Pretty Pretty Copenhagen

Copenhagen! Wow. What a beautiful city. That's an understatement. Its' gorgeous. GORgeous. Well let's just be specific here. Ok. There's just something that you gotta know right away about Denmark. Everyone here is gorgeous. It can kind of drive a person crazy. Just beautiful, healthy, stunning people walking down every street. What's the deal? The water? The sun and rain? Who knows. But anyway. It's like one of those episodes of Star Trek where the crew of the Enterprise goes to a planet and everyone is stunning. I believe that planet was called Copenhagen. Aside from the people, Copenhagen, it really is a stunning city. Let's talk a walk through!

One my way from Hamburg, I took a train that at one point went on a boat. I met Jackie here, a retired woman taking the same trip as me, but only 2 months and about 9 countries. We got along smartly.



So once we got on the boat, we went up to take a look around.



Once the boat reached the shore, the front of it did this. I've never seen a boat do this.



In Copenhagen, there was this huge jazz festival. There was live jazz everywhere. I was in heaven. This was my first band I saw. A banjo and a standup bass. Two of my favourite instruments. I just sat there and smiled.



And then I saw this guy. I figured out later he was probably with a newspaper or something. But he was just walking up to random people and snapping pictures from like 6 feet away. With a lens like that, I couldn't understand why he had to be so close.



Enjoy a little jazzzzzzzzz....



This far north, it stays light pretty late. I think this is about 10pm. I love European skies.



Here's me and my AWESOME host in Copenhagen, Jonas. We had to inflate this mattress. One of the worst sounds on the face of the planet.



I can't wait to see this movie!!!!! That guy in the yellow jacket isn't impressed though.

Once in a while, I encounter something that makes me feel at home. This was one of those times.

I went on a really cool walk that was laid out on the city map that took me through all the sweet places in Copenhagen. First was the city centre, where I saw loads of kids having the time of their lives with a bubble machine.

These kids were having so much fun. When I grow up, I wanna get excited about bubbles again.

When I get to be this age, I hope I have days exactly like this.

Come on Carlsberg. Have a little faith in your product.

Maybe it's juvenile. But I love when people draw on posters like this.

No explanation. There were just these shoes, sitting unattended, in the middle of this plaza.

Live jazz and colourful buildings! Huzzah!!!

I think I may print and frame thisone when I get home. Ah. Who am I kidding - I'll just set it as my computer desktop for a while.

Ok. Worst Parent of the Year award here. Why is this kid being allowed to stand on the end of this concrete canal wall? Where are his parents? I'll tell you. Right next to me taking pictures of this too. Somebody tell me why.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen is the statue by the sea called The Little Mermaid. Here's my take on it.

You know what's kinda made being in Europe by myself for four months kind of bearable and not so lonely after all? Dogs.

If I videotaped every single one of these, this would have been half of my whole blog right here.

So I didn't get a video with this one. But this shaggy dog was as fluffy and happy in person as he appears in this picture.

Live jazz again! This one was a lot of Salsa music. Great for dancing.

This one song was like 20 minutes of salsa goodness!

Vestax. Vestal. Close enough. I love that this woman on a bicycle rode by just at the right moment. Totally captures the street feeling here. Well, lots of places in Europe, but in Copenhagen, it's just even more charming.

I love ice cream. In plazas like this too. Just tastes funner.

Jonas and I made some dinner later. He's been to Thailand too, so he made some Thai food. So good.

This is the Hulk's car. Arrrgghhhh!!!!

The coolest bike horn I've seen this whole time!

This is how I ride bicycles: one had steering, one hand giving the thumbs up. Every time.

Jumping picture! Some supposedly important building in the background.

Most important part of the bicycle ride: watching elephants play! They love nothing happier than just throwing dirt on themselves and then just jumping in the water.

Elephants!!!!

More jumping pix! I looks like Jonas can fly here.

Here's me, Jonas, and Mads enjoying the best street burgers anywhere.

Then it started to rain. So we had to park the bicycles and go inside somewhere. How about a pub? So here we are playing dice.

Here's how you play the game:

I win!

This was Jonas' favourite thing to do. He loved to shake his head real hard and then have somebody snap a picture. It was ridiculous, so we all did it.

So yeah, I leave you with ridiculous pictures of our tounge all hanging out. That's Copenhagen!

Mmm....Hamburgers...

This is my third city in Germany. By now, I'm used to the long words. It's kind of getting easier to understand them. Hamburg felt different than Munich or Berlin. Still a big town, but a little more neighborhoody. And it was nice to come to Germany and not have an itineray of war stuff to see. Just hanging out. In fact, I didnt really come to Hamburg for any other reason than that The Beatles played here a lot before they were big. And the Star Club isn't even there anymore. So once I saw that, I was like "So, what else to do?" Luckily, I was staying with some great hosts who introduced me to all their friends.

If you are from Hamburg, you are called a Hamburger. I know. I died everytime I heard this. They all roll their eyes a bit because Im sure they have heard it thousands of times before. But I got hang out with Hamburgers. How cool is that?

This is amazing. Hamburger Bank. I just pictured people exchanging pickles like currency and a vault filled with patties and buns. "Excuse me, can you break a cheeseburger?" "Sure, would you like that in condiments or ingredients?" hahaha. The Hamburger Bank.



This is the wild night life area where the Beatles actually played in the late 50's. Somewhere along this street, we think to the left.




My hosts and all their friends and I went out to different clubs and venues all night. So late in fact, that we saw the sunrise! To be fair though, the sun sets at almost 11pm and rises at around 4:30am. Only on Sundays, there's a cool fish market down by the harbour that opens at 5am. So thats basically the reason we all stayed up. Check out the sunrise by the docks.



Here's me and my hosts and friends feeling tired but alive. What a great, fun crowd.



Here's one of the best parts of the fish market: These guys make up these baskets of produce and then auction them off for around 10 euros. It's always fun and colourful.



The next day was Anna's mom's birthday. I was told if I wanted to, I could go hang out with old Germans who kind of spoke English. Um. YEAH! Here's the birthday girl trying on a new apron she got as a gift.



Here's the first time they all broke out in song.



Watching and listening to these ladies was fascinating. I couldnt understand most of what was being said, I understood they were all good friends and were enjoying a lazy afternoon together. This is what couchsurfing is all about.



Here's the second time they all broke out in song. Later they gave me a bongo drum and a harmonica and we all made music with claps and forks being banged on glasses. It was glorious.




Hamburg was fantastic. For no other reason than that I met great people and just smiled a lot. Off to Copenhagen!

In Bruges

Bruges is a charming town nestled in the west of Belgium. Lots of people might not say its much relevant, but this actually turned out to be one of my favourite cities. Bruges is a great place to just walk around or take a quaint little boat ride. There's something about Bruges that is so funny though: it all kinda looks like Disneyland. The castlesque buildings that line the street all look like facades, and horse-drawn buggies (not exlcusive to Europe) all make it feel like The Happiest Place on Earth. Take a look around this beautiful city. Also - I got a bit video crazy in Bruges. I was by myself most of the time.

First morning I was here: I walked over so many small bridges that barely reached over canals. I dont know how some of those boats got under there.



Just sitting in a park, watching swans play. Swans are everywhere here - maybe even more than tourists.



Later on as I walked on by, I made a new friend:



On one of those famous Bruges boat rides.



What a great pictureque view here: there are about a half a dozen windmills on the outskirts of Bruges. Perfect for a jumping picture. Notice me artistic interpretation of the blades.



This record store sold old country and blues vinyl. Then I walked around the corner, and this door said "Honky Tonk". I have seen some pretty cool doors on this trip. But a door that says "Honky Tonk" just might take the cake.



I climbed the famous Bell Tower in Bruges. In addition to checking out the town from high above, there's also some bells up there:



Cloggy clog clog!



One of the fondest memories I'll have of this trip is just listening to street musicians. I passed this guy singing Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer". This put me in a lovely S&G mood all day.



I can go from zero to postcard in 2.8 seconds.



I went to a chocolate museum! Check out this chef showing us all how Belgiun pralines are made.



Going through the Chocolate museum:



Of course we got to sample. I think all museums, regardless of content, should end with a free piece of chocolate.



This totally a Disneyland shot. It's just so quaint here.



Bicycle anyone? So European: See the beautiful, non-polluted blue sky? Now look at their main form of transportation.



Walking around Bruges, I met another friend:



This chocolate shop is world famous. I got a box of assorted. Um. Wow. Still working my way through them...



Don't mess with me: Spiderman, Batman, and the Terminator got my back.



Off to Hamburg!

Rome is...

...authentic and magical. I loved this city. From the moment I stepped off the train, I knew it. This place is not Las Vegas - this is the real deal. Big city, brash romantic locals, and lots of old stuff. I wish I could type more here, truly. Its just that I had this WHOLE blog typed out and organized, and then it got deleted. (See "I Hate Computers" blog). Maybe Ill go back someday and update this blog, but for now Im not spending another 2 hours indoors doing this blog. Enjoy pictures and videos with short commentary.




First picture I took when I got to Rome. Notice the tourists walking by like "What in the world..."



How about a nice little tour?



Across the street is the Roman Forum. These white pillars are the remains of the circular building that used to house the Roman flame that the Vestal Virgins were charged to protect.







The house of the Vestal Virgins! If any of these 6 women were ever found to not live up to, uh, their namesake, they were dragged through the street and then buried alive. Ouch.





A tour of my Roman house:





The Roman Forum is so big. Dang, this commentary I wrote before was so much better.



This is an old stone that people used to stand up on and delcare new political views and opinions. Here, some random tourist indulged me and took this picture.




This old man and his granddaughter were having the best time. She was so excited about whatever she was talking about, and he was so happy to be feeling so young.



*Wink*



This jumping picture spawned several others right after I took this one. I'm to the Italians what the Spanish were to Latin America; except that instead of blankets and disease, I bring jumping pictures and sarcasm.





This skylight illuminates the whole interior of the Pantheon. When it rains, a cylinder of water falls straight down and escapes through ancient holes in the ground. When it rains, locals come by and check it out.



Here I am being a bonafide tourist. Im wearing one of those Whisper devices - our tour guide had a microphone that enabled her to talk to us all without shouting. So cool. But, if you find yourself wearing a Whisper device and walking in a group behind someone with a piece of fabric on a long stick in the air, you're a tourist, buddy.



The Trevi Fountain! Im glad thing isnt copied anywhere (as far as I know). So many people here throwing coins into the fountian over their left shoulder, wishing to come back to Rome. On Mondays, all the coins are collected and given to the Red Cross.




Yes I took a picture with this. No, I didnt buy it. Thank you, thank you.



This guy was so hilarious. He was dancing and shouting at cars in the middle of this plaza and making faces at anybody who looked his way. So what did I do? I ran over and joined him. Yes, there are pictures of that, but on another camera. Hopefully Ill get those soon.







Can anybody tell me where the catacombe is exactly located?





Here's just a cool view of the Collesium.





I had to wait for so many cars and vespas to pass by to get this shot. I think there is a vespa about one foot from the right side of the frame.



This is the Collesium floor. The gladiators and animals and slaves would prepare below stage here before riding an elevator to the stage for battle.





Here's the Big News Report from the Collesium.
Check out this link http://youtube.com/watch?v=CQq8uADJo_A for the official Big News version. If that like doesnt work, check out the field version here.



This is not a covert picture of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. That's not my chin and hat.



This is not a better shot that I got from a different angle.



Vatican City! Two countries in one day. Check me out.



St. Peter's Basillica. This plaid shirt has been officially ordained by God.



I had such a great time in Italy with the Langs. Here we all are on the last night of their trip.



It's always a good time with Bob!




Yea Rome! Im behind on blogs.