Welcome to Denmark

Welcome to Denmark. The CIA World Factbook says this:

"Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs."

When we think of Denmark we think of little but some clichés related to furniture, a certain mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen and Copenhagen. In the course of this blog I would like to jot down some of the details and thoughts I´ve had during my time here in this land, the home of the self-declared happiest people on earth.
Denmark is not in itself a very interesting place but why it is not interesting is of interest. Denmark represents a good example of what occurs when the values of technocracy prevail over more fuzzy, uncertain and unmeasurable human values. Denmark´s measurable parameters (health, wealth and safety) are all quite high. The bits that evade measurement are not faring so well. These unhappy outcomes are harder to see which is why it has taken me three years to understand why being here is so profoundly tedious: the dull towns, the flavourless food, the treeless and bland landscape and, in my view, unjustified self-satisfaction.

If I can manage to keep this blog going you can look forward to exigeses on the dirty railways stations (Kolding, Copenhagen), inhumane pork production methods (7 million pigs castrated annually without anæsthetic), the flavourless yoghurt (all made by one firm), the annoying pavements (cobbles and concrete), the obsession with consumer goods (flat screen televisions and €40 wine openers), the cult of architecture (styled boxes, bungalows), the sterile office parks (boxes on lawns), the degenerating local language (pardon?) and many other little insights that are not mentioned in the publicity and which don´t make it into guide books such as Lonely Planet or Let´s Go Europe.

Mange kærlige hilsener!