hello from denmark

we are in copenhagen right now, i'm using tim's laptop that is on the copenhagen university ethernet. i guess because of the IP address, everything is showing up in danish. it is weird.

anyway, it is pretty nice here. the weather has been nasty, cold and rainy, but the city seems nice. generally pretty clean. lots of bikes and people walking, etc. still a lot of cars, but not that many given how many people live here. it seems to be a pretty relaxed place, which is nice. there are lots of parks, also. they are strange to walk through because so many of the plants are similar to the eastern US. lots of oaks, linden, birch trees. and then there are plants and animals i'm used to considering "out of place" but that are native here. garlic mustard, starlings, pigeons.

yesterday i went to the botanisk have (botanical garden) and walked around until i was too wet to stay out any longer. they had a section of danish wild plants, a lot of which are ornamentals in the US. they had plants from all over, including one redwood tree and some poison ivy! why deliberately grow poison ivy? what botanical or education purpose does that serve??? it did get three skulls & crossbones on the sign, whereas some plants only got one... they had two pamphlets when you entered the garden (1) where to find the poisonous plants and (2) where to find the "plants of the bible". interesting place.

i am still waiting to see some vikings.

pictures, etc. later.

my big backyard

sorry, been awhile since a post... been busy getting ready for thailand, etc. pretty much ready to go. also, going to denmark tomorrow. it will be a whirlwind of laundry, unpacking and repacking in the 36 hours i'm here before going to thailand....

anyway, seen some interesting things lately. we have a gecko that lives on the back balcony. i've seen a great horned owl, western screech owl, banded gecko and desert tortoise at the evening tours i volunteered at, at the desert botanical garden. also lots of nighthawks and a few cicadas and toads. its pretty nice there in the evening. i recommend it if you're in town.

alright, back to packing... i plan to put up a denmark post before i head to thailand, but no promises!

also, check out this inspirational article in the new york times...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/weekinreview/24basics.html?ref=us
i love it! too bad i'm missing fair season (although i think i'll be back in time for the AZ state fair, rodeo and all!)