I am sure you all were just dying to know what my school building looked like... lol. Here it is! It is called Metro and all of my classes are conveniently located within this building. It is just across from the official university building and a five minute walk from the Jurahuset- where the law library and law faculty is focused.
Somehow I decided to signup for an 8 am class because I think I like to torture myself. Here is a church that is across from my classroom building. As 8am tolls I always hear the bells ringing as I ride to class (no I am not late the "academic quarter" means that all classes start 15 minutes after the time they say they start).
This is the official building for the University of København. I haven't really been inside except to the international office around the corner.
Ahh, I ride past this everyday on my way to and from school. There are a few things I want to point out in this picture. First, the thermometer on the side of the building, I am not sure if I have ever seen it above 0. Second, look at the slogan for the oh so popular Carlsberg beer "Probably the Best Beer in Town." The Danes never like to flat out claim they are the best at anything although they are most likely thinking it... this totally follows within those footsteps.
Everyday I also ride past the Tivoli amusement park and I peer in with wide eyes if the gate is ever slightly open. It opens in April and once I get back from Turkey I plan on having my birthday party here! If you look hard you might be able to see me!
Cold nights in København call for desperate measures to stay warm. I often wear earmuffs, a hat, 2, scarves, and 5-6 layers under my jacket just to keep from freezing, sometimes I succeed...
However, sometimes it is just too late... here I am inside a bar after being outside for hours. I just could not get warm no matter how many clothes I had on, my friends were not having the same issue this night.
My bike! It has lights in the front and back to warn cars and other bikers of my presence. It might not be the prettiest but it is reliable and works well so I love it!
Another group dinner at my place, we made pasta again... Pasta is the cheapest way to go here... everything is so expensive and unless you want bread and cheese then pasta it is.
Another weekend, another adventure. I was telling my dad that all the water seems to be frozen here... he seemed skeptical so I thought I would take some pictures to show him. Look at the water! ICE!
This adventure took me all the way to the other side of the city, about 6 kilometers away... we decided to bus as it was very cold and windy. After a bit of confusion trying to figure out the system we found our way. Here she is, the little mermaid! I think she needs a jacket!
Here Linda and I are. The statute is a character from a famous Hans Christian Anderson story (the most famous author in Denmark) The Little Mermaid. The locals all think that a huge fuss is made over such a little statute but I appreciate the opportunity to see her.
Leaving the statute heading to the train (we decided to mix up the mode of transportation) we came across this cute church...
When I got home it had started to snow and the ground once again was turning white.
Approximately 1/3 of all Københageners use bikes to commute to work... rain, snow, or sun! I was not going to let a little snow stop me from going out with my friends in the evening. Luckily, my friend Linda who is from Holland and used to biking in the snow was there to give me a few pointers. And, yes, I know I am wearing tights, but in all honesty I was not cold this night. Indoors are usually kept very warm and wearing too many clothes leads to getting too hot! And cycling gets you warm after a few minutes and your muscles are working.
It does get very slippery though! Going up onto curbs from an angle is nearly impossible... I learned this after having to jump off my bike several times when the tire just started to skid. But it is manageable and with practice it became a bit easier. Here you can see my view from behind the handle bars... purse and lock in my basket.
Luckily my bike doesn't get snowed on because I keep it in the bike chalet!
I just started taking my Danish language course which is located at a different campus. It is very far away and I take this walking bridge to get there... here it is covered in snow. Luckily I have friends to bike home with when it gets out at night.
We take a kind of back-road path by a shopping mall and swimming area... this had frozen over as you can see.
Rosy cheeks but smiling we make good biking partners!
It has been a bit since my last post but only because I have been so busy exploring, learning and enjoying. Let me start with a description of a traditional danish brunch. In København it is very common to go out for a long, relaxing brunch in the late morning on the weekends. A group of girls from the law faculty and I decided to do this the first Sunday after we had started classes. Here is Linda (Holland) and I right after out plate had been delivered.
A picture of my plate... Typically a brunch will contain:
Yogurt with granola, fresh fruit, meats and cheeses, eggs, maybe a pancake or potatoes, and bacon or sausage (or both). It was so much food but oh so good. Most brunches cost around 100kr or $20. Luckily this one was only about 70kr or $14.
Most weekends we like to explore different landmarks around the city. Or just go for a brisk stroll even though it is utterly freezing. Here is a picture of the round tower and me and Amanda (New Zealand). Also, here is something that I don't think I could imagine in many places. Many cafes offer outside seating even though it is most definitely far below freezing. They have candles and blankets but no heaters. It is not uncommon to see people sitting outside, especially if it is a sunny day, despite the cold.
I was also in København for the Superbowl. A few bars around the area hosted Superbowl viewing parties. We chose an Irish pub which had free entrance and a special on Budweiser... 100kr for 2 bud heavies and a hot dog. Budweiser apparently is not a very appreciated beer in Denmark but it was nice to having something American to celebrate. This is Tabea (Germany) and me.
Here is a pic of the crowd that showed up to watch... keep in mind that with the 9 hour time difference the game started at 12AM and went until early in the morning on Monday. Also, sadly, we could not see the famous commercials which seemed to take away a large part of the entertainment seeing as I was not rooting for either team.
Here is a picture of most of the crowd that I actually knew. Patrick (Germany), me, Tabea (Germany), Karl (Australia). Missing is Karl and Brandon (both USA).
The Law faculty held a welcome orientation and dinner for the international students. The food was a delish buffet and the setting was very hyggeligt (cozy). Here is Linda (Holland), Julia (Australia), Eva (Germany), me, and Elin (Sweden).
And here is me, Aussie Dave, and Amanda (New Zealand).
Often us girls get together and make group dinners. Not only is it fun to socialize but it is much cheaper that going out to restaurants. This night we went to Linda's and made pasta. Below is Sanna (Holland, Amanda (New Zealand), Elena (Germany), Julia (Australia), Ash (Australia), Linda (Holland), and me.
Another, sunny, day of adventures. Meeting in the main square in Copenhagen we decided to explore. Here is a picture of city hall.
It seems that everywhere in Denmark construction projects are flourishing. I think a majority of the major undertakings are for new metro lines and stops being put into place. This is the other side of the square that the City Hall is on.
The girls and I in front of city hall.
This day we decided to climb the round tower. It was utterly freezing and we thought maybe the climb would warm us up... hmm not so much. The round tower is a old landmark in København. It is most famous for not having stairs but a ramp that takes you to nearly the top. This was so that horses could climb up it! Up in the tower there were stables in which horses were kept, craziness.
On the side of the tower is a beautiful church. Climbing up the stairs I thought it could be interesting to see what was behind a little door... this is what I found!
There were little cubby like things that I imagined soldiers hiding guard in... I don't know if they did but I thought it would be a good hiding place...lining the entire ramp up to the top. At the top there was a beautiful view of the entire city of København. You could walk 360 degrees around the tower and see how beautiful the rooftops were. København has very strict zoning ordinances, one of which has to do with height. Most building cannot be taller than 4 stories (5 if you count the ground level). This preserves the view from the tower and helps the city keep its old school and charming character.
Here are a couple views from windows going up the tower...
And after a day of exploring we were all excited to go home to our heated houses, have some tea and relax.
Wow, I have not had time to write for a while, I will try and fill you in on what my last week or so has been like. Last Friday I wanted to create a Mexican Fiesta for my roommate, Anna (our house guest) and Rasmus' girlfriend Lena. Anna helped me and we went on an adventure to find all of the food we needed. I looked up recipes and converted everything from cups and table/teaspoons to their metric equivalent. We went to about 4 or 5 different places to find everything that we needed but it turned out well. Our menu was:
Beef Fajitas- marinated in a tequila lime and spice mixture
Guacamole
Salsa- made from scratch... I boiled tomatoes and peppers and hand chopped everything, delicious
Flour Tortillas- from scratch too- reminded me of making pasta, it was a challenge to roll them out flat and round
Cheese, sour creme, and margaritas
Here is a picture of Anna with her margarita working on the tortillas
And here is a picture of us all sitting down to eat (Rasmus took the picture)
Everyone was so full after that we were sleepy and did not make much of a Friday night, choosing to only get one drink at a nearby cafe before heading home early.
On Saturday I had quite an adventure. First, Rasmus took me with him to his hometown. He had plans to visit his mother and stop by the outlets to buy a big crock pot for making stew. He is going to make me hogs-tail soup soon... I am not very sure what to think about it but he promises it will be amazing. I am going to make the garlic mashed potatoes (my specialty). We biked, yes I got a bike, I am not sure if I mentioned this, to his brother's house about 20 minutes up hill away.
(My bike has a personality of its own. I rode it for about a week before I took it into the shop to get lights on it and the chain tightened. The chain was so loose it fell off when I was riding and made a dreadful rattling noise. Now that it is fixed it is much easier to ride. I am also glad that Rasmus lowered my seat for me and raised my handle bars. I have been getting a lot better riding on the streets but a post about riding bikes in Copenhagen deserves an entire segment with pictures, I will get to this later.)
Anyways, we biked to his brother's house to borrow his brother's car. His brother is married and just had a baby girl. She is so cute. When we got there I asked Rasmus' sister in law where the baby was and she said that she was sleeping and then led me outside... ok so I know I have read about this but I was seriously shocked. While the parents were inside the nice warm apartment the baby was in its stroller on the back balcony all wrapped up and sleeping. there was still snow on the ground... it was a rather weird thing to think but I believe that these parents here know what is best for their kids and I guess this is normal... even if I do not think I could ever do it personally. After catching a glimpse of the baby we headed off in the car to Rasmus' hometown, Haslev. (Note gas here is about 12 kroners/liter... or $2.40/liter... not sure how much a gallon) It was about an hour south of Copenhagen and we took the highway all of the way there. Haslev is so cute and very quaint. It has a population of about 11,000 people. We arrived to Rasmus' and picked up his mother and went on a drive. We stopped by the factory outlets to grab Rasmus' pot (I bought a new scarf because the ones that I have were not warm enough) and then a church. I do not know much about the church but is was really gorgeous and the scenery made for a great picture.
This is a picture looking across the way at an ice skating rink (not at the church yet)
Here is an up-close picture and a picture of the gorgeous door at the entrance.
This is a distant picture showing the rink and the church.
It was a nice little walk around even it if was very cold. We went back to the house and his mom went to a luncheon while Rasmus took me on a driving tour around the city. I was able to see all of the schools he went to, hear stories from his youth, walk around the largest flea market in the country,
visit our mutual friend Filip's house
And then on the way home we stopped by a bakery to get some of Denmark's famous Danish. Danish is actually called wienerbrød or Vienna Bread. There are several different types- as this title only really describes pastries in general. I will have to get the real names of them from Rasmus later but here is a plate. (note a lot of them come in chocolate but I did not try those ones)
Let's see what I can remember off the top of my head... the sprinkly ones are called student cake. They are the cheapest in the bakery and made of the previous day's pastries mixed together. Kids really like this, especially because it is about half the price of anything else. Although Rasmus promised it was not chocolate I think it has a bit of a chocolatey taste to it. It is very rich and not cake-like at all. It is more gooey than anything else. The ones on the right are the most traditional. It has a yellow-creame like filling and very rich too. My favorite was the ones on the left. This is a type of "snail." There are several different types of snails with different flavors. This one tasted like a cinnamon roll! I have never been a huge fan of sweets, but Mom, I know you will love these!
After tea, some weinerbrod, and sometime with Rasmus' mom we were just about to hit the road when his mom went and grabbed a bag from the back room. As she knew I had been struggling adapting to the weather and could see in my needing to buy a scarf that I needed some better clothing, she brought out a bag of very nice scarves and said that I could pick one to take with me. What a treat! I picked the purple one (I doubt that surprises many of you) and wrapped it around my neck right away. It was wool and angora and sooo warm. She was very kind for giving me such a wonderful present. After this we got back into the car and headed home. I grabbed a couple of rough pictures on the car ride of a beautiful sunset in the countryside.
The pictures do not do the trip justice but it was still rather amazing.
When we got back to his brother's house it was even colder and now completely dark. We went inside and played with his niece for a while before heading to our bikes. We had a huge crock-pot to carry home and I was the only one with a basket. So with my limited skills, in 4 inch high boots and sore legs I attempted to master the ice and ride home with the pot in my basket... it worked amazingly, I did not die, or run into anyone... haha. What an adventure!
I only had about 10 minutes at home before I had to head out to meet up with some of my fellow law students. I had posted on the wall for the facebook group that I had arrived in town about a week before and said that I would be willing to catch a beer or something with anyone who was interested. From there group discussion took off and a whole event was planned. I did not help plan anymore but I was glad to have the opportunity to participate. This was my first time going by myself into the inner-city and I guess I could have been a little more prepared. I found the general vicinity of the bar but my phone was not working properly and would not load the map of where the bar was that I was supposed to go. To make things worse I was looking for the English translation of the title of the bar so when I asked where it was no one had heard of it. After about 45 minutes I found it and was quite relieved. Everyone was very friendly and there was quite a turn-out. I would say maybe 20 or so law students were there. This was the first time I had really hung out with just law students and it was really nice. Everyone was very friendly and eager to exchange numbers. At the end of the evening I took off to ride my bike home. I found my way without much of a problem and was happy for Rasmus' great directions.
Sunday I slept in and then started thinking about classes starting the following day. I did not have much time, though, because at 4 Rasmus and I left to go watch the World Cup Championship of Handball. We had been following the tournament and Denmark made it to the very last game. We were playing France and everyone was extremely excited. Rasmus and I went on a 40 minute bike ride south to his friend's house where a bunch of Danes had gathered to watch the game. The game is sort of like water polo, basketball and hockey all mixed together. It was fun to watch and easy to pick-up on the basic rules. The game was aired commercial free... here is a clip
We made into overtime with a huge score in the last second of regulation time but overtime did not treat us very kindly. All the same it was great to watch with Danes, jumping up screaming, the only words I understood were nej!! (no) and other words of frustration that I will not repeat. We watched Step Brothers (in English with Danish subtitles, yay!!) after the game, ate pizza, and then called it an early night. It was fun to have an evening with Danes even though most of the night I just sat there not knowing what was going on. Sometimes not knowing the language can be a bit boring but I am getting better at just keeping myself entertained...
The bike ride home went by faster than before and I climbed into bed wondering what classes were going to be like the next day... I will have to talk about school later this weekend as I need to get ready for my final class of the week today!
