København

If you are ever in the mood to go to a relaxing, beautiful(if cold), and overall happy city then you should go to København(or in english Copenhagen). The residence are all very friendly and happy(and most speak english very well). But enough about how great the city is, I will now recount my travels...

me and my 5 travel companions left from Dusseldorf on the nightline to København...we had booked a sleeping cabin(couchette i think its called) for the 6 of us on the 487(i think) leaving at 22:02...we arrived at the train station rather early and sat at the track the train was suppose to arrive at...lots of people came with little kids and ski gear and settled down around us...about 21:55 or so we hear an announcement but it was in german so we didnt pay it much mind because we couldnt have understood it if we wanted to...that and most the people around us didnt really flinch..though some walked away from the track...then about 22:00 we see the board change and our train is no longer on the track board and there is a nighttrain several tracks over...so we grabbed everything and started to run in its general direction...halfway there we find a board and it says our train is 45 minutes late and will be on the track we were just at...fun!...so everyone sat around some portable heaters looking like baby quail around a heat lamp(yes I just made a farm reference) and proceeded to board our train an hr or so later.

The compartment was small but we all squeezed into our beds and called it an early night...the sleep was not that great but I was tired and eventually the noise and lights outside couldnt keep me up any longer so I slept...I awoke to someone knocking on the door to the cabin next to us and asking for passports so I woke everyone up enough to find their passports and have them close at hand...the customs people were decked out in bulletproof vest and everything and shined their massive sticks called flashlights in our faces as we all sleepily handed over our information...they even asked blake(who was balled up on the top bed) if he had a small child with him, which if we werent all 3/4ths asleep would have been very funny...because it was the next morning as we were trying to piece it all together...anyways...after the late night raid I fell back asleep and woke again to the view of rolling hills covered with snow...it was right at sunrise and it was a beautiful sight riding through the danish countryside...it would be hard to explain so im not going to try....we then got ready and arrived at københavn about 10:30...

it was nice and sunny in københavn(though really cold) and the group headed toward the hostel...it was by a river or cannal thing...not quite sure what or what it was called but it was big enough to be a river so we called it the river...we got to the river and took some pictures...there was a rowing team practising which was nifty...and then we went the hostel...checkin time was 14:00 but we could drop our bags so we did and went off to get some of the local currency and explore...we exchanged our euros for the kroner(dkk) which is a pretty neat currency...the smaller coins have holes in the middle of them...and then we started walking around the city...there are big pedestrian malls(like most european cities) and with it being sunny and a saturday everyone was out enjoying the weather...we walked and looked and generally took it all in and then we went to the danish national museum(which was free)...it was very interesting and if you are in the area you should probly check it out...I learned quite abit about Danish history...we then went to find food which came in the form of a hotdog in a breadstick and waffles covered in chocolate syrup(both of which are amazing and cheap in comparison to most food items in the area)...the hotdog(whose atual name escapes me) is a local favorite and there are stands in all the major pedestrian traffic areas...after that it was back to check in to the hostel...

checkin was easy and we went up to our decently clean room...it was going to be a quick drop stuff and run but everyone was tired so we all took turns taking showers and while waiting we napped...at 16:30 we headed back out and went this time to Christiania(wiki article)...it was interesting and cool...bought a hackysack with the christiania flag on it and checked out a barlike place that served only nonalcoholic drinks called Café Månefiskeren...everyone there was playing backgammon...it was nifty...

after that we went to a place suggested by the guy working the hostel counter but it was booked so we headed to one next to it...it was a small place but the waitress was really nice and spoke very good english...the menu was in danish but she told us what most of it was and what her favorite items were...I had a mexican coffee and a hamburger type of thing...it was a hamburger but on good triangular bread with hummus and a tasty sauce...it was very good...we sat there for a couple of hours enjoying the company and atmosphere...and then we walked to a nearby bar that was suppose to be good and have a traditional danish style...and it was awesome!...we walked in and everyone is older(like 50s and 60s)...we order our beer and the locals start asking where we are from and we tell them Texas...they then start telling us stories about the times they were in the states which was really cool...one had been in Mobile when Kennedy was shot and was talking about the peoples reaction and everything...then the lady who had been talking to us quite abit while playing a slotmachine near our table won some money so she bought us all a round of a local liquor that was salty liquorish and was very black...it was actually not that bad and once we had it we ordered another round of beers and enjoyed the evening talking and laughing with the locals and eachother before calling it an evening and heading to the hostel and bed...

Sunday morning started at 9 as we had to be out by 10 so we packed up and took everything to the lockers in the trainstation...we then did some more wandering and looking...I walked down the dock to the little mermaid statue which was a really nice walk...we also found a plaza where a donut style icerink was setup around a statue so me and steph rented some skates...blake and tommy didnt want to be left out so they decided that the best idea for the moment was to take off their shoes and socks and run a lap around the rink...the end result being that their feet were very cold but made everyone smile and laugh some as they went around the rink...

lunch was in a small cafe/bar near the water that was decently good but the music was bad(like bad 90's softrock) so we ate quickly and went roaming again...at this point we were rather tired and cold so we stopped in a church to sit and warm up and it was pretty...not in the impressive Koln cathedral kinda way but in the semismall old church way...after that we found a coffee shop and had very expesive but very very very good hot chocolate(7 euro!) and we sat and wasted away time until we had to go to the train station to leave...

the journey back on the train was long and tiring...there was a feeling of slight sadness because I had a great time and I knew I had to go back to schoolwork again...we didnt get checked by customs this time but noone slept very well(it seemed noisier than the first trip)...we arrived back at 7 am to Bonn and I hopped a bus to my house to shower and change and start another week....

so after a long post and in conclusion...go to København...serious...it is probly one of the best places I have been...the locals are very friendly and happy...the food is amazing...the city is beautiful...they say that the Danish are some of the happiest people in the world...and I can see why