Days 11 - 13. Copenhagen -> Rome -> Marrakesh, Morocco

The past three days have been hectic, to put it lightly. I was flying in and out of airports at wee hours in the mornings or late at nights, figuring out how get to my hotel from the airport and vice versa (public transportation doesn't run at 430 a.m.), and frantically trying to fit in as much as I could at a given location until my next flight. I planned poorly, and I paid my price with lost sleep and fatigue. Previously, I tried very hard to update this blog every day, as I feel like this will be the most prized 'thing' that will remain from this trip. But the fatigue caught up with me, and I just couldn't do it.

I spent one night in Copenhagen, and on the next day, I had almost a full day to explore the city. I took two free walking tours. One was a 2.5 hour grand tour of the city, covering the major landmarks as well as learning about the Danish culture. Our guide was a Danish native (named Daniel), so he could pronounce all the names in perfect fluent Danish, and it also gave him the license to make fun of the Swedes. I didn't realize there was a rivalry between the Danes and the Swedes, (probably most likely due to hundreds of years of fighting) but the rivalry is still there in a good natured form, most often displayed during sporting matches. It's similar to how the Americans make fun of Canadians. The tour was soured with rain. It started off as a light drizzle, but eventually it became heavier and heavier, and the cold weather didn't help matters. I actually started to dread it, feeling cold and miserable, but I stuck with it.

Our guide

After the tour, I dried myself at a cafe, getting me some (you guessed it) danish pastries and some coffee. After a few hours, I went for the second tour, given by the same group, and luckily, I got the same guide as before. This tour focused on the free town of Christiania. After the end of the tour, the group was going to go inside the town, but I had a flight to catch, so I couldn't join them. It was a pity, because I wanted to see what it was like there. The free town of Christiania is like this social experiment where they're kind of on their own as far as governing themselves. They're still part of Denmark, but there's activities that go on in there (such as mind enhancing drugs), and the government, for the most part, turns a blind eye.

The Danish government, almost a socialistic one by American standards, provides a lot of benefits to their citizens. Free healthcare, free education (even a decent monthly stipend for college students), retirement, unemployment pay (90% of your previous salary, for up to 2 years!), and maternal and paternal leave. Income tax starts at 37% minimum, and for a typical middle class earner, will probably be at 53%. And yet, it seems like the Danes are pretty happy about what they're getting.

People are more orderly here. When you're at a cross walk, even if there are no cars in sight, people will wait until the light turns green. This was a stark contrast to what I was seeing in London (which is actually nothing compared to what I'm seeing in Marrakesh...). Bike lanes and walking lanes are strictly adhered to. And it didn't occur to me until I got to Rome, but the streets and buildings were really clean.
I can see why a lot of people say they like Copenhagen a lot. But for me, I didn't feel a connection to the city. I merely felt like a tourist. I have a strong conviction that the reason for this disconnect is not speaking the mother tongue of Danish. In Paris, I tried a little. I began the conversation with a "Bonjour" whether I'm buying something or asking someone to take a photograph. I'd add a little "sil vous plait" here and there, and felt like I was part of the city. And the fact that most French just responded to my english with French just strengthened the notion that I really needed to speak French in Paris. But in Copenhagen, almost everyone spoke English very well, so there was no need. And it seemed like the Danes weren't so set on speaking Danish to everyone. And because the exchanges happened in this second language, the connection to the people, the city, and the culture, was never developed.

The classic Copenhagen pic

That's my Copenhagen experience, in a day.

Rome was next. Technically, I spent two nights, but it's more like one full day, because the first and the third day was just getting to and from the airport. I don't have much to say about Rome, except that I was disappointed in the food department. I tried a pizza from a hole in the wall cafe (against my friends' warnings), and it was so-so. I tried lasagna from a well-reviewed restaurant, and I was underwhelmed. I tried some pastries from a grocery bakery, and was disappointed. The McDonald's, however, had a separate cafe/sweets section. So I had that going for me. I ordered a slice of cheesecake, and a latte, in perfect Italian accent, because I'm in Italy. Yeah, latte, I know what I'm doing! To my surprise, I'm given a giant glass of milk. Yeah, latte means milk in Italian. At least it complemented my cheesecake well.

Pretty poor pizza

Another surprise for me was the amount of trash and graffiti in Rome. When you see pictures of Rome on the internet, it's something very pretty or picturesque. What you don't see are the ugly parts. This was apparent as soon as I reached my hotel. If you take out the graffiti, the place looks like a paradise. But if you add in the graffiti, you have second thoughts on whether you want to get in or not. As you enter the city center and the touristy areas, though, there is less and less of the trash and graffiti.

What's with the trash and graffiti

A welcoming sign

A welcoming sign with graffiti

The buttons to press to get in

Speaking of getting in. Every big building in Rome has these things on the side of the building. You press it and they'll let you in. I didn't realize this when I first got to my hotel at 1 am in the morning. Locked out of my building, I didn't know what to do, until luckily, a family who was staying there unlocked the front gates, where I promptly tagged along and went in. But even though I was inside the front gates, there were still more of these huge locked doors with no obvious ways to get in. I finally noticed these panels, pressed the button that was labeled with the hotel's name, and I was let in.

Obligatory colosseum

Obligatory view from Palatine Hill

Then Marrakesh. This place is nothing like anything I've been to. It's exotic, unique, a bit scary, but fun. More on Marrakesh later. Also featuring: how I got scammed (sort of).

Koutobia Mosque

Jemaa el Fnaa