Following the Marching Band

16/01/19 onsdag

After my orientation session for my core course, I had no other plan until the later afternoon. I wandered around to find the buildings and classrooms where my classes at. While just stepping out of the fire station where my Art History class is at, I heard some music in a distance. It was the marching band I realized immediately (around 11:35ish).

The marching band got my attention. I thought there probably be some events or changing the guard or something? Did not wait for too long, I saw the black uniforms. By then I was standing almost the other side of an alley and I could barely see the band passing by on the street. I speeded my walking a little bit trying to approach the band closer before they went too far. Most passersby stopped walking and stood still with someone clapping hands silently, so I slowed down as well. I entered the main street where the marching band was passing and out of curiosity, I decided to follow them.

I really like the bearskin – the tall fur cap looks so warm looks like “good clothing” for this “not so bad” weather…

I followed them passing two or three streets until we at a traffic light place and the guard for the marching band yelled something in Danish. (Maybe like STOP HERE or whatever cuz no one followed up)

The marching band led me to a square but seems under construction. Several people were standing there and watching. I walked around the place trying to figure out what’s going on there. One person who had the work helmet and safety clothing walked out and took two people who were standing outside into the construction area (So that two people got the safety vests and helmets from the staff and walked in with her). I could not figure out what was happening (I thought maybe the construction is open for the public to check/inspect the constructing process or something like that) until I asked a random couple who also stopped to watch near me.

People standing to see planting the tree

They are a very friendly Dane couple, the wife says her husband can speak bit more English than her so the most part of the communication was between her husband and me, sometimes she would say something I can understand but mostly I could not so the husband would translate for me (even though his English is limited too). They have two sons and maybe 1 or 2 girls I could not remember or they did not even mention (lol false memory, but for sure two sons cuz the wife said 2 and pointed at me and the husband said sons just like me) and we talked something about the marching band. The husband told me the marching band does not happen on an everyday basis, but sometimes they only march with no band or with band for some special events so I guess it happens only once in a while so I got lucky to see it (Later Jakob told me probably it’s once a week or month)

Anyways, the husband told me that they were not sure what’s happening inside the railings either, but someone’s going to plant the trees. We then assumed it was a very important tree or event as there were a few cameramen inside and a drone already in the sky. The wife invited me to get the free coffee and cookie with her and we also got some souvenirs. The wife was quite funny, she seemed not satisfied with the taste of the cookie and commented on the flour or something inside the cookie, but she took another piece later.

While standing there and waiting for people planting the tree, we chatted a little bit more about their family and me, most like where I was from and what I study here and something like that. The wife also showed me her video of the marching band. She uses a HUAWEI, and I feel like that video quality is better than my iPhone…

Finally, a group of kids appeared in front of the tree. They lined up and took turns to fill the soil in the pit by shovels. Later when I got back home, I showed my souvenirs to Jakob, he recognized the M stands for Metro on the model safety cap. And Marmorkirken and Kongens Nytorv are the Metro stations that are currently building or expanding. The construction area I was at is Kongens Nytorv, currently under reconstruction due to an expansion of the metro lines. Like tons of money was used on the construction and everything on ground was removed, and they are rebuilding that area now. The tree I saw the kids were planting is the first tree in the rebuilding process.