Copenhagen!

Hello from Copenhagen! I am visiting one of my childhood best friends, Sarah. Firstly, Copenhagen is COLD. It's literally a short ride across the water to Sweden and that means we are pretty far north! This is most definitely Scandinavia. Besides the snow, the cold, the grey (sounds a bit like Cleveland...) Copenhagen is a very beautiful and welcoming city. They don't really have cafes here, but they have this thing called "hygge" which means "cosy". Everywhere you go, a bakery, a sandwich shop, a restaurant is exactly that: cosy. I think it's because outside is FREEZING so when you go inside it's very welcoming and home-y. Candles are always lit and it sort of feels like you're walking into someone's home. The first day I got here Sarah took me to a sandwich shop near Nyhavn (a beautiful harbor) where when you walked in there was a girl standing at a till and she made your sandwiches in what looked like a tiny apartment kitchen. It sort of felt like I was buying a sandwich from someone's home.

I haven't really visited the many historical museums in Copenhagen as things are very expensive and I haven't had a lot of time. I did go to the Design Museum which talked a lot about sustainability and environmentally friendly design for the future (very Danish!). We also took a tour to Christiania - a commune in Christianhavn. It's a commune... almost small utopia literally in the middle of Copenhagen. They don't like to be a part of Copenhagen let alone the EU. Even though marijuana is illegal in Denmark, in Christiania they sell it on the street (we're talking... a small road that looks like a farm) where, funnily, the Danish police come in and try to shut it down (consequently, you're not aloud to take photos on that street). But everyone pretty much recycles everything, BUILDS THEIR OWN HOUSE (I'm serious!), and rides bikes to carry everything. The children all have their own day care and they have a blacksmith, a *womens blacksmith* (yes... women who are blacksmiths), and someone who repairs old furnaces. Very interesting... very odd.

That said. I am tired. I've met some Danes - very lovely, reserved, and warm. I leave tomorrow but still have ample time to explore... that may include the Resistance museum! (FYI: Denmark was occupied by the Germans in WWII as Denmark borders Germany. Many Jews from Denmark fled to Sweden because of this).

Then... it is off to Amsterdam. As good as it is for me to travel - I miss London. I feel very much at home there and feel... like it IS my home. I miss my friends, the familiarity, and just the sense that in London everything is okay. I will be glad to get back there on Saturday.

But if there's one thing traveling does, especially in Europe, it makes me see how DIFFERENT cultures are in such close proximity. Sometimes, the more time I spend away from America the more I realise how crazy America is!