The weeks following my travel break have been an absolute blur. Term papers, classes, social engagements, and an entirely new city to explore. A "new city?" you ask? Yes, I am convinced that the Copenhagen I lived in prior to my three-week travel break is an entirely different place than it is now. The cause of such change? WEATHER! I had abandoned any hope of loving the rainy, ice palace that is Copenhagen between January and April. However, my feelings are fickle. The end of May and April have made me not only appreciate the beautiful city, but be able to do so without donning 2 coats, a sweater, scarf, and mittens.

The sunny, 65 degree weather the past 2 weeks has been a small slice of heaven. The city has transformed. The streets are constantly crowded during the lunch hour, as Danes eat at side-walk cafes and sip beer while sitting besides the fountains in the many squares. The city is truly alive, and much more enjoyable to be in. Of course, it's wonderful just as soon as I'm about to leave. Go figure.

I've been able to do some fabulous things outside. Below is a picture of me next to the Little Mermaid statue, one of the most famous landmarks in Copenhagen.
The park surrounding the statue is gorgeous. The waterfront looks out into the harbor and is covered with many varieties of flowers, plants, and trees. The gardens are exploding throughout the city. The abundance of plants everywhere makes for an extremely fragrant and colorful cityscape.

This past Friday was the Denmark International School's end of year picnic. North of the city, in the ritzier area of suburban Copenhagen, our school descended upon a local waterfront park and had hot dogs, salads, burgers, beer and wine. It was a wonderful opportunity to relax in the sun. For once in my life, I wasn't the palest person on the beach. There was a plethora of pasty skinned Danes laying in the sun, attempting to force more melanin into their bodies. Public nudity was abound as we dodged naked sun-bathers while playing frisbee. The water wasn't too tempting, but we managed to step in for a few minutes and it was surprisingly warm. I simply wanted to get one step closer to Sweden. If the picture quality were higher, you could make out the country on the other side of the straight.



The next seven days will most certainly also be a blur. But, thankfully, it will be a beautiful, sunny blur. I'm excited to go home, but I'm lucky that my last memories of Denmark will be full of sunshine.