Final Danish Class

Last week I had my final Danish class that wrapped up the cultural experiences we had here in Denmark. It was very cozy with candles, tea, cookies, and oranges (all Christmas-oriented of course). In addition, we watched some Danish music videos. I have posted my two favorites below. The second one is actually Norwegian, but at this point in the semester it doesn’t really matter.

A Month in Photos

So since I have neglected my blogging duties due to a whirlwind of assignments and traveling for several weeks now, I have chosen to do a catch-up blog post via pictures and captions.

In Novermber we tried to go more outside of the city center for night life and found some very cozy and cool bars in Copenhagen’s Norrebro neighborhood

Out 2nd travel break begin with Jackie, Katie, and I finding out way to Berlin. A very sad but also very hopeful city.

This is when we got lost in the middle of Germany as we traveled to Salzburg, in a place where no one spoke English. Luckily we met the nicest train lady ever who did not give us a ticket, and instead wrote us out detailed instructions on how to get to our destination after we got on the wrong train. I will love her for life.

Our final city on our trip was Prague. A gorgeous and fairytale-like city. If it wasn’t so frigid cold then I’m sure I would have loved it even more.

The bar crawl we did while in Prague. We met some very charming Australians who I hope to keep in contact with. In this photo is Katie who is trying to imitate having a hood on…?

Next came the arrival of my parents, who stayed in Copenhagen for 1 week. This is Tivoli all dressed up for Christmas.

The weekend they were here we went to Stockholm.

The following weekend I was able to attend a ballet for free with my Danish class. 

And then it started to snow… and had not stopped. It feels like Christmas which is great; however Copenhagen could improve upon its snow-clearing abilities.

It was a pretty amazing month looking back. I’m looking forward to another great one as I head off on my final traveling excursion over the course of the next 3 weeks! All that I have to do is get through 2 last finals first!

Danish Rebellion

The Danes are not a rebellious bunch by nature. But as things go, everyone has to have that period somewhere in their mid to late teens that they feel they are off the chart in some way. But of course, Danes, being Danes, feel they must do this all in the same way – wouldn’t want to stand out from your peers now would you? From my observations, here are my steps to a Danish rebellion period:

Step 1: Dye your hair red. It must be red and no other color. To do this correctly, find the gaudiest, most fake looking red dye you can find, and dye your whole head. None of that one-stripe-of-hair bullshit that you see in other countries. You’re a rebel after all.

Step 2: At ALL times, wear your trying-to-be-stylish tennis shoes. Converse are always a solid choice, but if you can find something a little chunkier then go for it.

Step 3: wear slouchy, quasi-athletic clothing on top

Step 4: You know what goes great with your new love of sneakers? Tights.

Step 5: When you decide to go ou at night, forget all of the above rules. You are to get dolled up and wear a mini skirt and all black clothing with the rest of your peers. After all, your rebellion can only go so far.

Istanbul

Just a mere 2 weeks after arriving back in Copenhagen after an intense trip to Italy, I found myself on a plane yet again, heading south to the board of the East and the West: Istanbul. This time I traveled with my core course in my study abroad program. Which meant no planing, much less money spent, and a group of 59 amazing people to bond with. It was very different from my Italy experience, where I traveled alone, and made me realize the benefits and downsides to both.

Day 1: Sightseeing - Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Suleymaniye Mosque. Whirling Dervish.

Our sightseeing day was a blur of magnificent sights and awesome historical information. The Hagia Sophia was the most memorable part for me. It was the perfect symbol of the conflict between East and West, with its beginning as the Greek Orthodox Patriarche church, then changing to a Muslim mosque, and then to a national museum to preserve its past. The Topkapi Palace also struck me as very different then many of the other things I have seen on my European adventures so far. It was a palace built for the Ottoman Empire sultans, and was thoroughly decorated with beautiful tiles and laid out in an intricate maze of rooms that were clearly divided based on gender and stance within the hierarchy.

Day 2: Academic lectures, dinner with Turkish Students in Asia

We started out this day with multiple academic lectures that clearly laid out just how much of a mess the Turkish political system was, and is currently, in. One talk discussed the issue of where Kurds stand within the country, and the other was about possible Turkish inclusion in the EU. We then traveled to the Asia side of the city (my first time on the continent!) and had a dinner with a handful of students from a University there. It was our only real chance on the trip to talk to Turkish people our own age (unless you count being asked out on countless dates by random men on the street) and was very enlightening. The student I sat with said she could read the coffee grounds for us and tell us something about our futures. In case you were wondering, I'm going have a lot of wealth someday. Hopefully that puts my Mom at ease with my sociology degree.

Day 3: Dolmabahce Palace with small academic group. Grand Bazaar. Turkish Baths.

This first time that I was in the Grand Bazaar was very overwhelming. We made the mistake of entering in the more touristy side, and got just that as a reception. There were tons of people, and with over 4,000 shops in a very intricate maze. Needless to say, we got confused very quickly. I was disappointed at what was offered, thinking it would be more authenticity and less tacky. After we untangled ourselves from the maze, we ate a nice lunch at a modern cafe, and then went to the Turkish Baths, which was just what we all needed. After getting over a few minutes of self-consciousness (thank you swimming locker rooms for making me use to female nudity) I very much enjoyed being scrubbed from head to foot in a sauna-like room and soaking in a hot tub afterwards. The room was what I always picture when I think of Roman baths - high dome ceiling, separate room for bathing in hot water. It was a great end to a rather stressful day.

Day 4: Women's organization, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar Part 2, roof top dinner/club

This day was by far my favorite. It started out with a very interesting lecture by a women who is the head of a grassroots women's organization that tries to help women gain self confidence and job skills in a run-down neighborhood. It was very interesting to hear about the first steps in how to help women in a non-western senario.  Later that day we visited the Spice Bazaar, which was absolutely amazing. Food, sweets, and spices were everywhere. Prices were fixed so there wasn't the constant battle of bickering with the seller. And I was with a great group of friends. All of which led to me spending over 1/2 of all of the money I pulled out of the ATM here. From their we went to the Grand Bazaar again, this time having the exact oposite experience of my first trip. I had a great time, and since it was so much less stressful, was able to actually enjoy myself and buy things (mainly scarves). That night was our last dinner as a group, where our entire class ate a very nice dinner on a rooftop (glass on all sides) with a spectacular view of the city. The tables were then cleared to the sides, and we had our own personal club.

Day 5: Wrap up session, late lunch on the water, sunset boat cruise, home.

Our final day there consisted of most people nursing hangovers. However, by the evening most people were feeling better, and we were all able to fully enjoy the sunset cruise. The city in the evening was breathtaking, and definitely left me wanting to go back again in the future.

Italian Adventure

I returned this past weekend from my first travel break which included: 1 day in Milan, 3 in Rome, and 2 in Florence. I saw so many stunning and unbelievable things in this short period of time that my head is still spinning. I met some great people as I was traveling alone and staying in Hostels. It was very liberating to be on my own, and to meet other people who were choosing to do the same thing. Here are my tips and tricks that I learned while in Italy:

Milan

1. Milan is stunning when you come up from the Duomo metro stop. 2 hours later, it won’t be.

2. Whenever you have the chance to eat Italian gelato, DO IT. Don’t question and don’t look at price.

3. “Retardo” is “delayed” in Italian. Learned this one when my flight to Rome was delayed for 2 hours (getting me in around 1am when no public transportation runs).

4. Don’t anger Jupiter (the Roman God of rain). You will regret it when you want to keep looking up to see magnificent works of architecture.

Mass led by the Archbishop in the Milan Duomo

Rome

5. The word that comes to mind: magical. So much beauty in one city.

6. Absorb as much art and history as you can into your mind. If you don’t know something about a place (especially the ancient sites) get a guide. Made the Colosseum and Palentine Hill much more interesting.

7. When you can’t walk anymore, repeat #2

8. Go into every random little church you stumble upon. The treasures of this city are not all found in expensive museums (though you should go to those too).

9. 10 min naps in random places are sometimes necessary, particularly when spending hours in the Vatican Museum

10. St. Peter’s will change your life

Courtyard of the Oldest Gelato Factory in Rome

Top of the St. Peter’s Dome

St. Peter’s Cathedral

Still not sure what this is. There was a long line for it. The guy taking the picture was very amused.

Florence

11. Sometime between 4-6pm, find a spot on the river, and sit in the beautiful late-afternoon sun. The buildings seem to glow and life instantly seems perfect.

12. Michelangelo plaza (which overlooks the city) it well worth the climb

13. Traveling alone means meeting a host of very interesting, and amazing, people, going at your own pace, and gaining independence. I would highly recommend doing it.

14. Going to Italy means forever being addicted to true Italian food. No going back now.

Duomo of Florence

View from Michelangelo Plaza

A Breath of Fresh Air

During my trip to Sweden, we spent the last morning and early afternoon at a cabin in the woods. We started off by having coffee and cake in the dinning room. Comfy chairs and candle-lit tables enhanced the already amazing breakfast.

Next we hiked into the woods on one of the many trains that surrounded the house. While Swedish woods are not any different then other woods, it was soothing to walk under trees and smell the crisp, fresh fall air. Living in cities for a full year can be taxing. The hike was led by our fearless leader (and chaperone), Mattiss.

The we kayaked, which turn wet and cold when a windy day met a few short rain showers. However, the trip out on the lake was definitely still worth it.

After all of our physical exertion, we were fed a wonderful meal of Swedish meatballs. This promptly put us all in a food coma just in time to take a nap on the 3 hour bus ride home.

Cozy in... Sweden

While the Danes have yet to pull out their cozy winter measures of candle lit dinners and evenings wrapped up in blankets – it’s still summer here in the low-60s – I was delighted to find a hint of what is to come on my visit to Sweden.

I spend three days in Sweden with my sociology core course, where we compared the immigration policies of the two Scandinavian countries. Between academic visits, we explored Malmo, directly across the Swedish boarder, and Göteborg, three hours north on the west coast. In addition to these cities we hiked, kayaked, and team bonded at a cabin in the back woods.

It is a trip better seen in pictures then told in words:

Cute town of Malmo

Mouth-watering cheese shop

2 ships from the 15th century – only 7 exist in the entire world

Random house sunk in canal… never got the story why this was here.

Inside the castle we stumbled upon a natural history museum, and proceeded to spend two hours there. Definitely a good use of our time.

Museum of World Culture – very cool modern building design

The Göteberg shipyards – massive towering structures used to fix ships. They lower the metal side by filling them with water, then sail the ship into place before pumping out the water from the metal sides to raise them back up – raising the ship with them. Once the ship is out of the water they start work on it. That is the extend of my engineering knowledge.

A great Swedish dinner with some new friends from my program

More to come from the cozy cabin in the woods!