Well hello København

I'm sitting in my modest efficiency, and outside the skies are blue, with small white clouds moving quickly out to sea. The present weather is fantastic, but as I've learned these past days, a blue sky morning is no guarantee of a pleasant afternoon, and it's best to take advantage before it turns grey. Due to Copenhagen's proximity to the sea, and the fact that it's really a series of small islands, the weather can turn with little warning very quickly. That being said, it's been a nice temperature with a cool breeze and a warm sun most of the time thus far.

This past weekend, being my first in the city, was inevitably rife with socializing. And sleep was completely lacking. It doesn't really get dark here until close to midnight, and by 3:30 the sun is already beginning to peak above the low horizon. This, coupled with the absence of public transport between 2:00 and 5:00, makes for two varieties of nights out. The first would be an early night, back to Kathrine (my residence) by 2:00. The other is an early morning, which consists of staying out until the metro starts running again after 5:00. The latter seems to be the norm in this city that sleeps very little on the weekends.

There was a mandatory introduction to Copenhagen Business School on Friday afternoon, immediately followed by a Welcome BBQ, which was by no definition a BBQ. The fine catered meal took place in Solbjerg Plads, one of the main CBS campus buildings, and included the largest cake I've ever seen in person. The food was fantastic, and the 1/2 litre Carlsberg was among the most affordable I've run into. And by that I mean it was a little less than 5 USD. After this, groups of students began making their way to Club Mambo, a bar/club in the city centre, for some drinks and salsa. Pete and I had an open invitation to attend a big bash in the north of Copenhagen, at the residence of a fellow Viking, Thomas. We recruited a wonderful group of young ladies (and two tag-a-longs) and tackled the bus system. We arrived shortly before 1:00 and met up with our friends. Nicolai, a Danish Viking, and Ian, an American, were both there, in party mode. The residence is a converted hotel, and the ground floor was now being used to its full potential. There were three separate rooms, two of which had their own DJs, and a small bar where the reception (or maybe coat room) once stood. There were nearly 500 Danes there, so it was a great chance to mingle with the locals.

We made it back to Kathrine around 6:30, and I checked my e-mail, only to find a note from Lars (our go-to-guy here in Denmark) requesting our presence in Helsingor that afternoon. So I sent him a message back, and we got about three winks before boarding the regional train north to Helsingor. We were promptly booted off said train for lacking the appropriate tickets, but eventually made it to the beautiful coastal city and met with Lars. Lars is an original Viking, from way back in '54, and this guy just exudes cool. We talked over a nice lunch, and planned to meet again for a long day in Helsingor. After only a short while there, both Pete and I agreed the place was simply calming, and the feeling could be described as floating. I have a sneaking suspicion that sleep deprivation has similar effects.

Back in Copenhagen, we planned for the night ahead. We headed over to Nicolai's apartment, picking up a crate of beer on the way. We ordered out for pizza, and on the way to pick it up, were pulled into a large group of older Danes dancing a Jewish folk dance in the street. Thomas told us they were sad to see us leave, as we were "so cute". Back at the place we enjoyed a few with the same Vikings from the previous night, before heading out to Club Vega in Vesterbro, a brief walk from Nicolai's place. The line was a bit long, and we met up with some great girls from Kathrine and opted for the downstairs bar, simply called The Ideal Place. It turned out to be a cool bar, playing mostly soul and Motown, with a little funk thrown in. An after-party at Nicolai's followed, and before I knew it, the sun was shining, I was throwing a frisbee back at Katharine, and it was almost 7:00.

Pete and I caught four winks and then caught a train west to Roskilde. We're attending the rock festival of the same name this upcoming weekend (check the link on the left bar for more info) and Sunday was the first day to set-up your tent. We had a little trouble finding the actual festival grounds, and at one point stopped for a hamburger to gather our thoughts. This hamburger, which appeared to be of a normal size in the plastered posters, turned out to be the biggest hamburger I've ever seen. I felt like I may have entered some contest unknowingly.

Eventually we found the pack of hippies and punks heading to the festival grounds, and after a long walk caught sight of Roskilde. It looked like the festival had already occurred. Garbage, and I use that work liberally, was strewn all over the path to the entrance. For this festival, people start camping outside the grounds up to a week before they allow anyone in. And even then, the music doesn't begin until Thursday. From what I've seen so far, this is going to be an insane festival. I attended Bonnaroo a few years back, and I thought that was a bit of a dirty hippy fest. This place makes Bonnaroo look like a young professionals conference at the Hilton. I'm headed back Thursday afternoon, in time to catch the Radiohead performance on the main stage.

In the meantime, I attended my first day of classes today, and though it was nearly five consecutive hours of class time, I'm pleased with my class choices and the direction they seem to be headed. My first course is Entrepreneurship and Small Business Formation, taught by an American from Wharton, who made it clear he doesn't think business and ethics ever sat at the same lunch table. My second class is Advertising and Promotion, taught by a very easy-on-the-eyes Aussie. Both kept my attention, which I was worried had been reduced to a six minute span.

I won't get back to this until sometime after I return from Roskilde, and in the time before that I have the Carlsberg Brewery tour, more class, and some Danish folk dancing to look forward to. Happy 4th of July, I plan to get my hands on some fireworks. Or at least start something on fire. God Bless America.