Chillin´in Copenhagen

Well...this trip has turned out MUCH differently than I planned. First thing I would change: Get a Eurail pass with unlimited train rides instead of the 10-day Flexipass. It´s not really flexible at all. It feels a bit binding, since I don´t have the liberty to hop on ANY train I want...but have to figure out what would be the most cost-effective use of a day of travel.

Anyway, that´s just research for my next trip :) Stockholm was a blast. I loved it! I met a really nice girl named Christina who let me stay at her apartment with her sister and brother-in-law. They were so nice to me!! I went to church on Sunday with them. They invited me for lunch and offered to let me stay at their apartment another day if I needed to (which I did!). I spent the day with them and they were just so kind and helpful! We went to one of the largest lakes in Stockholm. It was beautiful! Lots of people out swimming and hanging out! It was fun! Niclas, Christina´s friend (whom I´d met at Fest I Nord) was also there with us. It was a great day!

Monday I got up early and did laundry!! Talk about one of the highlights of my trip! Real washing machines and dryers...it was awesome!! Katarina, Christina´s sister, even lent me clothes so I could wash EVERY last piece of laundry that I had! Sweet! I was in heaven. I packed up my stuff and Christina, Niclas and I headed downtown to buy my train ticket to Copenhagen and to take the canal tour. Stockholm is a very beautiful city! I love it! Pictures soon!! I promise!

I took the night train (no running to catch it, either! I was REALLY on time!) and arrived in Copenhagen Tuesday morning. Copenhagen is a pretty city. I think I´ve fallen in love with cities on a coast! How did I survive so long in the Midwest??

The best part of traveling is meeting people and making contacts! I´d met some great friends at Fest I Nord and they convinced me that I should further explore Scandinavia. In Copenhagen, I met up with Kristian, the guy I´d hung out with in Rome. It was great to see him! We had a blast together! There´s no better way to see Copenhagen than with an actual Dane!

I walked...a lot! Copenhagen has a great transportation system, but I wanted to get the lay of the land and feel more familiar with the city. The architecture is beautiful, there´s great statues and fountains. I love the canals and the lakes and the boats!

Wednesdays are free museum days! I went to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek...an amazing art museum with tons of sculpture! I loved it! There were a lot of works by Rodin and some Danish artists that were incredible! I went to the National Museum, but was bored to tears! There´s a walking district with tons of stores and things that I walked through every day. It was pretty fun. I climbed the Round Tower and saw a good view of the cityscape. The weather was ugly...rainy and overcast. I decided, that day, that Copenhagen wasn´t very cool.

On Thursday, however, the sun came out! It couldn´t have been more than 72 degrees, sunny, blue skies, and a fabulous breeze! I decided, that day, that Copenhagen was AWESOME! I walked lots more! It was just so pleasant! I walked along the canals, visited the Little Mermaid statue, was disgusted with every man, boy, etc. that decided it was ok to grope her breasts (dirty!) and sat on the rocks, enjoying the breeze, the sun, eating candied almonds, fresh cherries, and relaxing! You can´t top that!!

Today...last day in Copenhagen! I went to the train station with plans to leave at noon and spend the whole day on the train (ick!). The ticketman told me that I could take a night train, though! Sweet! So, I had a whole day to walk around Copenhagen...again! This time, though, I solicited some company. I met two guys, John Henry and Ben (currently from Wyoming) who were there just for the day. We walked around town the whole day, visited the Royal Library, relaxed and chatted a bit in some of the green spaces...and had a great time! I LOVE meeting new people!

We said goodbye at the train station...they´re off to Berlin and I´m heading to Oslo.

Honestly, I can´t really put into words how much I´ve enjoyed Copenhagen! It was completely unplanned...definitely not part of my itinerary. But, I think that´s why I enjoyed it so much! The ability to be spontaneous is so much fun! I love it!

Pictures are coming...soon! :)