Andy in The Netherlands: Day 76 - 80

Saturday I flew to Copenhagen to see Rachael, and I got home Tuesday. Here's the recap.

Day 76 - Arrival and Hockey

I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Schipol to fly to Copenhagen. The flight was a bit delayed but otherwise short and fine, and I got to the sleek Copenhagen airport around 11 am. I rode the very modern Metro to meet Rachael, we took me to her host family's home. The Nielsen's live in the Frederiksberg neighborhood of Copenhagen, a very charming, stately quarter. The Nielsen's house was really gorgeous - modern, sleek, simple design coupled with all the natural light you could hope for - and they were really nice and accommodating. After an introductory lunch of smorrebrod - Danish, open-faced sandwiches on dense rye bread - with pickeled herring, fish, and egg salad, Rachael and I set out for a jaunt around the downtown area. Everything was really picturesque and beautiful - reminiscent of Amsterdam but with a lot less hustle and bustle - and it was pleasant to just stroll around downtown. I got to see Rachael's architecture studio at her school, and we visited a really trendy home furnishings store. Copenhagen, by the way, is the most stylish place I've been so far. Sorry, London and Paris.

After quite a long walk through the touristy downtown spots and through the parks with big lakes right in the middle of the city, we headed back home to relax for a bit and then eat dinner. It was so nice having not only home cooked but also pretty gourmet food for a change! We had pork roast and vegetables, and washed it down with homemade ice cream. Best meal I'd had in ages. Afterward the family all sat around talking and we had tea. This was a theme for the trip, and a mighty good one. Me, Rachael, and the oldest son (22) Julius all watched Life of Brian, and then I peeled off to watch Michigan hockey play for a national championship. The game ended in overtime at 4:30 AM in heartbreak, and I really felt punched in the gut once again. I won't get into that hear. Needless to say, I went to bed with a heavy heart.

Day 77 - Danish Architecture Center, Christiania, and Paris-Roubaix

After waking up hours after everyone else, I had breakfast/lunch with Rachael before heading out back into Copenhagen. The weather was even more beautiful than the day before, and it was cool to ride a bike around the world's most bike friendly urban area. Bike culture in general is such a breath of fresh air, and I can't stop thinking about how I want to embrace bike culture back in the States when I get home.

We went to the Danish Architecture Center, which had an exhibition on landscape design that was really cool and quite interesting. The more I experience things like this the more and more convinced I become that I would love urban planning school, and I like that I would somewhat following in the footsteps of one of my parents (Dad). I have no doubt I wouldn't have nearly as much interest in the subject if it weren't for Detroit. The center also had a very expansive library, and we sat around reading snippets of design and architecture books for a while. Afterwards we walked/biked around the Christianhavn neighborhood before wandering into Christiania. Christiana is a 40-year old independent commune founded on an old military installation that has been turned into its own self-governing body outside of the control of the Copenhagen and Dutch governments. Somehow. Christiania is most famous for its legal marijuana trade, but this was by far the least cool part of the settlement. What's much cooler is how people have improvised and designed their homes, some complete with boats for living rooms. It's astounding to think that a community has banded together to decide how they want to live, are going for it outside of government control, and that it has survived for 40-years. There are ongoing negotiations between the community and the Dutch government to work towards some kind of plan for the future.

We headed home (not before getting a delicious hot dog topped with sauces, onions, fried onions, and pickles) and ended up watching the Darjeeling Limited, which I enjoyed as a Wes Anderson-comedy, but which seemed to lack any real point. We had dinner - turkey roast, pasta, and asparagus - and more tea. Jan, the father, was very excited to watch the Paris-Roubaix bike race, which he called the world's most prestigious and difficult one-day bike race. Cycling culture is huge in Europe, and we proceeded to watch the race for like three hours. It was a bit boring with the commentary in Dutch, but it was fun enough to watch a Belgian take home the prize. An observation - Fabian Cancellara is a horse on a bike.

Day 78 - Elephants and Relaxing

I woke up late again on a lazy Monday, and after lunch, Rachael and I headed back out to walk around Frederiksberg. We walked through yet another really nice, big park, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how green spaces like this would function in Detroit. Imagine if Detroit had multiple Belle Isles dropped throughout the city - not just big, expansive green spaces, but big expansive green spaces that people enjoyed going to to exercise, socialize, and relax. There are issues, of course, but I can't help but feel all great cities have big green spaces. Detroit's best is its own island.

This particular garden had a section that opened up on the Elephant enclosure at the Copenhagen Zoo, and we watched the elephants for quite some time. One was using his trunk and feet to break branches up and eat them, and it was really fascinating to watch. Afterwards we kept strolling around and saw the rest of Frederiksberg, which is a New Urbanist's dream.

We got back to the house and I proceeded to read Game Change and just relax until dinner. We had chili and rice which was of course delicious, and after dinner I read some more and tried to watch Danish news with the family. I ended up finishing Game Change, which felt good, and gave me some ways to think about the 2012 election which gets more and more attention with each passing day.

Day 79 - Heading Home

I rounded up my stuff the next morning and prepared to head to the airport with Rachael, who was headed to Vienna. The Nielsen's were most gracious hosts, and were some of the coolest people I'd met in Europe. Copenhagen was such a picturesque, relaxing, charming place, and I really enjoyed my time there. I could definitely sense a different quality to the life style in Scandinavia, and the emphasis seems to be enjoying life simply but richly. I might have just made that up completely. It was really great, is the point. Not a lot of cultural diversity, though, from what I saw, and the place is rather expensive. Those are the only real cons I could find.

The Copenhagen Airport is really nice and Rachael and I killed a few hours there together before I headed home. My flight home was uneventful and comfortable, and the train ride back to Leiden was fine. I ended up lazily and sleepily wasting away the rest of the day (I got to watch the Tigers win on ESPN America), and I started watching The Killing, which is OK.

Day 80 - Perfect Leiden day

Got up around noon and the sun was shining so I headed down to town. I got postcards (mailed one to the Nielsen's today) and a ticket to London Calling in Amsterdam, an indie festival that will feature Cloud Nothings, Twin Shadow, Cults, Ty Segall, and Ra Ra Riot, which I am super excited about. I also found out that nu-metal hip-hop sensations OFWGKTA will be playing a free show in Amsterdam on Queen's Day, which is super exciting. Afterwards, I headed to the Wednesday market and got some kibbeling and ate it along the canal. Kibbeling, friend fish chunks with sauce, is remarkably delicious. So good. Afterwards I went to Hortus Botanicus and sat in the gardens and started reading a new book called Scoreboard, Baby about the 2000 Washington Huskies football team. Should be good. It was a bit chilly so here I am back at home in the Swamp. The Wings kick off the 2011 playoffs tonight against Phoenix, so I'm looking forward to watching that. Family comes to Amsterdam in two days. Very excited.

Here are some pictures from Copenhagen.