Copenhagen, day one

We have arrived into Copenhagen safely. It really feels like a huge ski village here, since many people are either dressed in full furs, or in snow suits with moon boots. Click on the map above to see our voyage from Los Angeles in March 2009 to Paris, and then to Copenhagen this month. This map shows that the world is a very big place; someday we hope to see the enormous continent of Australia.

The first thing we noticed about our new apartment is that it was warm! This is good, since I (Bobby) have brought from Paris a cold or the flu (Thanks to Olivier and his netti pot; I am not blaming, just saying.) There are three rooms, including a full-size kitchen. When Carla stepped out of the shower today, she said, "Ah, I can't remember when I was this warm after a shower." We no longer need to scramble out of the shower and into long johns, trying to catch our breath like we emerged from an icy pond.

We went for a fast walk today to the Strøget, which is a popular shopping street. On Sunday, most things are closed, but we managed to find a really good shawerma place, and I bought some nice shoes for my first day of work (marked down from 1600 to 399 Kroner!). The temperatures here are about the same as in Paris, but the wind is fierce. We walked fast and took a few pictures. Behind us here is the city hall, which was having a free New Year's concert for the retired people of Copenhagen. We were denied entry; but the extremely nice guard told us to be sure to return. Maybe one day we will be retired here!

Here I am over a frozen canal. Don't know what that building is behind me; it was too cold to find out. After a few hours outside, we rushed back to the apartment and brewed a very large pot of our favorite Chai from Bonthés in Paris. That was about when my joints started to ache, and I took a nap. For dinner we went to an interesting restaurant right down the street where everything is all-natural. I got a delicious soup made from Jerusalem artichokes and a winter salad. Carla got some pasta putineshka. Hopefully tomorrow I will be well enough to run all the errands we need to do.

Tuesday is my first real day of work, which I am very excited about. I have lots of work to do, including preparing to teach and writing up research. One conference this year will be in Malaga, Spain in June; another will be in Aalborg, Denmark in August. Then in September there is a conference in Graz, Austria. Hopefully I will get to go to all of them, with a visit to the US in between.