Good Day Sunshine

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning (much to my chagrin, having gone to bed at 3AM the night before). After writing Ryan and Toke a brief thank-you note on a pizza box, I slipped out into the sunny Copenhagen morning. It was only 9AM and I had some time to kill before I was due to meet Courtney for a tour of trendy cafes and shops in Vesterpørt at 11, so I grabbed a romsnaegle at the closest Netto (how Danish of me!) and hit the streets.

What I found: several outdoor flea markets, cute boutiques on the Strøget, men drinking beer at 10 AM on a public street, and omg Topshop. Had Tracy been with me, I would've needed a defibrillator to be still her little hipster heart. During the tour, we discovered the trendy Copenhagen meat-packing district, cozy cafes and gauche bars, and smoothie places that give Jamby's a run for their money.

Then I headed back to Dragør for some quality time with the host fam. We decided to ride bikes to the town center to get ice cream and enjoy the sunny weather. Anyway, you know that aphorism about "riding a bike - once you've learned, you never forget"? Yeah... it ain't true. I made a complete ass of myself. No, I'm not being oversensitive, they were actually laughing at me. I mean, I did look ridiculous, so it's all good. We walked instead. I'll try again tomorrow.



Now, I am an ice cream aficionado, a connoisseur of the cold and creamy, if you will, but I have never had a frozen dessert like this: First of all, ice cream in Denmark comes in not one, not two, but three - count 'em - three levels, served in a big waffle cone. First, the ice cream itself. Its the regular hard stuff and they give you a decent portion. It would be satisfying enough until you get to the layer of vanilla soft-serve. Its a little overly creamy, more the consistency of a McFlurry, but still delicious and still a sizable amount. Then comes the topping: an avalanche of pink marshmallow goo that covers the entire cone, Did I mention that they put a whole flodorbolle on top? 'Cause they do.
Oh yeah, and that was the "mini" size. I maybe ate 15% of it.


Dragør overlooks the Kattegat and on a clear day like today, you can see Sweden. So we climbed up an old army fort to get a better view.


We looked at the horses and elephants from a traveling circus,


ambled among the 600 year-old houses,


witnessed a human foosball game,


and watched Jonathan and Tobias do tricks on their scooters.


The only word to describe the feel of the afternoon is "lovely." The town, the sights, company... lovely, lovely, lovely!



We walked home along the water and Trine and Jacob told me all about the Danish political system and its lack of corruption. They think the political honesty in Denmark is due to the politicians' proximity to the people and the egalitarian nature of Danish society. I think the small size of Denmark also has something to do with it. They said one of the biggest problems for the state is the black market for workers who get paid under the table - and are exempt from the taxes that claim upwards of 60% of your income. I forget details of the conversation, but I was pleased to finally feel comfortable enough with my host family to engage in political debate.

While Jacob grilled dinner (beef, lamb, potatoes, grilled corn-on-the-cob, salad, bread), I tossed around a Nerf football with the boys in the backyard. Dinner was perfect, served by candlelight with terrific Italian red wine. Jacob and Jonathan made pandekagen (Danish crepes) for dessert while Trine and I discussed how learning disabilities are addressed in public schools in the US vs. Denmark. We were done with the meal around 10 PM. It was the definition of hygge.

Decided to skip the club scene for tonight. I need energy to go to Tivoli with my new family tomorrow!

There are no bad words for the coast today

I missed the bus this morning by 15 seconds. Apparently, in Denmark, if you are not physically at the designated stop at the time the vehicle arrives, you ain't gettin' on da bus. (have you noticed the recurring theme of my difficulties with Danish public transit?)

Fortunately, another came by in 10 minutes. I was still annoyed, though, but I managed to calm myself down with one thought:
I get to look at the ocean every morning.

I think I said this earlier, but Dragor is essentially the Cape Cod of Denmark. In the morning, I walk down my picturesque street with fairy tale cottages lined by trees, hop on the bus, and enjoy the ride. This particular AM was overcast, but the afternoon was quite the sight.

The ocean was a perfect, rich sapphire blue. It contrasted beautifully with the pale, pale sky and wispy clouds. In the distance, one can make out rows and rows of white windmills, several sailboats, perhaps a plane or two taking off from Lufthavn. It was 68 degrees (F) and - gasp! - perfectly sunny!



This afternoon, I had to capture this perfect Scandanavian scene. I walked down the road to take pictures, Jonathan tagged along on his scooter. After snapping a few (which I will upload tomorrow), I asked Jonathan what he thought of the view.

"It is beautiful!" he chirped. And he was right.

I can't believe I live here.