On Friday I stepped on the plane to Aarhus, 24 hours later I was back in London. This was a final visit to clean up the 12 boxes of Danish life I still had left there. After not having seen their content for 2 years now, it was time to sort it out and move on.
Here are some random observations:
- It seems that Aarhus is less mobile phone obsessed than London.
- Very weird to see yellow busses in stead of red ones, even though I have travelled in the yellow ones for 10 years
- I still love the holes in the Danish coins.
- I had to drive on the left side, which went fine. The only time I got confused was on roundabouts!
- I found a film roll container filled with 20 kr. coins. It paid for dinner at this Pizza Hut, the one I ate in when I was about to leave for London. And also 2 years ago I had found a collection of 20 kr. coins. Weird!
- In 24 hours in Denmark I have transformed the 12 boxes and 3 big bags containing my 10 years of Danish life into 1 big bag. The rest has been either delivered to the Red Cross (think they had a good day) or the garbage.
- These badges are now forever gone …
- Things I got reunited with: a big stack of DVDs, Still Crazy – the script and some other Billicious stuff, my walking boots, my binoculars (they come in handy next weekend), a Jonathan Livingstone Seagull tea towell, and my bag with 15 or so Snoopy miniatures. Yes, I am 12.
- And I no longer own a single bit of TV-2. Of course I still have all their music but all the cds, vinyl singles, 12”s have been sold. They do still owe a bit of my heart though, and I look forward to hear and see them in Shepherd’s Bush in November.
- When I flew back home I could just about spot my favourite Danish lighthouse from the air.
So that was that then, all strings to Denmark are cut, and everything I own (which really is not much anymore) is in my room in London. Such freedom.
O, how I recognise the feeling of freedom when there’s just a limited amount of ‘stuff’ around that belongs to you and needs taking care of.
I had that feeling when I went to study abroad, and all I had in England where the things in my room there.
And I have it every summer when I’m in my tent :-)
:) Well it really does give a lot of freedom and I really try not to buy too much stuff again! It makes it easy to just pack and go, should the need ever occur again.
Purge. Clean. New life ;o)
Ingrid,
This is a beautiful post. I can relate 100%.
Warm regards,
Amy
It’s like I can hear this very faint whisper : “New York, New York, I’m coming….”
Or maybe you want to join the navy one day. Allthough the ships aren’t as cool these days as they were in Davy’s time !
@Amy – thank. And I hope you are doing well in the US!!
@Annerie – no New York will be kept for occasional visits. I can’t live without the English speaking the way they do. And the Navy – don’t think so! Think Davy would indeed be the only one I would sail with, as I am not too keen on sailing at all!! :) Am pretty sure that I won’t leave the UK for a while :)
Kind of sad, it makes me… for no logic reason. Being a guy with a LOT of stuff i can’t really claim to relate to leaving it all behind. Maybe it’s the fact that you are finally leaving Århus for good – though we never were close it somehow touches me anyway – maybe it’s the inner seagull that speaks.
Good luck on your way!
Makes me kind of sad too. All these hello-goodbyes through life.
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to loose, – Janis Joplin sang. Well – I know I couldn’t leave it all behind.
But, anyway, follow your heart, – I know you do Ingrid :-)
I’ll be seeing you in London in November – enjoy life in London and the UK until then ;-)
@Stig – well me and a lot of stuff just doesn’t go that well together. I have been moving around so much the last 12 years of my life, by the time I get rid of my restless nature I might start buy things again :)
@Dorte – yes I follow my heart, but not quite sure it knows where it is going though! And yes, will for sure see you in November!!