Thinking about Holmes and Experiences

As this year’s sojourn to Europe comes to an end, I refer back to my old literary friend Sherlock Holmes. In The Adventure of the Red Circle, Holmes reminds his friend that, “Education never ends, Watson.” With that I am reminded that in each new travel experience we are exposed to new things and increase our knowledge and understanding of the world. Perhaps this is why I (and many others) enjoy travel so much, because it is a high dosage of education. Why else navigate alternative transportation options to spend less than twenty-four hours in Malmö?  Because it is an opportunity to see something new, to experience other things, to learn something.

At the airport in Copenhagen, there is a commemorative display to Danish writer, and national hero, Hans Christian Andersen. The display notes that Anderson made more than thirty trips outside Denmark in his life. This had a profound effect on Andersen and he wrote that travel enriched him and made him happy. In The Fairy Tale of My Life (1855), he concluded, “To travel is to live.”

These nineteenth century literary references tells us of the importance of discovery, experience and knowledge. While phenomena of travel and discovery has substantially changed from the nineteenth century, the basic human need to learn and explore has not. Yet, we would do well to remember that the act of travelling does not require us to go far. It is a state of mind. Any journey, even as short as fifteen minutes, can be a travel experience. It depends on the sojourner’s attitude: Are we willing to see something new? Willing to explore? To learn something?

It is also worth noting that Doyle has Holmes quote Shakespeare near the end of the Red Circle: “Journeys end in lovers meeting.”

Copenhagen Central Train Station

A train station is an interesting crossroad of people on the move, especially in Europe. Travelers and commuters converge at stations. All types of people walk through, from the young girl in her early teens in full makeup, carrying a soccer ball and cleats, to the elderly man who meanders from shop to shop, occasionally checking the departure board, in no particular hurry. Watching people in a train station is always fun and interesting and there is no telling who and what you are likely to see. 

When it is close and my hotel has an overpriced breakfast, I sometimes duck into a train station to have a coffee and croissant for breakfast. This was the case on a recent Saturday morning in Copenhagen. Sitting in a coffee shop at a window seat, I watched travelers meet, search, shop and hurry off to catch trains to their destinations. As my previous posts have indicated, I like train stations: It is a place of waiting, and a place of rendezvous.

Train stations contain symbols of, and information about, the city and culture they inhabit. Copenhagen Central Station is one of the busiest I have experienced.  I have heard more than one person say that there is always a line for tickets. Yet, most people are helpful and patient. Even though the majority of passengers are people, it is also a place for dogs. Sometimes the canine passengers seem more excited about their travels than their human companions. Yet, the dogs are seemingly always well behaved; human, on the other hand, are not always as well behaved.  

Opened in 1911, the main Copenhagen station is composed of brick, steel painted brown and a brownish red tile for flooring. The ceiling has slats that appear to be made of wood. It gives the station a surprisingly dark effect.

An interesting note: A smoking ban on the platforms will not come into effect until 1 July 2014 (it is surprising how many people were smoking). 

Remember the Camps in Denmark

In looking over my posts for this year’s trip to Europe, I noticed that I have not mentioned the Holocaust in any great detail. My only entry on the subject this year will be the nondescript plaque in the churchyard of Helligaandskirken (The Church of the Holy Ghost) in Copenhagen. There is no other explanation, except: “Tomb of the Unknown Concentration Camp Prisoner” in four languages. It is an interesting contrast to the Tombs of Unknown Soldiers in many countries.