Where my Saturday was busy, with getting up early to write on my thesis, playing squash with my brother and meeting friends for coffee before picking up sushi that four other girls and I were to dine on, my Sunday was a day of recreation. For the first time in ages (I think two years) I had actually been drinking so much Saturday night with the girls and later at a friend's party that I had a serious hangover, which needed nurturing beyond Advil. I went down to Seven/Eleven, which is an institution here in Copenhagen, rather than the common gas station it represents in America. It is in fact the only store that is open on Sundays and after 8pm here in Denmark; besides it being a convenience store, it is also 'America' to a lot of people, with the good (convenience) and the bad (chain imperialism) that goes with it. I have to admit that I see nothing American in the concept other than the name, because it is Danes who owns them and Danish people who work there and the concept of Seven/Eleven=24 hour open, has nothing to do with the American chain gas station that could as well be called Chevron or Shell.
Going to 7/11 with a huge hangover I, for the first time realized how different downtown Copenhagen is to a regular neighborhood with mainly locals. The tourists buying ice cream and Danish (that would be Vienna bread in Danish) really bothered me and the uniformed cashier was ringing up my newspaper and croissant way too fast for my shaking hands to keep up. Here the tempo was upbeat because even on a Sunday the main street is crowded and when 7/11 is the only thing open, they are busy beyond anything imaginable. I just wanted to go home and tend to my headache. I locked myself in my apartment and spend the day reading a Danish newspaper from front to back for the first time since I returned and not going anywhere at all. Not even my beloved coffee shop Baresso with a wireless Internet. So after a busy Saturday I did absolutely nothing on Sunday and felt absolutely fine about it. But I think it will be a while before I drink that much again.
Posted by Louise at April 19, 2004 10:33 AM"A while"... 'till the CHI reception? Or will it be the next night, at the SV party?
Oh, and in America, 7/11s are run by Indians and Koreans. You should import Indians and Koreans for your 7/11s too.
Why is the main streat crowded when nothing is open?
Posted by: DF at April 19, 2004 09:33 PMsince i was so busy attending my other guests at the party we didn't even get to dance - but lets try to make up for that in vienna right...
Posted by: anna at April 20, 2004 08:58 PMYou're lucky!!! Here the nearest comparable shop is a small gas station that closes at 10 pm - and the things they have that come closest to something edible is candy...
And thanks for the comment in my blog!
I miss you!
Re: 7/11 ...
I made a big mistake today ... bought 2 x 1.5 litre bottles of Aqua D'Or at 7/11 (Aqua D'Or so named apparently because it contains gold leaf or should do) for the bargain basement knockdown price of 50 DKK. Never again.
Other stores are now open on Sundays - Fakta (on Amagerbrogade), Super Brugsen (only the kiosk bit on Christianshavn) and Netto (at Christmas Møllers Plads) are all open on Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 10pm selling stuff you can cook with (ie not just soda, chocolate and chips).
HTH
Posted by: daen at April 25, 2004 05:24 PMReally? I had no idea Copenhagen was so advanced. And I am SO interested in cooking Sundays when I have a hangover. Especially if it involves me riding my bike to the other end of town.
Posted by: Louise at April 26, 2004 02:24 PM