Copenhagen

We finally found an internet cafe! It is hard for me to believe that there were far more options to access the internet in Guatemala than there are here in Europe. I suppose there are hotspots everywhere, but since we did not bring computers with us we are left to roam the streets looking for the gathering places for gamers and tourists in this very interesting city.

Unfortunately I have not found out how to rotate my pictures yet in this program, so you will be left twisting your head a few times...
Phillis and I are staying at a little bed and breakfast right on the Strøget, the walking street in central Copenhagen. See the McDonald's sign on the right? We are the next doorway. Actually, it has turned out to be very convenient! Our room is near the back overlooking a little courtyard and fairly quiet. It is about as wide as our two beds... but it works. And it means we are close to everything.

We spent the first day wandering down this street trying to reach the Little Mermaid... a small statue set on the canal in Copenhagen and apparently the destination of most tourist romps through the city. Alas, we spent too much time wandering, taking pictures, sitting in cafes drinking coffee and watching people. We only made it as far the castle, Amalienborg. There is a large courtyard surrounded by buildings on all sides. Throughout are scattered guards (think Britain... only their uniforms are blue and they are not quite as stoic! But they do have the big fuzzy black hats and all) each next to a doorway that opens for cars to drive into the far reaches behind the buildings. At one end is the large marble church central to the city.

The street itself is beautiful. Large old buildings on either side. Shops, cafes, churches, squares. This is one of the main central squares surrounding the Stork Fountain. Off the left is the Royal Copenhagen shop displaying the porcelain and china that the city is so famous for.

Of course what I enjoyed most of all was sitting in a restaurant along one of the cities many canals... This is a section of town called Nyhavn. Just a short stretch off the main square, Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn was filled with tourists and city dwellers lining the outdoor cafes seated under heat lamps, bundled in winter coats, with blankets across our legs. Directly across from us was a small trio playing a little music with drums and a bass fiddle. Behind us, once the trio stopped, a jazz duo began with voice and guitar.

It has been interesting... Copenhagen is so very different than Stockholm, yet it is difficult to put it into words. Stockholm is all clean lines and order. People are pleasant and friendly, yet as you walk in the streets there seems to be little interaction with strangers. For me this brought a feeling of safety and predictability. Copenhagen, however, has more of an edge. People walk a little faster, make more eye contact, jostle you a little more. They are still very helpful, but much more direct. I feel that I am making judgements in this comparison, but that is not my intention. It is just difficult to put into words the sublte differences that you feel... which is a bit what this trip has all been about. Learning to look beyond the surface, beyond first impressions. Things that seem so similar can be so different. Copenhagen and Stockholm. So close, so related, yet so diverse. The Evangelical Covenant Church and the Stockholm Mission Church... both from the same heritage, yet very different... and very much akin to one another at the same time. The subtlety causes you to consider your words, define terms, ask questions... if you are looking closely enough. It is a conversation that I find fascinating and enlightening... but of the other that I am considering and of myself. Who are we really? How shaped are we by our own cultures? If we can recognize how the world has shaped us, will we be able to shake loose from it a bit more and allow ourselves to be more fully shaped by God?