D P DUB

I have returned now, late in the night, from what could very well be one of my last meetings with my Danish teammates that I've come to know in my time here. We went to Mackie's, the American-themed restaurant and bar, run by some British guy. For those of you out there who have been with me since the beginning, this was the first restaurant I ate at in town. The place didn't change a bit; the pizzas were still comically-overloaded with toppings and the walls laden crazy crap. I enjoyed a 'Highlander' personal pie, which featured a generous helping of ground beef on top. It was tasty, but it still seemed a bit busy for someone who grew up with quality-over-quantity, at least when it comes to 'za. Don't get me wrong, most pizza joints here do feature one or two signature pies that are as tasty as they are innovative, but at times too much is too much. It will be nice to return very soon to more traditional pizza stylings, including a new place my folks sampled last week. They were 'kind' enough to share every last finger-licking detail about this particular establishment; I started gnawing on my mattress in anticipation.

Enough about food for now, but tonight's event really kind of brought things full-circle for my Danish experience. Looking at all the things that I've done in between my two trips to Mackie's, I must say that the list is rather long. The goings-on that have been featured in this blog really only scratch the service of my activity in this country (due in part to my laziness and not posting more frequently since the summer). Thus, I delivered my proclamation last week that I would dig deep and set a realistic goal of three Danish events to share with you all, before my time here has expired. Right now, I offer you the first of these:

Back in late August, I took in a very special event with Thomas Bager ('Steve the Pirate' stunt double, to those who might not remember). This particular gig was held at a middle school in his hometown of Randers (Rannuhs), about forty minutes north of Aarhus. This was fitting, considering most of those in attendance probably attended the very same school. Despite being some of the oldest in the building (save for those kids' parents), we entered, undaunted with grins on our faces. We were about to step back in time to witness a variation on something which used to mean so much to both of us. I am speaking, of course, about professional wrestling, though be advised that the term 'professional' is used here in the loosest of senses.

Quick history about Dansk Pro Wrestling: A few years back there was a fellow, whom many knew inernationally as the ''Danish Hulk Hogan" named Asbjørn Riis. Aside from hosting his own weekly, Danish-overdubbed WWF and WCW programs and making ocassional appearances where the Hulkster could not (or more likely, would not) go, Riis ran a wrestling school and trained aspiring Danes on the finer points of the squared-circle. Many moons ago, Bager actually attended said school and for a brief period, enjoyed seemingly no fame and fortune as a wrassler (I have promised to keep his alterego a secret, to avoid fan mail and such).

He assured me that these guys are not paid and that they just do it because they love it. He also told me he expected to see some of the same people hanging around, whom used to train with and have matches against so many years ago. He told me that he hoped I wasn't expecting too much out of what we were about to see and I responded by saying I was excited just to go.



When we got there, in addition to about eighty kids with a few parents mixed in, we sure enough encountered some of his former rivals, including a guy who ''lives on the rock'' as Bager described. He used this expression to mean that this fellow doesn't have a job and lives off only the bare essentials. In turn, he saves what little money he has for about two years so that he can go to Wrestlemania every third year. Must be a hard life; I could tell he was doing his best to unwind that day in his Crocs and homemade t-shirt.

There were five matches on the day, complete with entrances and theme music, promos (in Danish), terrible costumes and more. Only about two or three of those guys could actually sustain a decent match for more than a few minutes and overall, I would rate the wrestling ability on the day as 'sub-par.' Showmanship for most wasn't much better but, dammit, they tried and we sure got a good laugh out of it. We each wished that the place was both bigger and more crowded so that our outbursts wouldn't be heard by, well, all in attendance. I give credit to those guys; they really looked to be having a good time. They were trying their best to have the event resemble something close to what it was supposed to look like and most importantly, they sold it well for the kids. The kids were actually not that bad of an audience; chanting, counting, jeering and cheering when appropriate for of most of the afternoon.


When the dust settled and the plastic (that's right, plastic) chairs had been knocked aside or folded up and smashed harmlessly across another's back, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Although Bager described what we saw as the worst he'd witnessed in his days, I don't think it mattered much. We came to be entertained and I believe that we were. Highs and lows on the afternoon are as follows:

BEST IN-RING PERSONA: Erik Isaksen (obvious heel, did promo in Norwegian)

BEST THEME MUSIC: Kool Krede (his own rap cut, ripped-off version of John Cena's)

BEST MOVE: Top-rope Moonsault by Chaos (actually pretty impressive)

EFFORT AWARD: Tank (average wrestler, kids loved him - saw him at the gym once)

WORST CHARACTER: Sonne (the mark of a good heel)

BUFFET CHAMPION: Kimball (first one out, couldn't stop laughing when I saw him)

BEST/WORST STABLE: Offline (suggested changing name to 'Offline & Out of Shape')



One down, two and change to go. Stick around for more fun, brother.

Travelogue - The Final Chapter

Yikes, never thought this day would come. Here's the last installment, as promised:

BERLIN: July 20 - 23

We arrived in Germany and immediately were overtaken by its efficiency. I know that sounds cliche, but seriously mean it. The place just had a feeling like everything worked really well; even the air felt easier to breathe. We took a train from the airport to our hostel, which was located on a street called Görlitzer Bahnhof (we soon began referring to it quite frequently as 'Gorilla Street'). Although there were no great apes present, much to our dismay, the train stop was located about twenty feet from the front door of our accommodation. This allowed us to take considerable advantage of the aforementioned 'German Efficiency,' in the form of a top-notch public transit system. For all it has to offer, our time in Berlin was rather short. However, we were able to see just about all the most-desired tourist attractions thanks to yet another free city tour. We also managed to hit a few great museums and other attractions, which I will detail in the photos below:

Like we had a choice?

Walking through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe designed by famed American architect, Peter Eisenman. Inaugurated in 2005, sixty years following the end of WWII, the Memorial is completely ambiguous and does not make a mention of the Holocaust anywhere; it is up to the individual to interpret it as he or she sees fit. Look it up for yourselves - definitely one of the coolest and most thought-provoking things I've ever come across.

In front of one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. This was actually part of the westernmost or 'first' portion of the Wall (the second Wall was located in East Berlin). Behind the Wall now stands the Topography of Terror, a museum which chronicles the rise of the Third Reich. It is actually built atop the former sites of the administrative buildings of the Gestapo and the SS. It contained a fascinating collection of photographs and documents from both members of the Nazi Regime and those whom it persecuted - some really powerful stuff in there.

A great deal of the old city was destroyed during the Second World War. This building shows some of the only remaining examples of this type of devastating combat.

If you look closely behind the glass, you'll see a room filled with empty bookshelves. This is the memorial to repression and censorship, culminating with Nazi book burnings during the height of the Regime's power. After seeing this, I couldn't stop imitating Sean Connery (complete with Scottish accent) as Henry Jones, Sr. from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, "It tells me that goosestepping morons like yourselves should try reading books instead of burning them!" Dave tired of that about as quickly as I started doing it.

Brandenburg Gate at dusk. Former city gate and symbol of peace, it was built in the late 18th Century. It was fully restored about ten years ago, as it suffered serious damage during WWII.

View from inside the dome of the Reichstag, the German Parliament. We were the last two allowed in that night (our last in the city), after braving a queue that looked extremely grim. I likened this amazing structure to a 'big glass shawarma.' Although it probably wouldn't taste very good in a pita, it did offer some stunning reflections as it sits literally atop the seat of Germany's government. Those who come to view each day are positioned above the officials below, symbolic to the fact this was not the case for so many years beforehand.

BRUSSELS: July 23 - 25

This was the wild card on our trip. We originally thought of hitting Amsterdam following Germany, but Dave suggested a stop over in Belgium and since neither of us knew much about the place, we thought it might be a fun little detour. How wrong we were. If our time in Berlin was too short, than our stay in the Capitol of the European Union basically never took place. We both could not get enough of the city's quirkiness and its ever-apparent juxtaposition between old and new. That and the waffles. I kid you not, they are EVERYTHING they are cracked up to be. We saw some cool sights, visited a brewery, ate some great food and visited a bar with over 2,000 beers in its inventory, including one that was recently voted the ''Best in the World." We had a hard time disagreeing with this distinction. If you ever find yourself traveling the Old Country, please do yourself a favor and visit Brussels.








PARIS: July 25 - 28

I couldn't believe the rudeness we experienced at the hands of all the Parisians we encountered in the City of Light. It was like they could smell that we were two boorish Americans and they went out of their way to beat us with freshly baked baguettes. Okay, so that never happened. And the people there weren't rude at all. They were actually pretty friendly. When we took a tour of the city, our guide basically likened the French perspective on foreigners to the old adage about animals being more afraid of you than you are of them. Okay, so that never happened, either, but she just said be nice to them and they'll treat you the same way. That did happen on several ocassions and really made for a nice conclusion to our travels. I'd go into more detail, but the pictures below should do all of the talking. Most of you should recognize each of the landmarks below, except for 'Crocojazz,' which Dave and I really hoped was a group of crocodile-musicians, though we were not fortunate enough to find out if this was the case. After our time here (which included meeting up with an old friend we knew as an exchange student from high school), Dave flew back to the US and me to back to Denmark.







This one took forever, hope you enjoy it. Be back soon with more adventures.

A Declaration

Alright, so here's the scoop: I sat down on Sunday, September 26th to post what was to be the final installment of the travelogue, as I said I would in my post two days before that. It was a rather eerie afternoon; pretty cold and extremely windy, even by Danish standards. As I attempted to log into my account, the browser didn't seem to cooperate and I was unsuccessful the first time. And the second time. And the third... Finally, by the fifth or sixth attempt, I managed to get in but figured something was awry. Nevertheless, I was determined to stay true to my word and do some bloggin'. As I wrote, the auto-save feature was completely out-of-commission and I knew that my work stood a good chance of being lost in the series of tubes that Alaska Senator Ted Stevens warned us about several years back. Before I invested too much time and energy into what seemed to be a aimless project, I tried to publish what I had and low-and-behold, it didn't work. Same story for the next few hours then and after long, I waved the white flag and once again, let down the seven remaining NTD fans out there.

Well, I wish I could say that has been the case since then, but aside from being out of town last week, I've simply been around and not writing. This displeases me, really. The entries on my travels got me into a little rhythm (a very little rhythm) and I was having fun with it. But that stupid episode really set me back and here I am now, two weeks later, self-loathing and toting more lame excuses. Boo-hoo: get over it, ya mook. Something must be done.

With that, I sit before you now on my exercise ball (in good posture) and offer this proclamation:

"My time in Denmark is short. Before long, I shall return to the land of my people and resume whatever it was that I was doing before I left. However, I am a man of service and cannot in good conscience leave this Danish soil without upholding that duty, which I so faithfully executed during the better part of my first months here. The following information, via Now that's Danish!, will be delivered to you, the humble readers of said publication, before my stay is completed:

- The final details of my travels thoughout the lands, Europe

- No less than three (3) events or commentaries on things Danish, which I found particularly entertaining

- My final thoughts on the Kingdom, Denmark

Take this as you will, for I feel my past failures and absences have already compromised the integrity of your reading pleasure. However, if you can find it in yourselves to check the progress of this digital word dipository over the next week or so, I vow you shan't be disappointed."

There you have it. Hopefully my olde-tymie speak has won a few of you back. I look forward to making good on this declaration as my triumphant 'last stand.'

Unfortunately, this won't be happening tonight, as I will be awaking at the very uncommon hour of six tomorrow morning for what might be one of the events I'll be sharing with you soon. Check back to find out!

-------

Not good enough for you? Hmm ... I suppose I deserve that. Well, I can offer you this (and no, I won't be counting this as one of the entries I just promised):

If any of you have ever enjoyed a so-called 'Eat Free on your Birthday' promotion at a restaurant in the US, you've probably left the joint hungry and disillusioned. Most places wave this offer in your face, ignoring the fine print that typically reads, ''Up to a $10 Value." Last I checked, that's not eating FREE on your birthday, folks; that's eating ten bucks of free food and then you're left shelling out the rest.

If you're looking to avoid the heartbreak associated with moments like this, do yourself a favor and come to Denmark on your special day. In a custom that is extremely atypical of most things Danish, a family restaurant 'round these parts called Bone's allows you to come on in, show some ID that says it's your fødselsdagen (fouh-sells-day-en) and enjoy a meal on them, no questions asked. All you have to do is buy your own drink. I did this tonight with a few friends and enjoyed 289 Kroner (about fifty bucks, US) worth of ribs. Bone's is an American-themed steakhouse, much like a Smokey Bones or Texas Roadhouse. I must say that the ribs were just as good as any that one would get at either of the aforementioned places. Below is a picture of me with my delicious present, complete with birthday flag. It is tradition here to surround the birthday boy or girl with flags, a custom that started back in the German-occupied Denmark of World War II. This was to signify that the people would never let go of their heritage and that they would be proud in the face of adversity. In my case, I was just hungry.


I'd say it was a good day. Talk to you soon.

Sometimes You Eat the Bear ...

Since I haven't posted as expediently as one might following a resounding, end-of-the-season victory, I suppose you might have guessed how our last contest played out. Minus several key players and with several other key players playing outside of their ordinary positions, we were unable to finish off the season as we would have liked, falling by a score of 19-0.

This was very disappointing as you might imagine, considering our unblemished start that stretched into the eighth week of the season. No one likes to lose. Period. But to do so after reaching such heights really hits you quite hard. However, nothing can be said or pined over now that will change what happened, so I'm just going to leave it at that. Eight wins to two losses will have to do.

The final "Danish Football Moment" came on the opening kickoff of the game, when I made my last tackle of the season. I did so in a rather unorthodox fashion. In lieu of properly breaking down, squaring up and wrapping my arms around the ball carrier, I resorted to a different method: grabbing the back of his jersey with one hand and ripping him to the ground. I didn't do this intentionally, I assure you. Eager to rectify the transgressions committed by the previous game's kickoff unit, I focused on keeping my lane until absolutely necessary (i.e. seeing the return man right in front of me). For those who need further clarification, on a kickoff, each player running down the field must keep a disciplined path, en route to tackling the man who has the football. When players fail to 'keep their lanes,' returners are often able to exploit a specific section of the unit and run for a significant gain. I made sure to do this on this particular kickoff, busting through a frontline blocker before my blazing speed (HA) almost took me past the man with the ball. I quickly changed directions, realizing he was practically passed me to my inside and so, I just jabbed my hand into his back, grabbed some cloth and pulled him to the ground. Even in my more svelte physique these days, I still outweighed this fellow by a good fifty pounds and his forward progress came to an abrupt halt.

That was one of the few highlights worth mentioning on the afternoon. Brian's father was actually in attendance for the game, making the trip all the way from Grand Junction, CO. Upon seeing him on the sidelines immediately after the final whistle blew, he quoted the old adage, made popular by Sam Elliott's Cowboy in The Big Lebowski, ''Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes, well, he eats you." Couldn't have put it better myself. Before long, I will come through with a much more sentimental recap of the season here, but for now, I have to prepare for a few things going on this weekend. Tomorrow, I will be joining my U16 players for an afternoon cookout while watching some archived college football on ESPN's website.

Check back Sunday for the final Travelogue and a few other posts. Enjoy your weekends out there and best of luck to all my MHS Tomahawks and Marist Red Foxes in action this weekend!

Travelogue (PAST DUE) Part II

When last we met, I returned to Denmark for a few days to catch my bearings before setting out on the second phase of my adventure. This time however, I would not be flying solo. The planets seemingly aligned to allow for an extended break in longtime friend, David LoVerme's schedule and thus, I had company for the remainder of the month. David is no stranger to traveling and has been at the game for many years now. Before we even started high school, he toured Austrailia. After that he ventured to Europe on several occasions, including a semester studying abroad in Florence during our time in college. Just days before coming over to meet me, Dave was in Costa Rica studying Spanish, though I believe he was more interested in the fruit-hungry monkeys that came on board the boats he and others took out in their spare time. In addition to this already impressive resume, Dave works in the travel business, marketing and selling educational trips to high schools interested in doing such. What better way to spend some vacation time then with some crack, hands-on, field research? As an avid NTD follower, Dave was more than entitled to his very own NTD-inspired pic, taken at the very same location as my own:


As you can see, we did some exploring in Copenhagen, which I was already somewhat familiar with, but not before we spent some time in Aarhus. Most of the time spent in my adoptive hometown was in fact, spent in my apartment, with Dave needing to acclimate to Eurotime. This also did me some good, too, as I was still recovering from my first two weeks of traveling. Sleeping, eating delicious baked goods from my favorite local joint and watching the first two seasons of 'Californication' were the norm during these first few days, though we did manage to get out some.

DENMARK
Aarhus: July 15 - 18
Copenhagen: July 18 - 20

AARHUS: Not much new info to share here, although we did take a trip to the Moesgård Viking museum just outside of the city proper. I am definitely going to devote an entire post to this place very soon, complete with some awesome pictures. While walking around, we also stumbled on something that I didn't even realize existed in all my time here. Pictured below, you will find a work of art, known as the 'Humpback Gunship,' though we gave it the far more awesome title, 'WHALE-I-COPTER.' After a few days of relaxing in town, we packed up and took a train over to Scandinavia's unofficial Capitol.


COPENHAGEN: Much of what I would write in here, I already covered back in April. We saw many of the same sights, though this time we did so in the comfort of a canal tour boat. After that we cruised the streets on bike to save time. Many thanks go out to the lovely Trine Rølle for allowing us to stay in her apartment while she and some guy I know were on their own vacation. Upon returning, the aforementioned guy (Brian) joined Dave and I for a Monday night out on the town. After some delicious Indian cuisine, we had trouble finding an establishment to unwind in. However, just when nothing appeared to be open, we came across Sam's Bar, a notorious karaoke hot spot, making our night complete. Although Brian didn't flex his golden pipes, Dave and I did the heavy lifting and the rest is history. We returned for a good night's sleep and a morning dip in the harbor just behind Trine's apartment before departing for Deutscheland.




So I know I said earlier that I wanted to finish off the rest of the trip today, but I am looking at the hour now and realize that's not going to happen. Though it isn't terribly late, tomorrow will come very soon. Bus leaves at 7:30, a side of the morning I don't typically see too often, except when the library sends me a text message saying that the movies I borrowed are due back in three days -- the future is now. In all seriousness though, I do have to call it quits. Last game of the season tomorrow against those name-stealin' Copenhagen Tomahawks. After a solid practice last night, we are looking to rebound from our less-than-stellar peformance of two weeks ago. Last chance to strap 'em up for a while, better make the most of it. Be back with a recap when I can.

Travelogue (PAST DUE)

Back on August 1st, I wrote that I'd be back soon with some details from my European odyssey. It is now September 17th and I really hope no one out there was holding their breath. As my mother so astutely pointed out the other night, writing this blog served an important purpose in the early phases of getting settled into a new life here. Once that happened and as I found more things to occupy my time (like watching eight or nine movies a week), I didn't need this as much to stay connected. That being said, I do need to stop being so lethargic when it comes to mental activity. So now, after much anticipation (and much more delay), I will take you, the ever-dwindling legion of NTD readers, through a travelogue of my adventures across the Old Country during the month of July. In lieu of writing a long-winded account on the journey as a whole, I will present a blitzkrieg-type synopsis of each locale. I feel this will be more refreshing on both author and reader alike. Here goes:

LONDON: June 30 - July 04

I flew from Aarhus (about a half-hour outside Aarhus) to London-Stansted (about an hour outside London); I really think airport executives should consider renaming their establishments to more accurately reflect how far they are from each destination. I took a bus into the city and got to my hostel in the Swiss Cottage district. It was a pretty nice place, except for the very large group of German teenagers staying there as part of some class trip; they were noisy and not very consider and had terrible taste in fashion. Since this was my first time vacationing on my own, I didn't know how to plan my stay really. However, I soon figured out where I wanted to go and then just played it by ear. Over my four days in Jolly 'Ol, I took two walking tours that covered almost the entire city, allowing me to see all the necessary sights. I also took advantage of the fact the majority of the museums there do not charge admission. I went to the Natural History Museum, the Tate Modern Gallery and the Imperial War Museum; all three were fantastic. I really limited my intake of pub grub because I wanted to make sure I did it right and I am glad I did. I got a platter of bangers 'n mash from a hole-in-the-wall pub called 'The Hole in the Wall' and a basket of fish 'n chips from a joint overlooking the Thames and they were both outstanding. Each one was accompanied by an authentic hand-pulled cask ale, served just below room temperature, which were also as good as advertised. Anticipating a rainy stay, I brought a windbreaker, which I believe effectively warded off all lousy weather and allowed me to walk everywhere until I broke down and bought a metro pass, partly because I wanted to try the tube. I was happy to find that was everything it was cracked up to be. Great stay in the UK, onward to España.









SPAIN
Madrid: July 04 - 08
Barcelona: July 08 - 12
Alicante: July 12 - 14

MADRID: Spain was one of the locations I really wanted to visit while living in Europe. During both high school and college, I studied the language and the culture at great length and I was eager to see the country and the lifestyle in person. Having said this, you could imagine I was less than enthused to hear how poorly some schmuck Canadian kid spoke of Madrid at the hostel in London. He described it as grey and dismal, a real dump. He said four days was too long to spend there and that I should basically prepare for a miserable time. I felt compelled to remind him where he came from, but realized he was probably delirious from maple syrup withdrawal. In reality, Madrid was an AWESOME time. It was regularly in the triple digits there and that sun sure did not quit. I resisted the urge to siesta though, thanks to several other really cool people from my hostel (including a much more positive Canadian chap). We spent the hot afternoons in the shade of sidewalk restaurants, enjoying our share of San Miguels, Mahous and tapas. In addition to another walking tour of the city, I took in a bullfight, which was pretty gruesome and totally unfair, but part of the experience nonetheless -- I wanted the Matador to go one-on-one and see how tough he really was. I also went the Prado during its free admission hours one night, though it closed just before getting to the Goya exhibit, the one I really wanted to see. The definitive moment of my time in Madrid though had to be when Spain took on Germany in World Cup semifinal play. There was a public viewing held outside Real Madrid's stadium; I will let the video posted below do all the talking on that front. Take that, Canada.

BARCELONA: I had some lofty expectations for Barcelona. It seems to be one of those places that people always hold in high regard for many reasons: diversity, architecture, culture, proximity to fantastic beaches, etc. Upon my stay there, I can see why. However, if you are looking for an experience that screams 'Spain,' you best look elsewhere. This is something that is often lost in my most people's vision of Gaudi's city. Part of the ''autonomous community of Catalonia," Barcelona is every bit of such a complex monniker. Most people there would be quite content if they drifted just a bit further out into the Mediterranean. This rang out loud and clear during a Catalonian Independence rally held the night I got there, with several hundred thousand people marching through the streets saying they don't want to be a part of Spain (that is of course, until they captured the World Cup crown during my stay). Not exactly a very welcoming sight and for this reason, I didn't enjoy my time there as much as I would have liked. This is not to say though, that I didn't enjoy myself with many of the neat things the unique city has to offer. In addition to much of what I alluded to earlier, I got to check out two of the famous fountain shows, Gaudi's Parc Guell, a nice stroll around the Olympic Park and of course, spend many hours on the beach.








ALICANTE: Truth be told, Alicante doesn't offer much besides a castle overlooking its beaches and well, the beaches themselves. I didn't spend much time away from either. A small, primarily tourist-oriented city in the far Southeast of Spain, I planned a short stay here because its airport has departures that fly directly back to Aarhus. My time here was pretty uneventful, besides the brutal hike to get up to the castle, the opportunity to spend more time on the beach and the hostel I stayed in, which was run by Ukranians who only spoke broken Spanish. Coupled with my broken Spanish, we were able to communicate just fine. The place was pretty sketchy though, so I chose not spend my second night there, opting instead to catch a few hours of sleep at the airport before an early flight. The Ukranian fellow at the desk (complete with his assortment of weird figurines) couldn't undersand why.





After Alicante, I flew back to Aarhus to regroup for a few days before heading out again. For now though, I've already invested way longer in this project than I planned on. I'm going to step away for a few hours. I will be back later to finish up the trip and also preview tomorrow's last game of the season. See you soon.