I bought the ticket one day before. I loaned my car to Shaun so he could move some things.
In Copenhagen, I met with Laurel and her family. We ate well and walked thoughout the city. In the evenings Laurel and I watched sunsets and in the mornings we visited parks and gardens. One day we rode bicycles to the edge of town and jumped into the ocean (which was crystal clear, even in the city- where Copenhageners jump in from the seawalls). Another day we took a train about 40 minutes out and saw the Louisiana Museum.
After Laurel left, I stayed in Copenhagen for few days. I went to the Arken Museum, where I saw an exhibit on Hundertwasser and monuments by Damien Hirst. The town seemed less fun without Laurel ( though likely not the case, I just missed her momentarily). When she was still in Copenhagen, I remember we had a conversation with a couple at a bar, they recommended I see Prague.
I flew to Prague. On the plane, I sat next to a drunken Swede. He and his freinds were traveling to Prague to party, as is customary for graduating high school students in his country he told me. He was loud throughout the flight.
I met Benjamin in the airport on the basis hat we were the only two Americans and were introduced by the Swedes. Ben was from Boston. He asked if I had a place to stay. No. He offered me the name of his hostel. We shared cab fare to the center of town then began looking for his hostel, Sir Toby's. We asked around and were helped by a group of Greeks, by way of going inside for a few drinks and using the internet to look up an address.
Prague was incredible. The skyline was like nothing else, spires of cathedrals and castles in the dozens.
I went to Vienna next. I thought I might meet an artist that I admire there in his studio, but I learned via email that he was not there. I still visited his gallery, which showed the work of Cone The Weird. Very cool stuff, and I liked Vienna's vibes. I went in the huge aqueduct channel which runs throughout the city. It was early in the morning. My Ethiopian bunk-mates woke me at 4:30 when they got up to catch a flight. I stayed awake and explored giant tunnels.
I was running low on time and had to take a flight back to Copenhagen. I had a ten hour layover in Brussels. There were about eighty people who slept on the floors of the airport that night. The harsh flourescents stayed on full bright through the night. I tried to seek relief in a Muslim temple, where I removed my shoes, layed down, and was approched by a man who was also reclining and asked to leave, if I was not a Muslim. I kept my philosophies to myself; when he asked me if I was a Christian, I said yes. Then he said there is a Christian chapel next door, and that this room was for Muslims only. Aagin I kept my philosophies to myself. The Christian chapel had bright fluorescents, wooden pews, and white tile floors, much unlike the Muslim dark room with a large persian rug. I slept under a bench, covered in newspapers like a Christian.
My final day in Copenhagen was wonderful. I went to Christiania and smoked hash and skunk in the soft grass with a graffiti artist friend that I'd just met. We collaborated on a few drawings.
I am now back in Jacksonville. It is good to be back. I am now moving into my second studio, in CoRK ( a collection of artist studios just a block from my first studio). I now have air conditioning, a refridgerator, a shower, and a communal bathroom with the other artists in the community.
