Benign Biker Gangs

Benign Biker Gangs

DEN-MARKà BEL-GIUM, European Union Tour May-June 2006

Den-mark, from Swe-den and Nor-way, is a total break in the jagged mountainside and rolling green hills that make up the more northern parts of the Nordic countries. Den-mark is marked by flatter more fertile grass lands that glow under the sunset and that are situated below the sea. I have left a shot of a sunset to give you an idea. I was in no particular rush to get anywhere and so happened upon a small town just off the main highway. It had some camping so I made my way to the site. In it I found a whole town full of campers, or rather caravanners, that think the idea of holidays and camping involve setting up a home out of a tent trailer. This is superior to camping as it is like living at home but in a campground. Not everything in Eu-rope has logic underlying it but for the most part Europeans do some things, like eating, in a far more reasonable manner than us North Americans.

I found my way over to the motorcycle section and discovered the friendliest biker gang that ever could call themselves bikers. They were a diverse group and had some rather strong opinions about the European Union and what it meant to them. Of course I was gearing up for my EU Study tour that was to start in two days in Bruxelles so I was still trying to do my studious duty of preparation by taking the pulse of the local people from all over Eu-rope. They were far from enthusiastic about the Union and the prospect of the constitution but that is another hotly debated issue that one biker gang may not necessarily fairly represent. A little old lady came offer to offer me a beer as I set up my tent. I figured they were not quite ready for an explanation as to why I couldn’t drink it so I took it for the time being. It was the first time I had set up my tent since I bought it and it was getting rather dark. The tent is an amazingly small and compact thing that my experienced climbing friend Boris convinced me to buy. At the time of purchase I had no idea how sophisticated they could make a tent pole set. I was having great difficulty figuring out whether the pole set went on the outside of the outer tarp or the inside of it so I tried both ways...twice over. The biker gang sat at their table in their leathers drinking their beers trying not to laugh too loudly...so as not to offend the foreigner. They think I am German as my plate says Deutschland on it so this makes them doubly surprised that a German can’t quite figure out his tent. Finally I sort it out, load my things inside and join them at the table. I explain in some broken English that I don’t drink and they start to laugh quite a bit louder now. They felt that the way I had set up my tent, not only taking three times over to put it up properly but managing to place it right underneath a raging bee hive nest could not have been possible by anyone but a total drunk! This, they believed, was the real reason I could not drink anymore beer. With the communication barrier as it was, I had to ride this one through and take the jokes.

They were all in good nature though and I had a great time with them discussing politics, Den-mark, bikes, and the reason why they refused the Euro. The camp ground staff were a friendly family and wanted to show me their daughter overseas in Af-rica. They were sponsoring her to go to school. Whenever you get bogged down thinking the world is a place full of disparity, I find if I look right around a corner I run into the warmest most kind- hearted people. As a biker who had traveled the world to settle down and become an incredibly nice Hostel owner in Ber-lin once told me, he was convinced the world was 95% full of good people and that it was only a few bad apples that made people have this perception that “good” existed nowhere. Whenever he found himself in a bind in a foreign country, no money and a language barrier to accompany, people always went to extraordinary lengths to help him out. So too have my troubles been made bearable. I had little time to spend in Den-mark but the countryside and the beauty of its fertile fields have enticed me to come back again.

Comments

[Rudy Gardinetti]

I laughed my way through this comment. But Mattttttty...it's only ONE beer ;)

[Christyn]

Oh what a wise Hostel owner... I completely agree. Life becomes so much more beautiful when you are lost and the only possibility to find your way is to depend on others. Although amidst all my pride I find that being independent is strength. However, my strongest moments have come when I am humbled by the divine help of the incredibly good people in the world. hmmm.... wow.. let's hear it for me talking too much. Sorry!