The Good, The Bad, and The Quirky

The Good...

• Its Summer!!!! Shorts, singlets, jandals, glasses, hats, windows down while driving, sunscreen and all things summer.
• I had heard about the lovely blonde, blue eyed Scandinavian women but no-one said anything about the men!! Let's just say there are many shiny fish in the sea up here, ha!!! (for those of you who are more interested in tall, dark and handsome: they have many of those too!!)
• Ahhh the transport system - it makes sense - imagine that!! It's even colour coded for those of us with a more arty style of communication!!
• The furniture stores! Think of Freedom furniture in NZ as equal to K mart and you'll begin to get an idea of how classy furniture and household items are here- totally affordable too! (no wonder my house looks like a hotel!!!)
• The bakeries...ahhhhhhhh, you would not believe it if I told you, so I took pictures. You can salivate while I enjoy, hee hee!
• The people - so easy to socialise with! It'll be even easier when I speak their language!!
• Everyone has bicycles and there are raised bicycle lanes all over the city and separate mini traffic lights just for them! They also have the right of way in all circumstances!
• The beautiful old buildings- walking around Copenhagen feels like being sent back in time (if you can ignore the cars and technology which also surrounds you)
• The history - its everywhere. A house or building which is less than 80 years old is considered new.
• I am living in a house which feels remarkably like a hotel - classy interior decorating, underfloor heating (this is just divine when entering the warm tiled floor of my private bathroom in the morning), delicious food, dining in tranquil garden setting.
• I'm living with a fantastic Danish couple the same age as my parents, they are super helpful, friendly, and best of all we spend most of our time laughing and speaking a hilarious combination of broken English and Danish.
• Catching up with Camilla and Lisbeth (My super Danish friends who were in New Zealand last year) .
• A church where they speak English and sing the songs I know!!
• Its not very often you arrive in a new country to a family, friends, home, church and opportunities for lots of social activity - I'm blessed and totally thrilled!!!

The Bad...

• The summer here is much like the summer in Auckland: four seasons in one day - lets just say on some days I am wishing I didn't send my winter clothes by sea economy post!
• "I must not get distracted, I must not get distracted..." did I mention the beautiful people up here!
• The transport system freaks me out!! There are buses, trains, metro (that's underground trains which run automatically without a driver! - more Hollywood scenarios coming to mind) you have to buy tickets for a certain amount of zones. Fair enough, its a great system - granted - but I have no idea when/where to get off or where to go once I'm off eek!
• The bakeries!! I am going to be rolling home soon! (I am hoping the cycling and walking and lack of a car will help in this area!)
• Did I mention they speak Danish here? Eek its a hard language to learn. I am slowly picking it up but it tires me out and sometimes the temptation to plug my fingers in my ears is rather strong (don't worry I have resisted thus far).
• They drive on the other side of the road here. I know you know that but its impossible to navigate! - mix this with hugely different road rules, unusual road signs and markings and hundreds of cyclists who ALWAYS have the right of way!
• All cars are manual - my co-ordination problem rears its ugly head yet again. So much for my international drivers license I was so excited about!
• When you purchase a car you have to pay the government 180% of the price you are paying for the car (to deter people from owning cars), I still don't understand all the complex taxes and fees you have to pay each month for your car as well!!
• The money is entirely confusing, 4 Kroner is $1, I keep freaking out when I buy things and they say 100 kroner ($25) or I see my favourite shampoo labelled as 50 kroner. I know the exchange rate but it's not cemented in my head yet and I still gasp every time I see the prices.
• Everything is in Danish!!!! The computers, books, newspaper, road signs, recipes, labels... I used to spend so long in NZ reading the labels on beauty products and picking just the right one. Now all I do is smell it - if it's nice I get it. I did know all of this before I came but it is rather overwhelming.

The Quirky...

• Picture this: A good looking 20 something guy in styli clothes riding an old fashioned black bicycle with a basket on the front. Now surround yourself with them and you've got a regular busy road scene in Copenhagen. I still haven't stopped smirking at the sight!
• The mini traffic lights especially for cyclists.
• The raised bicycle lanes on all roads.
• Cycles with little tents on wheels being pulled behind them (this is what you do when you have children and don't have a car!)
• The sheer amount of apartment buildings. They are everywhere!! All stairs, no elevators or emergency exits.
• No sky scrapers. All buildings are 6 stories or less.
• Danish weddings: There are no bridesmaids or groomsmen, the bride and groom don't say vows and they don't sign a register. Basically the priest talks a lot, several hymns are sung in super slow motion, the couple are blessed and its all over! Oh and they wear their rings on their right hand. (I considered swapping my ring over to my left hand but the 'When in Rome' theory doesn't really appeal to me much).
• While most younger Danish can speak English very well, they are hesitant to speak it in front of a native English speaker as they are convinced their English is not very good (I guess this is the result of learning it through school and not really using it in every day life) result: no one speaks in English unless they absolutely have to.
• Many Danish are secretly hooked on watching McLeod's daughters.
• When they say Denmark is flat they mean pancake flat! I went on a short road trip on the weekend and I would say in the 2 hours that we were driving I would have seen only a few small rises in ground level - including what could be seen in the distance!!!