Peter, Copenhagen & gourmet meals

We had thought to get to Copenhagen, Denmark via Amsterdam because of the train schedules but ended up finding a route from Prague to Copenhagen that was painful but more direct than the Amsterdam route. The first train left at 3:33am from Prague which made for a long, uncomfortable night. Also, unbeknownst to us, the Prague train station closes down from 1am to 3am which put us outside with all our bags looking for a place to hang for two hours in the middle of the night. Thankfully, a bunch of other backpackers were in the same situation so we all sat on benches around a monument a few blocks from the train station across the street from a KFC and McDonalds that were open for food but not for seating.

Our first train (of 4) was delayed so we missed our second train which ended up changing our route and pleasantly reducing the number of trains we had to take to 2. Also a plus was the fact that our second train was a gorgeous, first class fast train with leather seats and all you can drink free coffee, tea and water. It was the lap of luxury compared to the local trains we had been taking to and from Cesky Krumlov.

After some initial confusion due to our unexpected train changes, we found Peter (college friend of Amir's), rather he found us, at the metro station two blocks from his house, where he subsequently brought us. That was Friday evening when we arrived and we've been staying with Peter since then (today is the following Wednesday). He's not only an excellent host, but also a trained chef which means we both need to go on a diet tomorrow afternoon when we leave for Hungary. The meals we have eaten day after day have been unbelievably good and the desserts are so good that there are never leftovers.

On a day with exceptionally good weather, Peter took us on a tour through Copenhagen where we saw loads of people wandering around, tons of stores featuring items that even when on sale we couldn't hope to afford, lovely multi-colored buildings lining either side of a jetty where we sat to eat Peter's wonderful wasabi-mayo veggie sandwiches and BLTs, a church whose tower is surmounted via a spiral staircase going up to the top, and a hippy area where no one wore a bra and everyone's hair reached their knees. It was a lovely day and a fun insight into the capitol city.

Peter's apartment is just a few blocks from a beautiful lake that we've walked almost every day we've been here. There are swans, ducks, blue herons (possibly) and loads of runners, joggers, walkers, cyclers and boaters. One day we all walked the lake track in the pouring rain and had the best time I think I've ever had while dripping wet with rain.

If all goes well at the Danish train ticketing office, we plan to leave tomorrow around 2pm for Sopron, Hungary where we will spend a few days before meeting up with our friend Bergen for a week in Budapest.