Sometimes there are good days, sometimes there are great days, and then sometimes there are days that seem like a dream. Yesterday was one of the latter.

Wednesday was my last day of teaching classes in Copenhagen. Finishing up is always a relief and puts me in a bit of a euphoric state. I don’t really know why as I enjoy teaching, but that is just what happens. Plus, my students were very good to me on the last day. They actually applauded at the end (which never happens in the states but did happen to me once in Mexico), and many of them came up to me afterwards with nice compliments, etc.

Payment for my services in Denmark also showed up in my bank account which was a pleasant surprise that I wasn’t expecting for a few more weeks. Everything was going my way.

Also I had some great and timely tunes come on the old ipod as I was cruising around town on my bike. I’m going to miss my bike in a few days when I have to take it back to my Iraqi friend. Biking in Copenhagen is lots of fun. The bike lanes are so well laid out and respected. The scenery is fabulous, and I can’t get enough of the adventure.

So when I finally got home I was in very high spirits. Of course the open bar at our faculty meeting probably didn’t hurt either.

I went online to find out if the local soccer team was playing at the stadium today. When I went to purchase tickets it showed a ticket calendar that included Exodus playing just a few blocks away. At the time I saw this the opening band would just be coming on stage. I threw on my Metaltown t-shirt and hopped on my bike.

I couldn’t believe my good luck. I’m not a huge Exodus fan, but I do own their first four CDs (which I haven’t listened to in ages). Exodus is from my neck of the woods. Although I saw most of the Bay Area Thrash bands live back in the late 1980s at San Francisco Bay Area clubs, Exodus was somehow never on the bill. Seeing them for the first time, in Copenhagen, put me in a dream-like state.

I rode my bike down Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard to see Exodus at The Rock right off of Stroget. I had to get off my bike and walk it for one block as I was on the wrong side of the street. Out of the corner of my eye I see a bill lying on the sidewalk. I picked it up to find that it is 200 Norwegian Kroners! So now my perfect day is ending with a highly anticipated and newly discovered concert that isn’t going to even cost me anything. In fact, I made money off this trip to see Exodus thanks to the kroners falling from heaven. At this point I was quite certain I was dreaming, but I didn’t pinch myself out of fear of waking up.

I parked my bike not 10 feet from the door of the venue. I walked inside to find a tiny club that is nearly empty. It was almost embarrassing to see so few people turn up to see a band like Exodus. But as an audience member, less is more so I enjoyed the lack of a crowd.

The crowd was most bizarre compared to U.S. crowds or even my Metaltown experience in Sweden. Nobody rushed the stage and few even came next to the stage. I was next to the stage the entire night and didn’t even come into contact with other people. I could even take a step or two back from the stage to take a picture and no one would grab my prime spot.

My pictures aren’t that great for a couple of reasons. The first is I brought my daughter’s cheap camera instead of mine since I didn’t know if cameras were allowed. (It turns out that people brought in huge, professional cameras with flash, lenses, etc. and no one said a word.) The second reason is I was actually too close to take pictures even with the widest lens settings. Most of my pictures just show part of a guitar or someone’s head because I couldn’t get any wider.

If you want to take pictures at a concert I don’t think you will ever find a better venue than The Rock in Copenhagen. There is no security. None. Not one single guy. There is no barrier to the stage. I rested my hand on the stage for much of the show. There are no rules except no smoking. And best of all, the crowd doesn’t make it difficult to take pictures. You won’t get bumped. You can roam the entire front of the stage.

Based on their calendar it looks like The Rock hosts my kind of bands. Recent acts included Death Angel, Artillery, Forbidden, Finntroll, Metal Church, and others.

Rob Dukes, Exodus’s vocalist, noted the small crowd by saying something like, “What has become of Copenhagen? Nothing but tumbleweeds?” It’s funny to think that I saw Exodus with only about 100 people just a few days before they perform as one of the main acts at Wacken 2008 in front of more than 30,000 people.

Lee Altus (formerly of Heathen, a band I listen to more than Exodus) was literally less than a foot away from me most of the night. I actually had to get out of his way a few times in order to not be hit in the head with his guitar. I spoke with him a few times between songs. At the end of the show he gave me his guitar pick and the set list (or is it setlist?) you see below.

Posted on July 31st, 2008 under Denmark. Tags: copenhagen, metal, pictures. Comments: None

Posted on July 31st, 2008 under Denmark. Tags: copenhagen, living in copenhagen, nature, pictures. Comments: None

The Botanical Garden in Copenhagen is perhaps the favorite park in the city for nature lovers. We were only there for a half hour or so as they were closing. It’s the only park I know of in Copenhagen with security, only one entrance, and a definite opening and closing time.

Everywhere you looked was teaming with loads of plant varieties. On top of the plants there were numerous other living creatures in the park. We saw cranes, various duck species, turtles, birds, carp, and more.

The above may be an image of the museum. There is a museum and a greenhouse in the park but we didn’t enter either.

The views from every turn in the paths were so great that I’m going to have to turn this into a two part entry with another five photos to show you tomorrow.

Posted on July 30th, 2008 under Denmark. Tags: copenhagen, garden, living in copenhagen, nature, pictures. Comments: None

Summer in Copenhagen is not what you may expect. We’ve been here more than a month now and I’ve yet to be really hot. We may have hit 80 degrees only once or twice and haven’t come close to hitting 90. Most days top out in the low 70s. I like it. But if you enjoy hot summer days on the beach or turning up an air conditioner, other places in the world may suit you better in July.

We have been to a few beaches. One of them is fairly new and goes by the name Amager Strand. (I think strand means “beach” in Danish.)

We rode our bikes to this beach even though it is seven metro stops away. Biking in Copenhagen is very easy. Bike lanes exist on nearly every street. The lanes are more substantial and respected by autos and pedestrians alike–far more so than in the U.S. There are three signal lights to look for in Denmark at each corner–one for cars, one for walkers, and one for bikers. It is confusing at first, but once I got used to it I find it to be a superior system.

The ground is flat in Denmark. There are no hills to speak of. The only time effort is required on a bike is when you have wind in your face or are going over a bridge. Basically, biking is never tiring (even for the kids) so seven metro stops worth of biking isn’t a problem. Plus, we’d miss much of the landscape and neighborhoods along the way if we rode the metro.

I only got in up to my knees, but my kids went for it. They saw lots of jelly fish in the water.

20 percent of energy used in Denmark comes from wind. The turbines in the Oresund are not an eyesore in my opinion.

The Copenhagen clouds once again gathered on this day. They turned black and we made a run for it. Within minutes of our departure we got drenched on our bikes though. It was actually fun getting caught in the storm. Soon after the rain stopped we were dry again.

Posted on July 29th, 2008 under Denmark. Tags: beach, clouds, copenhagen, living in copenhagen, pictures. Comments: 2