Photos.
After a quick glance, it appears very easy to upload photos to my blogs. Not sure why I found this to be a struggle with my first blog. I went back and added images to my last post and will try to incorporate pictures with my new updates as well.
I find this city so incredibly beautiful and EVERYWHERE I look I want to take photos. Beautiful things... not only is it the canals, boats, architecture, cathedrals, cafes, outdoor picnics, etc... but it's also the people here in downtown Copenhagen. I feel like it is filled with an overwhelming amount of beautiful fashionistas. It's like I'm living in a realtime version of The Sartorialist. It seems as though it's not the exception, but rather the rule. This makes for incredible people watching and borderline creepy staring behavior. It also creates instant wardrobe envy and feelings of inadequacy. How can there be so many model look-a-likes running rampant in the city? Single male friends... use this as your motivation to visit me this summer. I did find some relief last night when Pedro and I went to the cinema to see Alice In Wonderland. First, excellent film. Second, the theater seemed to be filled with people that came in from the countryside. Feelings of adequacy are starting to come back.
In the effort to be more of a local and less of a tourist, I've been leaving my big oversized camera at home more often than not. Also, when you're walking or biking everywhere it's a bit uncomfortable to have my canon with me for an extended period of time. Plus, I will be less likely to make friends if I'm following around all these beautiful people with my camera. The last few days, Pedro and I have spent time, sitting in grassy areas by the canals, in the sun, enjoying observing people also gathering on blankets and watching passing boats. I will try to be better at documenting and sharing these beautiful little moments.
Where are the beaches?
For those of you who don't realize, Copenhagen is on an island. I've recently learned that because of the large number of islands and inlets here, Denmark has one of the longest coastlines in Europe --- longer than the Great Wall of China. They also claim to have "plenty of white sandy beaches." This is another bit of information that put an extra pep in my step. I've been living by the beach for nearly 7 years just prior to moving to Scandinavia and have fully embraced a beach lifestyle. Now, having parted ways, I will continue to miss my beautiful beaches. I was determined to bring part of that beach life to Denmark, so I lugged my cottage-chic "BEACH" sign that used to hang proudly in my old beach house in Venice to my city apartment in Copenhagen. Now, perhaps it's not so ironic. I have a new summer goal. It's to visit these so-called beaches here in Denmark this summer and detail the differences between them and my beloved beaches of SoCal.
Starbucks and The Viking Spirit.
After meeting with a cruise ship coordinator about some part-time work this summer, I was instructed to read over 30 pages about "The Land of Danes." It's been pretty interesting reading so far, especially for me since I just got here. Somethings in this booklet are pretty funny too. Here is a sentence on page 3 that particularly sticks out.
"The Viking spirit compels Danes to travel as far and as frequent as possible and to enhance the feeling of being abroad, the country's only Starbucks is at the airport."
This is just ridiculous. Admittedly, maybe I find this significantly outrageous because I have learned to love Starbucks in a way that others may call unhealthy. For the record, while living in Venice, I was a strong supporter of Ground Works and the Cow's End like any good local. While these local established were near and dear to me, Starbucks also has a special place in my heart. Especially for large soy lattes. No one else seems to compare. I feel like I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about my love for BIG coffees in the States. This type of rambling may be the first sign of withdrawals. I'm SLOWLY adjusting to these mini espressos. Just give me some time... I've only been "European" for a few days.
But, the primary reason I find this sentence about 'The Viking Spirit' to be so ridiculous is that on every other corner in Copenhagen there are McDonald's (5 in the city center alone), Burger Kings and 7-elevens. In fact, as of November, the CPH airport has been proud to house Europe's largest 7-eleven which is near 200 square meters long. I can only wonder how these establishments enhance 'The Viking Spirit'. I'm convinced there is a political or economic reason, aside from their spirit, that is keeping the Starbucks franchise from branching out in this International city. Maybe it's for the best not to have Starbucks here, but I still don't appreciate the guide book's rational. Besides, if they did have a Starbucks here, a latte would cost something outrageous, like $10 for a small. I'm moving on and accepting change, one baby espresso at a time.
Taxes.
As you probably know, taxes here are high -- 40-60% income tax high. I'm well aware that the taxes are considerably higher in Denmark than in most places in the world, but it's still shocking to see some of the numbers. For example, cars are taxable at 180%, cigarette taxes are 300%, with alcohol at 50% and gasoline at 100%.
This makes having a car a definite luxury and another reason why my trusty little VW didn't make it here from Venice beach. So now... I will travel by foot, by metro and by BIKE.
Bicycles.
I'm VERY excited to have a new bicycle. Thank you again Pedro. The first day Pedro and I went to pick it up, was the first day I started to feel a little like I belong here, rather than just any other tourist. This is more than thrilling for me. It's the little things that make me happy. I haven't adjusted the seat yet though, which makes this ride rather uncomfortable. I consider myself to be quite tall, standing around 5 feet and 11 inches tall, but there must have been some kind of nordic giant was riding this before me, because I can barely reach the pedals. I assure you I usually don't have issues about being too short or too small. I really should revel in this moment, but my backside won't let me. This did not stop me from celebrating with dozens of pictures of me standing proudly next to my bike.
Bicycle Fun Facts. In the Dane guide I acquired, they have some notes about biking in the city:
* There are more that 300 km of bicycle lanes and residents travel an average of 1.2 million km on bicycle every day
* 1/3 of commuters choose biking over other methods of transport
* Traffic lights are programmed to bicycle lanes and there are discussions of making car-free zones
Feeling like an out of control speed-racing Dane. After just one day of biking through the city, I can confirm that these bikers are crazy and I now understand why they get so upset when walkers don't pay attention to the bike lane. Also, my new ride goes considerably faster than my old purple beach cruiser and I think it's safe to say I may be be a hazard on the road for anyone who crosses my path.
Everyday life with a foreigner. Adjusting to being a foreigner.
Did you say I wasn't talking enough? That's right friends and family, it's been brought to my attention that I've recently become less talkative or annoying, however you want to look at it. I think all this time with foreigners speaking different languages has significantly changed my communication patterns. I didn't realize it until Pedro took my quiet demeanor as a sign of unhappiness. For the record, I am super happy, just maybe a bit more reserved than normal. For those of you who know me, you know that quiet and understated are not adjectives that typically apply for me. Maybe this is progress. I'm learning and appreciating listening a lot more. I just hope there isn't a backlash on my next visit home. I'm imagining myself exploding with conversation with no end in sight. But honestly, so many things are new to me here and I've been spending my initial days as more of a sponge. I'm sure my loud, chatty ways will come back sooner than Pedro would like.
I feel like when you first live with someone, it's always a learning process. The little nuances that you discover are all part of the ride. I love my dear Pedro with everything I have and find it fun to experience day-to-day life with him as a live-in. This will most likely be an ongoing theme to revisit throughout my notes, but there are a couple things I noticed in the first week back in Copenhagen. The learning experience can be enlightening, frustrating and at times funny. With Pedro, more often that not, they are funny to me simply because he is European and accents easily amuse me.
For example, this week Pedro had a nightmare which woke me up. He was still sleeping when he starting thrashing and rambling franticly in what I believe to be a mixture of the 4 languages he speaks. Not understanding a word, I try to wake him to ask him what exactly is causing this spastic seizure. Unsuccessful at stopping him, he continues and proceeds to jump out of bed and remove all the sheets, blankets, covers and pillows that were keeping me warm at 3 in the morning. This was a rude surprise. Now cold and unhappy, I look at him, standing in the middle of the room, waving off invisible creatures and speaking jibberish. When he finally came to, he still spoke jibberish and said something about Cleopatra trying to kill him. Normally, I might not be as amused with such a starling wake up experience, but really, a dream about Cleopatra and snakes combined with his own language confusion is more than a little adorable. The kicker is my realization that he talks in his sleep. While this can be a brilliant discovery when there's an opportunity to hear one's subconscious spew freely, I don't appear to be as lucky. In my case, I have the great opportunity to hear a subconscious of a strange combination of languages. I guess we can't have it all.
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