Days 2-3: Not so rotten...

Copenhagen, land of Hans Christian Andersen. It says a lot about a city when it has multiple statues, roads and buildings in honor of a man who wrote childrens' tales for a living. In many ways, Copenhagen is still trying to live that fairy tale. Its architecture is quaint and Olde Worlde, its people not so interested in being trendy and modern. In other ways, though, Copenhagen is just a little bit stuck in the past.

My first stop was the "world famous" Tivoli Gardens. At least, the brochure claimed that it was world famous. In any case, it was right by my hotel so it was the path of least resistance. It turns out that it was just a has-been amusement park which looked like it hadn't been renovated since the 60's. Most of the rides weren't any better than the carnival which comes through town. Except for one, which strapped little kids into chairs hanging from the top of a tall pole. The kids had to pull themselves up to the top under their own power - a mechanically assisted version of the gym rope climb if you will. I'll have to hand it to the designers on this one - save money on electricty and expensive machinery, make the little buggers work for their fun and hopefully tire them out so their parents could get a rest. Pure genius!

The rest of Copenhagen was quite charming. It managed to retain a lot of its Olde Worlde charm, especially in its architecture. Classic Danish architecture manages to be intricate without being too flowery and has a penchant for the most incredible spires. Unlike the sprawling mess which was Berlin, Copenhagen is extremely compact and I managed to walk most of the city in one day. Recommended sights: Nyhavn harbor, a tour of the canals, Christiansborg Palace, and Christiana "hippie town".

One thing about Copenhagen, the food is expensive! US$8 for a McDonalds Big Mac meal?! I'm sure the weakness of the dollar hasn't helped any, but I just could not afford to eat anywhere nice. I managed to find a hole-in-the-wall Chinese Restaurant and was comforted by the old Chinese man behind the counter with a Chinese accent. Finally, something I could relate to - no matter California or Copenhagen, I'm down with my yellow peoples! And "Grandpa", as I came to know him during those wistful September days, made a mean fried rice for the reasonable sum of US$6. Okay, so I didn't come to know him nor did I ever call him "Grandpa", but you know what I mean.

Now, you're probably wondering why I haven't been crowing about my hotel like in Berlin. That's probably because the matter is best left alone. When I checked in to my obviously 2-star hotel, my ears perked up when the receptionist told me that "I had been upgraded...". Then my heart promptly sank again when she finished "...to a room with a private bath". Yikes, I really dodged a bullet there! Other than that, it was in a very nice neighborhood. My room looked out on the main street, which made for a lot of entertainment at night as I watched the local "working girls" out my window, trading their wares.

Copenhagen soundtrack- Chuck Mangione "The Best of Chuck Mangione", because like Copenhagen, he hasn't been in fashion for several decades now, but he still has that indisputable charm.