More stalking of the Queen

So yesterday, we had Jenni's birthday celebration even though her birthday was over 2 weeks ago. It was over travel break (Florence, how amazing)...so Rete (host mom) decided to throw a Danish bash. We invited all our usual friends aka burgians to our host family. First stop in this wonderful afternoon was to see another palace, Fredensborg. It is the summer palace where Queen Margarethe lives from April to November. Then she moves to Amalienborg Palace in downtown Copenhagen. So we roll up to the Queen's house, you can get right up there...no security except some guards out front. It is the Crown Prince's daughter's (Queen's granddaughter) 2nd birthday so moms and kids are coming and going to drop off/pick up for her party. Casual Danish people who's children happen to attend the same Preschool/Kindergarden as the little prince and princess. Imagine if your kid was attending that party, so cool. Well the Queen was obviously going to her granddaughter's party. She had to leave it early though to go to exhibit premiere at a museum in her honor. SO we got to see her walk out of the palace, get intot he rolls royce and she is literally driven right by us. We are standing on on eside of her driveway, alongside several paparazzi photographers and she waves to us from her car...like 3 feet in front of me! Didn't get a good picture unfortunately so I might have to steal one from friends' cameras.

After this we headed back for Nachos and some downtime..ate 4 batches of nacos between the 9 of us..then had a big Danish dinner with Appetizer, then pastries for dessert...SO full. No wonder I don't lose any weight here.

Anyways, stress is at high levels right now...so I should get back to work. Only 3 more weeks until the US...though I was beginning to think that volcanic ash would cause some issues. Not that I would mind relaxing a bit more in sunny Copenhagen (IF it stays sunny...)

xox

PS. It has been like high 30's to low 50's all week. Still so cold. It's almost MAY. This weather even has the Danes confused. Yesterday, I experienced 4 different types of precipitation in one day. Legit. Rain in the Morning. Sleet in the afternoon which turned to full-out Snow after an hour. Then, big hail in the Late Evening. Who knew that was possible.

Queen's Birthday

This past Friday was the Queen's birthday in Denmark. Thousands of people with Danish flags crowded the streets, chanting, smiling, for such a nice sunny day. At noon, she comes out from the balcony of the castle to wave to her citizens and again at 2pm from Town Square. It was so amazing, so crowded, and apparently a "once in a lifetime experience", as one Danish woman told me. This is because Queen Margerethe II turned 70, and it is basically their form of a national holiday...times ten. As in the capital is bombarded with the entire nation of Denmark. I kind of got delayed by all the road blocks and people and missed my friday afternoon class...oops?

Travel Break

So I know it has been a while since my last week. That's because I had a whirlwind two weeks traveling around Europe with friends, living out of a backpack and dirty hostels, and then a ton of work back here in Copenhagen. I shouldn't even be posting right now. I have a lot of work to do. Had an 8 page paper due today, I have a Workshop presentation in my core class and another 5 page paper due in 6 days...started neither. Joy. This abroad program is not a joke, though I wish I could enjoy my last few weeks instead of spend it in my bed, hunched over the computer, desperately trying not to procrastinate.

Anyways! My travel break:

Prague, Czech Republic
Budapest, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Florence, Italy
Pisa, Italy
Rome, Italy

There is so much to tell, but essentially I did a lot of eating. 'Food' would be the main theme of the trip...to McDonald's cause we're poor, to gelato twice a day...and only the exercise of walking all around each city. I did a lot in the past two weeks- saw a lot of famous dead people such as Machiavelli, all the Popes, Galileo, Raphael to some not so famous ones..aka thousands of bones piled up in catacombs from the Plague. I signed the John Lennon Wall in Prague. I went to the natural public baths in Budapest and had a massage by a hungarian woman. I went to the opera in Vienna, then spent the day lounging at the summer palace. I went to easter mass at the Duomo in Florence, then saw fireworks explode off of an elaborate cart outside it (Easter celebration). I saw Michaelangelo's David. In Rome, I saw the Colloseum, The Forum, The Pantheon, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican and St. Peter's.

These only touch on everything I could share. A lot of it is difficult to put into words and random moments were so fleeting and amazing all at once. I can't wait to share my stories in person, and even then, most of them will slip my mind. I think it is impossible to try and remember all that happened. Regardless, I am a seasoned traveler, I would say. We train-ed all over Europe, even overnight in a sleep car (interesting). At some points, we were on the train for 12 hours with multiple connections and multiple countries such as Germany and Slovenia to name a few.

I feel incredibly grateful to have seen all these amazing things and to have shared them with friends. It really makes you realize how insignificant you are in relation to all the world has to offer. In each city, we most often ended with a sunset overlooking it (accompanied by wine). Watching the beautiful scenery at dusk was always the perfect setting in our conquering of each place, and a perfect reminder to how lucky we are.