the static quo: Copenhagen Adventure, Day 2

Mo'Joe Coffee

Stopped at the corner coffee shop for my latte and croissant - yes I know that's wrong. But it's my deal. The ambient music was MØ which feels very authentic. They have little chocolates by the creams and sugars and I always grab a milk chocolate and a dark chocolate.

WakeUpCopenhagen lobby

Back to the hotel with enough time to eat my breakfast as it were and wait for Michael (boss) to pick me up. Traffic was insane as apparently the trains were on strike. What was supposed to be a half hour plus turned into an hour and a half.

Not only was the automobile traffic insane but they bikes! Oh man the bikes! Wave after wave of non helmet wearing beautiful people wheeling past at breakneck speeds.

For Michael, a true Dane, the traffic navigation was slow but effortless. I think I know now how my family feels when I'm driving too "expertly". But we didn't die or kill anyone. We had a wonderful chat on the drive though.

So one of the coolest things about the less urban areas is that there are thatched roofs! Driving out to the office I got to see a few different buildings with a very traditional thatching for roofing material. Hope to get a picture some day, too..

Chatting by the dashboard lights. Another thing we need in Minneapolis

Today was the day the new Solutions Architect started in Copenhagen, so I got to meet Stalin. Nice guy, totally isn't the communist legend. It helped a bit to have someone else to hang out with who wasn't familiar with the place, but it was nice to at least know the folks around me.

By the time lunch rolled around I knew enough people to get into the location's cantine. I know some of what I picked out was fish, and the salad had an interesting pesto like dressing. The bread was intense and I think I could have built a nice boat with it. But best of all was a currant juice that made me feel like I was at a Danish Ikea!

Quite tasty, and low calorie!

While some of the folks muttered about the food -- can't remember if it was lack of variety or what -- I thought it was great. If we had something like this in the Minneapolis office it might keep costs down and make everyone eat healthier. No sushi bowls though, so dealbreaker.

People eating lunch.

The overall building space is bright and well lit - an added bonus on those days with very little sunlight.

More details from the office

It was fun seeing the little details again - this time the polaroid org chart and table upon which snacks are distributed. I was going to get some kind of stereotypical American candy but never had time to get around to it. Something to let a following Minneapolitan take care of.

Mid afternoon everyone started to get changed for the Holiday party. I was glad I opted for a more casual jacket and dress shirt as it was much more comfortable than a tie, and the heat was starting to get to me.

By heat I mean they actually make their interior spaces warm. Back home it seems that when winter comes so does frozen feet and the ever present chill that reminds you the environment will kill you given half a chance. But everywhere I have gone has been nice and warm - but as a result I'm overheating in my many Minnesota layers of clothing. Going to have to adapt to that!

We all boarded a bus that would take us to the evening's dinner location, and it was quite convenient. Cars being crazy expensive in Denmark, not many of the employees have them, so this is just a really efficient way of getting everyone there.

Mateusz passes out refreshments

Themed to be a red carpet affair, we were guided into an area of the bar so the different teams could be led into the venue and have pictures taken. There was champagne and it was all very fancy. Lots of fun!

Rupak helped move the crowds around

Milling about and mingling

Photos on the red carpet

The whole affair was quite nice and between awards there were various courses of meals. Very fancy presentation and quite tasty food was the order of the evening. Also, the beverages flowed freely and there was much rejoicing.

The chicken option

My preferred veal option! Amazing!

The awards were various (five in total) recognitions for different people in the company, from Brand Ambassador to "Queue-it person of the year" and I had been nominated for the "Extra Mile Achiever of the Year" award and won! I was the only person in Minneapolis to win, and was very appreciative of the honor. We were nominated by our peers, and judged by the founders, so it means a lot to me to know that people have that vision of me - and the pleasure of receiving the award!

I will admit the miles part confuses me since it's a country of kilometers..

As the awards continued on, and dessert was served, the dinner changed over to a dance. Tables were cleared and lights were recalibrated as a dance floor was set up.

Groovy

I had been told by more than a few people that Danish holiday parties can be pretty interesting. An already flat organization drops all pretense, and people are able to interact with their co-workers in whatever fashion seems appropriate. I have to say I didn't see anything untoward that happened all night long, and I get a sense that the fact that people can be free to let loose is the reward, regardless of whether or not they choose to. Everyone was respectful, had fun, and all was well.

Ok, at some point it became amusing to get the American to try different kinds of Danish shots, and that part was a bit harrowing. I mean, why would you make an alcohol taste like pomegranate? I hate pomegranate! On the other hand, that licorice and fish tasting stuff wasn't half bad once you got over the shock of doing that to your taste buds.

Once we shut down the dance many of the younger folks moved into the pool hall (another part of the bar that one of the employees is a part owner in) and we played some pool. Mind you, the official party ended at 3am. But I was fairly well rested, right?

An even smaller contingent decided it was time to head downtown, and we went out to find a taxi. We were not in a very taxi-like neighborhood, mostly residential. But a car pulls up and this nice young lady asks us where we were heading. She was just heading home and thought she'd offer us a ride. WHAT? Yeah, that's just how Danes are, I guess. Flabbergasted, and maybe a little less wise than usual, we all piled in and she gave us a ride downtown. Thrilled that she didn't pull into an alley and kill us all, we thanked her profusely (and she got a company card as she was looking for an internship - go figure!) but warned her that we could just as easily have been bad people. (We were a mixed crowd of guys and gals and not very threatening, if that matters.)

She dropped us off by Zefside, a club downtown that was pretty amazing. Everyone just piled up their jackets and bags on a bench and went about their business. No coat check, and nobody was worried about anything being stolen. Naive? Maybe. But nothing was stolen. I made it out of the club around 5:30am with my jacket, bag, no broken bones phones or lost dignity. And I hadn't gone through much of my cash either.