They drive for 7 hours, from all across the country...

I've always liked Belgium. Belgium is the old Denmark, if you get what I mean. I've been to Ostend 3 times and Bruges once, and I've frequented service stations in Leuven and outside of Brussels. But I've never spent the night there. So when I found out that Teitur was doing a show in Ghent last Saturday night, I had to go. I'm calling it an early birthday present to myself :) Ferry crossing and change of coach in Brussels included, it's a 7,5 hour coach trip from Dover to Ghent. I've never really done independent coach travel like this, but having been assured by a friend that it's great fun (and also a hell of a lot cheaper than the train would have been), I thought I should try it. Fun isn't exactly the term I'd use to describe Friday night/Saturday morning, but it was certainly eventful. Anyway, one missing passenger, a (literal) last minute boarding of P&O's Pride of Kent, and several hours of my Scandinavian chillout playlist later, we arrived in drizzly Brussels. Another hour later, and I found myself in Ghent. But I had no idea where exactly...

8.00: So apparently I'm in Dampoort. There's a map outside the station- Dampoort is on the other side of the city to where I need to be (i.e- Sint-Pieters). There doesn't appear to be any bus stops about, so I've got to get a train. Car-coach-ferry-coach-train. On zero sleep. This is like,hardcore travelling! This trip is insanely long, but I really don't mind- it genuinely feels like I've come here to see an old friend, somehow. I've not been on a Belgian train before- they're absolutely huge. This one's going to Ostend (I love Ostend) but it only takes 5 minutes to get to Sint-Pieters, and it only costs €1,70. Does any train trip in the UK cost less than a tenner?

9.00: After much dicking about, I get on a tram headed to Wondelgem (what a great name!). I don't know where Wondelgem is, or where the tram will stop on the way. Decent transport maps are hard to come by in Ghent. Thankfully the names of the next stops are shown on a scrolling display on board. I get off at Gravensteen- that's one of the names I've written down on my A6 page of notes, because it's where the Castle of the Counts is. [Edit: turns out Gravensteen actually means Castle of the Counts] It was built by Philip of Alsace in 1180 and is really rather an impressive building. I really want to go and have a look round, but I've got a whole town to see before 1pm, when I need to be at my B&B.

11.00: Wow, Ghent is a lovely town. It really reminds me of Lübeck, with its canals and buildings that make me think of gingerbread houses. Some parts remind me of Flensburg too, which brings back very welcome memories. I nip into St Bavo Cathedral (wonderfully gothic as are many churches in Flanders) to have a word with the Big Man before deciding what to do next. The plan before I came here was to go on a boat trip down the canal, lazy people's sightseeing basically. But I still need to eat, get back to Sint-Pieters to pick up my luggage and get to Heuvelpoort...Oh look, there's a Fnac....



12.00: I'm at Faits Divers on Korenmarkt being served by a waiter who bears a resemblance to Tim Schou. He probably doesn't, it's just that I'm really tired and really hungry so I'm not thinking straight. On an aside though, Belgian men really are very attractive on the whole. And very well dressed.The one culinary thing I wanted to try this weekend is a Dame Blanche, a dessert I've seen on countless Belgian menus that's like a fudge sundae. Of course, I've picked the one place that doesn't do it. They don't have any desserts. But never mind, because they do have steak. They have the best steak I've tasted ever. A tram rumbles past. I'm pretty sure there's a massive picture of Tom Boonen on the side of it. But I am still tired.


13.00: There's loads of work going on around Sint-Pieters station and the bus system is really confusing, but I make it to my B&B only 10 minutes late.I'm staying at Sparrow's Nest which is owned by a lovely lady called Linda. My room is absolutely beautiful- I have a huge bath, a huge bed with one of those memory foam mattresses, and a chandelier! The Ghent Film Festival has been on this week and so it's been nigh on impossible to find somewhere to stay. I've got lucky :)

16.45: After a quick sleep, I nip down to Delhaize supermarket for supplies. Very disappointing, there are no silly brand names to add to my collection. I go back home and panic when I can't open the front door. You don't want to know how long I stand there trying for. Linda is 30 minutes away from Ghent when I call her, but comes back straight away to let me in. This is enough time for me to imagine several scenarios in which I've broken the lock, we have no way of getting in, I've left my cardigan upstairs, and oh my God, the show starts in 2 hours! I dreamt a couple of nights ago that I was late and missed half of it, this dream's going to come true! Linda opens the door in one go. You've got to turn the key and the knob at the same time apparently.


18.00: I'm in the bath with the radio on and eating Belgian chocolate coins. This is what life's meant to be like isn't it?

19.00: The Minard Theatre is about 10 minutes from Heuvelpoort, so I leave at 7pm with plenty of time to spare. Or not. Heuvelpoort is a bit of a bus hub and there are several stops with the same name, and I go to all of them before finding the right one. Of course I've missed the bus now, and the next one isn't til 19.30. THE DOORS OPEN AT 19.30!!! I'd not banked on it being so dark, so this, coupled with the fact I've not looked at/been able to locate a map, means that I miss my stop. The next one is about 500m away and I can't remember my way back. I start to run. I can't have that dream come true. Because if that comes true, who knows what other weird figments of my unconscious mind will become reality?! I mean, I once dreamt I was doing a jigsaw puzzle with Kim Jong-Un...I feel like Anneka Rice on Treasure Hunt running around. Thank God I'm wearing my comfy Swedish boots. In total, I ask 6 people how to get to the theatre- literally all of them pointing me in different directions. Finally, a wonderful lady who's standing outside a shop and looks like she's been put there for this very purpose tells me where it is, and even walks me there. Christ, I must have looked really panicked.

Always gonna feel this longing

It's a wonderful yet all too rare surprise to come across a Teitur song you haven't heard before.It would be interesting to hear what Home would sound like on an album,but the simplicity of it in this video gives it a bit of a lullaby effect.I've lived nextdoor to my fair share of noisy idiots,but if Teitur was my neighbour,he certainly wouldn't get me banging on the door at 4am telling him to shut up :)

I saw an interview with him once where he said that although he currently spends a lot of time in Copenhagen,he'd feel just as comfortable in any other city.That's what I like about this song- being able to fit in and be happy wherever you end up,as long as you're always moving.

A quick thought about Eurovision

Almost exactly three years ago,I adopted Denmark as my Eurovision homeland.There were a few reasons for this- 1: I was living in northern Germany and had quite a lot to do with Denmark,2: Denmark feels like home to me and 3: they send bloody good songs.

They hadn't let me down in those 3 years but tonight they crossed the line by choosing the 3 minute whinge-fest that is Should've Known Better.It isn't the worst song in the world but for me it belongs on British radio in the late 90s.I would have liked it then probably.It just isn't a Eurovision song.If you're reading this you'll probably know that my favourite song in this year's MGP by far was Venter.Yes I know that's a really dated song too but I thought it was classy and cheesy in equal measure.And if I remember rightly,it was the only song this year that even attempted a drop and surge and key change.This is what I want in Eurovision,a one-off song that sticks in my brain and that I'll remember for years to come.I thought that a lot of the MGP songs this evening were no better than songs you'd hear in the charts any week of the year.

Call me old-fashioned (because I certainly am!) but I loved Venter because it makes me feel a bit nostalgic.Soluna Samay herself said that her favourite Eurovision song is Fly on the Wings of Love because it won in the year that she moved to Denmark and so it brings back memories.Well although the 2000 contest is the only one I've missed since I started watching in 1993- the Olsen Brothers song kind of typifies Eurovision music of the time I started to get into the contest and so that's why I still like hearing the same kind of music.Kind of like my dad never really moving on from schlager types because he started watching ESC in the ABBA days.It's all nostalgia.

Of course I don't only go for middle-aged men with guitars at Eurovision.My all-time favourites include Nocturne,Eighties Coming Back (rather appropriately I suppose!),Talking to You,Tornero,Fairytale,Work Your Magic,Siren and of course New Tomorrow- a song which I just don't think will be topped by anything for a good few years.All of these are pretty different and (with the probable exception of Jakob Sveistrup) all of them really stood out due to being completely different to your usual ESC fare,or simply for just putting on a bloody good performance.

I'm not just talking about Denmark tonight,there's been many songs in the last few years whose success I just don't understand (as you probably know,I'm not a believer in political voting),not least last year's winner.Eurovision needs songs that are one-offs.They don't have to be cheesy and they don't have to follow a certain formula,but they have to stand out.Otherwise we might as well just pick a track off the best selling album in each country for the year and send that.

And speaking of standing out- wouldn't it be great if Iceland sends this...

Deal

7.17-7.24

We will not forget!

Don't let anyone stand in your way

A few weeks ago I was looking at a What's On in London type page hoping to find some decent music.A chap called Jens Lekman was on there and as his was the only European sounding name I thought I'd check him out on youtube,and I'm glad I did.As you probably know I'm not a massive fan of Swedish pop (Agnes excepted),but I Love Love Love (geddit?) all that the country offers in terms of indie and their singer-songwriters.

Jens is a brilliant storyteller (another example of a Scandinavian being annoyingly good at expressing themselves in a language that isn't his own) and his some of his songs have such curious titles that you just want to listen to them immediately to find out what they're about- I Don't Know If She's Worth 900 Kronor is a good one,as is When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog.

My favourite that I've heard so far though is Postcard to Nina,a song about that oh-so-common subject of pretending to be your lesbian friend's boyfriend so as not to upset her religious family.The lyrics really make me smile and the music has a rather old-fashioned sound to it whilst also being light and summery sounding,which makes a change from the bleak and atmospheric Scandinavian music that I normally listen to :)

Copenhagen Day 1

Gatwick has always been my favourite airport having been the first ever one I went to all the way back in the early 90s when planes had a smoking section and you could take as much orange juice and 2-in-1 shampoo on board as you liked.It's even better there these days though,I get dropped off,walk up to the terminal,check-in,get some Swedish krone,go through security and am queuing in McDonalds for breakfast (it's 6am) all in a total of 15 minutes.It's brilliant.

I can't really be bothered with this trip and on the way down to the departure gate I start planning my next mini-holiday.Reykjavik next Spring.With a day trip to Greenland.Staying in Hotel Cabin which is right opposite the Shell garage they filmed Night Shift in.Hmm...Oh it's time to get on the plane.I'm flying Norwegian for the first time and it turns out to be quite nice,there's a telly and they show Scandinavian tourist board videos and a few cartoons à la Swiss Air.The flight isn't much longer than the one that takes you to Hamburg and as we fly over Øresund coming in to land we see the big bridge in the distance- something I've wanted to cross ever since I saw it on Top Gear a few years ago.

You know how when you're above the clouds everything's bright and sunny and then when you come through them and it isn't anymore? Well it basically looks like night when we land.The weather is (and has been all morning apparently) awful.Kastrup airport is only 15 minutes from Copenhagen Central Station and I'm quite excited to get on a DSB train again (I still love the fact that they provide plastic bags under all the tables,though I'm still not sure what they're for).My hotel is just down the road from the station and no sooner than I've checked in,I'm out again looking for TPMUSIK on Amagertorv.I find a corner shop first though for something to eat.I come across this stuff...



...I don't buy any though.Not after the acid reflux it gave me in the Faroes.

Of course I go completely the wrong way and nearly go over a bridge which is covered in election posters.Not sure when the election is but there really are a lot of candidates (they seem to love their coalitions in Denmark).I decide I'd vote for Annika (not sure of her surname) for the simple reason that she's got Faroese and Greenlandic flags on her poster.Suddenly the heavens open (understatement),there is the biggest crack of thunder I've ever heard and also the biggest flash of lightning I've ever seen.It's not a fork it just lights up the entire sky.I jump out of my skin whilst all the scantily-clad Danish girls (who don't even have umbrellas) find the whole thing hilarious.I quickly look for something loud to put on my iPod so I don't get caught out again.Eric Saade should do.Popular.It'll get me in the mood for tomorrow.

I find TPMUSIK and it's wonderful.CDs and DVDs are just so cheap here I can't believe it.Especially in a country where your average 100g chocolate bar costs over 2 quid.I buy Hej Matematik's two albums and Thomas Holm's Middelklassehelt (Middle Class Hero- I love that name) all for under £20.

Copenhagen has the most amazing shops.I'm sorry to say that Strøget wipes the floor with Oslo's Karl Johan's Gate.However I don't really go in any because a: there are 4 million tourists dithering about and I just haven't got the patience now my jeans are soaked up to my knees and I have blisters on my feet and b: I'm at least £2500 short if I want to go on a proper shopping spree here.I have a quick look in Illum though,which reminds me so much of Selfridges/Harrods that I get that uneasy/comforting feeling of familiarity that I get in Denmark.I've already seen a car with a Flensburg numberplate and another car with leopard print seat covers that scream Medway at me.

I take a scenic walk (read: get lost) on the way back to the hotel and pass a very cool map shop on the way that sells lovely globes and maps of everywhere you can imagine.

I plan on going back out later but when I take my shoes off my feet hurt so much that I think it's best to rest them.So I spend the rest of the evening eating Marabou and flicking between a Billy Connolly documentary on Swedish telly,Sky News and Afrika Nu on DR1.Afrika Nu is a charity fundraising thing that I assumed to be like Comic Relief but there's no comedy as far as I can make out.There is however,a piano version of New Tomorrow accompanying some of the "and here's a reminder of what tonight is all about" videos shot in Africa.I understandably get a bit excited about this and am pretty sure AFIL will make an appearance at some point this evening.Rasmus Seebach comes on,and he's much better than he sounds on my iPod.Nik & Jay are on too but I'm not too fussed about them.By 10 o clock I give up and go to sleep.

In the morning I see a tweet from Tim Schou: "Wow. Just sang infront of millions of people live on Danish TV for AFRICA benefit show!" Typical.

Copenhagen August 2011

Two weekends ago I made my third trip to Denmark- my favourite Eurovision nation of the last 5 years and a country that I've had an odd relationship with since I first visited in 2008.I booked the trip ages ago (a few days after we got back from Eurovision in fact) but having done so much travelling already this year and having only started my new job 5 days previously,I really wasn't in the mood to go.So it wasn't the best weekend I've ever been on,but that just adds to the weird "this place feels so much like home" feeling that I get every time in Denmark.There were some good bits though,and I'll try to remember to write about them over the next few days.