Arrivals: The Beginning of Copenhagen
07/12/09 00:04
My first morning in
Copenhagen, and I haven’t yet seen the light. Most
of our delegation is staying in a hostel that a
reviewer wondered if this is what a prison might
look like if it had been designed by Ikea. It’s
actually not that bad — I’ve stayed in much worse.
And the beginning of a long stay in any place far
from home always focuses on securing essentials and
dealing with practicalities: unpacking, making sure
you have the right plugs for your electronics, and
laundry.
But we are dealing
with some strange issues here: almost nonexistent
internet access, very tight living quarters (I have
two official roommates in a small space, and (for
an unlucky few) bedbugs. Space is actually very
constricted across the Copenhagen, which has about
1.7 million residents and some 35,000 people here
for the conference. That’s a measure of how
important the meeting is viewed globally. But it
also means a lot of discomfort for those of us
traveling here on a budget.
The lack of light is actually interesting in itself. We’re quite far north in latitude here — around 50 degrees north or so — and though I landed about 4 pm it might as well have been midnight. It’s 8 am now, and sun won’t rise for another hour. Is a cool, rainy gloom the full promise of Copenhagen?
I don’t think so, happily. My hostel is actually quite interesting. It’s quite large — 16 stories, more than a thousand beds — and by Sunday night the building was already stuffed with people attending the conference (or Conference of the Parties, usually referred to simply as the COP), mostly from non-governmental organizations like WWF. There are lots of young people especially, mostly from UNICEF. There are a number of other environmental organizations here too. And WWF has something like 200 people scattered over the city, with about 60 or 70 in this hostel. The rooms are so small and basic, that most people linger in the crowded lobby area, which is also a bar. Which helps with the frustration around internet access. And fills the room with light and energy, even if outside there is darkness.
The lack of light is actually interesting in itself. We’re quite far north in latitude here — around 50 degrees north or so — and though I landed about 4 pm it might as well have been midnight. It’s 8 am now, and sun won’t rise for another hour. Is a cool, rainy gloom the full promise of Copenhagen?
I don’t think so, happily. My hostel is actually quite interesting. It’s quite large — 16 stories, more than a thousand beds — and by Sunday night the building was already stuffed with people attending the conference (or Conference of the Parties, usually referred to simply as the COP), mostly from non-governmental organizations like WWF. There are lots of young people especially, mostly from UNICEF. There are a number of other environmental organizations here too. And WWF has something like 200 people scattered over the city, with about 60 or 70 in this hostel. The rooms are so small and basic, that most people linger in the crowded lobby area, which is also a bar. Which helps with the frustration around internet access. And fills the room with light and energy, even if outside there is darkness.
