hello again!

i've been here for a little over a week now, and i finally feel settled. i had a lovely weekend with my host family. on friday night my host sister Louise invited me to a birthday party. i met a bunch of her friends, including some fellow horse-lovers and one minnesota enthusiast, and generally had a good time. birthday parties here are quite different. family and friends all party together and liquor is plentiful for the kids and adults. it seemed like a much more relaxed, natural gathering. anywho, on saturday i got to go riding with Louise! we took the horses out to a field area near the house. i spent a glorious hour riding through the danish countryside -- it was pretty much the best thing i've done here so far. i got to try out the icelandic horse's special gait -- the tolt. it is so smooth you can hold a glass of water in your hand without spilling any!

classes are going well so far. alex and i walked to Christiana this afternoon after class. Christiania is the "freetown" of copenhagen, across the canal from downtown copenhagen in christianshavn. it was started in 1971 when a group of squatters started living in abandoned buildings. the area became a collective community with its own rules and ideals and is often tied to the hippie movement.

i must say, it's an incredible place. everything is colorful and vibrant and has a totally different feel from the rest of copenhagen. i plan to go back so i can take more pictures. if you have time, you can read about Christiania on their website
www.christiana.org

so, i think i'm going to start posting a picture everyday, even if i don't have time to make a real entry. i don't know that i'll actually follow through.... but, i like pictures!

this is the entrance to Christiania. the weather is gray here a lot, as you can see.


hej hej!

caitlinincopenhagen