With this post I'm adding a new tag to the "filed under" list:  "goinghome". Our thoughts are increasingly looking to the end of the trip.  We still have a couple of months which is a lot of time, but it really feels like home is just around the corner.  The inevitable transition into a normal working life has been a big topic of discussion and one that we wish could wait another 6 months.  We've also been considering what to do with this web site when we're finished. We're considering coming to a hard stop at the end of the year so we don't just fade away.

Two friends that we met on the Trans-Siberian train are at the very end of a mammoth 400+ days across 40+ countries.  Kathy and Sharon are back in the UK and only days away from home.  They remind us of the mix of excitement and sadness of going home.  Check out their site- a truly incredible trip.

 Alas we have a lot to think about now - like making it to Amsterdam today and meeting our Seattle friends Josh and Betty.  Yup - mainland Europe and hopefully a respite from the ridiculous prices we've found in Scandinavia.  Sachi has never been to Europe, so I think the last phase of the trip will be some of the European basics - and some rest.  We've been moving constantly - every 2 days for weeks and it'll be nice to settle in for a week or so and regroup for the final push.  

Besides the whole city being sold out of hotel rooms thanks to a soccer match, Copenhagen was awesome.  One of the most interesting things to us is how diverse the populations are becoming as we move into mainland Europe.  For most of the trip we've been in mostly homogenous societies (at least in appearance) - India, SE Asia, China, Japan, Russia, Scandinavia; everyone looks the same.  Suddenly, it seems strange to see such diversity - and a little more like home.  Did I mention home again?

Here are a couple of photos from Copenhagen...

 This is "Nyhavn" - quite touristy, but also very  cool.

 One more from there...

 Copenhagen has great cobblestone pedestrian walkways throughout the old city.