By Bob Van Leer

  (COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, May 24, 1989) - Today our party flew from Warsaw, Poland to Copenhagen, Denmark. It was only an hour's flight but it is the distance between two ways of life. Poland, while in a political ferment, is still a Communist ruled country and it shows.

  One of our party characterized the change between the two countries as "a breath of fresh air". Poland was better than Russia. Still, it is refreshing to be back in a country where we can drink the water and the normal small items we are used to having are readily available. Simple things, such as toilet paper that is soft and is perforated into sheets. If another roll of film is needed, just buy one at a store in the next block. 

  There is a down side through. There are no bargains in Denmark.

  The plane we flew to Copenhagen in was another Russian-built jet, this time an Ilushin IL-62M. This is a four engine plane but the engines are arranged in two side-by-side pairs mounted on the tail. The Russian planes don't appear to be as well pressurized as American planes. The seat backs are thin and fold flat. Other than that, they appear to be as good as any airplane. The official name of the Polish airline, Linie Lotnicze, for obvious reasons is abbreviated to LOT.

  The Warsaw airport is busy, much busier than the airport we flew from in Leningrad. We may have departed Leningrad from a field other than the main airport.

  Flying toward Denmark, there was a thick haze around Warsaw which became thinner away from the capital. Poland is a flat country and below us was a mosaic of small farms. We crossed over the Baltic to Denmark, which is a collection of islands and one peninsula. Copenhagen is on a northeasterly island separated from Sweden by a strait so narrow it is easy to see the other side.

  Denmark is a small country with only about 5 million people. Of these, 1.5 million live in Copenhagen. Copenhagen is a city of bicycles, over a million. Our guide says there is a 160 percent tax on cars, more on large cars. There are even special traffic lights for bicycles. Denmark makes one motor vehicle, a one-seat electric powered vehicle that costs $5300 U.S. dollars.

  We arrived on the country's first sunny day for a while and the residents were taking full advantage of it. Sunbathers were out in force on the beaches and public parks. There appears to be a textile shortage. Many of the female sunbathers were only wearing half of a bathing suit.

  Prices are high in Denmark. A lunch for Betty and me at a nice, but not extraordinary, restaurant cost $31.86. Other prices are in a similar range.

  In the evening our group visited the world-famous Tivoli Gardens. This is one of the few really world-class tourist attractions and it is well worth going to see. It is an amusement park, but more than that. There are 29 restaurants at the gardens, and all of them were full. The Tivoli brochure says more than 250 million people have visited the par k since it opened in 1843. Tivoli also features a concert hall and open air stage. The weather was warm and it was pleasant strolling around the park in the evening.

  Tomorrow's schedule calls for a long bus tour followed by a reception at the U.S. Ambassador's residence and we are told that Danish journalists have been invited to meet us.