The taxi service in London sucks.
I ordered a taxi from the biggest company I could find in the Yellow Pages the previous night, to be picked up at 4:30am. This was plenty of time, I thought, to get to Liverpool St Station to catch either the 5:00am or 5:30am express to Stanstead; the 45 minutes that the train takes should get me to my 6:15am check-in time, and that should give me plenty of time to get to my plane. No problem; I won't get much sleep tonight, but I'll be on time.
So - I'm all packed and ready to go, and then I get a call from the taxi company, who are very sorry, but there are no taxi's available, and they can't say when one will be free, they'll ring me with an update in ten minutes. Twelve minutes later, and I'm trying to ring other cab companies - none of whom seem to be answering their phones at quarter to five in the morning. So eventually I decide that I've got to go down to the street, and start walking towards the train station. But - as luck would have it, a taxi comes past, I'm able to flag it down, and it gets me to the station just in time to buy a return ticket and run to the bus, which gets me to the check-in line just in time to get my ticket, which gets me into the x-ray and metal-detector line just in time to catch the train to my gate, and as the train arrives I see on the boards that my plane is boarding.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the cab company I booked with called me five minutes into my cab ride, to say they still hadn't found a cab for me. I cancelled the booking.
***
Very nice first day in Copenhagen, though I was a bit tired. Helen met me at the airport, guided me through the complexities of the Danish rail system, and we had brunch at her place. Then back into the city for a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Tivoli gardens - one of her friends was in the choir. Then, we met up with another friend, and strolled around Tivoli for a while. All in all, a very pleasant evening.
The next day, we went into town, and Helen pointed out many of the sights - mostly from the outside, since the majority of things are closed on a Sunday. We then went to an (English) service with Helen's church group, which is Lutheran but fairly ecumenical. I met a number of Helen's friends there, including an American couple - Helen knew the wife, and the husband told me about a script that he's pitching to various people, including Peter Jackson. Small world. :)
***
We had agreed that a roast might be a good idea, and Helen invited the new pastor-in-training, Gretchen, to dinner and a game of Settlers. So while Helen limed the ceiling and tidied the main room, I cooked. We had an Icelandic lamb roast, which I just rubbed with rosemary, garlic, salt and oil; I used the same pan to do jacket roast potatoes, and added a little paprika to them. I also fried some mushrooms and corgettes with a bit of garlic and soy, cooked a bit of corn, and made a light salad. Oh, and gravy - the juice from the roast, a bit of "brun sauce" powder, and little bit of flour when I realised I'd been way to generous with the water. I was a bit nervous about cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen where I couldn't read any packets or labels, but the results were pretty yum.
I should point out that I introduced my brother and his wife to Settlers, and they introduced Helen. (Helen, for those that don't know, is a half-cousin to my brother's wife, and we met when we were both in their bridal party.) So the fact that she and Gretchen conspired in front of me in Danish was a bit unfair, I thought. :) I was one point away from victory, but Gretchen managed to snatch it away from me - which is, I suppose, all to the good, since it should hook her all the deeper. ;)
***
I've written this entry once already, and then the browser crashed, so I feel I've spent quite enough time on the internet. I have a Copenhagen card, which gets me free or cheaper entry to a bunch of things, so I'm going to go use that. It's weird to think that I'll be back in my own bed in the weekend - good in some ways, bad in others. There are plenty of places and things I'll miss, though crazy keyboard configurations is not one of them. ;)
Off to the city!
Posted by svend at August 30, 2004 9:47 PM