Ideas to the low-budget travel in Denmark

When traveling in any country there will always be tricks to make it a cheap and easy travel. I will share some of the tips and tricks here I have made use of several times.

1. DSB is one of the train services in Denmark with whom you can travel across the country, however can be expensive compared to the alternatives that do exist. However, it is the easiest way and the most convenient when traveling long distances in Denmark. Do order the so-called "Orange" tickets. They are the cheapest to find, but they have to be bought in advance and cannot be changed when bought. Find a Dane to help you find these tickets, because it is not easy to find them on the english version of DSB's webpage. 

2. Instead of DSB, I would recommend travelling with Abildskou.dk or rødbillet.dk. If you are lucky and early in the ticket hunt, you can even find tickets from 50 kr at Abildskou.dk!! I once travelled from Aarhus to Copenhagen on such a ticket! With rødbillet you get free coffee and they have a break on Fyn and both bus-companies offer free WiFi during your travel! 

3. When traveling within Copenhagen it can be an idea to buy a "rejsekort". You can travel with all busses within the city of Copenhagen as well as in Aarhus. It is not all cities in Denmark that have this card yet, but it is on the way. All you have to do before you travel with the card is to load money on it and then you check in when your travel begins and every time you change bus or train and check out when your travel has ended. There will be a fee if you forget to check out. So remember Read more here.

4. Concerning restaurants, food and such there is a lot of guides and reviews of such on aok.dk or aoa.dk. But the most exciting thing is that in Copenhagen (and from 2017 also in Aarhus) a new and supermarket have opened with an amazing concept. It is the first store in Denmark with surplus food - not in the sense that it has already been half eaten, but groceries that in the regular supermarkets cannot be sold because they either have a bump or something else. I find that the store and the uniqueness of its concept is worth a visit. Read more here (unfortunately only in Danish). It opens from monday to friday from 15-19 and the address is Amagerbrogade 151, 2300 Copenhagen.

5. If you want to know what restaurants and cafes serves glutenfree and diary free alternatives, then several websites do share this information. Foursquare lists 15 places in Copenhagen that are worth trying, but if you have a Danish friend who can translate for you, this blog offers lists of places to eat in different cities - an AMAZING blog. I have myself tried the cafe called Glad! and will have to try Cafe Ganefryd next time in Aarhus. In Copenhagen I am crazy about the cafe 42RAW and also Hard Rock Cafe!

Please, do share tips and tricks for an easy travel around in Denmark or any other country you have been in! :) 

The Effects of Government and Media Reaction

These days the Danish government is yet again making tightenings regarding radicalised young people. The reason why it is yet again a part of the media as well as the Governments awareness is due to a resent police response the Danish Security and Intelligence Service made where some young people were arrested and charged within the so-called Danish terror-paragraph.

It is rather common that radicalisation in a context such as this makes the media overflow with articles that hints fear and begins a sense of hostility among the Danish people. I must admit that the anger regarding the rather one-sided cover of the so-called "muslim radical" that makes it seem that all muslims are radical may overflow my judgement and make my arguments in this respect rather generalised. However, The governments ideas to tighten the law regarding these so-called Syrian-warriors. The medias eternal cover of radicalisation in more or less direct connection with Islam and muslims. It makes me so furious that it is the action of a few people that may have an affect of how the Danish people regard the rest of those Danes who confess to Islam and are actually well integrated and participate in the Danish society and pay their taxes.

On one hand, I understand that it is of the governments interest to show the Danish people that it takes action against possible terror-threats. In a time like these where Europe seem more of a terror-target than ever, it would on one hand seem too laid back if the government did not react. On the other hand, I find that the reaction has really gone overboard. The fact that the Danish Security and Intelligence Service actually manage to do the job they exists to do, makes me wonder why we need another government "over"-reaction. The part of our society that exists to deal with the terror-threats works. They have done a rather good job in the prevention of terror in Denmark - a thing that is rather difficult to prevent. The only reaction another government intervention will create is that the media attention will yet again make muslims the villains and it will create even more hostility among the Danish people that will make sure that the Danish people will to a lesser degree help the war-inflicted people who really do need our help by for instance demanding a complete closure of our borders towards people who have experienced trauma, war and terror in ways we will never be able to understand.

If the government instead let things work, the way they are ment to, I would respect the government if they react in a rather respectful way towards the system that have been created in Denmark. It would possibly create more peace and instead of letting the fear cloud the Danish peoples judgement, it might make room for more compassion.

Even though, many Danish people have worked against the Danish governments views of the refugees who have more than ever escaped to Europe, the fact that a refugee-hostile party as the Danish People Party who have gained more support than ever shows me that there is a great deal of fear and hostility that needs to be dealt with in Denmark.

We keep saying to each other that fear and a limitation of our everyday life is what terror wants to create. Even though we keep telling ourselves and each other that it is important to live life as we would usually do and not be affected by the terror. Maybe, terror is slowly creeping into our conscience and have slowly affected the way we think about the world and the way we react towards people who truly needs our help. Or the way we react towards the diversity that obviously exists in our society.

Showing compassion and helping other are indeed a more difficult road towards destroying terror and what it creates among the people affected by it. But I believe that the long and difficult road is the better road to take than fighting with the same means and tools as the "enemy" does. Have we, the rich part of the world forgotten that our previous actions hostile and mean actions may have had a role in creating the anger, hostility and the "us" and "them"-mentality that terror springs from? Maybe it is time to react differently than we usually have done since a war on terror obviously haven't worked?

Some thesis-influenced thoughts on to be or not to be... 'radical'

"The first four steps, in fact, revolve around getting to know people and building trust: Be helpful, be good neighbors, listen to the concerns of others. The activist's religious identity is not revealed until step five and only then in a rudimentary fashion that avoids church questions and instead centers on generic religious discussions and values ... In a similar fashion some Islamic activists, particularly jihadis, hide their movement identity, until after a personal relationship is developed. " Quintan Wiktorowicz, Radical Islam Rising, 2005 p. 23. 

As I am writing my thesis at the moment I came across this rather detailed description of how religious activists, through a development of personal relation, seeks to proselyte among strangers, in an attempt to gain more followers to their cause. 

At first I found it kind of weird; So now I have to worry about the guy who pics up my wallet from the street and runs to me to hand it to me? Or the neighbour that knocks on my door with a piece of pie she made yesterday? Because they might be radicalised and before I know it I might be involved in some extreme activities? First, I came to realise that this method is not exclusively something "Islamic activists" do, everyone does it. Everyone should do it. Not necessarily with a hidden agenda. But, wouldn't the world be a less lonely place if we were some who came out of our individualistic tendencies to exclude everyone else, just because we don't know them? Everyone needs someone to listen to one's concerns. Relate. Everyone at some point in their lives needs a helping hand. 

Second, I became a little curious on how many 'radicalised' have actually been detected in the Danish society. In an article at a local newsstation, recently revealed that the Danish Immigration Services received 5 notifications of coincidences of possible radicalised people. In 2015 an estimated number of over 21000 people sought asylum in Denmark (exact numbers: https://www.nyidanmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/E3C50EA0-BD36-4DDD-9C8D 

7AAF44DE1F12/0/seneste_tal_udlaendingeeomraadet.pdf). Now, 5 coincidences are not a lot. Though, we may take into account that various de-radicalisation programs may have received some notifications as well, the next question is what here is meant by 'radicalisation'? The usual definition contains a process where someone to a higher degree accepts violence in order to fulfil one's political / ideological / religious goals. Now, does this person have to exercise violence? Can someone be referred to as radical just in terms of opinions? One's execution of regular lifestile choices? Would someone choosing to live fully by the bible not also be called radical by the rest of the society if they did not live by this norm? And what exactly is wrong with having a radically different worldview as long as such worldview does not violently affect others? 

I understand that something needs to be done when it comes to preventing violence from being the choice of expression when someone wants to express themselves, but I find that radical way of living becomes dangerous in itself, without some perspective and without general knowledge about the different worldviews. Hypothetically, I guess the reason why Christianity in some contexts isn't regarded as 'dangerous' in the Danish society, because Danes are aware and know to some extent of the religion and what it entails, naturally everything unknown becomes that dangerous thing out there in the dark. But maybe, instead of accusing someone for being 'radical' in its negative connotation, it is time to reach out and become acquainted with the different wordlviews. What is the worse that could happen? Maybe you will get a knew friend? Maybe not? Under all circumstances, we are all free to express our opinions. Free to belief in anything we want. As long as that does not cause any harm to others right? So lets all look over the hedge separating our gardens from the neighbours and say hello. Let's all be 'radical'. 

Just thoughts from a thesis-writing, soon to be done with school, radical, that actually believes in the good in everyone despite difference in opinion, religion or just worldview.