Burning a Day in Copenhagen

After getting to bed this morning at about 5:00 AM, I awoke at about 10:00 AM.  I'm trying to stay under budget as much as possible to help off-set a purchase I plan on making, and Anna (my bunk-mate and the Brazilian from the drinking group) doesn't have an extensive budget, so we both decided to see some more of the city for free.  We headed out to the Copenhagen botanical gardens.  They were pretty, but ultimately rather small, so we only spent about 20 minutes in the garden themselves.

Once out, we split and I headed to the tourism area of the city to get the shopping done that I couldn't in Esbjerg.  I looked at some products I was interested in, got some quotes, and headed back to the hostel to do some research on whether I was getting a good price or not on the goods.  As it seems I am not being grossly overcharged, I will head back tomorrow before boarding the ship, make my purchase, and get it shipped it back to the States.  Greg, you may want to be on the lookout for a package over the next few weeks!

The rest of the day was largely spent napping (after last night, could you blame me?), and planning for when I get off the ship in Oslo, Norway.

As this post is rather short, I'll pad it out a bit by talking about which Danish cities were my favorite, and why.  The list is as follows (from favorite to least):

1. Århus - This city felt the most Danish to me.  The beautiful canal, the simple integration of civic installments (statues, libraries, City Bikes, and museums) created a wonderfully immersive experience.  I would have loved to spend more time in Århus, and if (when) I plan another trip to Denmark, I certainly plan on doing so.  The City Sleep-In hostel was also convenient, inexpensive, and had very high-quality facilities.
2. Copenhagen - Copenhagen is a nice city, but it's a little too touristy for me.  I feel that it achieves a cosmopolitan feel, but at the expense of the underlying Danish culture.  It's still a great place to be, however - it feels a fair bit like a Danish version of Chicago.
3. Holstebro - Despite the creepy hostel, Holstebro was a treat to stay in.  It shared Århus's well-designed, aesthetic layout, and contained ample parks and plazas to relax and enjoy a day.  It's quieter, true, but a great place to spend a lazy week.
4. Ålborg - Ålborg was enjoyable, but felt a bit like "Århus light"  The aesthetic of the city's layout is not as cohesive as either Århus or Holstebro, and I couldn't see myself spending more than a few days here.  It is worth mentioning that the placement of my hostel well outside the city center may have biased me slightly against it.
5. Esbjerg - No.  No City Bikes. Poor layout. Just no.