Jeg studerer i Strøget.

Despite having to wake up at 7:00 every morning to brave the frigid cold and darkness, there is one advantage to having classes at 8:30 every day: my Fridays are done by 10:00 AM. Thus began today's adventure strolling down the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen, where 17th-century architecture and modern design sit side by side like old friends, creating a disparate harmony only achievable in a city like Copenhagen.

I spent the day on Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe conveniently located just a street over from where I go to class. While Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world, clothing is surprisingly affordable right now, perhaps due to the giant sales that go on in the month of January.

Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street, not my photo. Imagine more snow and heavier coats and that is what it looks like right now.

Aside from the great deals and quality shops, it's the small pleasures that make leisurely walks in the city so delightful. Charming outdoor flower shops sit on the street, boasting a remarkable array of fresh flowers. Bakeries and sandwich shops adorn the city, flooding the air with the warm aromas of freshly baked bread and unparalleled pastries. Perhaps the greatest delight was the fact that it was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon and the streets were packed with locals already celebrating the end of the work week, a testament to a collective culture that values leisure over working extra hours. And so it should.

I came to a stop at a red light as I approached Magasin du Nord, where I encountered a most peculiar sight. There was not a single car, not even a bike on the street or anywhere within sight, yet a whole row of people on each side of the street stood patiently waiting for their turn to cross, as if the street were congested with speeding traffic. For an outsider to the culture, it was a marvelous revelation. Even on such a non-issue, their collective way of thinking remains present. They respect the rules and one another, they abide by global-minded structures, and their society benefits remarkably in efficiency.

Copenhagen is filled with such foreign yet comforting encounters. Perhaps most striking is the sight of unattended babies in strollers left on the street as their mothers shop inside. A shocking sign of negligence in America and most other parts of the world, an everyday practice in the safe and civilized society of Denmark. It almost feels like a Utopian bubble at times, and it's sad to think of such a culture colliding with the corruption everywhere in the world today. But for now, it's these little oddities reminiscent of such an admirable society that make me feel so refreshingly at home in this city.