Misha in Sweden: Köpenhamn

This week my host family and I spent the weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Four months ago, I had never stepped foot in Europe. Now, I have been fortunate enough to visit Sweden and Denmark, both of which are pretty great. A couple months ago, my host parents told Vegard and I they were planning a long weekend in Copenhagen, where we could do some sightseeing and wandering around. Which, we did exactly. The trip happened to land on my birthday, so I got to turn one year wiser in the beautiful Danish city. Spending time with the family was of course priceless, as was the brief experience I got while in Denmark.

We left on Thursday afternoon and drove down to the south of Sweden, where we drove onto a huge boat that took us across to Denmark in a mere 20 minutes. Gosh dang Europe, I have to drive five hours to get across one state to the next. We drove into the city at about 9 or 10 o'clock and made our way downtown to the apartment we rented from a man.

Before we arrived, I was well aware of the way the rest of Scandinavia views Denmark. The first thing a Swede will tell you is that Danish is a silly language that is impossible to understand since half of it appears to come from the back of their throats. Denmark is also depicted as the wild one, which is much more "continental" and contain attractive, fashionable people that drink and smoke to excess in public. It's so funny to get inside the thinly veiled competitiveness between Denmark, Norway and Sweden. To the rest of the world they may be presented as the united Scandinavian friends, even brothers, but they have been fighting for years and years. Still, there is a closeness to the countries, I feel, that is not discussed. I wasn't sure what to expect as we drove into the city, but it was beautiful from the window.

There were lights everywhere - in shop windows and on walls, between the walking streets and around the sidewalks. The temporary walls surrounding construction sites were used to exhibit large works of art, which I thought was charming. Granted, some of the art was in the form of graffiti. This was indeed a biking city. There were cyclists everywhere, going about their business. The bike lane was large and we were always watching out for the speedy little devils that always seem to come from nowhere. There were so many people, despite the late hour. I passed a couple clusters of girls who didn't look like they were on their way anywhere, just meandering about, drinking. I was more impressed with the fashion in the first 20 minutes in the city than I was with most of Gothenburg. Granted, there were a large percentage of tourists.

The loft we were staying in was in a prime location and we had a cozy time there. It was Thanksgiving, so I couldn't resist Skyping with my family for an hour or so. My parents were visiting my aunt and uncle in New Jersey, so I got to see some much missed cousins as well. My dad was sitting there describing all the pies he made and I was remembering the quick McDonald's run we took on the road. Happy Thanksgiving!

The great thing about my host family is they can appreciate sleeping in on vacation. We were all finally up and around well after 9 am, as opposed to my biological parents who have uncanny internal clocks that let them sleep in to a whopping 7:30 on weekends. I can only imagine the stress my mom would have felt to see ALL the sites and take ALL the pictures. Although I can't discount them - they did rub off on me in my few years on Earth. On the car ride to Copenhagen I realized I had forgotten my camera and gave out a little gasp similar to that of my mother's. I could practically see her eyes wide and her eyebrows knit in front of me and her quick, disappointed Japanese asking me if I was sure it wasn't in the moving vehicle. Stereotypes aside, the woman loves her pictures. Just ask them about their infamous trip to France!

We spent the day walking around, popping into a couple stores if it so pleased us. Our two full days in Copenhagen were consumed by a combination of sight seeing, museum touring, shopping and eating lunch. The city is interesting since it has so much history, but also modern in a way that is still respectful to the old traditions. Basically, everywhere you turned, there was something that was pleasing to the eyes. Much of it was made up of very separate, unique shops and buildings that had their own personality. Along one little walkway next to a canal, there were shops set up on the waterside and different cafes on the opposite side. Each building behind the little chairs and tarps was colorful and old. Next to the boats in the canal, it was a beautiful sight.

We got to take an English tour through the royal palace. It was in English, but this time I didn't feel like a burden at all, since no one in the group would have understood the Danish! The palace was absolutely gorgeous. It was fairly new because of fires in the past. The amount of attention to detail and quality was impressive. We also spent some time at the huge national museum, which Lars and I loved. Him being a history buff and me liking the solitude of wandering around and taking my time to read the walls. This mixed with some shopping and just general walking around through the streets was the perfect balance.

On Saturday night, I went out on my own to take a walk through the still bustling, lit up streets. Everything in Scandinavia closes so early in the night - I guess the people in the states don't realize the shop workers have lives too. I know I barely considered it until I came to Sweden! Anyways, Copenhagen was still alive after 9, so I decided to take advantage. There was a certain atmosphere that was contagious. The Danes walked the streets in groups, laughing and dressed up, on their way to or from a party or something. The cafes outside were still alive; the heating vents standing by the chairs contributing to the already pleasant night air. Lights were everywhere - above my head and around me. The people I passed were happy and enjoying the music some street performers were providing. From my two days there, I decided at that moment I definitely liked Danes. There's got to be a reason they are ranked the happiest in the world. And heavens, they were most definitely attractive. Over all, Copenhagen was magical.

On Sunday morning, I woke up to my host parents in my room, singing a Swedish happy birthday (as is tradition). After breakfast we drove a little ways back to Sweden across a bridge and went to church in the south. We stopped by an amazing Lebanese restaurant on our way home. A few hours later and we were at the table eating a birthday cake my host dad and sister were kind enough to make, and I was sung to again. We finished off the day with Settlers of Catan and it was the perfect cap to my birthday.

However, my birthday wasn't exactly over yet! I spent the bulk of Monday afternoon with my good friend Sofia, who had been the bait to a surprise birthday dinner with a few friends from my class. I was so touched and I loved their company and their thoughtful presents. I am so lucky to have such great friends!!

Much love,

Misha