As I am typing the beginning of this post it has no title. I can't think of one! Not a lot of pretty pictures in this one.
This was my last day in Copenhagen (for now...). Later that day around 4 p.m. I was heading off to visit friends in Bisserup which is about an hour south of the city.
As my Copenhagen card had run out I decided to get a day pass for the metro and head into town for one last look around.
Well! I stuck my credit card into the machine (there were no ticket offices at the outlying metro stations - not that I saw anyway!) and it came back with "incorrect PIN". So I stuck it in again.."Incorrect PIN" As I was traveling that day I had my money belt with me so I pulled out my back up VISA card...and even that didn't work! This time it told me "invalid card". I didn't have the correct change on me and there were no shops nearby. So I took a risk, hoping I didn't get "busted" for not having a valid "ticket to ride" and got on the train to the next stop thinking maybe that particular machine didn't work - although truth be told there were two of them and neither worked! Of course the next one didn't work. I realized this was the first time I had used my credit card while in Denmark except for booking online. My transportation and admissions had been on the Copenhagen Card and I paid cash for my meals.
I googled where the closest bank was on my phone and off I went. It was about a mile away and it was a warm day out. Being panicky at possibly not having any working credit cards I was a bit hot and bothered to put it mildly. I arrived at the bank just before it opened so I used the ATM/Cash point outside the bank with my debit card. And that didn't work! Aaaaagh!!! Now I was in panic mode. When the bank opened I went in looking a bit wild-eyed I am sure and asked the staff if there was any way I could get cash off my debit card from them. No I was told - they don't have money in the bank. By now I was nearly hysterical "YOU ARE A BANK AND YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY?" I practically screamed at them. No, we don't they cooly replied. I have run into this before in Europe and apparently, the same thing is coming to Canada.... I was told to try the machine inside. I walked over muttering as it was a smaller ATM and in my experience, you have to be careful which one you choose - some are just for customers of that particular bank and won't accept debit cards from another one. Well it worked - I could have cried with relief. So at least I had cash but the problem being I still didn't have the right change. And of course the bank couldn't give me any. I went to a nearby coffee shop for a much needed flat white and he was able to give me a tiny bit of change from the huge bill I gave him (he had to run to a nearby shop to get it) but not much. I ended up buying a (much needed) bottle of water from a small convenience store and he gave me what I needed thank goodness.
By now time was ticking by so I decided not to go into town. I took my time walking back and popped into a park to have a sit down/calm down. I was in need of a toilet so I looked around and found one that was behind a gate. I realized it was a secure area for children but I really didn't give a sh*t at this point and while I got a few looks no one stopped me. (just let them try - ha!) I had been planning to have a coffee and bun in town so I had nothing in my stomach either.
By then places were opening for lunch so I walked back to the second metro stop I had walked from and decided to treat myself to a nice lunch sitting outside. I badly wanted a real drink but as I had a bit of travel ahead I settled for a passion fruit lemonade! Of course, I had smorrebrod - chicken salad and bacon. You don't want to know what I paid for that simple meal but it was good and at that point I didn't give a you know what!
It was a sunny warm day so sitting outside relaxed me. And guess what? I USED MY MASTERCARD (deliberately using the PIN instead of swiping) AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM!!! I had cash ready just in case and even told the server I am going to try this and see....go figure!!! I am still scratching my head on that one. I thought perhaps it was because somehow they were blocking me because I was in a different country although that would have been a first.
In case you are wondering, yes my Mastercard had been hacked. More on that in future posts.
So kids...when you are traveling always have a back-up credit card and even debit card if you can... Even if you are traveling as a couple always have different credit cards. You just never know. After 44 years of international travel this was a first for me. Sometimes when your debit card does not work in certain ATM's but usually it works in one - as long as your bank knows or you have automatic tracking like my bank has. Heading to a different bank would have been my next move.
I then walked back to the Airbnb and relaxed a bit (Hette told me I could leave whenever and just put the key back in the shed!) and then bought a ticket (with change) to the airport where I got a direct train to Central station. Hette recommended this as she said it was easier than changing metro lines.
As I got there early (because I figured I had better in case something else went wrong that day) I wandered around a bit but there is only so much you can see in a train station. So I decided I needed something sugary and a sit-down and I went to Dunkin Donuts. I know, I know....but this is what attracted me...
I love Copenhagen! (because I do...) I think I bought it more to get a picture of it than to eat it...ha ha. I ate it though. It looked better than it tasted.
Finally, it was time to board my train and the journey was uneventful. Berit was there to greet me upon my arrival in Slagelse. Normally I would go to a town closer to Berit's but that line was being worked on. Shortly after I got there my friend Claudia arrived from Germany and the three of us headed back to Bisserup.
Berit's house is very small and can't accommodate two visitors so she had rented a flat for us. It cost the equivalent of $120 Canadian a night split between the two of us. It was okay I guess as we spent most of the time at Berit's. We each had our own room which was good. We had to share the bathroom with the owner of the house which normally is not a problem but it was on the main floor down some very steep stairs. It was a very slow scary walk up and down, especially during my middle of the night visits.
I opted to sleep in the main room as it had easier access for my nocturnal bathroom visits!
The kitchen window had a lovely view and we had everything we needed if we were going to cook. All we used it for was for making Claudia's morning tea and my morning coffee! Berit insisted we come every morning for a huge breakfast.
There were lots of plates, a microwave, kettle..everything we needed. And luckily the stairs had a light above that came on automatically.
There was even a way of heating the place; not that we needed it in early June. You can see through to Claudia's room - she and Berit are having a natter there. I won't be showing any pictures of either one of them as neither is an Internet user so I don't want to disturb their privacy. No wifi here or at Berit's! I had a digital detox for almost a week!
I think they need to get a new sink though!!! Berit and Alfred were absolutely disgusted when they saw this. It was some kind of lye I think..not sure but nothing came off when we tried cleaning it. Luckily we had a basin that we put in the sink to wash our dishes in (which is a common thing to do in the UK and Europe). Aside from the sink everything was squeaky clean including the bedding.
It had its faults but despite its quirks it felt like "home" for the six nights we spent there. As I mentioned, we were only there to sleep.
We had a nice meal with Berit and Alfred and I had a much-needed glass of vino.
The best five days of my four week trip to Scandinavia trip began...but that's the next post!
This was my last day in Copenhagen (for now...). Later that day around 4 p.m. I was heading off to visit friends in Bisserup which is about an hour south of the city.
As my Copenhagen card had run out I decided to get a day pass for the metro and head into town for one last look around.
Well! I stuck my credit card into the machine (there were no ticket offices at the outlying metro stations - not that I saw anyway!) and it came back with "incorrect PIN". So I stuck it in again.."Incorrect PIN" As I was traveling that day I had my money belt with me so I pulled out my back up VISA card...and even that didn't work! This time it told me "invalid card". I didn't have the correct change on me and there were no shops nearby. So I took a risk, hoping I didn't get "busted" for not having a valid "ticket to ride" and got on the train to the next stop thinking maybe that particular machine didn't work - although truth be told there were two of them and neither worked! Of course the next one didn't work. I realized this was the first time I had used my credit card while in Denmark except for booking online. My transportation and admissions had been on the Copenhagen Card and I paid cash for my meals.
I googled where the closest bank was on my phone and off I went. It was about a mile away and it was a warm day out. Being panicky at possibly not having any working credit cards I was a bit hot and bothered to put it mildly. I arrived at the bank just before it opened so I used the ATM/Cash point outside the bank with my debit card. And that didn't work! Aaaaagh!!! Now I was in panic mode. When the bank opened I went in looking a bit wild-eyed I am sure and asked the staff if there was any way I could get cash off my debit card from them. No I was told - they don't have money in the bank. By now I was nearly hysterical "YOU ARE A BANK AND YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY?" I practically screamed at them. No, we don't they cooly replied. I have run into this before in Europe and apparently, the same thing is coming to Canada.... I was told to try the machine inside. I walked over muttering as it was a smaller ATM and in my experience, you have to be careful which one you choose - some are just for customers of that particular bank and won't accept debit cards from another one. Well it worked - I could have cried with relief. So at least I had cash but the problem being I still didn't have the right change. And of course the bank couldn't give me any. I went to a nearby coffee shop for a much needed flat white and he was able to give me a tiny bit of change from the huge bill I gave him (he had to run to a nearby shop to get it) but not much. I ended up buying a (much needed) bottle of water from a small convenience store and he gave me what I needed thank goodness.
By now time was ticking by so I decided not to go into town. I took my time walking back and popped into a park to have a sit down/calm down. I was in need of a toilet so I looked around and found one that was behind a gate. I realized it was a secure area for children but I really didn't give a sh*t at this point and while I got a few looks no one stopped me. (just let them try - ha!) I had been planning to have a coffee and bun in town so I had nothing in my stomach either.
By then places were opening for lunch so I walked back to the second metro stop I had walked from and decided to treat myself to a nice lunch sitting outside. I badly wanted a real drink but as I had a bit of travel ahead I settled for a passion fruit lemonade! Of course, I had smorrebrod - chicken salad and bacon. You don't want to know what I paid for that simple meal but it was good and at that point I didn't give a you know what!
It was a sunny warm day so sitting outside relaxed me. And guess what? I USED MY MASTERCARD (deliberately using the PIN instead of swiping) AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM!!! I had cash ready just in case and even told the server I am going to try this and see....go figure!!! I am still scratching my head on that one. I thought perhaps it was because somehow they were blocking me because I was in a different country although that would have been a first.
In case you are wondering, yes my Mastercard had been hacked. More on that in future posts.
So kids...when you are traveling always have a back-up credit card and even debit card if you can... Even if you are traveling as a couple always have different credit cards. You just never know. After 44 years of international travel this was a first for me. Sometimes when your debit card does not work in certain ATM's but usually it works in one - as long as your bank knows or you have automatic tracking like my bank has. Heading to a different bank would have been my next move.
I then walked back to the Airbnb and relaxed a bit (Hette told me I could leave whenever and just put the key back in the shed!) and then bought a ticket (with change) to the airport where I got a direct train to Central station. Hette recommended this as she said it was easier than changing metro lines.
As I got there early (because I figured I had better in case something else went wrong that day) I wandered around a bit but there is only so much you can see in a train station. So I decided I needed something sugary and a sit-down and I went to Dunkin Donuts. I know, I know....but this is what attracted me...
I love Copenhagen! (because I do...) I think I bought it more to get a picture of it than to eat it...ha ha. I ate it though. It looked better than it tasted.
Finally, it was time to board my train and the journey was uneventful. Berit was there to greet me upon my arrival in Slagelse. Normally I would go to a town closer to Berit's but that line was being worked on. Shortly after I got there my friend Claudia arrived from Germany and the three of us headed back to Bisserup.
Berit's house is very small and can't accommodate two visitors so she had rented a flat for us. It cost the equivalent of $120 Canadian a night split between the two of us. It was okay I guess as we spent most of the time at Berit's. We each had our own room which was good. We had to share the bathroom with the owner of the house which normally is not a problem but it was on the main floor down some very steep stairs. It was a very slow scary walk up and down, especially during my middle of the night visits.
I opted to sleep in the main room as it had easier access for my nocturnal bathroom visits!
The kitchen window had a lovely view and we had everything we needed if we were going to cook. All we used it for was for making Claudia's morning tea and my morning coffee! Berit insisted we come every morning for a huge breakfast.
There were lots of plates, a microwave, kettle..everything we needed. And luckily the stairs had a light above that came on automatically.
There was even a way of heating the place; not that we needed it in early June. You can see through to Claudia's room - she and Berit are having a natter there. I won't be showing any pictures of either one of them as neither is an Internet user so I don't want to disturb their privacy. No wifi here or at Berit's! I had a digital detox for almost a week!
I think they need to get a new sink though!!! Berit and Alfred were absolutely disgusted when they saw this. It was some kind of lye I think..not sure but nothing came off when we tried cleaning it. Luckily we had a basin that we put in the sink to wash our dishes in (which is a common thing to do in the UK and Europe). Aside from the sink everything was squeaky clean including the bedding.
It had its faults but despite its quirks it felt like "home" for the six nights we spent there. As I mentioned, we were only there to sleep.
We had a nice meal with Berit and Alfred and I had a much-needed glass of vino.
The best five days of my four week trip to Scandinavia trip began...but that's the next post!
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