NastyMcT : Blog : Photography : Alaska

I’ll ellaborate on these later.  Today we’re planning on heading out and checking out some more stuff, maybe the crown jewels, who knows.  It’s another gorgeous day here, sunny but not hot.

#1 i’m currently on a 3G Wireless internet connection. A little self contained internet connection, via USB. 7.2Mbps.  YES 7.2.  It’s around $40 a month here, and blazing fast.  This technology is being surpressed in the US, and we’re about 10 years behind the curve.

#2 Everyone here speaks AT LEAST two languages.  Usually English, Danish, Italian etc.  And they speak English WELL.  “More better” than some American’s I know!  I’m actually quite surprised how fluently they speak English.

#3 The mass transit system here is outstanding. Outstanding. Busses run 24/7. The trains are fast and clean, no dirty underground, no seedy dark spots.

#4 Danish pay 40% in Taxes. For that 40%, they are taken care of for life. Free medical, dental. Retirement. Schooling, including upper education. They actually PAY YOU to go to school. So you can survive. Is it a perfect system? No.  But it’s very interesting. I would say the Danes are the happiest people.  If you can’t work, you can still get money.  Temporarily out of a job?  You can get help from the system, which will even cover your CHILD SUPPORT while you’re down on your luck.  In America they file criminal non-support charges and throw you in jail.  Where you can work off your child support for around $10 a day.  Ok, i’m getting off topic sorry!

#5 Things are EXPENSIVE here.  Compared to things in the U.S.  For example, the current exchange rate is around $1US - 4.85Kroner.  For simplicity, I just divide everything by 5, and it’s pretty close.  Everything is twice as expensive here.  A pint of beer, is around $12, a coke at a bar or restaurant $5, at 7/11 a coke, juice, anything is around $5.  A Long Island Ice Tea, $30 (I almost passed out! 150Kroner!!!)  So how can anyone afford anything here??  They make more.  The bartender at one spot makes 130Kr an hour or $26. And if there is a private party, she makes in upwards of 300KR an hour.  This isn’t including tips.  So $26-100 an hour.  Lets just subtract an even 50% just for fun…. $13-50 an hour, plus tips. And everything is covered. Pretty sweet.  Still, it’s expensive.

#5 Similar in Longitude and Latitude as Juneau Alaska.  It starts getting light pretty early here, and dark later at night, which i’m used too from Alaska. Pretty sweet.

#6 I’m amazed by the architecture.  Everything is designed to be asthetically pleasing.  They use all mediums, combined.  Metals, woods, glass.  Some designs have simple and elegant lines, while others are ornate and complex, like designs you would expect from old world Europe.

I haven’t run across anything that I don’t like yet.  I’m sure I will.  But at this point, everything has been really positive, and I’m enjoying it here.  It’s a really safe city.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting to travel to Europe, but maybe concerned about the language barrier.  I’ve met people from everywhere, Italy, Chicago, Mexico…  more soon.

L