At the weekend my university friend came to visit in Copenhagen.
Along with a museum visit and a night out in the meatpacking district* we cycled out along the oceanfront in search of a petrol station.
This was not because we needed to fill up, but because the old Texaco station has become a bit of an architectural icon.
Designed in 1938 by Danish design legend Arne Jacobsen it still pumps fuel today. Arne made his fame making chairs, but also had a number of building commissions along the way.
This station (known as The Mushroom, see below) was meant to become the standard version for Texaco stations but it never happened, meaning this is the only one.
A sport we’d never seen
The petrol station was next to a part of the sea where lots of ocean-related sports clubs were based.
Despite the sun being out, it all looked rather cold, but there were nevertheless hundreds of kids/ parents out participating in all sorts of Baltic aquatic fun.
A new one for us was sea kayak polo.
We tried to figure out the rules watching the teams flurry up and down in spurts of activity.
It seemed to follow some conventions of hockey, but with a small, soft (and I imagine waterproof) ball being thrown between one team before one of them attempts to shoot at goal.
The game we saw went in ebbs and flows as one time would scurry up one end whilst the defense would assemble themselves ready to block a throw with their paddles.
After a lull, and passing the ball back and forth, someone would make an attempt at goal (a suspended net) and then the roles would reverse as the other team paddled up the other end.
Ice cream before home
The petrol station (or rather a private company at the back) now serve ice cream, and so we stopped off for one on our way back to the bike.
There were a few more (empty) beaches that we passed before turning back towards the city – cycle paths more or less all the way.
One of the books I’ve been reading about Denmark talks a lot about club/ association membership, and so I’ll see which ones I find myself signing up for in the coming weeks/ months.
Even if I don’t end up going for outdoor winter sports, this was an interesting look at a Danish Saturday afternoon.
* the meatpacking district is still active in, well, packing meat, but it has also become the scene for lots of trendy craft beer/ cocktail bars. We participated in the latter.
In other news…
I’m now officially a registered resident of Denmark which means (I hope!) then when Brexit comes around (for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume it will) I’ll be able to stay in Denmark.
The whole process was all rather underwhelming.
I booked an appointment with the immigration department, cycled over and waited for my time. After handing in my form and a bit of paperwork I was presented with an print out which apparently means I’m now officially in the system.
The whole thing took five minutes, and walking out with flimsy piece of A4 made me question if the whole thing was legit.
I’m pretty sure it is though. Now that I have an “alien ID number” the next step is to get a CPR card (basically Danish ID card) which unlocks the ability to do all kinds of fun things like buy SIM card and open a bank account.
The life admin revelry continues…
This post originally featured in the newsletter I write. If you’d like to sign up to receive it at the start of each month, you can do so below: