My big fat Greek adventure

On July 7 Claudia and I set out from the Copenhagen airport for good (I will be returning but just for one day and I am not actually allowed to leave the airport due to visa issues). Everything went smoothly with the flight and at 1.30 we arrived in Rodos Greece.

We had pre-decided to spend the night there, however we hadn't thought that the airport would be so small! There was only a few benches around the baggage pick-up area so we picked the most secluded ones and settled in for the night. At 6am we were awakened by airport staff who said "Excuse me, it's not allowed" and then walked away. We took our time getting ready and then went into the city where we met Petra - my friend's friend who works as a tour guide for Slovanian tourists in Rodos. She took us to our hotel and then showed us the old city.

Greece was beautiful; I saw one of the most magnificent sunsets by some Roman ruins. I also went swimming in the refreshing, clear salt water beaches. I had never gone on a 'beach holiday' before and therefore I didn't really understand the appeal of one. Now that I have swam in the clear water and tasted the salt I have fallen in love with oceans; the only thing that would have made this trip more complete would have been snorkeling or scuba diving, or both! I'm saving that for my return trip.

One day Claudia and I rented a scooter and I drove it 50km across the island to the white town of Lindos. We then rode a donkey to the top of the mountain in Lindos and had a wonderful view over the whole city and ocean.

We went to Simi for two days - another island in the Dodecanese. It was the most beautiful place I have seen; colourful houses lined the shoreline.

One night we went to a Greek dinner. A Greek man, his American wife, and their two children put on this dinner every week and perform traditional Greek dances and get the audience involved as well. There was bbq'd octopus and traditional Greek dancing complete with smashing of plates and yelling "Opa!" just like in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Last day in Copenhagen

So today is my last day in Copenhagen. It feels weird to be leaving the place where my life has been since January. I packed everything into two suitcases and one backpack. At 13.30 my Danish family came and picked up my suitcases and they will drop it off to me at the airport in a month. Afterwards I went into the city and cancelled my CPR number and got things sorted out at the bank so that I can leave Copenhagen with no problem.

Yesterday I had a bbq at my place with my room mates and some friends. Today I have already said goodbye to two of my room mates.

The whole time that I was packing I was so sad. I have taken down all of the decorations from my walls and now they are the same white that they were when I arrived.

I really love Copenhagen. I had a great past few months staying here and I am going to miss the friends that I have made and everything about the city. I want to come back and visit, but it will not be the same as it is now.

In a few hours I will leave Copenhagen and go to Greece, Turkey, and finally Russia, so I will try to update you guys as much as I can! I'm not too sure how internet access will be yet!

Roskilde - the Danish Woodstock

In the little city of Roskilde, every year they host a giant music festival with artists such as U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Coldplay. This year's the big names were Prince, Muse, Jack Johnson, Gorillaz, and Prodigy. There was also a ton of smaller Scandinavian artists, some African, and bands from all around the world.

My favourite performer of the festival - Jack Johnson

The tickets are about 250euros, but luckily I was able to volunteer and get in for free. I was a "pansamler" or "refund collector" meaning that I had to walk around and pick up cans and cups in order to get refunds which go to DanAid. They donate the money to eradicating poverty in Africa; it is a very broad mandate! My first shift was June 26 from 17.00-1.00; the music didn't start until July 1! I wasn't expecting there to be too much to do since Roskilde didn't actually open until 18.00 on June 26, but people had pushed the gate at 14.00 and the place was already full of people and cans.

This year 71,000 people camped out at Roskilde and 4,000 bought one-day tickets. It was a great time and unlike anything I had ever seen! In Copenhagen, there were thousands of people with camping backpacks, tents, and baby carriages full of beer, sleeping bags, and pavillions. All of Denmark slows down during Roskilde as most of the people are here. This year the attendants were 85% Danish and 15% internationals.

The 'clean and silent' area of the Festival

It was well organized; almost every band started on time. And everyone follows the rules of having the tents within the designated areas. It was like a little city with shops, grocery stores, and restaurants. Certain tents have been around for so long that they become popular among the attendants and they host parties and music before the actual concerts start.

People basically camp here from June 27 to July 4 (when the music ends) or July 5 and then they leave. And people leave almost everything behind; pavillions, tents, sleeping bags, clothing! I left right after Prince on July 4 so I missed the after ritual of burning tents. Even leaving directly after Prince I was still caught in a mad rush to return to Copenhagen; I got to the train station at 1.15 and missed two trains because they were all full of festival guests. Finally at 3 there was a train with enough room for my friend and myself and I managed to get home where I promptly showered off all of the dirt that had been collecting on me for the past several days.

Luckily we had the toilets and handwashing station right outside of our camp - Camp Balkan

My dirty feet and ripped jeans on July 3