The taxi driver this morning in Denmark said something very interesting: “Ten years ago Danes drove cars and the Chinese rode bikes. Now the Chinese drive cars and the Danes ride bikes.”
That is certainly true as the streets here are about 40% occupied by bikers of all sizes. This morning I saw a virtual school bus of children on bikes. It looked like they were all dressed and off to school, except for the fact that they were all on their own bikes and riding in one giant pack.

One of the features of my hotel I hope to try tomorrow is that they will let you borrow the bike for as long as you want. Excellent!

In learning to be more eco-friendly, I have realized that I should also try to be more… “friendly”. I am sad to report that I can see the effect of living in China all too readily. Yesterday, I lowered my shoulder into an unsuspecting Dane who was trying to enter the elevator with me. “Like, who do you think you are trying to push by me??? ” “Oh wait… we are not in China?” “You were not pushing?” “Sorry.” … I felt so bad but honestly, it just happened by instinct.

Then I realized that I probably shouldn’t be using the elevator at all. There are stairs everywhere! The healthy culture of bike riding and exercise is embedded into everything. People are polite and courteous. Always smiling, always saying hello and goodbye. There is no litter on the streets. Life is for living well and enjoying. People are responsible for their own acts and clean up after themselves. They even have fart kontrol here AND it is COUNTRY WIDE!!! Now, take all this and combine it with a new word I found: Hyggelig. They say this word cannot be translated into English. The best answer I heard is that it is a good feeling shared with friends or alone while being in a safe environment such as a pub, park, or your home. It is certainly true here.

My second problem was tipping. after I recovered from the shock of my $88 USD taxi fare from the airport to the hotel, I realized I did not tip the driver. I have lived for so long without tipping, I guess my wallet just had a little dust on it.

Stay tuned for details on how there is more to eat than just rice here :)