A Chromatographer in Copenhagen - Chris Bevan visits the ISC 2006 in Copenhagen and Stays Awhile.

The choice of venue for international conferences plays a big part in attracting delegates and often flavours the meetings with the country?s style and customs. I had never visited Copenhagen before and was expecting a chilly, windy environment full of herrings and Max Bygraves impersonators. How wrong I was; the first few days prior to the conference had me reaching for the sun tan protection and sunglasses. The unusual weather across northern Europe had blessed this Danish city with temperatures expected in the south of France plus humidity that would have not been out of place in an Indian monsoon season. Holland deserves its prime reputation for cyclists enjoying its flat hill-less terrain, but if Copenhagen is anything to go by, Denmark must rank a very close second. The car is seriously discouraged and the bicycle ownership almost given mandatory status. I have never seen so many curious variants on the two wheeled and sometimes three wheeled dandy horse.