Earlier this year, I resolved that for my birthday in September, I would treat myself to a trip to a country I had never visited during my planned break to the UK.
The idea was to repeat this every year where possible.
A number of desirable destinations on my longstanding bucket list popped up.
Canada, Australia, Brazil and The Bahamas were quickly discarded not just because they are so far away from the UK and would involve long-haul flights, which I detest, but more importantly because they would cost quite a fortune.
With lots of low-budget airlines flying around Europe (they can be much cheaper than local intercity trains), I would not have to break the bank to bring my resolution to fruition.
Tossing a few European destinations around in my head, it suddenly hit me that I had never visited Scandinavia, which comprises Denmark, Sweden and Norway, in northern Europe.
Eventually, I settled on Denmark, where I have a friend who agreed to host me.
When I casually mentioned my plans in a telephone conversation with my dear friend Deborah, who lives with her family in Geneva, Switzerland, she hit the roof and demanded that I show up in her city as soon as possible if I could find time to hop over to Copenhagen.
I last visited her city when she got married there in April 1999.
Who was I to protest, especially when she got back to me the next day, having purchased my ticket from Copenhagen to Geneva and onward to London, which she quickly emailed to me?
I was trapped, but of course, my protests were weak. Who turns down a sponsored trip to Switzerland, complete with accommodation?
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my one-way trip to Copenhagen would cost me just under 40 pounds sterling, which is less than what one would normally pay in cedi equivalent for a one-way trip from Accra to Kumasi.
I paid almost twice that amount to travel by train from Edinburgh to London.
That, dear reader, is how I ended up taking in two countries over one long weekend - something I had never done in my life.
Getting ‘touristy’
Of course, I could not turn up in Copenhagen and Geneva only to stay indoors and sleep.
I got on the tourist trail and went exploring to feast my eyes.
In Copenhagen, I took in the Tivoli Gardens, witnessed the changing of the guard at the Amelionborg Palace and took a stroll along the picturesque Nyhvam Canal, among others.
The Little Mermaid, an iconic bronze statue perched on a rock by the Langelinie promenade, which has symbolised Copenhagen since 1913, looked rather small and underwhelming, a bit like the much-touted London Bridge in Cape Coast.
The city has a very strong cycling culture, and bicycles are very much a core feature of its traffic.
Recalling my bicycling skills in my youthful days, I was tempted to rent a bicycle and go exploring the city.
But upon second thoughts, I decided not to tempt fate.
I felt it was safer to rely on my not-too-sturdy legs and the buses to move around town.
In Geneva, I explored the charming Old Town, with its cobbled streets and quaint little shops reminiscent of centuries gone by, took a walk around the scenic Lake Geneva with its famous water jet (Jet d’Eau), went to the Flower Clock, and strolled around the United Nations offices, the European headquarters of the international organisation I once dreamed of working for.
Among others, Switzerland is famous for its watches, and when I saw the price tags on some of the high-end brands, my head started to spin, so I quietly moved on. Whilst the country does not produce any cocoa at all, it is home to some of the finest chocolate products in the world, including Toblerone and Lindt. In one shop, I counted as many as 10 brands.
I found it quite an ironic twist when a lady friend back home told me to get her some chocolates when I told her where I was.
I nearly blurted, ‘why don’t you try some Golden Tree?’ and then wisely shut my mouth for fear of offending her.
My takeaways
I thoroughly enjoyed my long European weekend with a few interesting thoughts and impressions that drew my mind to my own republic.
Both Copenhagen and Geneva are particularly clean – almost squeaky clean, even compared to London or Paris.
The citizens seem to take particular pride in keeping their surroundings clean in such a way that, instinctively, as a guest, you are not able to even dream of littering.
And then there is the matter of noise – or lack thereof.
I do not know how such large cities manage to stay relatively quiet and yet busy, with both vehicles and humans almost appearing to glide by on air.
As I took in the near-silence, my mind could not help drifting to the streets of Accra of Kumasi, and in a way, I found my experience a bit spooky, almost as if I was exploring ghost cities.
Maybe on balance I would rather have some colourful vibrancy than a cemetery experience, even if the colourfulness can be rather overbearing at times.
Perhaps what struck me the most over the weekend was the relative ease of travelling around Europe, beyond the relatively cheaper fares thanks to low-budget airlines.
Within the Schengen Area, which comprises 29 European countries, travelling is quite a breeze, with no border or passport controls, and travelling from one country to another feels like travelling within one big country.
I think in the European context, integration has become more meaningful and impactful in this regard, with truly open borders.
Perhaps we in the ECOWAS region, or even in the wider African context, may want to pick a leaf or two in this regard, if we want to progress beyond lip service on African integration.
Maybe one day, when I truly have money, I will travel lazily all across Europe on a train, dreamily ticking off the cities on my bucket list as I go along.
‘Travel and see’, they say.
Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng.
E-mail: rodboat@yahoo.com
