Mini-Adventure of Mishaps

What was supposed to be a quick run to the post office today quickly turned into a forty minute adventure. Such are the risks you run when you are completely directionally challenged like me. You know when you watch those cartoons/TV shows and the characters exclaim in dismay, "We've been walking in circles!!" Yeah...that's me, just driving the Struggle Bus down Struggle Lane.

At breakfast this morning, my friend Kristyn (who is also a DIS blogger, you can see her blog here) brought up going to a thrift store after class. One of my classes was cancelled, and having nothing better to do, I decided to tag along. Apparently, thrift shopping is becoming quite the trend in Denmark. But our definition of thrift shop -- awesome retro clothes at cheap prices -- differs a little bit from the Danish. The awesome clothes are still there....but the prices are still a bit in the ridiculous range. We ended up going around the corner from DIS (V-23) to Episode. It was two floors of glorious hipster sweaters, hats, scarves, suspenders, shoes, more hipster sweaters, you name it greatness.Unfortunately, at ~$40 for a sweater, I was resigned to just browsing. If you have the money to blow, definitely check this place out. They also have an online store!

Another friend and I left Kristyn at Episode (she was in HEAVEN) to run a few errands. We both needed to get a few beauty products so we headed to the nearest Matas.

Allow me to drop some wisdom on you right now. Bring all the beauty products you are going to need with you when you come. I'm talking shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, lotion, deodorant, hairspray, etc. because that shit is expensive here. I've been looking for some shaving cream and body lotion, and each are about 40 kr a pop. That is roughly $8 each...for a small bottle. Ain't nobody got time for that. And on the plus side, when you go back to the States, you can dispose of the bottles, leaving you extra room in your luggage for souvenirs and other purchases you made during your trip. Win!

After Matas, I decided to swing by the Post Office to deliver those postcards I've been meaning to send about a month ago. My friend instructed me to walk straight down the street until I was near the Studenterhuset. I ended up walking all the way down Strøget, i.e. the wrong street, and found myself somewhere near Nyhavn. People who know the Copenhagen area are probably wondering, "How the hell did you do that??" I DON'T KNOW. D: By the time I realized something was amiss, I had no idea where I was. I consulted a map, which would have been helpful...if I actually knew how to read maps. Parents, teach your children! It is an important life skill after all.

I walked in a complete circle for forty minutes, scanning the skyline for the Round Tower with little luck until suddenly I see a giant Post Office symbol in front of me. It was like stumbling into the Garden of Eden, complete with angel choruses of Hallelujah and a slow dramatic parting of the crowd in front as I walked up the steps.

After entering the post office, I had my second struggle moment of the day. I had no idea what to do. There was this huge machine in the front that people were lining up for where they could weigh their packages and pay, but the machines were all in Danish. I wanted to throw myself on the floor and cry, "For the love of God, I just want to send a few postcards!!" A nice postoffice worker lady must have saw the impending meltdown on my face and decided to help me out. Today I learned that if you're at a Danish post office and you can't read Danish, grab a number from the white box at the front and wait for your number to be called.

Things seemed to be looking up...until I was informed that postage for each card would be 14.5 kr. Mother of God, Denmark, WHY. So..yeah, $4 to buy and send each postcard...my friends and family better appreciate them. And by appreciate, I mean FRAME them.

After an hour or so of adventuring, I was ready to go home. I was playing Plants v. Zombies while waiting for the train when a familiar train pulls up. Being too far away from the screen to see if it was the right train, I asked the nice old lady standing next to me if the train was going to Helsingør.

Me: "I'm sorry, where is this train going?"
Old Lady: (blank stare points at train) "Train."
Me: "Yes." (points at train) "Helsingør?"
Old Lady: (nods) "Helsingør, yes, yes."

"Well, that was cute." I thought to myself as I hopped on the train...until an announcement came on later that told me I was on the WRONG TRAIN. Old Lady, how could you!!

I hopped off at Østerport and waited for the right train to arrive. When I boarded the train, guess who is sitting right across from me....DECEIVING OLD LADY. She held her newspaper up to her face. So bitter was I, that when she sneezed, I did not feel inclined to say "Bless you". No blessings for her. Grr.

Still, made it back to Helsingør eventually. Not a bad day to be caught outside though. It's starting to finally look like Spring here, with the sunshine melting away the last of the snow, hopefully for good. I still remember our first morning here, when we stepped outside at 8 AM...into the inky blackness. Daylight hours are getting longer, praise the Lord! Can't wait for the weather to start warming up!