Monday, July 30, 2012
Woke at 2:30 AM, ate a portion of my leftovers from yesterday's lunch. Caffe lattes in the lobby with Chris and Nate. Bagels and cream cheese at The Bagel Company with Chris and Nate. Hotel. Day planning with Chris and Nate. Nate left to meet Ravi to do some work. Chris and I had only about 2 hours to kill, so we checked out a nearby shopping center called Frederiksberg Centret. Today I realize that despite the huge numbers of bicycles I have not yet heard a bicycle bell. I have witnessed situations in which I would ring a bicycle bell if I were one of the riders, but people here seem to avoid conflict with ease. Most bicyclists obey street lights, and I've seen only a few using cellphones while riding. Bicycles have a dedicated lane which is slightly lower than the sidewalk and slightly higher than the street. Pedestrians need to pay attention while walking so that they do not accidentally step into bike lane traffic. We stopped at Frozberry for frozen yogurt: about $10. Chris and I met Nate and Ravi at Café Royal, a bakery near the closest metro station and adjacent to the Copenhagen Business School campus. Ravi took us on a tour of some of the CBS buildings. We walked to lunch at Café Lindevang, famous for its traditional Danish cuisine. We had beer and smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches). We walked to (I think) Lindevang station, rode to Flintholm station just to admire it, then rode to DR Byen station for Ravi's tour of IT University of Copenhagen. When we arrived it had started raining, and we were caught unprepared because today's forecast did not include rain. We chatted briefly at an elevator with some of Ravi's students. After the tour we stopped at Kong Kaffe for hot drinks. Metro from Islands Brygge station to Frederiksberg station, visited Ravi's offices. We enjoyed chatting for some time with Janni and Suzanna, two of his colleagues in the Department of IT Management. Metro back to Frederiksberg station. We ended our day with Ravi and returned to the hotel. I ate the remainder of leftovers from yesterday's lunch. Nap. I wanted a late meal, but restaurants typically close at 10 PM in Copenhagen and the handful of late-night restaurants were too far for me to consider it worth the cab ride there and back. Snack: chocolate müsli bar. It wasn't enough. From my window I could see people entering and leaving the McDonald's across the street. I hurry down to see if they're still open, and they are! After some deliberation, I order a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, large fries, and baby carrots: about $10. Before I leave I ask the woman at the register when they close. She says, "Never." Ate in my room. Tired, slept.