Copenhagen via BICYCLE! And other fun things.

Several monumental things have happened these past few days:

First and foremost...I GOT MY BIKE!! Thanks to my wonderful visiting family :)

Her name is Ditte (we named her after our wonderful Danish teacher) :)

Ditte in the grass

Ditte and all her new friends in the central square.

Copenhagen is now a WHOLE NEW CITY to me! Going by bike is such a rush; not only is it a LITERAL rush (the Copenhageners mean BUSINESS on their bikes), but it's also so thrilling to feel like a real commuter every day! I'm not so good at getting off and on it (I think the seat might be a little too high) so it's kind of an ordeal every time I have to stop, but I'm improving every day and, hopefully, the rest of the city goers are laughing at me less and less :)

It's also so much easier to explore! A few days ago, I went off by myself and rode in one direction until I found something cool. I found a beautiful lake with some cool graffiti on the bridge...

This awesome mural (I think I look a lot like this when I bike through the city):

And then I biked through a beautiful graveyard! I didn't take pictures of the scenery (I'm not THAT good on the bike yet) but it was a very peaceful, green area with secluded paths and grassy knolls. Lot's of people were out on picnic blankets, walking their dogs, or jogging.

Next monumental activity: After class yesterday, my friend Sarah and I decided to shop around before heading home, and I bought my article of clothing in Europe! A beautiful pair of boots (I guess those don't really count as clothing?) that were HALF OFF. Couldn't resist! We also couldn't resist sharing a waffle with soft ice, nutella, and banana:

YUM.

And yesterday (Tuesday), I watched my first soccer game in a BAR! This was super exciting, because a) there were actually two games playing on separate TV screens (England vs. Switzerland and Denmark vs. Iceland) so there was a large group of British people watching the first game and a big group of Danes/Icelanders watching the other, and b) we made some great European friends! The bar was super cozy, and the soccer games tend to bring everyone together (as long as you're rooting for the right team!). It was also the bar owner's 50th birthday, so that made for an entertaining environment :) Fun fact: The bar owner is a Bush supporter!? The first one I've met (and most likely the ONLY one who exists) in all of Copenhagen! There were even Bush and McCain bumper stickers up on the walls. Well, regardless of his political views, we had a lot of fun and will definitely return at some point :)

Now, here's what happened today. Our field study for my History of Travel class was to sit at an assigned location for about an hour and people watch! We were asked to think about a series of questions about what designates a "touristy" space in Copenhagen, how tourists can be identified, and how the tourist experience can be framed at this said location. A lot more fun than it sounds, actually! **But first, an important side note: Our professor's train was late this morning, so we had an hour to kill before our class met. Sarah and I found a cheap coffee shop, and once inside we heard someone speaking English! We asked him where he was from (turns out he's from WHALES!) and ended up talking with him for a good half hour about fun places to see in England (this will come in handy when we go to London for class) and what he's doing in Copenhagen (he's with some friends looking into skateboarding parks). This (along with lattes) put us both in GREAT moods; he was so nice and so helpful! I love meeting friendly strangers :)

Anyway, back to the field study. We were assigned Nyhavn, an idyllic waterfront area with lots of cute restaurants and boats (I'm sure you'll recognize the colorful buildings, they're on the front of every Copenhagen guidebook).

It was WINDY, as I'm sure you can tell by the wild hair!

Oops, only half of Sarah's face made it in!

Okay, so we got a LITTLE distracted from our assignment :) It was wonderful to sit by the water and enjoy each others company as schoolwork! After we finished our observations, we headed over to the Palace, where we watched the end of the changing of the guards!

Which brings me to my NEXT monumental achievement, getting a PICTURE with one of them!

I was WAY nervous about this (as I'm sure you can tell, I look a little uncomfortable in the picture)! I was too shy to do it the first time, and would only do it this time if Sarah got in there with me :) I was so curious about what he was thinking; I wonder if they like when people pose with them or if they think it's obnoxious. Either way, I'm happy about the picture! Right after this was taken, we saw someone else pose next to him. He got too close, so the guard slammed his gun on the ground and motioned for him to back off!

After gawking at the guards for a while, Sarah and I met up with Courtney and Clair, two other friends from class, and we did some wandering.

We HAD to pose in this goofy chair in the middle of the sidewalk.

Then we got sandwiches at the cute outdoor cafe by the fountain! The sandwiches were cheap and DELICIOUS, and the weather was beautiful and sunny. Couldn't have asked for a better day! I love how they put blankets on the backs of the chairs at outdoor cafes (you can see them to the left of me). We sat and talked for a while and enjoyed the sunshine :)

Tomorrow at around 7:30 am, I leave for my first study tour with my Communications and Mass Media class! First we will be going to Odense, the second largest city in Copenhagen. I think we're going to a symphony, visiting the University of Southern Denmark, and most likely numerous other things (oh yeah, like staying in a HOSTEL! Should be interesting!). Next, we're going to Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark! Our professor says that you haven't been to Denmark until you've been outside of Copenhagen. I'm excited to officially "arrive in Denmark."

Expect an update this Sunday after we return! Farvel :)