Travel/Tickets: USA versus Denmark in Århus, Denmark (11/18/2009)

Good morning folks from København. Boarding a plane soon to Århus. Is there any plan as to what to do before the match?

 

Got back from Denmark via the United Kingdom a few hours ago. I will post a trip report when I get to work tomorrow and upload the pictures etc.

 

I checked in without any hassle to SAS flight 910 from Newark to CPH. Before boarding, I headed to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge past security. There I enjoyed a Carlsberg before heading to the aircraft. I got on the priority line for boarding with my Lufthansa Senator card so that I could get space in the overhead compartment for my New York Red Bull bag. I was seated in seat 20A which is the first seat after Economy Extra on SAS' Airbus 330. Unfortunately, there is no wall between the cabins so I didn't have any extra leg room. A gorgeous Danish girl was seated next to me. After fumbling around looking for space in the overhead compartment, she jetted off for the back of the plane. I didn't even get a chance to use my Norsk pick up lines or even get extra space since the arm rest can't be raised since it is the first row of the economy cabin.

Once they came around with the beverages I asked for a Danish bier, not Carlsberg. The metrosexual male flight attendant gave me a Faxe which is a Danish Lager with a viking on it. During the beverage service the captain came on the horn to tell us about the flight. I looked up and saw that we were already way past Cape Cod and proceeding toward Canada. Just six hours left but he also announced that the weather forecast for Copenhagen is overcast and rainy. I forgot to check the weather before I left and I didn't bring a rain coat. I thought to myself, "What a disaster!"

The video entertainment didn't work at first. I was able to repair it and didn't think that I would watch anything having already seen "Transformers 2", the beginning of "GI Joe" and I think another movie on Austrian Airlines over the weekend. I ended up turning on "The Taking of Pelham 123" which had already started. I was shocked that the movie had already started and there was no way to restart it. Not many airlines run the movies on loops these days.

After getting a couple of hours of sleep, the flight attendants turned on the cabin lights even though they only shut them off three hours earlier. I tried to get more sleep knowing that it wouldn't be enough and that I couldn't eat their ham sandwich for breakfast anyway. An hour and a half later, we were touching down in Kastrup. After deplaning I made my way toward passport control. I noticed that the floors were wooden and there were large windows. How very Scandinavian, I thought. I proceeded to the SAS check in counters to check my bag in for the flight to Århus Afterwards, I headed to the metro to go into the city. Well, even after learning that the ticket machines for the metro only take coins or credit cards, I didn't have any coins and tried my credit card. Once the transaction was to go through, it asked me for a PIN. I didn't think of asking my credit card company before I left and I was so mad as it took me forever to get the change for a ticket.


Hungry? A sign in Terminal 1 in Copenhagen
Once on the metro it was very cool that it is all automated and there are no drivers. It probably keeps costs down though I don't understand their unwillingness to post ticket machines before the platform to lower the risks of fare evasion. After a quick run through the sites downtown, I headed back to the airport. Being there so early was really boring because I checked my bag, I couldn't go standby on another flight so I ended up listening to my iPod in the terminal and walking around a lot. When the airplane landed I got excited because it was a brand new CRJ 900.

The bus from Arhus Airport to the city took just under an hour, and because I want returning within 24 hours to the airport, I got a return ticket for 125 kroner that allowed me to use all buses throughout the city. The weather in Århus was just hurrendous. Windy and rainy. I walked from the central station to my hotel with ease as it was the tallest building in the area. After a quick shower and change into my Feilhaber shirt, I headed downtown to take a looksy. Some guy who attended the match in Bratislava recognized me so we made a plan to split a cab to the stadium from downtown.


Benny Feilhaber on the cover of a Danish newspaper
I wanted to sample some more Danish beer so I went to a pub called Dr. Watson that I had seen on my way to the match. Once inside, I regretted walking in the door. It is still legal in Denmark to smoke inside bars. The people were very weird and they played some sort of death metal music over the speakers. I got a Danish pilsner and drank it up before quickly exiting. Since I left to early to head to the stadium, I waited in the lobby of the hotel for the guy to come down and we went to the stadium in a taxi. He paid the fare of 110 kroner and I agreed to pay the return fare.

The stadium was five stars compared to Bratislava. I found our area and started to hang my flags but they kept falling down from the wind. Finally I organized them in a way that they would stay up. Those Americans who were seated in other sections were allowed to move into our section with some persuasion. They had come from all over. There was a contingent of American friends from Berlin, American exchange students studying in Århus etc. They were pretty good with all the chants and were very receptive to the ones that I made up on the spot.

After the first goal I tried to get a chant going of, "this is our house" in Danish ala our experience in Honduras. After watching a video of the match, I am surprised that they only showed us after Cunningham scored. After the drubbing, the group of Berliners headed to the buses and I followed having gotten separated from the guy I took the taxi with. We got into town and headed to an Irish pub to watch the end of the Ireland-France play off. After Henry set up the goal, I left for my hotel where the US players were getting off the team bus. Had a nice chat with Benny, Bornstein, Cunningham and some of the staff who recognized me from previous matches. Conor Casey (think it was him) though seemed to be the biggest douche.


Entry and exit of Denmark
The next morning after checking out I learned that I missed the bus to the airport and would need a taxi to catch my $8 Ryanair flight to London. So I went to the central train station where two women were also waiting for a taxi to the airport. One of them said to me, "Lufthavn?" which I remembered means airport in Danish (and sounds like the German). We split the taxi cost three ways and I made my flight to London, headed into town for lunch with a friend and then proceeded back to Newark on Continental Airlines from Heathrow. A crazy day, a great trip, a terrible result, terrible weather. I wish that more of our supporters had come. I think there might have been more in Bratislava just all split up.