Welcome to RamsgateArriving in any town in the UK, you will have a nice big Welcome sign, indicating the town´s name and any other towns it may be twinned with around Europe. It´s very likely that you would pass such a sign every day. Mostly, it´s the kind of thing you wouldn´t pay attention to. Indeed, can you name YOUR twin towns?
"Hugin" the Viking Ship
In the summer of 1949 a group of Danes rowed a Viking ship across the North Sea.
It was an exact replica of a ship used by the Viking´s Hengist and Horsa, who arrived in Ramsgate, (the first landing in Britain) in 449 AD. It was built in fjord town Frederikssund and was heading for Ramsgate, where it would stay, tidily marking the 1500 th anniversary of the original landing.
Hitching to Frederikssund
A mere 40km from Copenhagen, I decided it was time to pay my respects.
My objective was to take the foto: "Velkommen till Frederikssund - Tvilling med RAMSGATE StorBritannien".
To my great disappointment, no towns in Denmark have sings indicating their European twins.
I intended to go straight to the Mayor to express my concern!
WHAT! No mention of any twin!!
I headed straight for the Radhus (Town Hall) and demanded to see the Mayor. The name Ramsgate had made a couple of heads turn and before I knew it, I was pencilled in for a meeting the next day at 13:30. "Don´t be late!", they told me.
Frederikssund Town Hall
Some places in Denmark, like banks, have free coffee machines. But you have to at least go up to the desk and show interest in the day´s exchange rate or something. Town hall was no different, so I pressed the espresso button 3 times into the same cup on my way out.
Frederikssund News Office
I notice the local news office and decide to pay them a little visit too.
"You may be interested in interviewing me", I suddenly declare to the receptionist.
A completely unimpressed "And that would be because..............?" was the retort.
Before long, I´m engulfed in a two hour interview in the board room. Martine, the very nice reporter, somehow got me to pour my heart out over another 3 coffees.
I was scheduled for a shooting with the professional photgrapher the next day.
Martine breaking me down. I tell all.
I spent the night on a nearby farm, in a little house exchanging stories about the far east with Jens, a botanist, adventurer. We had a friend in common in Vladivostok.
In the evening we went for deer stew with all the local farmers, all of whom run an eco-farm.
Jens and his house
The next morning I ran the risk of hitching back to town for my 13:30 appointment. It was 11km away, but the Danes are so friendly, that I was picked up within 10 minutes by a girl coming from the city (Copenhagen) to the counrty side to go horse riding.
I hope someone picks me up or the Mayor will be angry
I checked in at 13:20. In my hand was a piece of paper with the Mayor´s name. Ole Find Jensen.
I studied it. I was unprepared, not sure what to say. I at least had to get his name right!
At precisely 13:30 I was greeted by the man himself with a handshake that only comes with authority. I sit myself in a nice big chair with a selection of drinks in front of me, then begin to try and justify why I would be wasting this great man´s time.
I think I opened with an interruption: "Have you ever been to Ramsgate"?
Frederikssund Town Hall Square
It turns out Frederikssund municipality had recently incorporated 3 new towns. Ole, who was now the Mayor for all, had not yet been to Ramsgate. This new amalgamation meant that officially Frederikssund had 20 something twins. Most of them Scandinavian, he said that eventually he would have to whittle the list down to 4 or 5. I hope that my visit ensures Ramsgate a spot. He winked that of course the Spanish town was safe. (A holiday in the sun).
Mayor Ole Find Jenson
I offered him an A4 foto of me next to the Welcome sign in Ramsgate. I apologized about the grafitti across the word "RAMSGATE", explaining that I had asked my friend Chris who works in the council to sort it out, but he didn´t. I also gave him a foto of "Hugin", the Viking ship, which sparked a conversation about the Mayor coming over in the summer of 2009, marking its 60th anniversary. He told me that he would ask his cultural department to look into hunting down any living members of the crew who originaly sailed the vessel to Ramsgate 59 years prior.
Around Frederikssund I told him that I worked in tourism, and seeing as his wife had never been to England, I promisd that if he, his family, old crew members and any other distinguished delegates or guests came to Ramsgate the next summer, I would be their personal guide around London. I stopped short of inviting him to stay with me, remembering I didn´t have a place.
Frederikssund High Street After my photo shoot with Finn, Martine had a buffet lunch waiting for me. I told her that I would make sure she is included on the list to visit us next year. I walked all around the town. I stopped for a pint in the local pub, and showed everyone a picture of me next to the sign. What ever kind of a reaction I was expecting from people who are in the pub at 15:00 on a Wedneday, I don´t know. Nonetheless it passed eagerly form punter to punter the whole while, me smiling so they recognise it´s me in the photo.
Sunset over Frederikssund
The sun was setting and I still had a 40km hitch to get back to Copenhagen where I would pitch my tent in the same place I always do: hippy district Christiania. There had been riots there all this week, but my spot was out of the way next to the lake.
Goodbye, and thanks for having me.
After bidding my farewells to the news team, and taking a last look at a town I have known about (at least in name) for all these years, I carry on my 2360km journey north. Scandinavian Arctic Winter, here I come!
check out the newspaper article: http://www.e-pages.dk/frederikssundavis/97
