Denmark March 14th and 15th

So, it has been a while since I have posted and I apologize. I think we were trying to cram in as much as we could into the day that sitting down at night just didn’t take the priority. When I last left off we were on to our second day in Copenhagen. We started out a brief glimpse into Christiana. This is the squatters colony in the city. Apparently in the 70’s the navy moved out of a base and so squatters moved in. I guess it is communal living in that there aren’t police in the area and life is pretty much regulated by those that live there. That being said, there are activities that would normally be illegal taking place in the open. We really didn’t venture in very far, but just to get the idea of the area and look at some of the beautiful graffiti art work. I am not being sarcastic when I say that it really is beautiful. Take a look at the photos. We couldn’t take many though because cameras aren’t allowed inside. In talking with locals, they hope that Christiana remains, but they are worried with the conservative movement in their government right now. They feel it is a safe place when left to itself and by raiding the area and dispersing the “activities” to other areas of the city they are encouraging criminal activity rather than self-governed choices. Then we went to the changing of the guard at the palace of the King and Queen and to the attached museum showcasing artifacts from multiple reigns but was more focused on the late 19th and 20th century royalty. Then we went to the Karen Blixen museum. She is a famous literary figure from Denmark whose stories are read worldwide. We also commonly know her best for the basis of the female main character in Out of Africa. The home, history and belongings were interesting and the gardens/bird sanctuary behind the home were lovely, but a bit muddy. Then we went to dinner with some locals whose backgrounds were in music, education, politics, and health care. It was probably the time the most cultural exchange took place. There were interesting conversations at each corner of the table exploring American life and Danish life. I think the free schooling for advanced degrees allow a lower stress lifestyle during studies and thereby encouraging a very well educated general populous. Some interesting things learned today: Avg tax bracket is 47% though it can vary from 40$ to 60%, they have a draft for everyone in Denmark and depending on what number you draw you may have to serve at least 8 months in the military; Healthcare is free, but there are waits and Denmark is in need of more medical professionals; It is uncommon for people to study one subject in their undergraduate and then a different subject for a master’s degree; Danish people in general would align with a democratic party rather than a republican party.

On our final day we again broke into small groups. In my group we went to the stadium where FC Copenhagen plays to buy some souvenirs. Then we remembered a poster we had seen in Aarhus advertising a protest of the Iraq war in front of the US Embassy. So, we made our way there and saw a small protest. We were unable to understand much of what was being said, but there were about 150 people there or so. Then we were on our way to eat lunch when we realized we had gone to the protest early because there was a march of about 1000 people on the way towards us. It was interesting to see a war that we often associate only with the US and Iraq impacting public opinion and lives in Denmark. Remember, Denmark enraged Islamic extremists when it’s papers published a comic depicting the prophet with a bomb for a turban. So, they are very aware of the importance of western cultures interacting and living with all Islamic cultures. My group and I continued our journey through the pedestrian shopping areas and climbed a tower from the 14th century..maybe 15h. It was old. Then as a group many of us went to a debut concert of a solo violinist that was free and fantastic. We were longing for home a bit and ate $30 hamburgers for dinner. I am not sure I will ever pay $30 for a hamburger again.

The next day we were on our way home on a very long 8 hour flight with some way out of control children sitting next to us. My favorite memory form the day was Nick’s excitement at going to the Sheetz across the street from campus for a cheap hotdog and giant soda. God Bless America! LOL!