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.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Paris: Versailles, 4 hour walking tour, and insomnia
Salut!
Just got back from Paris last night. It was a whirlwind weekend but so amazing and so worth it. I don't know many other people going to Paris this semester, but after seeing it all, I can't believe they aren't. It has so many wonders to see, history, art, it is actually incredible. We packed so much into basically a day that there was hardly even time for sleep. I can say that thus far I have yet to be in awe so many times in one day. I'm sure that'll change soon because we leave for our travel break on friday! I can't believe it is already almost here but it will be 2 weeks of travel (by train) to 4 countries. We are heading to Prague, Czech Republic onto Budapest, Hungary then to Vienna, Austria and finally Florence and Rome in Italy. I will probably have to do several blog posts following that trip. Currently I have a lot of work due before we leave, so I am not sure how long this post can be. There is so much to tell, it is almost overwhelming.
Okay. So we get there Friday around 5:30. About a 90 min flight. Now, it took us around 30 minutes to figure out the metro and RER trains but for the most part we really only messed up once (and we think, bought an extra ticket for no reason, oops). Our hostel was in Montemartre, right near the moulin rouge. Montemartre is one of the quarters and is known for *entertainment* (as in strippers, showgirls, sex shops etc) but is also where a lot of young people live and go out. Our pub crawl we did Saturday night actually met right near our hostel so that was lucky. Anyways, we to our hostel by metro, step outside and there is the Moulin Rouge. So cool. We then navigate to our hostel which was interesting and uphill. But all along the hill are markets, tons of them for seafood, fresh fruit, I wanted to eat all of it. Especially Watermelon, which I have not seen in the country of Denmark. Anyways, also a lot of the typical french cafes with people sitting outside casually and laughing. So cute. Our hostel room we shared with 2 other strangers, a man and woman, which at first we felt really awkward. We didn't speak to them actually at any point because we would wake up early leave, then come back change around dinner time, and come back late. Never talked to them when either was awake. Kind of bizarre, but then we realized they didn't know each other either so it wasn't a couple like we had originally thought. Cause that would have been awkward. So we changed and went to a nice cafe for dinner called Cafe de Luna (i think). I tried exercising my french abilities, though got really awkward and unsure and started speaking half english and half french. Basically what I spoke the whole trip. We split a bottle of Rosé and had some really good salad and then good meals. I got a steak of some sort with pommes frites (fries). So yummy. We were so full from dinner but then we headed out to some of the pubs along the street. Pretty casual, not much going on actually, until this one guy who was a bit sketchy showed us a place called O'Sullivans which was more of a night club. They played good American music and there was dancing so we loved that. Anddddd. We returned around 3am, woke up 4 hours later at 7, ate breakfast at hostel, hopped on metro to Versailles at 8. Tired.
By the time we figured out how to get to Versailles, it had taken about 90 min. It is around 40 mins from Paris center, but we were not right in the center so we had to do a lot of connections to get there. Actually was not too hard. I can say I am a lot more confident in train navigating now that I have had to do it in several countries and in different languages.
Anyways, we roll up to Versailles and you just are immediately dumbfounded at how amazing it is. So vast and it gets even better and more amazing once inside. We did an audio tour guide and navigated through it. The castle was home to Louis the 14th, the Sun King, and also to Marie Antoinette. Louis had decided he wanted to rule outside of the city, so he moved out of the Louvre and had this place built. The rooms were also so ornate and there literally was not one inch that didn't have detail on it. We saw the bedrooms of the king and queen, their counsel/court's rooms, and too many other ornate rooms to count. Every room contained the original paintings of Louis, other famous people, Napoleon, etc. I especially felt smart when I recognized paintings of Louis from my AP Euro textbook senior year of high school. Guess I did learn stuff from it? The Hall of Mirrors was especially cool and the ceilings were incredible. I can't imagine how hard it was to construct and decorate everything.
We were a little short on time in Versailles since we had to meet our Walking Tour of Paris at 1pm and leave room for navigating back/eating lunch. So although it was only like 90 minutes there we also went outside to the gardens. Designed so intricately and they go on forever. I can't believe that was someone's actual backyard. Not to mention, when we were there people were just casually going for runs through the landscape. Their normal life. No big deal.
After Versailles, we headed to Paris on the train. We had to navigate to Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter (a lot of students live here). Latin quarter was basis for intellectual thought in Paris hundreds of years ago. Everyone spoke Latin there, so that's where it got its name. We had a bit of trouble finding our tour but we did. We probably asked a lot of french people some stupid questions. For lunch (before tour) I had some quiche and a tarte au sucre. Basically bread and sugar, so good. Also It was nice to have starbucks at relatively normal prices.
SO our walking tour was 4 hours long. Paris is huge so it is difficult to cover all of it. We saw, basically, Notre Dame de Paris, The Latin Quarter, Ile-de-la-Cité, Pont Neuf bridge, The Louvre, Palais Royal, Haussmann's Renovations, Eiffel Tower (from a distance), Tuileries Gardens, Les Invalides, Académie Française, Opéra Garnier (from far away), Musée d'Orsay, Pont Alexandre III, Napoléon's Tomb (from far away), Assemblé Nationale, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe (from far away also), Grand & Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde.
These places are by no means right near each other. It was a long day. Also we enjoyed the tour a lot and reliving all of the history behind every place. Our tour guide was probably about our age, a little weird, but spoke loudly and was very knowledgable. My feet were killing me by the end of it but I felt fulfilled. We were upset that we didn't go right up to le tour eiffel and arc de triomphe so after the tour ended around 4:30 we took it upon ourselves to walk there. I love history so it was so neat being able to experience it. The tour included an obselisk from ancient egypt that the French basically stole in the 1800s. It was so surreal to see actual egyptian writing from so long ago. The obselisk stands at the sight where Marie Antoinette and Louis the 15th had their heads chopped off, formerly the guillotine's public location at the time.
Also I never knew that statues of men on top of horses have a certain symbolism. For instance, if the horse is standing completely with 4 legs on ground, the person riding them died of natural causes. If two legs are raised, the person was killed or wounded in battle. Apparently this is true for most cases. Also during World War II and the Nazi occupation so many of the statues/memorials in Paris were destroyed. There is only one building (with bullet holes in it) that is evidence of that destruction.
I feel so grateful that I was able to see all these sights and for free! We decided to do the same company's pub crawl that night, the one near our hostel, for 12 euro. We ate some dinenr at an Outback-like restaurant except styled to the American west and Buffalo Bill haha. We got burgers that were really good along with some good french fries. The burgers' bun was so good, it was made out of what I would call tater-tot buns. So it was potato. Never thought of that, ingenious.
For the Pub crawl, they brought us to 4 different pubs and then a nightclub. By chance, it was also the night of the World Rugy Championship and the two in the final: France and England. The bars were so over-crowded and pack and rowdy and full of chanting frenchmen. Intense, but cool to see and experience. I never knew Rugby was so huge there, but it is. And anything France vs. England is always intense...France won, got even more intense! But finally the pubs cleared out a bit and we were able to relax/actually sit down.
We had to wake up at 6:30 the next day so actually got like 4 hours of sleep. We had to take a taxi home which was not too expensive except he started the clock right when we got in then sat there for a good 3 euros worth while he "looked" up our hostel. He didn't know english, so finally I told him to just bring us to the moulin rouge and drop us off. Again, casual.
Our flight was in the morning Sunday and was delayed a bit. We were actually dead in the airport but were home at 2pm in Denmark. I have a lot of work this week so I was glad to get home early. France, overall, was so amazing. I can't pick a favorite yet out of Denmark, France, Scotland, and London..but it was probably the most informative trip. I enjoyed learning about the sites I saw in addition to seeing them. It made it about 10x better/worth it.
I can't wait for our 2 week trip which is so soon. It's a bit stressful to think about and the trains I chose probably will get all messed up but I can't wait to see so many places. It is 5 of us: Britt, Jenni, Tara, and Deirdre and I.
Wish us luck because we will need it haha.
Au Revoir,
Hilary
Just got back from Paris last night. It was a whirlwind weekend but so amazing and so worth it. I don't know many other people going to Paris this semester, but after seeing it all, I can't believe they aren't. It has so many wonders to see, history, art, it is actually incredible. We packed so much into basically a day that there was hardly even time for sleep. I can say that thus far I have yet to be in awe so many times in one day. I'm sure that'll change soon because we leave for our travel break on friday! I can't believe it is already almost here but it will be 2 weeks of travel (by train) to 4 countries. We are heading to Prague, Czech Republic onto Budapest, Hungary then to Vienna, Austria and finally Florence and Rome in Italy. I will probably have to do several blog posts following that trip. Currently I have a lot of work due before we leave, so I am not sure how long this post can be. There is so much to tell, it is almost overwhelming.
Okay. So we get there Friday around 5:30. About a 90 min flight. Now, it took us around 30 minutes to figure out the metro and RER trains but for the most part we really only messed up once (and we think, bought an extra ticket for no reason, oops). Our hostel was in Montemartre, right near the moulin rouge. Montemartre is one of the quarters and is known for *entertainment* (as in strippers, showgirls, sex shops etc) but is also where a lot of young people live and go out. Our pub crawl we did Saturday night actually met right near our hostel so that was lucky. Anyways, we to our hostel by metro, step outside and there is the Moulin Rouge. So cool. We then navigate to our hostel which was interesting and uphill. But all along the hill are markets, tons of them for seafood, fresh fruit, I wanted to eat all of it. Especially Watermelon, which I have not seen in the country of Denmark. Anyways, also a lot of the typical french cafes with people sitting outside casually and laughing. So cute. Our hostel room we shared with 2 other strangers, a man and woman, which at first we felt really awkward. We didn't speak to them actually at any point because we would wake up early leave, then come back change around dinner time, and come back late. Never talked to them when either was awake. Kind of bizarre, but then we realized they didn't know each other either so it wasn't a couple like we had originally thought. Cause that would have been awkward. So we changed and went to a nice cafe for dinner called Cafe de Luna (i think). I tried exercising my french abilities, though got really awkward and unsure and started speaking half english and half french. Basically what I spoke the whole trip. We split a bottle of Rosé and had some really good salad and then good meals. I got a steak of some sort with pommes frites (fries). So yummy. We were so full from dinner but then we headed out to some of the pubs along the street. Pretty casual, not much going on actually, until this one guy who was a bit sketchy showed us a place called O'Sullivans which was more of a night club. They played good American music and there was dancing so we loved that. Anddddd. We returned around 3am, woke up 4 hours later at 7, ate breakfast at hostel, hopped on metro to Versailles at 8. Tired.
By the time we figured out how to get to Versailles, it had taken about 90 min. It is around 40 mins from Paris center, but we were not right in the center so we had to do a lot of connections to get there. Actually was not too hard. I can say I am a lot more confident in train navigating now that I have had to do it in several countries and in different languages.
Anyways, we roll up to Versailles and you just are immediately dumbfounded at how amazing it is. So vast and it gets even better and more amazing once inside. We did an audio tour guide and navigated through it. The castle was home to Louis the 14th, the Sun King, and also to Marie Antoinette. Louis had decided he wanted to rule outside of the city, so he moved out of the Louvre and had this place built. The rooms were also so ornate and there literally was not one inch that didn't have detail on it. We saw the bedrooms of the king and queen, their counsel/court's rooms, and too many other ornate rooms to count. Every room contained the original paintings of Louis, other famous people, Napoleon, etc. I especially felt smart when I recognized paintings of Louis from my AP Euro textbook senior year of high school. Guess I did learn stuff from it? The Hall of Mirrors was especially cool and the ceilings were incredible. I can't imagine how hard it was to construct and decorate everything.
We were a little short on time in Versailles since we had to meet our Walking Tour of Paris at 1pm and leave room for navigating back/eating lunch. So although it was only like 90 minutes there we also went outside to the gardens. Designed so intricately and they go on forever. I can't believe that was someone's actual backyard. Not to mention, when we were there people were just casually going for runs through the landscape. Their normal life. No big deal.
After Versailles, we headed to Paris on the train. We had to navigate to Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter (a lot of students live here). Latin quarter was basis for intellectual thought in Paris hundreds of years ago. Everyone spoke Latin there, so that's where it got its name. We had a bit of trouble finding our tour but we did. We probably asked a lot of french people some stupid questions. For lunch (before tour) I had some quiche and a tarte au sucre. Basically bread and sugar, so good. Also It was nice to have starbucks at relatively normal prices.
SO our walking tour was 4 hours long. Paris is huge so it is difficult to cover all of it. We saw, basically, Notre Dame de Paris, The Latin Quarter, Ile-de-la-Cité, Pont Neuf bridge, The Louvre, Palais Royal, Haussmann's Renovations, Eiffel Tower (from a distance), Tuileries Gardens, Les Invalides, Académie Française, Opéra Garnier (from far away), Musée d'Orsay, Pont Alexandre III, Napoléon's Tomb (from far away), Assemblé Nationale, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe (from far away also), Grand & Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde.
These places are by no means right near each other. It was a long day. Also we enjoyed the tour a lot and reliving all of the history behind every place. Our tour guide was probably about our age, a little weird, but spoke loudly and was very knowledgable. My feet were killing me by the end of it but I felt fulfilled. We were upset that we didn't go right up to le tour eiffel and arc de triomphe so after the tour ended around 4:30 we took it upon ourselves to walk there. I love history so it was so neat being able to experience it. The tour included an obselisk from ancient egypt that the French basically stole in the 1800s. It was so surreal to see actual egyptian writing from so long ago. The obselisk stands at the sight where Marie Antoinette and Louis the 15th had their heads chopped off, formerly the guillotine's public location at the time.
Also I never knew that statues of men on top of horses have a certain symbolism. For instance, if the horse is standing completely with 4 legs on ground, the person riding them died of natural causes. If two legs are raised, the person was killed or wounded in battle. Apparently this is true for most cases. Also during World War II and the Nazi occupation so many of the statues/memorials in Paris were destroyed. There is only one building (with bullet holes in it) that is evidence of that destruction.
I feel so grateful that I was able to see all these sights and for free! We decided to do the same company's pub crawl that night, the one near our hostel, for 12 euro. We ate some dinenr at an Outback-like restaurant except styled to the American west and Buffalo Bill haha. We got burgers that were really good along with some good french fries. The burgers' bun was so good, it was made out of what I would call tater-tot buns. So it was potato. Never thought of that, ingenious.
For the Pub crawl, they brought us to 4 different pubs and then a nightclub. By chance, it was also the night of the World Rugy Championship and the two in the final: France and England. The bars were so over-crowded and pack and rowdy and full of chanting frenchmen. Intense, but cool to see and experience. I never knew Rugby was so huge there, but it is. And anything France vs. England is always intense...France won, got even more intense! But finally the pubs cleared out a bit and we were able to relax/actually sit down.
We had to wake up at 6:30 the next day so actually got like 4 hours of sleep. We had to take a taxi home which was not too expensive except he started the clock right when we got in then sat there for a good 3 euros worth while he "looked" up our hostel. He didn't know english, so finally I told him to just bring us to the moulin rouge and drop us off. Again, casual.
Our flight was in the morning Sunday and was delayed a bit. We were actually dead in the airport but were home at 2pm in Denmark. I have a lot of work this week so I was glad to get home early. France, overall, was so amazing. I can't pick a favorite yet out of Denmark, France, Scotland, and London..but it was probably the most informative trip. I enjoyed learning about the sites I saw in addition to seeing them. It made it about 10x better/worth it.
I can't wait for our 2 week trip which is so soon. It's a bit stressful to think about and the trains I chose probably will get all messed up but I can't wait to see so many places. It is 5 of us: Britt, Jenni, Tara, and Deirdre and I.
Wish us luck because we will need it haha.
Au Revoir,
Hilary
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
SUN
Also, did I mention that... I am 20 times more in love with Copenhagen just for the fact that it is about 35 degree F and has the first week of blue skies? No more clouds and greyness.
= happiness.
= happiness.
Eddie and some Hard Rock American Food
So Eddie just visited! (trying to catch up on the blog posts)
The week seemed to go by so fast. He had got here on a Saturday morning and left 6 days later Friday morning. Although the week was full of him sleeping most of the time, it was nice to continue to do tourist-y things in Copenhagen again. I can say that Jetlag prevailed most of the time though. Either way, it was nice to spend time together. His hotel was located right near Nyhavn, which is one of the most scenic areas of the city. It is the harbor with the colored houses, very stereotypical Copenhagen (if you google image the city). Needless to say, that was a main sight to see in Copenhagen...at least until April when everything fun opens haha.
We were able to head to the Carlsberg Brwey for a tour and 2 free specialty beers. It was really neat, though the self-guided tour was cold since it was in the old factory. Got to see the draft horses that pull all their carriages. So cute. Apparently they are all from the same lines...its like a family of them that they've been breeding for decades, maybe even longer.
Also, had to take pictures in front of the huge stone elephants (a carlsberg symbol and one of their beers- "Elephant"). I literally would not stop until we found these elephants. Everyone probably wanted to kill me, but we finally found them. Also they are on either sides of a street so we almost got killed about ten times. Worth it though.
I also took Eddie to Christiania, which I also had yet to visit. It is an indescribable place. It is it's own little community, of 850 people, covered in graffitti and looks like a artistic version of the projects you'd find in America. So much more though. The graffitti and grunge makes it a "dirty" type of pretty. Couldn't take photos though since it is a hippie community. They literally sell hash (weed) and weed brownies in tables and huts all up and down the street. Pot is illegal in Denmark, but this little area just abides by its own rules. There are police raids every now and then, they've been cracking down on it since 2004.
Anyways, it was very neat to walk through. Wish I could take pics, but can't cause of the illicit activities haha...there are no photo signs everywhere. Also there a tons of trashcans with burning fires in them- something I'd only seen in movies haha sad but true. It was a cool experience, and before judging me...it is a true tourist area that is a must-see when people come to Copenhagen. When you exit Christiania, the sign says "You are now entering the EU."
Other than that, the week was full of walking up and down Stroget (main pedestrian shopping street), walking along the harbor, and some food (that we could afford). One night we got Burger King...was 18 dollars. Expensive Copenhagen. It is crazy that I come home in 2 months exactly. Time is flying by.
So also, now this week, Britt's parents are visiting.
They have been really nice to us and have taken Jenni and I out to both dinner and to a bar.
This was no ordinary dinner and no ordinary bar, however. Dinner was at Hard Rock Cafe Copenhagen, which we all have been dying to go to. We have restrained because it surely is very expensive, so it was nice to be invited there. It was also nice to eat American food. So good :) Especially the fries.
The bar we went to the next day was an Ice Bar- only 5 like it in the world. Everything was ice, the walls, the glasses...they melted as you drank them. You had to wear some eskimo gear while in there since its so cold but it was a great experience!!
Alright, so again..I'm going to Paris this weekend and will update afterwards.
xoxo
The week seemed to go by so fast. He had got here on a Saturday morning and left 6 days later Friday morning. Although the week was full of him sleeping most of the time, it was nice to continue to do tourist-y things in Copenhagen again. I can say that Jetlag prevailed most of the time though. Either way, it was nice to spend time together. His hotel was located right near Nyhavn, which is one of the most scenic areas of the city. It is the harbor with the colored houses, very stereotypical Copenhagen (if you google image the city). Needless to say, that was a main sight to see in Copenhagen...at least until April when everything fun opens haha.
We were able to head to the Carlsberg Brwey for a tour and 2 free specialty beers. It was really neat, though the self-guided tour was cold since it was in the old factory. Got to see the draft horses that pull all their carriages. So cute. Apparently they are all from the same lines...its like a family of them that they've been breeding for decades, maybe even longer.
Also, had to take pictures in front of the huge stone elephants (a carlsberg symbol and one of their beers- "Elephant"). I literally would not stop until we found these elephants. Everyone probably wanted to kill me, but we finally found them. Also they are on either sides of a street so we almost got killed about ten times. Worth it though.
I also took Eddie to Christiania, which I also had yet to visit. It is an indescribable place. It is it's own little community, of 850 people, covered in graffitti and looks like a artistic version of the projects you'd find in America. So much more though. The graffitti and grunge makes it a "dirty" type of pretty. Couldn't take photos though since it is a hippie community. They literally sell hash (weed) and weed brownies in tables and huts all up and down the street. Pot is illegal in Denmark, but this little area just abides by its own rules. There are police raids every now and then, they've been cracking down on it since 2004.
Anyways, it was very neat to walk through. Wish I could take pics, but can't cause of the illicit activities haha...there are no photo signs everywhere. Also there a tons of trashcans with burning fires in them- something I'd only seen in movies haha sad but true. It was a cool experience, and before judging me...it is a true tourist area that is a must-see when people come to Copenhagen. When you exit Christiania, the sign says "You are now entering the EU."
Other than that, the week was full of walking up and down Stroget (main pedestrian shopping street), walking along the harbor, and some food (that we could afford). One night we got Burger King...was 18 dollars. Expensive Copenhagen. It is crazy that I come home in 2 months exactly. Time is flying by.
So also, now this week, Britt's parents are visiting.
They have been really nice to us and have taken Jenni and I out to both dinner and to a bar.
This was no ordinary dinner and no ordinary bar, however. Dinner was at Hard Rock Cafe Copenhagen, which we all have been dying to go to. We have restrained because it surely is very expensive, so it was nice to be invited there. It was also nice to eat American food. So good :) Especially the fries.
The bar we went to the next day was an Ice Bar- only 5 like it in the world. Everything was ice, the walls, the glasses...they melted as you drank them. You had to wear some eskimo gear while in there since its so cold but it was a great experience!!
Alright, so again..I'm going to Paris this weekend and will update afterwards.
xoxo
Scotland: scottish cows, malt whiskey, ghost tours, and more
Hej!
So it has been about a week since my return from Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland. It was a packed week full of both academic visits and planned cultural activities. We did have a lot of free time to explore (shop!), and go out at night. Again, anything is cheaper than Copenhagen, right?
So we left Sunday, flew out as a class from the airport, we pretty much took up the entire plane. It was fun though, traveling with friends, and I look forward to it for my upcoming travel break. We got there on Sunday night and pretty much went to bed at our hotel right away. We stayed in Ediburgh the first half of the week. My first impressions of Scotland was the view I woke up to in the morning from my hotel room. Overlooking all of the beautiful old buildings built into the hill-y countryside. The city is so old and built like a fortress. Very cool. Monday morning we got to go to Ediburgh castle, again, built like a fortress so it is high up and overlooks the entire city. It was so cool and where I took a lot of pictures. I am just in awe of history that dates back to the 1400 and 1500s. We did an audio tour of the castle, which was inhabited for some time by Mary Queen of Scotts in the early 16th century.
After the castle we were given free time for lunch. Four of us were just wandering around and we happened to stumble upon...none other than...The Elephant House. Better known as, the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first book. Where it all began, she sat in the back room overlooking the Edinburgh castle...and was inspired to write Harry Potter. We sat in the same back room, and what made it even better, was that the food was amazing. Brie, Chicken, Mango Chutney panini with some shortbread was heaven.
I won't go too in-depth on the academic visits because those can seem boring. Mainly all of them had to do with how Scotland is taking the initiative and placing well-being/happiness at the forefront of mental health care. We learned a lot about their policies, different organizations, and explored expressive therapies in a workshop.
We got to do a Ghost Tour of the underground vaults in Edinburgh- which, I must say, puts Gettysburg to shame. Maybe cause it was listed at one of the top ten scariest/most haunted places in the United Kingdom. It was very scary. Crammed like 30 people into these chambers beneath the ground in pitch black with temperature fluctuations and dripping water. By the last vault I was ready to get out of there, clutching my friend Maggie, and keeping my eyes glued to my feet. Still, I'm glad I did it. If you want to, google Edinburgh Underground Vaults, scroll down, and pictures come up of what it looks like. Ahhhh.
Tuesday we got to see a lot of the Scottish countryside on the way to one of our academic trips. Very pretty. Looks like PA with beautiful white mountains in the background.
Also, during the trip we headed to a whiskey distillery to sample some true Scotch. It was in the middle of the countryside and was called Glengoyne. We tasted their 10 yr old malt whiskey then preceded to have a tour. Neat, though I am no fan of scotch. Felt bad wasting 10 years of work, but after a few sips, some form of chaser I didn't have was needed.
We were supposed to go hiking, see Stirling Castle, and the scenic Loch Lohmond. They lied to us, however, and one full day (I think wednesday?) was spent on a bus...driving by these sights...with a British sounding yet supposedly Scottish old woman tour guide named Leona. She had a knack for yelling through the intercom, preventing us from sleep or itunes, and pointing out scottish cows. I wasn't very pleased. I became further angered when our scenic view of Loch Lohmond consisted of being given 5 mins to hop off the bus, take a picture, then leave. :(
Britt and I also did some exploring, I forgot to mention, In Edinburgh. We climbed Calton Hill which also is another high point and overlooks the city. The sun was setting and it contained these greek looking ruins that were so pretty and good photo-ops. We're freaks. Also to further our weirdness, we sought out this cool cemetary with old tombstones and graves...and general..creepiness. Also, when I saw David Hume was buried there...I was excited...which I suppose makes me a nerd.
Ummm...so the rest of the week we stayed in Glasgow. It was pretty. It had more of a nightlife than Edinburgh which was fun. We met this scottish man named Phil, who was generally not creepy, and he told us about a concert going on the next night. Even though I missed the concert, I was able to navigate and find our group (who had left our dinner early to get there). The night was fun though and we found a club-esque placed where we could dance, so all was good. People in Scotland were all very nice, from those we had met. A funny. And drunk.
Glasgow reminded me of an American city though it did have some neat architecture and and pretty park that Maggie, Amanda, and I explored. We just basically enjoyed getting lost. Sometimes thats the best way to sight see.
All in all, this is what I can remember from Scotland. There was some interesting meals to say the least...don't get why europeans love liver pate (in Denmark especially).
Alright, I'm heading to Paris this weekend with Jenni! Will update after that!
So it has been about a week since my return from Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland. It was a packed week full of both academic visits and planned cultural activities. We did have a lot of free time to explore (shop!), and go out at night. Again, anything is cheaper than Copenhagen, right?
So we left Sunday, flew out as a class from the airport, we pretty much took up the entire plane. It was fun though, traveling with friends, and I look forward to it for my upcoming travel break. We got there on Sunday night and pretty much went to bed at our hotel right away. We stayed in Ediburgh the first half of the week. My first impressions of Scotland was the view I woke up to in the morning from my hotel room. Overlooking all of the beautiful old buildings built into the hill-y countryside. The city is so old and built like a fortress. Very cool. Monday morning we got to go to Ediburgh castle, again, built like a fortress so it is high up and overlooks the entire city. It was so cool and where I took a lot of pictures. I am just in awe of history that dates back to the 1400 and 1500s. We did an audio tour of the castle, which was inhabited for some time by Mary Queen of Scotts in the early 16th century.
After the castle we were given free time for lunch. Four of us were just wandering around and we happened to stumble upon...none other than...The Elephant House. Better known as, the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first book. Where it all began, she sat in the back room overlooking the Edinburgh castle...and was inspired to write Harry Potter. We sat in the same back room, and what made it even better, was that the food was amazing. Brie, Chicken, Mango Chutney panini with some shortbread was heaven.
I won't go too in-depth on the academic visits because those can seem boring. Mainly all of them had to do with how Scotland is taking the initiative and placing well-being/happiness at the forefront of mental health care. We learned a lot about their policies, different organizations, and explored expressive therapies in a workshop.
We got to do a Ghost Tour of the underground vaults in Edinburgh- which, I must say, puts Gettysburg to shame. Maybe cause it was listed at one of the top ten scariest/most haunted places in the United Kingdom. It was very scary. Crammed like 30 people into these chambers beneath the ground in pitch black with temperature fluctuations and dripping water. By the last vault I was ready to get out of there, clutching my friend Maggie, and keeping my eyes glued to my feet. Still, I'm glad I did it. If you want to, google Edinburgh Underground Vaults, scroll down, and pictures come up of what it looks like. Ahhhh.
Tuesday we got to see a lot of the Scottish countryside on the way to one of our academic trips. Very pretty. Looks like PA with beautiful white mountains in the background.
Also, during the trip we headed to a whiskey distillery to sample some true Scotch. It was in the middle of the countryside and was called Glengoyne. We tasted their 10 yr old malt whiskey then preceded to have a tour. Neat, though I am no fan of scotch. Felt bad wasting 10 years of work, but after a few sips, some form of chaser I didn't have was needed.
We were supposed to go hiking, see Stirling Castle, and the scenic Loch Lohmond. They lied to us, however, and one full day (I think wednesday?) was spent on a bus...driving by these sights...with a British sounding yet supposedly Scottish old woman tour guide named Leona. She had a knack for yelling through the intercom, preventing us from sleep or itunes, and pointing out scottish cows. I wasn't very pleased. I became further angered when our scenic view of Loch Lohmond consisted of being given 5 mins to hop off the bus, take a picture, then leave. :(
Britt and I also did some exploring, I forgot to mention, In Edinburgh. We climbed Calton Hill which also is another high point and overlooks the city. The sun was setting and it contained these greek looking ruins that were so pretty and good photo-ops. We're freaks. Also to further our weirdness, we sought out this cool cemetary with old tombstones and graves...and general..creepiness. Also, when I saw David Hume was buried there...I was excited...which I suppose makes me a nerd.
Ummm...so the rest of the week we stayed in Glasgow. It was pretty. It had more of a nightlife than Edinburgh which was fun. We met this scottish man named Phil, who was generally not creepy, and he told us about a concert going on the next night. Even though I missed the concert, I was able to navigate and find our group (who had left our dinner early to get there). The night was fun though and we found a club-esque placed where we could dance, so all was good. People in Scotland were all very nice, from those we had met. A funny. And drunk.
Glasgow reminded me of an American city though it did have some neat architecture and and pretty park that Maggie, Amanda, and I explored. We just basically enjoyed getting lost. Sometimes thats the best way to sight see.
All in all, this is what I can remember from Scotland. There was some interesting meals to say the least...don't get why europeans love liver pate (in Denmark especially).
Alright, I'm heading to Paris this weekend with Jenni! Will update after that!
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