. The most reoccurring sentence on them was tak for alt, which means thanks for everything in Danish. Thanks for being with me, thanks for having spent your life at my side. If this world was governed by the Scandics, we would definitely waste less words and life would be a bit easier.

I would like to be Scandinavian in my next life for they have women priests, for I would be tall blonde and fit, for they have more opticians than beauticians, for bicycles rule the roads, for there is no dubbing on tv, for the old guy living across from me speaks Queen’s English, for tracksuits are used only to go to the gym, but above all it feels like all aspects of life, love, environment and time are cherished in a way that most European countries have forgotten.
For further information regarding Køge, check this link:
http://www.visitkoege.com/international/en-gb/menu/turist/koege.htm