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Impressions of Copenhagen
Aug. 11th, 2016 03:55 pmI've been in Copenhagen a few days, staying with the lovely Rattie.
We went exploring the first day I was there. There were so many bicycles! I think I saw more cyclists on my first day in Copenhagen than I have seen in the whole rest of my life. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but most of the larger roads have a bike path that is physically segregated from both the drivers and the pedestrians so you don't get the same level of interaction that we see in Australia. It seems to work quite well over here. I imagine that Australian drivers would object strongly to the notion of paying for that kind of infrastructure for cyclists, but people would still have to get around and if they didn't feel safe riding they would have to clog up the roads and the air with more cars. Not that I necessarily think this model would work in Australia. Denmark obviously had a strong cycling culture and is geographically tiny compared to Australia. We have to go long distances just to visit friends.
I also noted that elevators don't seem as common here. Between the cycling and the stairs I suspect an evil conspiracy by the government to make their population more healthy.
Rattie says he's the only rat in Denmark. I can think of four in Australia. With our relative (human) populations, that would make a ratio of about one (furry) rat per five million people for both our countries. I wonder how well that ratio holds up for other countries?
Denmark seems like a nice country. I like the language and the fact that most people don't mind speaking speaking English for the dumb foreign rat. I like the architecture and the relatively clean air thanks to the cyclists and wind turbines. But I don't think the climate would suit me. It is only a few weeks out of summer and already it seems colder than Brisbane in the winter. I hate to think what it's like in winter.
So where to next for the adventuring rat? Berlin for Eurofurence (if you are attending EF as well and have a rodent fursuit please pipe up so I can invite you to a rodent fursuit photoshoot) and then (the highlight of the whole trip) a ratty pilgrimage to the Ratatouille attraction at Disneyland Paris. I imagine, much like Mecca, that is something every rat needs to do at least once in their lifetime, and I wanted to do my pilgrimage while it is still relatively new and shiny.
We went exploring the first day I was there. There were so many bicycles! I think I saw more cyclists on my first day in Copenhagen than I have seen in the whole rest of my life. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but most of the larger roads have a bike path that is physically segregated from both the drivers and the pedestrians so you don't get the same level of interaction that we see in Australia. It seems to work quite well over here. I imagine that Australian drivers would object strongly to the notion of paying for that kind of infrastructure for cyclists, but people would still have to get around and if they didn't feel safe riding they would have to clog up the roads and the air with more cars. Not that I necessarily think this model would work in Australia. Denmark obviously had a strong cycling culture and is geographically tiny compared to Australia. We have to go long distances just to visit friends.
I also noted that elevators don't seem as common here. Between the cycling and the stairs I suspect an evil conspiracy by the government to make their population more healthy.
Rattie says he's the only rat in Denmark. I can think of four in Australia. With our relative (human) populations, that would make a ratio of about one (furry) rat per five million people for both our countries. I wonder how well that ratio holds up for other countries?
Denmark seems like a nice country. I like the language and the fact that most people don't mind speaking speaking English for the dumb foreign rat. I like the architecture and the relatively clean air thanks to the cyclists and wind turbines. But I don't think the climate would suit me. It is only a few weeks out of summer and already it seems colder than Brisbane in the winter. I hate to think what it's like in winter.
So where to next for the adventuring rat? Berlin for Eurofurence (if you are attending EF as well and have a rodent fursuit please pipe up so I can invite you to a rodent fursuit photoshoot) and then (the highlight of the whole trip) a ratty pilgrimage to the Ratatouille attraction at Disneyland Paris. I imagine, much like Mecca, that is something every rat needs to do at least once in their lifetime, and I wanted to do my pilgrimage while it is still relatively new and shiny.
