We arrived in Copenhagen in the evening and checked ourselves into our cozy 68-bed dorm! Eager to explore the new city, Walker and I headed out on the town. We wandered through the center of town, old cobblestoned streets lined with modern clothing stores, cafes, and hotels. Even though it was late on a weeknight, the streets were swarming with people. For dinner, we followed our noses and had ourselves our first of many wursts to come - the traditional Denmark rod brot (a long, thin red hotdog) and big fat juicy frankfurters - in a courtyard in front of the town hall. Yum!

The next morning we awoke amidst a prayer group. About half of our fellow dorm mates had unfurled their prayer mats and were beginning their daily rituals. No privacy here! Walker and I headed out for a day of site seeing. Copenhagen has a small city center intersected by a series of waterways. It's most central point is the Tivoli, a big amusement park. We first wandered past the old Stock Exchange buildings. Built along the canal, these dominant red-brick edifices capped with a green roof now lie empty and unused but point to a grander past.

Pushing further into Christianshavn, we found ourselves at Christiania, a huge hippy co-op built in the early 1970's. I've never seen anything like this in my life! This oasis, a tangle of colorful buildings, shacks, cafes, shops, tents, all connected through alleyways and paths, is home to probably a couple hundred people (and twice as many dogs). Music was playing, the air smelled faintly of marijuana, and people were everywhere, tourists mingling with locals. Though at a time Christianatown was more closed off to the public, now it is quite a tourist attraction, and the locals sell food, clothes, paraphernalia, and souvenirs. The gate over the exit reads "Now Entering the E.U."