Or, See you later Copenhagen, I will miss you.
Today is my very last evening in Copenhagen and Denmark. It's been an amazing, uplifting, and life changing experience, and I'm so fortunate to have been granted this opportunity.
4 months ago, I was so nervous, and I didn't want to leave home or my boyfriend. I really missed San Diego and Scott at many many points during this adventure, but each day has truly been a gift. I was given the most amazing host family anyone could ask for and I am so sad to be leaving them. They have invited me to share their family, home, and traditions and I truly love them and am so grateful for what they have allowed me to do. I will bring so many fond memories of them back with me, including drinking tea or coffee with my mom and/or sister, watching Danish TV, cooking together and eating together and sitting at the dinner table for at least an hour each night just talking, watching handball, and walking around the different castles and theme parks Copenhagen has to offer. I will miss their home and their warmth and their companionship, but I am also very excited to see my mom and dad and my brother again and to share with them all that I have learned.
I took 5 classes this semester, but 2 of them stood out particularly for me. Firstly, my core class: Children in a Multicultural Context was an eye-opening experience. I learned about the issue of immigration in homogenous Denmark and the problems and hurdles this causes children in the system, but I also learned valuable cross-cultural skills and I honestly feel as though I emerged a better, more competent person from it. I was thrust into discussions that may have been highly charged and a bit uncomfortable and my comfort zone was challenged, but I am amazed at how much I learned from my wonderful professor Maja. The second class was Danish. I may have been most nervous about this course because I heard Danish was sooo hard. I had the great fortune of being placed into a class with all girls from the Child Diversity and Development course and an incredible professor, Suzanne. If my host mom was my second mom, Suzanne was definitely my third. She made Danish so easy and taught us a lot of culture and clarified those aspects of Danish life that confused us (i.e. why they are so quiet and it is difficult to break through, hygge, etc.). She was amazing and the girls I shared that class with were similarly amazing and I will miss it all.
I met so many amazing people along this journey. I have had more friends in the past four months than I have since high school. Being at Whittier and being lonely most of my time there has made me a bit wary and jaded, I think. I was afraid I wouldn't make friends, but I was so excited to try. I met one of the best friends I had in CPH in the airport waiting for our bags, and we ended up traveling to Greece, Austria and Germany together. I love you Amanda and I miss you already!!! Through my core class I met an extraordinary group of people. I have never laughed so hard or had so much fun or had such a hyggeligt time than when we all went to that little Italian restaurant in SoHo in London then to Trafalgar Square and danced Bollywood together and saw shows. I will never forget any of you and I hate that the majority of you live on the East Coast. I will really miss you Patti, Lena, Jeff, and Trisha!! I have also met amazing people who I didn't get to spend much time with but whom I will always remember! Haley, we'll always have Ribe (and Thanksgiving at my house)! And Katie, I will miss our 1 o'clock lunches and I'm so glad we got to see Harry Potter and eat cupcakes together!! I can't imagine my life without all of you, but I guess I'll have to try, but only for a little while.
Copenhagen is a gorgeous, quiet, and relaxed little town with a lot of history and great people (just give them time to warm up to you, haha). The city and classes were great but what really made this experience for me was the people. I've spent four amazing months here and I can't believe it is over, but I think I am ready to go home. I just wish I could take CPH with me and all the people I love. This time tomorrow I'll be almost home. I can't believe it's over. It seems like I've just gotten my Danish brother and his girlfriend to open up to me and now I'm leaving. I said goodbye to them and I had to try not to cry, so I can only imagine how it will be saying goodbye to my host mom and sister tomorrow. Tomorrow will definitely be a very long and emotional day, but by the end of it I will be home with my family and my cat and my new big girl bed, and a few hours after that I will finally be seeing my boyfriend! I just have to come back and visit all the places I fell in love with and my Danish family, and visit the friends I love in the states as soon as I can!
So, as most Danes don't like to say goodbye, I will just say: Vi ses, og jeg elsker dig København! Jeg kommer til at savne alle mine venner og min fantastisk Danske familie! Ja, vi ses. <3
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thanksgiving i Danmark og Tornerose, or Thanksgiving in Denmark and Sleeping Beauty
Hello again!
I'm in the midst of the apocalypse that is final projects month trying to get through it so I can get home, but I'm taking a break to write about the past couple weeks.
Last Thursday was Thanksgiving! So, my host mom bough some big turkey breasts, potatoes and vegetables, and took the day off so we could cook it all for the family. I also had a life-saving delivery from my friend Patti's sister who came from the US to visit, of evaporated milk and pumpkin (for pumpkin pie), and stuffing and cranberry sauce! The final menu included: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with freshly made whipped cream to top it off. It was really fun and a lot less stressful than I imagined cooking Thanksgiving would be. My friend Haley who I met on the Ribe trip a few months ago came up to eat with us and spend the night so we had a full house. Overall, everything was delicious--my host brother Rasmus actually went back for thirds! It was also really nice to have everyone there to talk to and compare cultures with. I learned a lot and I got a lot closer to my host family.
The next day, Haley and I woke up and had pumpkin pie for breakfast, then went to Kronborg Castle near my house to have a look around. My host mom had provided us with some free tickets, so we trudged through the snow to the castle and back, then we had tea and watched my favorite Danish movie - After the Wedding.
Saturday my host mom left for Berlin for 5 days. In the beginning of the semester, she had been planning to go to France, and couldn't because she had been having back problems. I admit though I felt bad, that I was the slightest bit relieved because at that time I had no idea how to cook for myself for so long. This time though, we were fine, because I now know how the oven works and where all the food is. So, Sofie and I were on our own for a few days. We made throughout that time: chicken and pasta, chicken tacos, lasagna, chicken curry, and pasta with tuna and corn. Not too glamorous as far as food goes, but we didn't starve and we were pretty proud of ourselves.
When my host mom got back this Thurs (after flight cancellations due to the record low temperatures in Germany and Denmark--coldest in 45 years in Berlin and 100 years in Denmark for this time of year) we went to the opening of the Helsingor bibliotek, which houses 2 stages, a huge library, and soon, a huge maritime museum, where we ate aebleskiver with strawberry jam and powdered sugar (yum!). Then we came home to make Christmas decorations. Before I get to that I will talk about my last day at practicum.
My paedagog Henriette wasn't there again, but I spent the say with another paedagog, Mette and her class. We danced around and watched the snow fall outside (I was so glad they had them stay inside, because Thursday was extremely cold). I helped with lunch (rye bread and toppings--smorrebrød) then played with the kids from this classroom and my normal classroom. I cuddled a lot with Vega and Monica and Tobey and drew pictures with all the kids. I'm really going to miss them!
So, Christmas decorations. A few weeks ago, my host mom had gone to Sweden with some of her friends to pick up some stuff for decorations. This means she came home with bag after bag of Swedish nature--pine branches, moss, mushrooms, pinecones, twigs, etc. Then we all sat at the kitchen table and packed pots full of clay then placed candles in them and surrounded them with a mixture of whatever nature we wanted to put in, as well as glitter, or fake snow, or tinsel, or ribbon. Mine was like this: an advent candle (a candle you burn each day before Christmas with numbers on it to count down) moss, fir branches, 2 kinds of pine cones, silver and white glitter, and a red bow. We also had more aebleskiver, a pan-fried ball of dough similar to pancakes, and tea while we listened to Christmas music and enjoyed each others' company. It was such a hyggeligt and relaxing evening, and this is definitely a Christmas tradition I will bring back with me.
Last night, I went to the ballet. It was a production of Sleeping Beauty, or Tornerose in Danish. The performance was at Der Kongens Teater in Copenhagen, near Nyhavn. It was only $10 to go, which is great, since usually they are about $40-50. I think I am not a ballet person. I thought I'd try out another one after Nutcracker, but still to no avail. I am thoroughly impressed by their skill, but it seems difficult to tell a story in that way. For example, about 20 minutes was spent by the fairies dancing to impress the King and Queen. They'd all come out, then they left, then they came out one by one, then all together again for 2 more dances. I don't know, it just seemed like an unnecessary amount of impressing. I loved the music and the costumes, and it was interesting how the prince was found - Sleeping Beauty is asleep behind a magical portrait in the museum and the 2 docents are the good and evil witches/fairies and they are constantly working against each other. I did appreciate that aspect, it was clever. I just don't know if such a simple story does so well as a ballet. I often found myself not watching the dancers, and watching the orchestra instead. So, it's not for me, but if it is for you, I think it was quite good for a ballet, though I think I prefer Nutcracker, there are more facets to that story.
Now, only 2 weeks left in Denmark before I go home. I've already begun to tackle the monster that is packing. I'm ready but I'm not. I want to go home but I'll miss my new, temporary home and my wonderful family. This is an experience that I will never get to have again, so I'm going to get as much as I can out of the time left. The next post will most likely be on my last day in Denmark, as I've got a lot to do: a 12-15 page paper, finishing up a 7 page paper, writing a journal in Danish, 2 two page papers, and spending as much time as possible with the people who have made this experience-my family and my friends.
I'm in the midst of the apocalypse that is final projects month trying to get through it so I can get home, but I'm taking a break to write about the past couple weeks.
Last Thursday was Thanksgiving! So, my host mom bough some big turkey breasts, potatoes and vegetables, and took the day off so we could cook it all for the family. I also had a life-saving delivery from my friend Patti's sister who came from the US to visit, of evaporated milk and pumpkin (for pumpkin pie), and stuffing and cranberry sauce! The final menu included: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with freshly made whipped cream to top it off. It was really fun and a lot less stressful than I imagined cooking Thanksgiving would be. My friend Haley who I met on the Ribe trip a few months ago came up to eat with us and spend the night so we had a full house. Overall, everything was delicious--my host brother Rasmus actually went back for thirds! It was also really nice to have everyone there to talk to and compare cultures with. I learned a lot and I got a lot closer to my host family.
The next day, Haley and I woke up and had pumpkin pie for breakfast, then went to Kronborg Castle near my house to have a look around. My host mom had provided us with some free tickets, so we trudged through the snow to the castle and back, then we had tea and watched my favorite Danish movie - After the Wedding.
Saturday my host mom left for Berlin for 5 days. In the beginning of the semester, she had been planning to go to France, and couldn't because she had been having back problems. I admit though I felt bad, that I was the slightest bit relieved because at that time I had no idea how to cook for myself for so long. This time though, we were fine, because I now know how the oven works and where all the food is. So, Sofie and I were on our own for a few days. We made throughout that time: chicken and pasta, chicken tacos, lasagna, chicken curry, and pasta with tuna and corn. Not too glamorous as far as food goes, but we didn't starve and we were pretty proud of ourselves.
When my host mom got back this Thurs (after flight cancellations due to the record low temperatures in Germany and Denmark--coldest in 45 years in Berlin and 100 years in Denmark for this time of year) we went to the opening of the Helsingor bibliotek, which houses 2 stages, a huge library, and soon, a huge maritime museum, where we ate aebleskiver with strawberry jam and powdered sugar (yum!). Then we came home to make Christmas decorations. Before I get to that I will talk about my last day at practicum.
My paedagog Henriette wasn't there again, but I spent the say with another paedagog, Mette and her class. We danced around and watched the snow fall outside (I was so glad they had them stay inside, because Thursday was extremely cold). I helped with lunch (rye bread and toppings--smorrebrød) then played with the kids from this classroom and my normal classroom. I cuddled a lot with Vega and Monica and Tobey and drew pictures with all the kids. I'm really going to miss them!
So, Christmas decorations. A few weeks ago, my host mom had gone to Sweden with some of her friends to pick up some stuff for decorations. This means she came home with bag after bag of Swedish nature--pine branches, moss, mushrooms, pinecones, twigs, etc. Then we all sat at the kitchen table and packed pots full of clay then placed candles in them and surrounded them with a mixture of whatever nature we wanted to put in, as well as glitter, or fake snow, or tinsel, or ribbon. Mine was like this: an advent candle (a candle you burn each day before Christmas with numbers on it to count down) moss, fir branches, 2 kinds of pine cones, silver and white glitter, and a red bow. We also had more aebleskiver, a pan-fried ball of dough similar to pancakes, and tea while we listened to Christmas music and enjoyed each others' company. It was such a hyggeligt and relaxing evening, and this is definitely a Christmas tradition I will bring back with me.
Last night, I went to the ballet. It was a production of Sleeping Beauty, or Tornerose in Danish. The performance was at Der Kongens Teater in Copenhagen, near Nyhavn. It was only $10 to go, which is great, since usually they are about $40-50. I think I am not a ballet person. I thought I'd try out another one after Nutcracker, but still to no avail. I am thoroughly impressed by their skill, but it seems difficult to tell a story in that way. For example, about 20 minutes was spent by the fairies dancing to impress the King and Queen. They'd all come out, then they left, then they came out one by one, then all together again for 2 more dances. I don't know, it just seemed like an unnecessary amount of impressing. I loved the music and the costumes, and it was interesting how the prince was found - Sleeping Beauty is asleep behind a magical portrait in the museum and the 2 docents are the good and evil witches/fairies and they are constantly working against each other. I did appreciate that aspect, it was clever. I just don't know if such a simple story does so well as a ballet. I often found myself not watching the dancers, and watching the orchestra instead. So, it's not for me, but if it is for you, I think it was quite good for a ballet, though I think I prefer Nutcracker, there are more facets to that story.
Now, only 2 weeks left in Denmark before I go home. I've already begun to tackle the monster that is packing. I'm ready but I'm not. I want to go home but I'll miss my new, temporary home and my wonderful family. This is an experience that I will never get to have again, so I'm going to get as much as I can out of the time left. The next post will most likely be on my last day in Denmark, as I've got a lot to do: a 12-15 page paper, finishing up a 7 page paper, writing a journal in Danish, 2 two page papers, and spending as much time as possible with the people who have made this experience-my family and my friends.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Travel Break Week 2: Austria and Germany
Vienna, Day 1-Nov. 8
Amanda and I spent 2 days at my house with my family in Helsingor before leaving Copenhagen for Vienna. We left at 10:20am and arrived in Wien at 12:25pm. We then took 2 trains to the hostel, which was a Wombats hostel near the main train station. It was such a nice hostel. We checked in around 2:30 and got settled in our rooms then went out for a walk around the city. We saw the library, some museums, and some gorgeous buildings at night with all the lights. Then we got hungry and got delicious albeit expensive pizza then went to bed so we'd be ready for our busy day.
Vienna, Day 2 - Nov. 9
We woke up at 8am after a somewhat restless night, as there were many people out and about and coming in and out of our room. We had a nice breakfast of bread, cheese, fruit and coffee at the hostel. From there we took a train and walked to Belvedere Palace, which houses a huge collection of art, including Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, one of my favorites. After we saw the paintings, we walked around the grounds and took photos. Then we walked to Vienna's famous cathedral, St. Stephensdom and went inside and shopped a bit in the area nearby. We wanted to go to Hofburg Palace, the imperial palace in Vienna, but it cost money so we didn't go in. We walked by the famous Opera house and took the appropriate photos, then went to a little place near the hostel for schnitzel! Before we left for our train to Salzburg, we had to go grocery shopping to get food for the rest of our trip, in case there was no breakfast provided, or to serve as a substitute for other meals. Our train left Vienna at 6:44pm.
Salzburg, Day 3 - Nov. 10
We checked in late to our hostel (JUFA Salzburg - a great place) the night before, which is always confusing, but again we had a nice person who helped us. That morning we woke up and had the best breakfast at the hostel to date, then took the bus to the stop for our Sound of Music Tour! Amanda said this was the best decision we had ever made and I tend to agree with her. We visited Mirabell Palace (Do Re Mi), Leopoldskron (Lake in the back of the Von Trapp house), Hellbrunn (gazebo/ actual house), Lakes and Mountains District ( Untersberg, Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and the wedding church--where we ate apple strudel also). It was an amazing experience! After that finished, we walked around Salzburg and saw more of the sights, including the Mozart bridge (Do Re Mi), Nonnberg Abbey and the cemetery where the family hides from the Nazis. We also saw people setting up for the Christmas markets which were unfortunately going to open a week after we left. We ate pretzel sandwiches and walked/took a bus back to the hostel. I loved walking around the city and seeing the mountains. I fell in love with Salzburg and I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Innsbruck, Day 4 - Nov 11
We woke up and had breakfast then caught the 8:50 train from Salzburg to Innsbruck. We could see some amazing views of the mountains and hills of Austria from the train. Austria is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been I think. We got to Innsbruck at 11am and started off by walking around the town. Actually, that was what our day essentially was. We saw the Golden Roof, completed as a royal residence in the 1450's. There are so many cute streets and we walked up and down them all, being constantly amazed by the giant snow-covered mountains surrounding us. We went to the Imperial Palace and gardens and relaxed while we watched some old men play chess. At about 3pm we stopped for some Italian food for lunch/dinner, and it was expensive (but comparable to other prices we saw) but delicious! We visited St. Jacob's Church and took some photos near the river and mountains. Overall, I took WAY too many photos of the Bavarian Alps, but I really couldn't help it because they were amazing. Our train to Munich left at 6:36 and we arrived at our Wombats hostel around 8:30pm to find that Amanda and I weren't in the same room. But it was okay, as we were right next door.
Munich, Day 5 - Nov 12
We woke up and had breakfast. It was a strange morning, as I had to wait ages to use the restroom and change and the like, and Amanda and I were in different rooms, but again it was fine. I read the Kite Runner while we waited for our "free" walking tour to begin at 1. We took our tour and it was so great! Our tour guide was a little insane, but obviously passionate and highly knowledgeable about Munich and Bavaria. We visited the Glockenspiel, Hofbrauhaus and the site of the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, among many other sites. We even got a full lunch of bratwurst and soda for €5, and it was sooo good. It was "free" but everyone was expected to give a tip which varies in amount based on the city and how well you think they did. At that point I was out of money so I gave a €5, though in Munich, since it is a wealthy city, the cost of living is high and I should have given more like €10. After wandering around a bit on our own we came back to the hostel to wait for our night train to Berlin. However, it was only 6:30, and our tour guide walked in and saw us all bored and asked us up to the bar to hang out with him and a few others from our tour. So, we ended up talking to 3 guys from Liverpool for like 3 hours. They were Neil, Phil, and Dom, and we had some interesting discussions about US policy and music and lots of other things. Neil and I got along best, Phil was really cool, and Dom was quite drunk and belligerent, particularly about US healthcare. At 9:30 we headed to the train station and caught the nachtbahn to Berlin. I slept pretty well actually, considering.
Berlin, Day 6 - Nov. 13
We arrived in Berlin at 8:43am, dirty and hungry. We found the hostel and were offered breakfast since it was included! Then we asked if we could have access to the shower because there was no way I was walking around Berlin feeling that icky. We caught up with another "free" walking tour and saw the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall memorial and "Checkpoint Charlie" among other places.
Our guide was no Ozzy from Munich, but it was still good that we went on the tour. After that we got bratwurst again for dinner and headed back to the hostel where we talked to an Aussie guy and some Finnish girls in our room then we had an early night because we had to take a 45 minute train to the bus station for our bust back to CPH at 7:30am.
The whole trip was incredible and I thank everyone who made it possible! It was awesome, but I was so tired and so glad to be home in Helsingor! Next blog, Thanksgiving in Denmark!
Amanda and I spent 2 days at my house with my family in Helsingor before leaving Copenhagen for Vienna. We left at 10:20am and arrived in Wien at 12:25pm. We then took 2 trains to the hostel, which was a Wombats hostel near the main train station. It was such a nice hostel. We checked in around 2:30 and got settled in our rooms then went out for a walk around the city. We saw the library, some museums, and some gorgeous buildings at night with all the lights. Then we got hungry and got delicious albeit expensive pizza then went to bed so we'd be ready for our busy day.
Vienna, Day 2 - Nov. 9
We woke up at 8am after a somewhat restless night, as there were many people out and about and coming in and out of our room. We had a nice breakfast of bread, cheese, fruit and coffee at the hostel. From there we took a train and walked to Belvedere Palace, which houses a huge collection of art, including Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, one of my favorites. After we saw the paintings, we walked around the grounds and took photos. Then we walked to Vienna's famous cathedral, St. Stephensdom and went inside and shopped a bit in the area nearby. We wanted to go to Hofburg Palace, the imperial palace in Vienna, but it cost money so we didn't go in. We walked by the famous Opera house and took the appropriate photos, then went to a little place near the hostel for schnitzel! Before we left for our train to Salzburg, we had to go grocery shopping to get food for the rest of our trip, in case there was no breakfast provided, or to serve as a substitute for other meals. Our train left Vienna at 6:44pm.
Salzburg, Day 3 - Nov. 10
We checked in late to our hostel (JUFA Salzburg - a great place) the night before, which is always confusing, but again we had a nice person who helped us. That morning we woke up and had the best breakfast at the hostel to date, then took the bus to the stop for our Sound of Music Tour! Amanda said this was the best decision we had ever made and I tend to agree with her. We visited Mirabell Palace (Do Re Mi), Leopoldskron (Lake in the back of the Von Trapp house), Hellbrunn (gazebo/ actual house), Lakes and Mountains District ( Untersberg, Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and the wedding church--where we ate apple strudel also). It was an amazing experience! After that finished, we walked around Salzburg and saw more of the sights, including the Mozart bridge (Do Re Mi), Nonnberg Abbey and the cemetery where the family hides from the Nazis. We also saw people setting up for the Christmas markets which were unfortunately going to open a week after we left. We ate pretzel sandwiches and walked/took a bus back to the hostel. I loved walking around the city and seeing the mountains. I fell in love with Salzburg and I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Innsbruck, Day 4 - Nov 11
We woke up and had breakfast then caught the 8:50 train from Salzburg to Innsbruck. We could see some amazing views of the mountains and hills of Austria from the train. Austria is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been I think. We got to Innsbruck at 11am and started off by walking around the town. Actually, that was what our day essentially was. We saw the Golden Roof, completed as a royal residence in the 1450's. There are so many cute streets and we walked up and down them all, being constantly amazed by the giant snow-covered mountains surrounding us. We went to the Imperial Palace and gardens and relaxed while we watched some old men play chess. At about 3pm we stopped for some Italian food for lunch/dinner, and it was expensive (but comparable to other prices we saw) but delicious! We visited St. Jacob's Church and took some photos near the river and mountains. Overall, I took WAY too many photos of the Bavarian Alps, but I really couldn't help it because they were amazing. Our train to Munich left at 6:36 and we arrived at our Wombats hostel around 8:30pm to find that Amanda and I weren't in the same room. But it was okay, as we were right next door.
Munich, Day 5 - Nov 12
We woke up and had breakfast. It was a strange morning, as I had to wait ages to use the restroom and change and the like, and Amanda and I were in different rooms, but again it was fine. I read the Kite Runner while we waited for our "free" walking tour to begin at 1. We took our tour and it was so great! Our tour guide was a little insane, but obviously passionate and highly knowledgeable about Munich and Bavaria. We visited the Glockenspiel, Hofbrauhaus and the site of the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, among many other sites. We even got a full lunch of bratwurst and soda for €5, and it was sooo good. It was "free" but everyone was expected to give a tip which varies in amount based on the city and how well you think they did. At that point I was out of money so I gave a €5, though in Munich, since it is a wealthy city, the cost of living is high and I should have given more like €10. After wandering around a bit on our own we came back to the hostel to wait for our night train to Berlin. However, it was only 6:30, and our tour guide walked in and saw us all bored and asked us up to the bar to hang out with him and a few others from our tour. So, we ended up talking to 3 guys from Liverpool for like 3 hours. They were Neil, Phil, and Dom, and we had some interesting discussions about US policy and music and lots of other things. Neil and I got along best, Phil was really cool, and Dom was quite drunk and belligerent, particularly about US healthcare. At 9:30 we headed to the train station and caught the nachtbahn to Berlin. I slept pretty well actually, considering.
Berlin, Day 6 - Nov. 13
We arrived in Berlin at 8:43am, dirty and hungry. We found the hostel and were offered breakfast since it was included! Then we asked if we could have access to the shower because there was no way I was walking around Berlin feeling that icky. We caught up with another "free" walking tour and saw the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall memorial and "Checkpoint Charlie" among other places.
Our guide was no Ozzy from Munich, but it was still good that we went on the tour. After that we got bratwurst again for dinner and headed back to the hostel where we talked to an Aussie guy and some Finnish girls in our room then we had an early night because we had to take a 45 minute train to the bus station for our bust back to CPH at 7:30am.
The whole trip was incredible and I thank everyone who made it possible! It was awesome, but I was so tired and so glad to be home in Helsingor! Next blog, Thanksgiving in Denmark!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tales from Greece!
Sooo a couple of weeks ago my friends and I left Copenhagen for the two week travel break provided by our school. Week one we went to Greece - Athens and Santorini.
We planned the trip and paid for it ourselves (or with help from our wonderful parents) and we traveled alone in Europe, which made us feel very adult.
Here is a breakdown of the highlights of each day.
Day 1-2, Friday Oct. 29- Sat Oct. 30
We, me Amanda and Shelby, spent the night in town with our friends Sarah and Amy, so we wouldn't have to pay for a lot of transportation zones. We went shopping at H&M for some necessities, got pizza, and just hung out. The next morning we woke up and got ready and left at 2:50 for our 5:30 flight. We arrived in Athens at 12:40am and my suitcase handle broke and refused to go down. We took a bus into town then tried to search for our hostel, which we found after a while.
Day 3 Sun. Nov. 31
We woke up, after a not very fulfilling night of sleep (my bed at the hostel still had dirty sheets and it was too late to change them so I curled up in my clean sheet and tried to sleep with all my luggage in the bed), had breakfast, then Sarah and Amy went next door to buy some leather sandals from this really cool shop where this guy and his son (the poet and the artist Messinos) hand make shoes. They have had many famous clients over the years. After that, we walked through the flea market and ended up at a travel agent so we could book our trip to Santorini (round trip ferry, transfer and hotel accommodation in Fira for €110!). Then we walked over to the Olympic stadium to see the 2500th Athens marathon. It was so cool being in the stadium watching these people achieve their dreams, and it only happens every 4 years! After that we walked down to the Temple of Zeus near the Plaka, where we ended up having lunch and shopping a bit. We then walked to the Acropolis which was closed, watched the sunset from the rocks, I got hit on in french by weird french guys, then we left. We headed to the hostel and got gelato for dinner. That night those of us that drank, which means everyone but Amanda and I, played beer pong on the rooftop with the lit up Acropolis in the background. That night and then in the morning, those of us that drank got sick :(
Day 4, Mon. Nov. 1
Woke up, ate breakfast, and walked up to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. it was so beautiful and amazing. We walked down through the Agora to the Temple of Hephaistos. It was so cool to see all these ancient places and to imagine the people who may have walked and lived there. We stopped and had gyros for lunch, then tried to find a grocery store to buy food for dinner and failed to. Then we took the metro to the port to take our ferry to Santorini. The ferry was not so nice. We played cards and ate weird grilled cheese for dinner. We had a cabin, though it was very hot, but I guess that was good. We knew roughly that we would arrive in Santorini around 5:30 or 6am. However, what we didn't know was that it made several other stops between and that all the announcements would be in Greek. Each stop, the first at around 1:30am, had us worried that it was Santorini. I got dressed and went out to check with the girl from our hostel that we knew was on the same ferry, who said we had 5-6 more hours. So I changed back into my PJs. The next time, at about 3:40am, same thing. I was voted as the one to go check each time because my friends didn't know I had gotten back into my PJs. The next morning we pulled into Santorini in the sunrise, dirty, tired, and hungry.
Day 5 Tues. Nov. 2
We got off the ferry and into the shuttle to the hotel, hoping for a bed and a shower. However, the room was not ready yet and we had to wait until 11:30 (it was like 7 at the time). So we changed our clothes and walked into town for breakfast. Then we walked around the town and bought our first souvenirs (mine is a gorgeous painting of Santorini). When our room was ready finally we took turns showering then headed to town, then caught a bus Oia to watch the sunset after we ate gyros. Oia is the town where they filmed some of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and we made it a point to plan to see many of the spots while there, though that was a different day. The sunset was incredible, especially with the light on all the white houses.
Day 6 Wed. Nov. 3
This day, the other girls wanted to take ATVs around the island, but as I was nervous and couldn't really afford it anyway, I stayed on my own. We woke up and ate breakfast on the balcony then split up. I walked around where we had the day before and took more pictures and I stopped to analytically sketch some buildings. I walked into Fira and ran into the girl from the ferry, who I found out was from New Zealand and whose name is Anna. We walked a bit and were going to get something to drink but it was too expensive, so we walked more. Then she said she was going to go to the black sand beach and asked if I'd like to join her. So we took a bus to Perissa. There was no one there, as it was off season, and the water was so clear and so warm. After we got back to town, Anna had to move hostels, so I helped her find the right one after some trouble, then I went back to the hotel to shower and then I came back out to watch the sunset from my favorite spot. When the girls came back we walked down to town to eat gyros at our favorite place called Lucky's. After dinner we found a bakery and I got the best baklava I have ever tasted.
Day 7 Thurs. Nov. 4
Woke up early and watched the sunrise from the balcony. For breakfast I finished my baklava, then we took the bus back to Oia. When there, we explored the other side of town and walked down to the harbor from Sisterhood where Lena falls in and Kostas jumps in to save her. Then we walked up the steep, rocky 300ish stairs to the top where we had wonderful views. After that we took the bus back again at Lucky's for the last time, and left to catch our 3:30 ferry. We played cards and slept a bit on the ferry, then took the metro to our new hostel near the Temple of Zeus.
Day 8 Fri. Nov. 5
Woke up and ate breakfast, then stored our bags. We walked back to our old hostel because Amy thought she had left something there, then we ate gelato and walked to the National Archeological Museum. It was so hot and it took a while to get there, but it was worth it. I saw Agamemnon's mask and sculptures from my art history books, as well as some jewelry and pottery and weapons from about 4300BC! After that we went back to pick up our bags and left for our flight at 4:45. We got into Copenhagen late so Amanda Shelby and I stayed at Sarah and Amy's again, since they had stayed in Amsterdam when we had our layover.
The next couple of days were spent in Helsingor with my host family and Amanda, relaxing and gearing up for week 2. More on that later!
We planned the trip and paid for it ourselves (or with help from our wonderful parents) and we traveled alone in Europe, which made us feel very adult.
Here is a breakdown of the highlights of each day.
Day 1-2, Friday Oct. 29- Sat Oct. 30
We, me Amanda and Shelby, spent the night in town with our friends Sarah and Amy, so we wouldn't have to pay for a lot of transportation zones. We went shopping at H&M for some necessities, got pizza, and just hung out. The next morning we woke up and got ready and left at 2:50 for our 5:30 flight. We arrived in Athens at 12:40am and my suitcase handle broke and refused to go down. We took a bus into town then tried to search for our hostel, which we found after a while.
Day 3 Sun. Nov. 31
We woke up, after a not very fulfilling night of sleep (my bed at the hostel still had dirty sheets and it was too late to change them so I curled up in my clean sheet and tried to sleep with all my luggage in the bed), had breakfast, then Sarah and Amy went next door to buy some leather sandals from this really cool shop where this guy and his son (the poet and the artist Messinos) hand make shoes. They have had many famous clients over the years. After that, we walked through the flea market and ended up at a travel agent so we could book our trip to Santorini (round trip ferry, transfer and hotel accommodation in Fira for €110!). Then we walked over to the Olympic stadium to see the 2500th Athens marathon. It was so cool being in the stadium watching these people achieve their dreams, and it only happens every 4 years! After that we walked down to the Temple of Zeus near the Plaka, where we ended up having lunch and shopping a bit. We then walked to the Acropolis which was closed, watched the sunset from the rocks, I got hit on in french by weird french guys, then we left. We headed to the hostel and got gelato for dinner. That night those of us that drank, which means everyone but Amanda and I, played beer pong on the rooftop with the lit up Acropolis in the background. That night and then in the morning, those of us that drank got sick :(
Day 4, Mon. Nov. 1
Woke up, ate breakfast, and walked up to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. it was so beautiful and amazing. We walked down through the Agora to the Temple of Hephaistos. It was so cool to see all these ancient places and to imagine the people who may have walked and lived there. We stopped and had gyros for lunch, then tried to find a grocery store to buy food for dinner and failed to. Then we took the metro to the port to take our ferry to Santorini. The ferry was not so nice. We played cards and ate weird grilled cheese for dinner. We had a cabin, though it was very hot, but I guess that was good. We knew roughly that we would arrive in Santorini around 5:30 or 6am. However, what we didn't know was that it made several other stops between and that all the announcements would be in Greek. Each stop, the first at around 1:30am, had us worried that it was Santorini. I got dressed and went out to check with the girl from our hostel that we knew was on the same ferry, who said we had 5-6 more hours. So I changed back into my PJs. The next time, at about 3:40am, same thing. I was voted as the one to go check each time because my friends didn't know I had gotten back into my PJs. The next morning we pulled into Santorini in the sunrise, dirty, tired, and hungry.
Day 5 Tues. Nov. 2
We got off the ferry and into the shuttle to the hotel, hoping for a bed and a shower. However, the room was not ready yet and we had to wait until 11:30 (it was like 7 at the time). So we changed our clothes and walked into town for breakfast. Then we walked around the town and bought our first souvenirs (mine is a gorgeous painting of Santorini). When our room was ready finally we took turns showering then headed to town, then caught a bus Oia to watch the sunset after we ate gyros. Oia is the town where they filmed some of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and we made it a point to plan to see many of the spots while there, though that was a different day. The sunset was incredible, especially with the light on all the white houses.
Day 6 Wed. Nov. 3
This day, the other girls wanted to take ATVs around the island, but as I was nervous and couldn't really afford it anyway, I stayed on my own. We woke up and ate breakfast on the balcony then split up. I walked around where we had the day before and took more pictures and I stopped to analytically sketch some buildings. I walked into Fira and ran into the girl from the ferry, who I found out was from New Zealand and whose name is Anna. We walked a bit and were going to get something to drink but it was too expensive, so we walked more. Then she said she was going to go to the black sand beach and asked if I'd like to join her. So we took a bus to Perissa. There was no one there, as it was off season, and the water was so clear and so warm. After we got back to town, Anna had to move hostels, so I helped her find the right one after some trouble, then I went back to the hotel to shower and then I came back out to watch the sunset from my favorite spot. When the girls came back we walked down to town to eat gyros at our favorite place called Lucky's. After dinner we found a bakery and I got the best baklava I have ever tasted.
Day 7 Thurs. Nov. 4
Woke up early and watched the sunrise from the balcony. For breakfast I finished my baklava, then we took the bus back to Oia. When there, we explored the other side of town and walked down to the harbor from Sisterhood where Lena falls in and Kostas jumps in to save her. Then we walked up the steep, rocky 300ish stairs to the top where we had wonderful views. After that we took the bus back again at Lucky's for the last time, and left to catch our 3:30 ferry. We played cards and slept a bit on the ferry, then took the metro to our new hostel near the Temple of Zeus.
Day 8 Fri. Nov. 5
Woke up and ate breakfast, then stored our bags. We walked back to our old hostel because Amy thought she had left something there, then we ate gelato and walked to the National Archeological Museum. It was so hot and it took a while to get there, but it was worth it. I saw Agamemnon's mask and sculptures from my art history books, as well as some jewelry and pottery and weapons from about 4300BC! After that we went back to pick up our bags and left for our flight at 4:45. We got into Copenhagen late so Amanda Shelby and I stayed at Sarah and Amy's again, since they had stayed in Amsterdam when we had our layover.
The next couple of days were spent in Helsingor with my host family and Amanda, relaxing and gearing up for week 2. More on that later!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Now here is a typical week
So this week was fairly busy, I had a big paper due and travel stuff to work out on top of all the other work given to me by DIS. My paper was an observation paper for my practicum site and I observed whether there was any prejudice shown by the kids when they chose their friends. I actually found that though Denmark may be seen as a homogenous society, there was no segregation or favoring of the majority ethnic Danish children when choosing playmates. This is probably due to the fact that I was observing at a highly diverse and inclusive preschool, and the preschool environment is even more of a socialization tool here than it is in the US.
Yeah, exciting stuff. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my favorite class is Danish. Our class, the special Child Diversity and Development class has the most incredible teacher! She always brings us treats, and this time on Fri. she brought my favorite thing, flodeboller, because FCK the football (soccer) team lost to Barcelona, "but they played so well!" I love her. I have an oral midterm on Friday in that class and I'm actually not too worried about it, I think me and my friend Amanda will be fine, since we're so good at Danish, haha. We have started to type to one another in Danish sometimes for practice, and I'm so surprised at how much we have learned over such a short amount of time.
My least favorite class stars a professor that just doesn't care. He has left our class 4 times, once during a guest lecture, and Friday because we were going to watch Girl Interrupted. Now, it's a good movie, so we all stayed to watch it, but he left, and the movie was so quiet we had to call IT to help us fix it. Also, he gives us these hard tests, which I study for, and I get them back with only 61.5 points out of 100 and no feedback to help me for next time. It makes no sense.
Thursday I went to practicum and had a great time! This week was the mandatory school closure week, and most Danes take their kids and go on vacation somewhere warm, because it is starting to get dark and cold. I think there were like 20 kids out of 50. So the bigger kids went out to a playground and the younger kids stayed and the middle age group went for a walk in the forest/meadows around the center. It hailed on the walk, but it was more like a mix between snow and hail which was odd. I found out that the word for "Moo" is the same because we ran into a field of cows on our way. Also, a little girl touched the electric fence, poor thing, but she was okay after a few minutes.
We went back for lunch and afterwards, my fellow DIS student and I go for a break. During the break it started to pour rain and we were like, "Oh great, we have to go outside now." But because there were so few children we just sat with them while they watched a movie. This was the best part for me because I got to hold an 18 month old boy when he woke up from his nap and he was so cute and rested on my shoulder and wouldn't let me put him down, until the pedagogue got done carving the jack o' lantern of course, then that captured all his attention.
Friday night my host mom and I went out for pizza at this adorable and hyggeligt restaurant in Helsingor. It was so delicious. Afterwards we walked over to Blockbuster and rented Amelie, which to my sort of dismay only had Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles, none of which are do-able for me. But since I've seen the movie so many times and can speak French to some degree, I could understand it fine and it was a nice evening.
Saturday and Sunday were lazy. I worked on homework and skyped my parents and boyfriend, and the only time I left the house was to go into Copenhagen for an hour to work on a group project.
This week is busy: a Danish midterm and Psychology presentation due on Friday. But then, Friday night, Amanda, Shelby, and I are staying at Sarah and Amy's place in town so we don't have to pay for as many zones to get to the airport on Saturday afternoon when we leave for GREECE!! We will be going to Athens and taking a ferry to Santorini. It will be between 70-80 degrees and there are multitudes of olives and baklava! I never really thought I would go to Greece, but here we are. It will be so exciting!
And, I will blog about that when I get back on Saturday, but then Monday, Amanda and I leave on our Austrian/German extravaganza. We will be going from CPH to Vienna, then to Salzburg (Sound of Music tour!), then to Innsbruck, then onto Munich (Neuschwanstein Castle!) and finally to Berlin, arriving back in Copenhagen at 3:00pm on Sunday.
So lots of adventures ahead, stay tuned!
Yeah, exciting stuff. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my favorite class is Danish. Our class, the special Child Diversity and Development class has the most incredible teacher! She always brings us treats, and this time on Fri. she brought my favorite thing, flodeboller, because FCK the football (soccer) team lost to Barcelona, "but they played so well!" I love her. I have an oral midterm on Friday in that class and I'm actually not too worried about it, I think me and my friend Amanda will be fine, since we're so good at Danish, haha. We have started to type to one another in Danish sometimes for practice, and I'm so surprised at how much we have learned over such a short amount of time.
My least favorite class stars a professor that just doesn't care. He has left our class 4 times, once during a guest lecture, and Friday because we were going to watch Girl Interrupted. Now, it's a good movie, so we all stayed to watch it, but he left, and the movie was so quiet we had to call IT to help us fix it. Also, he gives us these hard tests, which I study for, and I get them back with only 61.5 points out of 100 and no feedback to help me for next time. It makes no sense.
Thursday I went to practicum and had a great time! This week was the mandatory school closure week, and most Danes take their kids and go on vacation somewhere warm, because it is starting to get dark and cold. I think there were like 20 kids out of 50. So the bigger kids went out to a playground and the younger kids stayed and the middle age group went for a walk in the forest/meadows around the center. It hailed on the walk, but it was more like a mix between snow and hail which was odd. I found out that the word for "Moo" is the same because we ran into a field of cows on our way. Also, a little girl touched the electric fence, poor thing, but she was okay after a few minutes.
We went back for lunch and afterwards, my fellow DIS student and I go for a break. During the break it started to pour rain and we were like, "Oh great, we have to go outside now." But because there were so few children we just sat with them while they watched a movie. This was the best part for me because I got to hold an 18 month old boy when he woke up from his nap and he was so cute and rested on my shoulder and wouldn't let me put him down, until the pedagogue got done carving the jack o' lantern of course, then that captured all his attention.
Friday night my host mom and I went out for pizza at this adorable and hyggeligt restaurant in Helsingor. It was so delicious. Afterwards we walked over to Blockbuster and rented Amelie, which to my sort of dismay only had Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles, none of which are do-able for me. But since I've seen the movie so many times and can speak French to some degree, I could understand it fine and it was a nice evening.
Saturday and Sunday were lazy. I worked on homework and skyped my parents and boyfriend, and the only time I left the house was to go into Copenhagen for an hour to work on a group project.
This week is busy: a Danish midterm and Psychology presentation due on Friday. But then, Friday night, Amanda, Shelby, and I are staying at Sarah and Amy's place in town so we don't have to pay for as many zones to get to the airport on Saturday afternoon when we leave for GREECE!! We will be going to Athens and taking a ferry to Santorini. It will be between 70-80 degrees and there are multitudes of olives and baklava! I never really thought I would go to Greece, but here we are. It will be so exciting!
And, I will blog about that when I get back on Saturday, but then Monday, Amanda and I leave on our Austrian/German extravaganza. We will be going from CPH to Vienna, then to Salzburg (Sound of Music tour!), then to Innsbruck, then onto Munich (Neuschwanstein Castle!) and finally to Berlin, arriving back in Copenhagen at 3:00pm on Sunday.
So lots of adventures ahead, stay tuned!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Another Typical Week in Copenhagen
Sooo, this week was pretty okay.
It started out with one class in which we simply discussed our study tour and what we wanted to do for the rest of the semester, and our final projects. After class, my favorite people from the London trip (i.e. the group I got the closest to: Patti, Trisha, Lena, and Jeff, and Bailey) went to the original cupcake bakery called Agnes. I ordered a sea salt and chocolate cupcake. That night it was hardcore study time for the giant Developmental Disorders test the next day, so I waited until I had conquered that to enjoy my cupcake, which was amazing. Also, my friend Amanda was having major major problems with her host family, so I was trying to help her through that as well. I didn't get to bed until late.
Tuesday was the day of our midterm, and I don't think I did so well, but we'll see, and everyone in the class was in the same boat so it will be okay. Also, I opted not to take that class for a grade for this exact reason. I hung out with Amanda during our break as usual, then we headed to Danish, my favorite class! I love my professor, she is the sweetest, most awesome lady!
Wednesday we had a field study to Hillerod, and the pedagog training college. It was interesting to see how pedagogs are taught, and we even did some drama exercises with a drama pedagog. After that we visited a forest kindergarten that wasn't really a forest kindergarten. In Denmark, a forest kindergarten is one in which the children meet at a house or classroom in the city/town then get bussed out to the forest, where they spend all day, rain/snow or shine, playing and exploring. It's a cool concept. This one didn't really count, because it was a collection of awesome buildings next to a forest and meadows. For some of the day the children were in the buildings, but for the rest of the time they played outside. There were no fences around the property, only wooden poles painted yellow or red. A yellow pole meant that the children had to ask before they went to play there, and red meant they were not allowed to. The reason for no fencing is that, fences are almost a challenge, and may actually be more dangerous than the lack of fencing. I loved this place and I want nothing more than to send my children to a place like that.
Thursday was practicum!! I had so much fun. A few of the kids have become attached to me, and it is so much fun to play with them. It's so different here. Parents cannot sue a preschool for injuries their kid sustains or other things, so at my practicum kids jump off cabinets onto pillows and mattresses, I am permitted to basically throw the kids off the cabinet onto said pillows, and I can wrestle with them and tickle and huggle them as much as I want!
Friday was a good day. I went to class with good friends, had the best lecture ever in the history of developmental disorders (because it was not given by our professor, but by a very cool Aspie named Carl), then a break with Amanda, and then Danish, where she brought us cookies because she was proud of our results on our quizzes (see what I mean?). What made the day the best though was going to my new favorite place, called Paludan Bogcafe. It is a huge cafe with high ceilings and books EVERYWHERE. You walk in and there is a staircase leading to a hallway with books from floor to ceiling. The prices are reasonable too and the chai latte I got was SO delicious. I sat there for a good hour and a half just enjoying the hundreds of books around me, including North and South which I had brought with me and finished there. After the cafe, I walked around to see the beginning of kulturnatten (Culture night) where all of the museums and landmarks are free once you buy the culture night pass. It looked like it was going to be a great night. I met up with my mom and sister at the station and we began shopping. Sofie left for Spain with her football team this morning and there were a ton of sales, so she got stocked up on winter clothes and shoes. Though shopping all night was fun, mostly because of the company, I wish we had had time to see some of what kulturnatten had to offer.
By the end of the night our feet were tired and so were we. Unfortunately our trains decided to have a bunch of technical difficulties, so we got to the station at 10 and didn't get home until midnight. Then we just had some tea together and went to bed.
Today I have done next to nothing. I caught up on some of my shows and wrote a page and a half of my 6-8 page paper due on Fri. and did my readings for monday because....
Tomorrow is Legoland! I get to go to the original one in Billund, about a 3 hour drive from CPH. I'm excited to hang out with some great friends there, and maybe I'll write about it on Monday.
But that's all for now folks! <3
It started out with one class in which we simply discussed our study tour and what we wanted to do for the rest of the semester, and our final projects. After class, my favorite people from the London trip (i.e. the group I got the closest to: Patti, Trisha, Lena, and Jeff, and Bailey) went to the original cupcake bakery called Agnes. I ordered a sea salt and chocolate cupcake. That night it was hardcore study time for the giant Developmental Disorders test the next day, so I waited until I had conquered that to enjoy my cupcake, which was amazing. Also, my friend Amanda was having major major problems with her host family, so I was trying to help her through that as well. I didn't get to bed until late.
Tuesday was the day of our midterm, and I don't think I did so well, but we'll see, and everyone in the class was in the same boat so it will be okay. Also, I opted not to take that class for a grade for this exact reason. I hung out with Amanda during our break as usual, then we headed to Danish, my favorite class! I love my professor, she is the sweetest, most awesome lady!
Wednesday we had a field study to Hillerod, and the pedagog training college. It was interesting to see how pedagogs are taught, and we even did some drama exercises with a drama pedagog. After that we visited a forest kindergarten that wasn't really a forest kindergarten. In Denmark, a forest kindergarten is one in which the children meet at a house or classroom in the city/town then get bussed out to the forest, where they spend all day, rain/snow or shine, playing and exploring. It's a cool concept. This one didn't really count, because it was a collection of awesome buildings next to a forest and meadows. For some of the day the children were in the buildings, but for the rest of the time they played outside. There were no fences around the property, only wooden poles painted yellow or red. A yellow pole meant that the children had to ask before they went to play there, and red meant they were not allowed to. The reason for no fencing is that, fences are almost a challenge, and may actually be more dangerous than the lack of fencing. I loved this place and I want nothing more than to send my children to a place like that.
Thursday was practicum!! I had so much fun. A few of the kids have become attached to me, and it is so much fun to play with them. It's so different here. Parents cannot sue a preschool for injuries their kid sustains or other things, so at my practicum kids jump off cabinets onto pillows and mattresses, I am permitted to basically throw the kids off the cabinet onto said pillows, and I can wrestle with them and tickle and huggle them as much as I want!
Friday was a good day. I went to class with good friends, had the best lecture ever in the history of developmental disorders (because it was not given by our professor, but by a very cool Aspie named Carl), then a break with Amanda, and then Danish, where she brought us cookies because she was proud of our results on our quizzes (see what I mean?). What made the day the best though was going to my new favorite place, called Paludan Bogcafe. It is a huge cafe with high ceilings and books EVERYWHERE. You walk in and there is a staircase leading to a hallway with books from floor to ceiling. The prices are reasonable too and the chai latte I got was SO delicious. I sat there for a good hour and a half just enjoying the hundreds of books around me, including North and South which I had brought with me and finished there. After the cafe, I walked around to see the beginning of kulturnatten (Culture night) where all of the museums and landmarks are free once you buy the culture night pass. It looked like it was going to be a great night. I met up with my mom and sister at the station and we began shopping. Sofie left for Spain with her football team this morning and there were a ton of sales, so she got stocked up on winter clothes and shoes. Though shopping all night was fun, mostly because of the company, I wish we had had time to see some of what kulturnatten had to offer.
By the end of the night our feet were tired and so were we. Unfortunately our trains decided to have a bunch of technical difficulties, so we got to the station at 10 and didn't get home until midnight. Then we just had some tea together and went to bed.
Today I have done next to nothing. I caught up on some of my shows and wrote a page and a half of my 6-8 page paper due on Fri. and did my readings for monday because....
Tomorrow is Legoland! I get to go to the original one in Billund, about a 3 hour drive from CPH. I'm excited to hang out with some great friends there, and maybe I'll write about it on Monday.
But that's all for now folks! <3
Friday, October 8, 2010
Adventures in London
Hey guys, it's been a while.
Last Saturday I left for London with my Children in a Multicultural Context class. We arrived at 10am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, grabbed lunch, and visited a really cool adventure playground called Glamis. It is not in the best part of town, but kids of all backgrounds are allowed to come play and build and make friends under adult supervision.
That night we went out to dinner at an Indian food place, where the tables are double decker with a ladder for the waitresses to use. It was delicious and super cool. We then walked to the London Eye, where we saw beautiful views of London at night. Having woken up at 4:30, I was ready for bed, especially because myself and another girl got lost and had to find our way back in the rain.
Day 2, we had breakfast at the hotel then left on a bus and walking tour of London. We stopped at Tower Bridge, where we took lots of photos and saw the bridge lift to let a boat pass under, which only happens once or twice a year. We stopped at Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After this we had lunch and shopped on our own in Brick Lane, Whitechapel and met at the Freud museum after. That night was for sure my favorite night of the trip, because my friends Patti, Jeff, Lena, and Trisha went through Covent Garden and SoHo and found a lovely little Italian place called Melanie's, where we ate delicious pasta, then we enjoyed London at night in Trafalgar Square. It was so nice to spend time with such great people in one of my favorite places on Earth.
Day 3 was a long one. After breakfast we walked from Barbican to Brick Lane because the tubes were on strike. We visited the East London Acedemy in the London Muslim Center, and the mosque within. I learned a lot about Islam, more than I had before, and though I didn't believe it or agree with it all, it was interesting to see another worldview. Then, we went back to Brick Lane for Iranian food, and I picked up some fried dough, yummy. After lunch we went to an amazing school in the center of London where we got to see first-hand how the British school system deals with integration (much more gracefully and effectively than in Denmark). I loved that school and I wanted to send my kids there. Who knows, maybe I will. Finally, in our last scheduled visit of the day, we went to a Bollywood dance workshop where we learned a dance to Jai Ho, the song from Slumdog Millionaire. It was more tiring than I realized and we were all ready for showers afterwards. But, Lena and I had tickets for Les Miserables, so we got all pretty in the locker room (as pretty as we could get with how sweaty we were, haha), then went to grab dinner (yogurt and granola and coffee) then to the show! The first half of the show was incredible, but as I had had a headache for most of the day and had taken the last of my packed ibuprofen a few days before, I was nauseous and miserable the 2nd half. I still enjoyed the show, but it got to the point where I just needed to go home and sleep.
Day 4
We were originally going to go to Kensington to see the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, but we weren't allowed in, so we went to the Palace just to see the gardens, then we split off into separate groups. My group was supposed to go to Notting Hill. And we did, just not the part I wanted to see, so I separated from the group and went on my way, while they went shopping. First, I took the tube from Notting Hill to Oxford Street, where all the shopping is, then I made my way back through SoHo and Covent Garden, sitting when I wanted to and going where I pleased, stopping wherever I saw fit. I found some cool shops in SoHo and a really nice park where I sat for a while. Then I ended up in Leicester Square area where I visited the National Gallery, which is incredible. After that, I found a Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat - a cafe place with fresh, ready-made food and drink that I love) and took it to eat in Trafalgar Square. After lunch I set off towards St. James' Park, where I meandered around and took photos and sat and just enjoyed the park. After spending some time in the park, I walked up the Mall and through to Piccadilly Circus, then all the way down Piccadilly. On my way I found a nice little antique market where I picked up a fabulous little teacup for 5 pounds, then sat in a cafe for some tea down the street. Finally, before meeting up with the group, I took the tube to Bromley to Normand Park, which was a nice park in a not-so-nice area. It wasn't a bad area by any means, but it wasn't great either, so I just took some photos and took the train back. We all at Chinese food in Leicester Square then went to Avenue Q which was incredibly funny and inappropriate. After the show, Jeff, Trisha, Alice, Bailey, and I went back to Trafalgar Square, then to Buckingham Palace to see it at
night.
After my day alone in the city I felt so connected to it and so at home that I felt that someday I have to live in London, even if only for a year or so. It's an amazing place and my favorite in the world, even still after spending 6 days there. Most people missed Copenhagen, but I didn't. Perhaps it's because I don't spend enough time in the city, which my new close friends are going to help me with I think. :)
Day 5
We had 3 visits on day 5, starting with a trip to Greenwich for a visit to the Royal Observatory and Meridian line. The only problem was, we got there at 8:30 and it didn't open until 10:00, and it was pouring in true London fashion. So we were a little pissed that we had to wake up so early and stay out in the rain, even if the views were cool. After touring the museum, we started walking down, planning to go to one of the other museums for lunch. On our way down we were discussing how crappy the morning had been and a nice British lady who was walking her dog told us that Johnny Depp was in town filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and she told us how to get to the set at the Royal Naval College. We wandered around seeing lots of trailers and some people dressed as pirates, though no Johnny Depp, until we stopped in front of one gate where you could see through a bit of the tarp. We saw someone dressed as Jack Sparrow, but we weren't sure if it was him, and he heard us and turned around and smiled and waved at us, and we knew it was really Johnny! :D It was awesome. Then we went to the National Maritime Museum for lunch, then to our next visit to Mulgrave Early Child Center. It was so great to interact with kids who I could speak English to! I had so much fun!! Then we went to the Charlton Athletic Race Equality Center, which is dedicated to community cohesion and outreach through sports. For dinner we had fish and chips at the tavern next to the movie set, and for dessert delicious cheesecake. Then Trisha, Alice and I walked along the Thames and headed back to the hotel to pack.
Day 6
We went to the Natural History Museum to observe teachers guiding their students through the museum. Then we left for lunch at a pub, it was roast chicken, peas, and chips, followed by apple pie. We wrapped up the trip then were left for 2 more hours of free time. During this time, I went off alone again back to some antique book shops I found on Charing Cross Rd in the Leicester Square area. I went into one shop that had been in operation since 1855. There I bought a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, Cranford, from 1898! It is in such good condition and I was so excited. Then I grabbed a latte at the cafe across the street and sat for a while until I went back to the hotel to get ready to go. When the bus got there, we had a 2 hour ride, so we watched what else, but Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We got to the airport and they made me check my umbrella, which came back to me broken :( We grabbed dinner and snacks, but by the time we were done doing that we had to run to the gate because it was final boarding call. I thought I was going to die I was so scared. I made it though, and finally got home about 12:30am, skyped my boyfriend for a couple hours, then went to bed and woke up this morning at 1pm. I was so exhausted.
Sorry about the long post, but a lot happened. If you got this far I'm impressed
Last Saturday I left for London with my Children in a Multicultural Context class. We arrived at 10am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, grabbed lunch, and visited a really cool adventure playground called Glamis. It is not in the best part of town, but kids of all backgrounds are allowed to come play and build and make friends under adult supervision.
That night we went out to dinner at an Indian food place, where the tables are double decker with a ladder for the waitresses to use. It was delicious and super cool. We then walked to the London Eye, where we saw beautiful views of London at night. Having woken up at 4:30, I was ready for bed, especially because myself and another girl got lost and had to find our way back in the rain.
Day 2, we had breakfast at the hotel then left on a bus and walking tour of London. We stopped at Tower Bridge, where we took lots of photos and saw the bridge lift to let a boat pass under, which only happens once or twice a year. We stopped at Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After this we had lunch and shopped on our own in Brick Lane, Whitechapel and met at the Freud museum after. That night was for sure my favorite night of the trip, because my friends Patti, Jeff, Lena, and Trisha went through Covent Garden and SoHo and found a lovely little Italian place called Melanie's, where we ate delicious pasta, then we enjoyed London at night in Trafalgar Square. It was so nice to spend time with such great people in one of my favorite places on Earth.
Day 3 was a long one. After breakfast we walked from Barbican to Brick Lane because the tubes were on strike. We visited the East London Acedemy in the London Muslim Center, and the mosque within. I learned a lot about Islam, more than I had before, and though I didn't believe it or agree with it all, it was interesting to see another worldview. Then, we went back to Brick Lane for Iranian food, and I picked up some fried dough, yummy. After lunch we went to an amazing school in the center of London where we got to see first-hand how the British school system deals with integration (much more gracefully and effectively than in Denmark). I loved that school and I wanted to send my kids there. Who knows, maybe I will. Finally, in our last scheduled visit of the day, we went to a Bollywood dance workshop where we learned a dance to Jai Ho, the song from Slumdog Millionaire. It was more tiring than I realized and we were all ready for showers afterwards. But, Lena and I had tickets for Les Miserables, so we got all pretty in the locker room (as pretty as we could get with how sweaty we were, haha), then went to grab dinner (yogurt and granola and coffee) then to the show! The first half of the show was incredible, but as I had had a headache for most of the day and had taken the last of my packed ibuprofen a few days before, I was nauseous and miserable the 2nd half. I still enjoyed the show, but it got to the point where I just needed to go home and sleep.
Day 4
We were originally going to go to Kensington to see the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, but we weren't allowed in, so we went to the Palace just to see the gardens, then we split off into separate groups. My group was supposed to go to Notting Hill. And we did, just not the part I wanted to see, so I separated from the group and went on my way, while they went shopping. First, I took the tube from Notting Hill to Oxford Street, where all the shopping is, then I made my way back through SoHo and Covent Garden, sitting when I wanted to and going where I pleased, stopping wherever I saw fit. I found some cool shops in SoHo and a really nice park where I sat for a while. Then I ended up in Leicester Square area where I visited the National Gallery, which is incredible. After that, I found a Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat - a cafe place with fresh, ready-made food and drink that I love) and took it to eat in Trafalgar Square. After lunch I set off towards St. James' Park, where I meandered around and took photos and sat and just enjoyed the park. After spending some time in the park, I walked up the Mall and through to Piccadilly Circus, then all the way down Piccadilly. On my way I found a nice little antique market where I picked up a fabulous little teacup for 5 pounds, then sat in a cafe for some tea down the street. Finally, before meeting up with the group, I took the tube to Bromley to Normand Park, which was a nice park in a not-so-nice area. It wasn't a bad area by any means, but it wasn't great either, so I just took some photos and took the train back. We all at Chinese food in Leicester Square then went to Avenue Q which was incredibly funny and inappropriate. After the show, Jeff, Trisha, Alice, Bailey, and I went back to Trafalgar Square, then to Buckingham Palace to see it at
night.
After my day alone in the city I felt so connected to it and so at home that I felt that someday I have to live in London, even if only for a year or so. It's an amazing place and my favorite in the world, even still after spending 6 days there. Most people missed Copenhagen, but I didn't. Perhaps it's because I don't spend enough time in the city, which my new close friends are going to help me with I think. :)
Day 5
We had 3 visits on day 5, starting with a trip to Greenwich for a visit to the Royal Observatory and Meridian line. The only problem was, we got there at 8:30 and it didn't open until 10:00, and it was pouring in true London fashion. So we were a little pissed that we had to wake up so early and stay out in the rain, even if the views were cool. After touring the museum, we started walking down, planning to go to one of the other museums for lunch. On our way down we were discussing how crappy the morning had been and a nice British lady who was walking her dog told us that Johnny Depp was in town filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and she told us how to get to the set at the Royal Naval College. We wandered around seeing lots of trailers and some people dressed as pirates, though no Johnny Depp, until we stopped in front of one gate where you could see through a bit of the tarp. We saw someone dressed as Jack Sparrow, but we weren't sure if it was him, and he heard us and turned around and smiled and waved at us, and we knew it was really Johnny! :D It was awesome. Then we went to the National Maritime Museum for lunch, then to our next visit to Mulgrave Early Child Center. It was so great to interact with kids who I could speak English to! I had so much fun!! Then we went to the Charlton Athletic Race Equality Center, which is dedicated to community cohesion and outreach through sports. For dinner we had fish and chips at the tavern next to the movie set, and for dessert delicious cheesecake. Then Trisha, Alice and I walked along the Thames and headed back to the hotel to pack.
Day 6
We went to the Natural History Museum to observe teachers guiding their students through the museum. Then we left for lunch at a pub, it was roast chicken, peas, and chips, followed by apple pie. We wrapped up the trip then were left for 2 more hours of free time. During this time, I went off alone again back to some antique book shops I found on Charing Cross Rd in the Leicester Square area. I went into one shop that had been in operation since 1855. There I bought a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, Cranford, from 1898! It is in such good condition and I was so excited. Then I grabbed a latte at the cafe across the street and sat for a while until I went back to the hotel to get ready to go. When the bus got there, we had a 2 hour ride, so we watched what else, but Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We got to the airport and they made me check my umbrella, which came back to me broken :( We grabbed dinner and snacks, but by the time we were done doing that we had to run to the gate because it was final boarding call. I thought I was going to die I was so scared. I made it though, and finally got home about 12:30am, skyped my boyfriend for a couple hours, then went to bed and woke up this morning at 1pm. I was so exhausted.
Sorry about the long post, but a lot happened. If you got this far I'm impressed
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