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.

Lækre!

So my favorite thing about living at our apartment in Amager is our cute little kitchen. It's a pretty tight squeeze, but we've fixed some delicious meals already...lots of fresh veggies with pasta, chicken, tacos...and everything has been awesome. Denmark is known for many of its food choices--the most obvious one probably being its pastries, which are referred to as Weinerbrød here. Yes, they are delicious, but many other things are delicious here as well. I've been trying not to treat myself to pastries TOO often. On our trips & study tours we've been exposed to some excellent danish cuisine, including lots of fish--particularly Salmon and Herring (yes mom & dad, I've eaten the herring, too)--breads out the wazoo, liverpaste--which is a liver pâté, and I've tried it and may possibly eat it another time except for the fact that I avoid red meat--and many super fresh vegetables! Denmark is also well known for its dairy products including cheese and butter...it's no surprise that Denmark, Wisconsin (where my Danish relatives are from) continues to be a dairy farming town! A favorite breakfast choice in Denmark is an openfaced sandwich with freshly baked bread, fresh cheese, and a few veggies on top such as radishes or peppers.

Anyway, I've tried lots of Danish cuisine, but we haven't exactly tried fixing any yet...that may be a battle for when I return home...

Tonight Kayla and I battled an American favorite with a little Danish twist. I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible, and Kayla eats vegetarian quite often, too, so we made Black Bean Burgers. They were super lækre, tasty! Kayla made the burgers with black beans, bread crumbs, and some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. We fixed them up with some sauteed mushrooms & onions, swiss cheese, and I put some tomatoes on mine. The Danish twist was the fresh rolls we bought at the Bakery down the street. They were absolutely delicious, despite the fact that I don't know exactly what kind of rolls they were. Yum!

We finished our very healthy dinner with a little treat from our bakery...

Cookie, Chocolate Icing, Strawberry Cream Filling, and Strawberries.

At some point I'll try to take some pictures of my Danish food before I devour it...but for now, this will have to do!

Tomorrow we're heading to the Kastallet, which is a Fortress on the northern shore of København. My friend Tory got some awesome pictures there on Sunday, and tomorrow is supposed to be pretty, too, so we're excited! Check back for some great pictures and other news...there are lots of fun things coming in the near future!

Selv!

When you're in København, you should do as the Danes do, right???

Well...I've had selv, blonde, envy since the day I got here. I had blonde hair when I when I was younger and it's gradually gotten darker, despite the fact that I still genuinely believe that I'm a blonde. Well...I'm back at it: trying to blend in on the Denmark scene and to be a Dane!

Major thanks to B. Phelps for the photo shoot :)

I mean, I do have Danish roots after all...