Ovdje sam!

Hi everyone,

Ovdje sam, I'm here, in Croatia, Zagreb specifically. Our days have been jam packed and very long, so of course I've been exhausted and unable to post at the end of those days, but I'm going to try to make it happen very soon! Don't worry though...it's been beautiful and we've had lots of good times and good food (duh), so we're in great shape! I'll write back soon...promise!

hej hej

It's hard to believe that my adventures in Denmark are actually coming to a close. In 12 hours, I'll be leaving DIS for the last time and heading to the CPH airport to catch a flight to Croatia. After those days in Croatia are up, we'll have one night at a hotel in København by the airport, so it won't really even feel like we're back. Crazy! Well, we've been checking off our lists and making sure we get the most important things finished before we head off to Hrvatska.

One of the things I really wanted to do was to see Nyhavn harbor by night...and to take some pictures of course. Kayla and I went down there Tuesday night for midsummer celebrations, but I didn't bring my good camera and when we got there we realized that both of our other cameras had died...therefore, we knew for certain that another trip was in store.

Last night, Kayla and I had an AMAZING dinner at the harbor with two girls from our class and we got the opportunity to take some awesome pictures. We decided that since it was our second to last night, we deserved to splurge a little...so we got fancy dinners and a bottle of wine. It was nearly $40, but for the dinner & atmosphere it was totally worth it!

The Harbor by night - 8:15pm

Kayla & me at dinner

My amazing dinner: Smoked salmon salad--with a honey dijon & sesame sead dressing.

After that, we grabbed some ice cream, another drink, and then went back to the harbor to take some night time pictures. It was stunning. The harbor is just beautiful every time of day, and again, I could not stop taking pictures.

I had to balance the camera on a flat-ish surface so that I could get some good nighttime pictures...this one turned out really cool.

This was at about 11:15pm

View past Nyhavn into Kongens Nytorv

Gorgeous boats

Today, we started the morning off right with some fresh pastries from our corner bakery. Then, Kayla and I went back out for a bit to grab lunch and finish up some shopping, and along the way we said goodbye to many of our favorite places. Then we came back to pack up the majority of our things so that they can be stored at DIS while we're on our study tour. Fortunately, I think i'm in good shape on weight this time...I hope, anyway! It was an interesting experience having to lug our huge wheeled suitcases down the cobblestone streets of København...but we succeeded. We came back tonight & enjoyed fixing our last dinner together. It was a good one, despite the fact that we were cleaning out the fridge.

Our morning pastries. Delicious!

My amazing sandwich from Vero Italiano--Smoked salmon, avocado, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, & lemon pesto sauce on wheat bread.

Our last supper--whole wheat pasta with chicken & veggies.

It seems like our lives have revolved around food here...but at least it's been good food!

It still hasn't hit me yet that we're really done with Denmark because we're getting ready for Croatia. Every time I've left this apartment for a trip I've been able to come back and settle in for another night in my bed here. That's not the case this time. As I went through the motions of the day today, I kept thinking to myself that Kayla and I were doing so many things for the last time. We walked to Nørreport from DIS for the last time. We walked from our Amagerbro metro station to our kollegium for the last time. We fixed our last dinner in our little kitchen tonight. We're going to sleep in these little comfy beds for the last time. Tomorrow morning will be so strange to lock our very empty apartment's door and say goodbye to Øresundskollegiet for good.

But that's enough sappiness for one night, I believe. Tomorrow at 8:45 we're heading to the airport to fly Croatia Airlines to Zagreb. We'll stay in Zagreb for 3 nights, then go to Split for one night. Fortunately we'll have internet at our hotel in Zagreb so I'll definitely be able to update! I'm really looking forward to being in this country, mostly because it is going to be SO much different from both the US and Denmark. So, hej hej, goodbye, for now...my next post will be from Zagreb!

min yndlings ting

It's sad to say, but my time in København is very much coming to a close. Sunday morning, we leave for Croatia, leaving behind our apartment and this life to which we've become so accustomed. Kayla and I are trying to race to the finish, getting everything done that we've wanted to do. Of course some things will not be completed, but we're doing our best to get the most important things in. With that in mind, I've decided to compile a list of min yndlings ting,my favorite things, about living in København. Unfortunately, I've realized that the majority of those things involve food, but eh...you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

1. Kayla Stanley

Kayla has been the source of so many fun times and laughs throughout this trip. It's funny how often we're on the same page...even if it takes us several days to acknowledge that thing. I'm a little disappointed it's taken me this long to get to know her (we go to school together at Meredith but weren't even facebook friends until a couple months ago). Better yet, she enjoys all the same foods I do. It's a rarety... We're already planning Denmark reunion events so we can give our friends a little taste of our life here.

2. Oscar Bar Cafe

Oscar is our favorite fancy lunch spot. We stumbled upon it the first week of classes, and I am so glad that we did. Every time I've eaten there, I've had an omlette with spinach and goat cheese. It's too good not to order again. Also, I need to add that it's a gay bar. We didn't realize that when we went the first time...now it explains some of the strange looks we got.

3. The Metro

Riding the metro from Amagerbro Station to Nørreport every morning before school or hitting the town just makes me feel like a real person. That may sound silly, but I just think that it's really nice that we actually get to live on our own in København, and we don't have to live in a DIS commune. I also really appreciate the slight Danish lesson we've received from listening to Metro the voiceover woman saying the names of the stops. I'm pretty sure Kayla and I can at least say those pretty well...

4. My blonde hair

This dye-job was probably one of my better decisions here. Really, it just makes me happy. That's enough of a reason, right?

5. Onions & Mushrooms

Kayla and I decided that the theme to our cooking has been "let's cook anything we can put sauteed mushrooms & onions in". For some reason, these HUGE mushrooms and little baby onions we've found in the markets here just taste SO wonderful with everything.

6. Avocado sandwiches from the bagel shop by DIS

This has been my lunch on several occasions...and I've devoured it every time, I think. Multigrain bagel with cream cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, arugula, and pesto sauce. I'm probably going to need to figure out a way to recreate this at home...too bad the bagels at home aren't as seedy & delicious as this one.

7. My practicum

It's been such an awesome opportunity to be able to have a practicum as part of my regular course work & studies here in Denmark. It's really awesome to see what goes on here, but also to be appreciated for being with the kids. Tomorrow I'm going to the school for one last time to say goodbye to the kids & pedagogues, especially one of the kids who has become a friend.

8. Cooking in our Kitchen

Kayla and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the cooking endeavors in our kitchen here. I know I've already mentioned this fact a few times, but I feel a need to reiterate it. Monday we sauteed up onions, mushrooms, blackbeans, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes and served the concoction over wholewheat pasta. It was delicious and beautiful.

9. Blending in

Okay, so this picture doesn't exactly depict me blending in, but it's one of my more "danish" outfits. I'm pretty proud of it, myself. I have this natural desire to blend in wherever I go and it's hit me hard here. There have been several occasions lately where people have asked me questions in Danish (such as for directions, etc.). That's a good sign, right? Now, hopefully my new danish clothing items/style will translate into my NC wardrobe well enough...

10. The charm of this city

København isn't actually that big of a city, but every day I love seeing a new bit of it. I love that people bike everywhere. I love the mustard and red houses. I love that everything is so green. I love all the city squares. Basically I just love it.

cykling

Holy cow, what a weekend! Bornholm was absolutely beautiful; however, I am completely and utterly exhausted. Sleeping away from my own bed three nights in a row (in three different places, mind you) and cykling, biking, about 110 km can really wear a girl out!

Friday night, the group left a plaza near school at about 9:45 so that we could catch the night ferry from Køge, which is just north of København, to Rønne, which is on the island of Bornholm. Bornholm is actually closer to Poland and Sweden than it is to “mainland” Denmark, and although the territory has been claimed by several different countries over the years it is very much a part of Denmark. Therefore, we took the ferry trip to Bornholm because really that’s the only way to get there. After arriving Saturday morning (bright & early, I might add), we settled into our “hostel” in Gudhjem, which felt much more like a summer camp than a hostel, had breakfast, and went along on our merry little ways. The group I biked with, which included two girls from my psych/child development class and two guys, decided to conquer more distance the first day knowing that we’d be worn out on Sunday. Well, worn out doesn’t quite explain it, and throughout my biking, I often thought about the fact that when real bikers bike that long of a distance, they typically train for the experience. Nonetheless, we survived the 75 (yes, 75) kilometers successfully without too much damage. Getting back on the bike Sunday was not the most pleasant experience (actually, it was an extremely UNpleasant experience), but we made several stops, hung out at a couple beaches, ate some great food, played mini golf, and rode only 35 km. After a long day and a GORGEOUS sunset, we caught the ferry back to København again and arrived with just enough time for me to run home and drop my things off before class.

Here’s a map that I’ve labeled (to the best of my ability) with our routes. As you can hopefully see, we began in Gudhjem both days, and obviously the purple route is from Saturday and the pink route is from Sunday.

My highlights of this trip could probably best be summarized by the thoughts that ran through my head throughout my biking. I was at the back of the group quite often, which I’d like to attribute that to two things: the fact that my allergies were going INSANE and I didn’t bring my Allegra D to Denmark with me and my appreciation for the scenery—since I couldn’t exactly snap pictures while I was biking I had to at least take everything in. Therefore, by being at the back of the crew, I had quite a bit of time to think by myself. The greatest thoughts are as follows:

- 'Holy cow, my butt hurts'

- 'No wonder the Danes settled in the Midwest. This looks (and smells) like Wisconsin/Iowa/Nebrasca'

- ‘Against the wind…We were runnin’ against the wind’ (against being key here)

- ‘Is it ironic that I’m not humming Queen’s Bicycle?’

- Various profanities that should not be mentioned, my knowledge of which can only be attributed to the Eick girls

- ‘If my Colorado boy cousins were here they would be so freaking proud of me right now’

- ‘Mikey would really appreciate my chaco tan right now’

- ‘After this I could bike the greenway at Meredith with no problem’

- ‘Scratch that, I don’t want to get on a bike again for a long time’

- ‘Hmm…this really looks like Wisconsin/Iowa/Nebraska/Colorado’

- ‘Oh, right, that sign is in a different language--I am in a different country’

- ‘No really, my butt hurts’

On that note, here are some pictures. It really was a great trip and I’m glad I did it despite the excruciating pain I am currently experiencing and the pure exhaustion.

Day 1 - Saturday:

At this point, the bike and I were friends.

The rolling hills and plains

Beach #1 - Balka, pretty...but it did not even compare to what we were about to see.

By this point, this bike seat was the bane of my existence. Ouch.

Beach #2 - Dueodde, home of the finest sand in the world. It's used for most hourglasses and you can buy a little bit of it for about $5 in the gift shop!

Day 2 - Sunday:

Wildlife!

We began at that point that you can kiiiind of see all the way in the distance.

Beach #3 - Sandvig, Not a bad beach view, huh? The view was great...the water was FREEZING.

I survived...a little pink, but I survived

The reminder that we are, in fact, in Denmark

We went on a little hike after hanging by the beach. This side of the path looked like Chautauqua in Boulder, CO.

Then this side...not so much. How gorgeous is the Baltic, though?

Gudhjem at the harbor by night

We finished the weekend off right--with the Summer Solstice Sunset at about 10:05 pm.

smil

I just wanted to take a quick break in my day for a smil, smile, break. I promised pictures of the kids from my practicum site forever ago, and i finally got a chance to get some when I went back to visit this week. It was gorgeous outside, so Susan, Mikkel, and I took the three kids who were at school that day to the park.

The break in my day is related to the fact that I'm going on my biking trip to Bornholm this weekend! I'm pretty excited...I'm not entirely prepared, but I'm definitely looking forward to what this weekend has in store for me, despite the fact that my booty is absolutely certain to hurt by the end of the weekend. The weather's looking pretty nice, so there will without a doubt be beautiful pictures taken while I am there! We're ferrying overnight tonight, staying in a hostel Saturday night, and ferrying back overnight on Sunday night. I'll arrive back in København just in time for me to run back home to drop my things off and grab a super fast shower. It should be great, though.

Anyway...more on that Monday, for sure. Here are the beautiful children who will hopefully bring a smile to your face as they have mine. I also need to mention that this photo-op really made me grateful that my dad has allowed me to borrow his Nikon D40x for my trip; however, it's going to be a bit of a fight for me to give it back. Maybe while I'm recouperating on cash after the trip I'll work on saving up to finally buy my own.

Okay, so this isn't a kid...but we drove around past the airport after going to the park. Ot was SUCH a beautiful day, though, that I couldn't resist sharing that, too.

Familien

The day finally came that I had been waiting for since the middle of April, when I made connections with some relatives in the US who had the connections with the Danish relatives. It's really hard to believe that the people who hosted Kayla and me last night are actually related to me, too.

I've been trying to figure out how exactly John and I are related, and I think that with the help of my Leah, my grandmother's first cousin, and Wikipedia I have figured out the relationship.

John Hansen and I share a great-great-great-grandfather, Hans. If I have the story correct, Hans Petersen brought his family to the US from Denmark, but one of those siblings decided to return to Denmark. I of course descend from one of the siblings who stayed (Anton), and John from the one who returned (Hanne). So, thanks to that chart and my own ability to logic these things out, I can say that John Hansen and I are third cousins, once removed (because he is my Dad's age--so that makes him my Dad's ). Now that I've figured that out, I can definitely say that we are familien, family.

Anyway, John picked Kayla and me up from a Lyngby station in København and drove us to their home in Jyllinge, which is about a 45 minute trip and is in the center of Sjælland, the island where København is located. Danes really enjoy their meals and the time spent eating because they see it as quality time that is spent with one another, and we certainly had a great taste of this at dinner last night. It was wonderful to enjoy such outstanding food and time with some newly discovered family members. Kayla and I were so appreciative of the Hansens and their willingness to serve such an excellent (and Danish) meal to two complete strangers! As per my mother's request, I'll give you a little detail on dinner. We started with a potato soup, then had poppyseed encrusted salmon with boiled potatoes (with a buttersauce for the first two) and fresh salad, and finished with dessert--a chilled rhubarb soup with vanilla ice cream on the top. YUM! I think the poppyseed encrusted salmon is something Dad's going to have to try later this summer.

We finished the night very full and giddy on wine, but very satisfied! Before leaving I requested a picture with John & Jenny, simply to show the family back home that this really happened. I'm the first person in my branch of the family tree to make a trip to Denmark and meet some family from the Old Country, so this is a pretty neat experience. Of course they said that I'm always welcome, so perhaps there will be another trip to Denmark in the future. I can certainly see that happening...

Kastellet

Well, I'm officially a fan of only having class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We had our first day off today, and it was SO nice to just be able to explore København for the day and not have to worry about going to class. Kayla & I slept in today and took our time getting ready, which was kind of nice. We also forgot some of the things we needed for our mornign errands, so the morning didn't go quite as hectically as planned--it was nice!

After wandering and a bit of shopping, we grabbed lunch and then met up with a few girls from our class to go to the Kastellet, the Citadel, which is on the northern end of København. Historically, the Kastellet was built in the 17th century as an entrenchment to protect the city. It is still owned by the defense ministry, but is not quite as associated with the military these days. It's a beautiful area and we really enjoyed walking around. The blueprint of the Kastellet shows that it is designed in a star shape, but you can't really tell that when you're walking around. Also in this area is the statue of The Little Mermaid. This fairytale was written by Hans Christian Andersen, who is the pride and joy of Denmark. The statue really isn't anything special, but it's definitely a tourist attraction in København and something we all wanted to see--so now we have!

After visiting the Kastellet we walked back into town by way of the palace and stopped at Nyhavn to get some ice cream. Then Kayla and I explored Amager, where we live, a bit before settling in for the evening. It was so nice to have a relaxing day and to be able to really enjoy being in and walking around København.

Our metro stop--I've really fallen in love with Public Transportation

People watching at the square by DIS.

At the Kastellet, Citadel. Although it's a fortress/military base, it's not quite like the ones in the US.

Who knew? Marie, Prinsesse af Danmark!

The Little Mermaid

Entrance to one of the palace buildings

Denmark is a country of happy people--they even dress the Kastillet and the palace in hearts :)

Tomorrow evening we're heading out to Jyllinge to meet the relatives! I'm really excited. It's kind of strange to think about the fact that our ancestors were siblings, but it'll be very cool to meet some new family members!