Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Despite how exhausting it is to be in 3 countries in the course of 1 day, I enjoyed our whirlwind visit to Amsterdam and Copenhagen. I would have to say, between the two, AMS wins my heart alot more. It was a more vibrant city, much sunnier (weather affects my impression of places alot), reminded me of a EUR NYC, I saw people represented from countries I have forgotten all about (mostly from Africa), the food was delicious (best pork ribs and tuna cheddar bagel EVER) and a bit cheaper, and there was a sense of life there that was contagious. I liked the public transport system there too and took the tram, train and taxi in the city, not to mention the plane to get there! Wasn't cheap but at least it was available. There was a plethora of canals and bridges and bikes and "Anne Frank homes" everywhere I turned and I started to get lost as all the streets started to look alike. I visited Den Haag briefly to meet a psychologist there to talk shop and that city was pretty neat, especially with castle-like buildings and municipal government buildings, large statues and parks and circular streets that went round and round like a carousel. 

Here are some photos of my walk around the streets of AMS.

 [i always enjoy street lamps as they seem so european!]

[classic canal and long narrow homes]

[yay, public transport!]

[bridges, tons of bridges]

[bikes and boats--both plentiful]

[happy people happily riding their bikes. i wanted one too!]

[classic window sill with flowers]

[the classic hippie mobile. legal pot still trips me out!]

[i loved the long narrow streets of long narrow homes]

[i loved the home entrances too]

[i wonder if we were anywhere near AF's home]

[it's all water under the bridge. why is the water so dirty?]

[i dug the rooftop spires]

[zoom out]

[what is it with the dutch obsession with tulips??]

[and cheese?]

[always a fan of city graffiti]

[reminds me of The Scream]

[ladybug tile]

We only spent a couple hours in Copenhagen. It was rainy and overcast the whole time we were there. That made it sorta depressing. It was also really crowded which gave us flashbacks of Shanghai. I saw tons of huge shopping areas, which I also did not care for but we stayed in only one area. According to the city map, there were tons of historical areas, which in the future, hopefully we can check out. dkf enjoyed a nutella crepe as we searched for lunch. I was disappointed with the traditional Danish menus as I am not a big fan of pickled herring or anything funky scandy like that. So we opted for a more "Americanized" meal, which ended up being very pricey with taste that did not match its price tag. I had salmon pasta and dkf had an tapas plate.  Then we gorged on really creamy and rich soft serve, which ended up making me sick. Then it was time to catch a 2.5 hr train ride back to Karlshamn. It took us over 5 hrs before we ended up on our doorstep thanks to a goof up of the train system, but we were glad to finally be home and away from the crowds. It's strange how travelling, esp via public transport, always makes a trip feel so much longer. Travelling is sorta like a coin, there are 2 sides to it, but in my opinion, the adventure outweighs the fatigue because you eventually recuperate but now you have memories of an adventure that will last you a lifetime.

 Here are some photos of our walk around CPH.

[there was a fashion show going on that day. we saw peeks of models' heads thru the crowds walking on the catwalk.]

[i found this interesting]

[some central square with a seemingly important statue in it]

[in search of food in restaurant row]

[i really like the colorful adjoining buildings]

[CPH has similar canals and bridges too]

[looked like a naval base with tons of ships and naval officers]

[scandies seem to like their soft serve extra creamy. it's a heart attack waiting to happen.]

So there's our trip to 2 of the bestest cities in EUR. Here's to many more, although dkf says he's "travelled out," so it may be a while before we travel again. Hey, unless I find another travel buddy!