Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen!

Or So Sang David Daniel Kaminsky

It is worth reminding ourselves exactly where Copenhagen is. It lies on the eastern flank of the Island of Zetland ...

... which is not too far across the sea from Malmo in Sweden. The bridge which links the two is named after the stretch of wet which separates the two nations.

It doesn't look far, but the Oresund Bridge is 7.5 miles long.

The bridge itself is 5 miles long, but you have to add in the 2.5 miles of the Oresund Tunnel which links Denmark to the artificial island of Peberholm (Copenhagen airport lower right) ...

... and then on to the bridge.

The tunnel plus bridge carry a motorway and a railway, the latter being on a lower deck.

Before the bridge, the route was served by various conventional passenger vessels ...

... by vehicle ferries ...

... by fast catamaran boats ...

... and hydrofoils.

All seagoing services are now replaced by the bridge.

Copenhagen itself has a variety of public transport modes. Historically the city had an extensive tram network ...

... which, even on a crude diagram ...

... looks splendidly comprehensive. The last old-style trams ran in 1972, but what prompted fbb's armchair expedition to the home of the Little Mermaid ...

... was the opening of a brand new tram line last month. The mayors of the communities served by the "letbane" (light railway) each cut a ribbon ...

... to inaugurate the southern half of this brand new route. When the northern half opens in 2026 the initial ten minute frequency will increase to every 5 Monday to Saturday daytimes and every 10 evenings and Sundays.

The city also has a Metro ...

... suburban heavy rail ...

... and an excellent network of buses.

And this is a bus!

There should be plenty to assuage our interest and enthusiasm for public transport done proper!

But is that true?

==============================

At our fellowship meetings yesterday and today we have been looking at how God's Fire Works. (get the calendar allusion?). In Victorian times a preacher might have his work classified as "Hell Fire and Damnation" but these days the Church seems to want to preach a cosy avuncular God who will make everything lovely in the end.

But Fire Works in many different ways in the Bible. Here are three "fire" related questions. In each case, the picture is of ...

Puzzle 1

Clue : It is an old word for Sulfur. The copies were Sodom and Gomorrah.

Puzzle 2

Clue : you might do this, for a drink at a pub. The valley of Hinnom (Ye Hinnom in transliterateod Hebrew) gives a somewhat dated word for hell - Gehenna.

Puzzle 3

Should the things of God be scary or cosy? Maybe both - it depends whose side you are on!

Clue : It looks a bit "crimson".

Answers tomorrow.

==========================

 Next Copenhagen blog : Tuesday 4th Nov