This year’s Round Square trip to Denmark was one of the most interesting and enjoyable trips I have been able to partake in. For seven days, four other LCC students and myself took part in many activities and stimulating discussion, but the part of the trip, which I personally found to be the most exciting, was the group excursion to Copenhagen. The day trip took place during the third day of the conference. After an hour bus ride to Copenhagen, my group was let off near the free state of Christiania, an independent and self-governing microstate in the heart of Copenhagen, similar to that of the Vatican in Rome. Its political situation, however, is surely the only similarity that Christiania shares with the Vatican City. Christiania became a free state in 1971 after its abandoned army barracks were taken over by some Copenhagen residents. Today, it serves as a home to almost 800 residents and is known for its direct and inclusive form of democratic government as well as for its alternative lifestyle.

For the next part of the trip, we walked to the Danish Parliament in the pouring rain. There we got a tour of the building and a little lesson on more conventional Danish democracy. For the last part of the trip, we went to a street called Stroget. This street is in fact the longest commercial-only walking street in the world. After having explored some of the shops with other conference members, everyone met for dinner where we and all of the other conference delgates also celebrated Charlie Laframboise’s birthday! Following the meal, we returned to the host school, 80 kilometres away in Naestved for a very good night’s rest after such an extraordinary but tiring day of adventure.– Max Wiltzer ’13