May 27&28 . Long days of travelling

Getting There

Yesterday was arduous but chock full of transportation! Here are the different modes that I had to take to the point where I am sitting in Helsingør, Denmark this very moment:

• Diana drove me in her auto to Antioch, IL
• Took a Metra train from Antioch, IL to the transfer station at O'Hare.
• Hopped on a shuttle bus from the transfer station to the O'Hare monorail.
• Rode the monorail to the proper terminal for my flight.
• Checked in and took a plane to Philadelphia airport.
• Flew to London on another plane.
• Flew to Copenhagen on yet a different plane. (Side story - I accidentally boarded the wrong plane in the wrong terminal in London. I was sitting on the plane and had my luggage already stowed when a lady noticed that we had the same seat number. I had snuck onto the wrong plane! The stewardess was rather dumbfounded when we all figured out what had happened. I almost ended up in Sweden!)
• Hopped on the DSB regional train to Helsingør right at the airport.
• Finally, walked from the train station to the gorgeous hostel that I am sitting at right now.

So after looking at this list... I just have to conclude that things were much easier once I got to Denmark. United States connections between destinations are so convoluted, not counting the airport transfers. It's no wonder everyone just wants to be dropped off directly at the airport. I wish I would have taken photos of the lack of Metra signage and information. I honestly didn't even know how to pay for my trip on the train. I read english. There was just a complete lack of ticketing in Antioch and no signage for how to get a ticket. Another thing I noticed is that on Metra, one could never be sure of what side of the platform to be on. I knew which way was south, but other than that, there was no directional information and the trains did not have destinations listed on them (Photo, Right) In Copenhagen and at the regional stops, there were digital signs.

So now I have to rave about how easy the DSB trains were. After exiting customs, you walk into this large.atrium. There are signs to the platforms (1&2) with the destinations listed. I found the one that said "Helsingør" immediately. Piece of cake. I went over to buy a ticket from one of the machines and although I was hoping to do it on my own, a nice Danish guy helped me through the whole thing. I went down to the platforms and admired all of the digital signage telling me every detail a nerd like me wants to know when they are experiencing a foreign transportation system (Photo - Right). I know the signs are in Danish but they were not difficult to interpret.

My train pulled up not 5 minutes later boldly displaying "HELSINGØR" as the final destination. I boarded and sat down. First thing I noticed is that the seats had adjustable head rests that slid up and down to fit perfectly in the crook of your neck. (Hygge -- more on this later.) The train stopped much more frequently than Metra at every small town center on the coast from Copenhagen to Helsingør, but it was relatively fast-moving. One thing I did notice is that no one was talking on their cellular telephones. Everyone was being respectful of the other passengers. It was oddly quiet for public transportation. The train station at Helsingør had all of the amenities that the Antioch station lacked (Photo, Right) and three boarding platforms for the various types of departure trains.

The train station in Helsingør (Photo, Right) was also the ferry terminal where persons can board and go to Sweden. The bus transfer was right outside, as well as a public market that sold flowers, numerous cafes, and liquor stores where the Swedes go to buy cheap liquor. Here, you could also transfer onto a regional train network that serves the northern coast of Zealand.

P.S. The Copenhagen airport had HARDWOOD FLOORS!!