Gym's Ramblings: On The Road Again

The author did not want to jinx things by publishing something about this trip before he left home because the last time he did that, the first covid lockdown was instituted and the trip was scrubbed. This time, he decided only to publish something, if our hero and his lovely sidekick were ever able to successfully get out of the country. And finally, Shazam! Gym and his lovely wife arrived in Copenhagen a few hours ago and here is the first blogpost in over 2.5 years.

The whole world has had a difficult couple of years. Our hero and his bride were sidelined like everyone else and couldn't go anywhere. They did get away on some nice Alberta staycations in Banff and Jasper but that was the extent of it, since April 2019. Trips to the southeastern US, northern Europe and the Orient were all planned from early 2019 to mid-2020 but all had be cancelled. Sadly, all anyone could do was hope that the world would get back to normal as soon as possible.

The world is still not out of the woods. We still have a pandemic. It had to open up a little though or tourism was in trouble. The current situation is that the Delta variant is running amok and safe travel must be to vaccinated parts of the world and only by fully vaccinated travelers. Fortunately, Gym and his dear companion have gotten both of their shots and are ready to roll. But where to go? They are afraid to go to the US right now because individualism is reigning supreme. South of the 49th, conspiracy theories are clouding the mindset of the Trumpian bikers and making it difficult for us Canucks to experience the fantastic roadside diners in the Republican states. So why not northern Europe, where people tend to tow the line? You see, in Scandinavian and the Germanic countries, the citizens have a tendency to take science in school, so they have gotten vaccinated.

The plan is to spend some time in Germany, where it is rumored that a significant number of German men have large, round heads. If true, it will lift the spirits of Gym. Next, our hero will be undertaking an in-depth study of the happiness of the Scandinavian people. Apparently, the happiest countries in the world are in Scandinavia. GNH (Gross National Happiness) has been rigorously measured by the UN for many years. Finally, the Baltic States will then be visited which are all former states of the U.S.S.R. All these nations have a preponderance of blond-haired and blue-eyed citizens. Can the recessive genes for blond hair and blue eyes be correlated to GNH? If these things are related, it might explain some things and make it all the more important to try and conserve our blond and blue-eyed people.

Our travelers enjoyed a direct flight from Calgary to Frankfurt last night and have also made a connection on to Copenhagen. They will spend four nights at the Nimb Hotel, next to the Tivoli Gardens. The Nimb is a very impressive boutique hotel that Gym and Mrs. Gym will be very comfortable in for their stay in Denmark. While in Copenhagen, they will search for the Little Mermaid and catalogue the GNH of Denmark.