The Manhood Voyage

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Doing the military service is in Sweden - as in many countries - when boys turn into men. When leaving the service it is tradition to go on a trip, to celebrate the fist time of freedom as men or something. Our rather large group of failures is no different. However, getting a large group to steer in the same direction turns out to be an impossible task. So, while others spread out wherever, we form a small group of brave soldiers to invade Copenhagen.

This in times when there wasn't even talk of a bridge. Therefore, train and a boat ride it is. Party all night. Yeah! Even our little small group turns out to be problematic to keep together in the (arguably) capital of beer. The first rounds work fine, but as alcohol and different wishes take over, we disintegrate. At last, I'm all alone in the big city. At night, in March, the last ferry long gone. Walk from bar to bar, meeting interesting people. Bump into a fellow soldier, but as I fail to convince him that the stripper outside the stripjoint is not REALLY interested in him, I move on.

End up in Nyhavn (The New Harbor). The around-the-clock café/bar is amazingly attractive for given reasons. Spending the graveyard hours there proves to be a challenging task, the challenge lying in staying awake. A waiter catches me falling asleep. No good. To my rescue a few countryfellas also awaiting the first ferry back to Sweden. Conversation is at a very low and non-intense level, with the only purpose to keeping us all awake. Morning comes, but with the difference that now I am able to greet the sun as a man.

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