My run-in with the Danish police

So, I got pulled over today. How, you might be wondering? I don't have a car over here and I certainly haven't been driving. Well, let's just say, the "politi" here will pull you over for biking without a light past dark. In my defense, I used to have a light, but it mysteriously disappeared off my bike a few weeks ago and I just haven't gotten around to replacing it, despite the fact that they cost less than 20 kr at Tiger (the Danish equivalent of the dollar store, everything is $2-$4).

My bike. Do you see a light on it?
That's because there isn't one.

Luckily, as my friend put it, some combination of being blonde, female, and American got me off with only a verbal warning.
But basically it went like this. It was dark and rainy and I was biking home from the center. And I saw these people in shiny vests with a few lightless bikers next to them. And before I knew it, the shiny vest man stepped in front of me, said something in Danish, and gestured for me to stop. So stop I did. That's when I noticed the bold letters "POLITI" on the vest and started rambling something about not speaking Danish. The cop started asking me questions, why am I in Denmark, how long, when did I arrive, am I American? Further, he kept telling me that it is illegal in Denmark to bike at night without proper lights. He seemed to think I was an ignorant American, unaware of the law, and I felt no need to disillusion him with the fact that I knew full well what the law was, and that I had just been too lazy to go to the store that is literally a quarter-mile from DIS to buy a light. Well, for one reason or another, the policeman decided to take sympathy on me and let me off with a verbal warning. I felt very fortunate as I left the policeman (on foot) because it seemed like the four or five other bikers pulled over by other cops had not been so lucky to escape with a warning. And that's a 500 kr ($100) fine. Ouch.
Another point of luck, I was right next to the bus station when I got pulled over, and my bus home was arriving literally as I walked by. This is quite lucky, because I really didn't want to walk the three or so miles home, and I just would have been tempting fate by continuing by lightless ride.

P.S. Sorry mom and dad, if the title scared you.