Malmo for the day

Took a spontaneous trip to Sweden yesterday!  Malmo, Sweden is only a 30 minute train ride away from Copenhagen...so I went with some friends from my residence to check it out.  Its a very cute and quaint town.  When we first got there we went to get lunch at a little cafe and then proceeded to walk around and see all there was to see.  That consisted of the Malmo Castle, the 'Turning Torso' building and a pedestrian shopping street.  It wasn't much, but it was a fun day trip and pretty cool to be able to say I've been to Sweden!  

One of the main squares in Malmo

cool statues in the middle of the street

The 'Turning Torso'

Me in front of the castle

Me with a nice canal and windmill in the background...

The pedestrian/shopping street

Party in the USA

The past week has been busy with a Sports Economics presentation and planning an AMAZING spring break trip. Other than that its been pretty tame.

It snowed here on Wednesday so I decided to take a run to Nyhavn to see the snow falling there, it was really beautiful. Its kind of nice when it snows here because unlike at home we only get a light dusting, not 18 inches. That was most of my excitement for Wednesday.

 

Yesterday I got to see Emily. She is studying in Finland and came to visit Copenhagen for a few days. We went to the big graveyard in Norrebro where Hans Christian Andersen is buried. It may sound like an odd thing to do, go on a walk through a cemetery, but its actually a very popular place to go on a jog or a walk. Its a really beautiful cemetery and it was cool to finally go there and see Hans Christian Andersen's grave seeing as its so close to where I live. 

After our stroll through the cemetery we went to Nørrebro Bryghus. It is a little microbrewery in Norrebro located right off of one of the lakes. I had never even heard of it but the person Emily was staying with had suggested it to her so we thought we would try it out. It ended up being really cool. They were bottling the beer by hand right there in front of you. So we sat down at a table where we could watch them at work and Emily tried a couple of the beers. The guys working there must love their jobs. I think in the time we were there they got about 3 beers from the bar to enjoy while doing their bottling. 

Inside the brewery...you can kind of see the guys doing the bottling

After the brewery we took a bit of a stroll around the lakes and then parted ways. It was so good to see Emily even if it was for just a short time. When I got back home Alaina, Catherine and I made another FABULOUS dinner. Burgers with cheddar cheese and an egg over easy on top with hashbrowns and a salad. Then it was off to Nexus for the night...or so we thought.


When we got to Nexus there was a huge line, so Alaina and I decided to head into the city center and check out somewhere else. We ended up going to a bar and doing some karaoke. Obviously we sang Miley Cyrus's classic "Party in the USA". I'm pretty sure we are the worst singers ever, but it was a good time!

Me and Alaina after our karaoke performance

And I leave you with some fun metro riding pictures...

  

V-day and the WC...

So, Valentines Day was this past Monday.  Normally I'm not a huge fan of the holiday but I have to say this year was pretty good.  The original plan was for all of the girls to go out for a nice sushi dinner but after our trip to Prague and a glance at our quickly shrinking bank accounts that was out of the question.  So, Alaina and I made porkchops (which are super cheap here because there are 10 pigs for every person in Denmark) and cheesy potatoes and Alaina even sprung for a 45DKK bottle of chardonnay.  All of this was enjoyed by candlelight. I have to say it was my most romantic Valentines day yet.  

The candlelight dinner setup

Now for a comment on the bathroom set up at my school.  For some reason all the bathrooms (with the exception of 2 in the cafe) are unisex.  That's right...men and women use the same bathroom. Maybe it's just me, but there is something about walking out of the bathroom stall and seeing a guy there waiting in line to use the bathroom you just used (or vice versa) that I will never be comfortable with. Even just seeing a guy washing his hands in the same bathroom as you is really weird and a bit discomforting...I always feel like I'm in the wrong place. For these reasons I always go to the 3rd or 2nd floor of the cafe where they have separate men's and women's rooms. 

The unisex bathroom sign...

Me and Alaina at Nexus

Prague is now Czech'ed off my list!

Old Town Square at night

View from Charles Bridge

View of Prague on our way to see the Castle

classic picture with the gaurds

Prague was AMAZING!  Everywhere you look is absolutely beautiful.  A few of us got there Thursday morning and the rest of the crew got in at night, there were 12 of us in all.  We got to our hostel at about 11am, it was such a nice place.  Its hard to call it a hostel because it really felt more like a hotel.  Once we got to our room and settled in a bit Catherine, Olya and I got going right away.  We headed to Old Town square to go on a free walking tour. But first we enjoyed some lunch from one of the street vendors.  I think it was probably the best hotdog I’ve ever had, and for only $1!  That’s another great thing about Prague…everything is soo cheap compared to here in Copenhagen.

Me with my hot dog just outside of Old Town Square

Our walking tour was really fun, so we ended up taking another one on Saturday that went to different areas of the city. It was nice to hear the history behind the city and all of the beautiful places that I was taking hundreds of pictures of.  Here’s a few things I found to be the most interesting:

Old Town Square..The statue of Jan Hus is just right of the center of this picture

In the middle of old town square there is a statue of Jan Hus.  He was a religious reformer in the 1400s.  He believed that people should be educated about their beliefs and had a strong influence on the protestant movement that came about a century after his death.  He was burned at the stake in Old Town square for heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church.  The statue was erected as a memorial to him 500 years later. 

Astronomical Clock

The Astronomical Clock was really cool. It tells you all type of things like what time of the year it is, where the sun and moon are in the sky (during an eclipse they move right on top of eachother), and some other stuff about astrology.  Also, the white band on the outside of the lower circle has 365 names around it. Each day it points to a different name day, so in the Czech Republic parents will usually give their children a gift on their name day. Unfortunately there is no Kelsey on the clock, but a few people in our group found out what their name days were.

The Dancing House

TheThe curvy part of this building represents the woman dancer and the straight part represents the man.  The building was inspired by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair.

There is a statue of an old Arch Bishop on the Charles Bridge that people run for good fortune (a bit like rubbing Abe’s toe before finals). The story behind this tradition is that the queen had confessed to this arch bishop. The king wanted to know the queen’s secret so he asked the arch bishop to tell him. The arch bishop refused to break his vows and so the king had him tortured and thrown off the bridge. Because the arch bishop was an honest man people rub his statue for good fortune.

Pissing Men by David Cerny

This statue is by an artist who has a lot of other controversial sculptures around Prague. These two men are standing in a pool of water the shape of the Czech Republic. They are peeing on Prague and one other big city, the odd thing is that you can move their hips and change the direction of their pee.  One of the more comical works of art I saw in Prague.

For dinner the first night Catherine, Olya and I went to Lokal, a really good restaurant for traditional Czech food that our tour guide had recommended. The food was so good and the inside of the restaurant was really cool. The wood paneling had been carved out kind of graffiti like and there is light shining through from behind. Even the bathrooms were decorated cool, they were plastered with a bunch of old 50’s looking pictures and advertisements.  I had chicken and mushrooms with mashed potatoes. It was the perfect meal after a long day outside in the cold.

My delicious chicken with mushrooms and mashed potatoes

some of the cut outs in the wood paneling

Catherine in Lokal's really cool bathroom

The next day we took a train about an hour outside of Prague to Kutna Hora. Seeing as none of us speak Czech it was an interesting experience trying to find which train was ours.  After some running through the train station and onto various platforms we found our train and were on our way to see Kutna Hora and specifically to see the Sedlec Ossuary, commonly known as the bone church.  The whole inside of the church is decorated with human bones collected from the mass grave found at Sedlec.  The mass grave here was formed after the black plague and the Hussite wars and was unearthed during construction and demolition to make room for new graves. It was really cool to see but also really eerie inside and kind of creepy when you think about the fact that all those bones used to belong to someone. 

Bone Decor

After seeing the bone church we explored the city a bit and then headed back to Prague.  For dinner Tess, Shradha, Josh, Catherine and I tried to find this restaurant in a monestary where the Monks brew their own beer.  The beer is supposedly really good and its supposed to be a pretty cool.  Unfortunately, we didn’t really know how to get there and ended up walking around in Prague looking for this place for two hours…in the rain.  We did eventually find it but by that time (9:30pm) they had stopped serving food.  We were all starving so we took the tram back into the city center and got off at the first stop next to a restaurant. We ended up at this diner that was right across from the river.  We sat at a table in the back corner of the restaurant that had a beautiful view of the river and the Prague castle.  We ate like kings that night..and for so cheap!  We ordered French fries for starters (some of the best French fries I think I’ve ever had) along with some other tomatoes au gratin things. Then for the main course I had pasta with cream sauce and salmon. I licked my bowl clean. Then the others ordered dessert and we also went through a few bottles of wine between the 5 of us. I think our whole bill ended up being 2,550 CKA which is about $150 US.  Needless to say it ended up being a great night!  It was probably my best night of the trip.

Cheers to FINALLY getting something to eat!

On Saturday we all went on the morning walking tour and then split up at lunch so those who had gotten there late Thursday night could see some of what we had already seen.  So, Catherine, Tess and I went to an Absinthere for lunch.  Ends up they really only had absinth drinks so Cat and Tess got an Absinth coffee and I just got a latte (all the drinks were loaded with sugar and I was not about to take a straight shot of Absinth). Their faces were priceless after their first sip of the coffee.  I had one small sip just to try it out and it was absolutely awful.  I don’t know who thought absinth and coffee were a good match but they were so so wrong.  It took about a half hour for them to get the whole 4 oz of absinth coffee down.  Then it was off to get some street hot dogs for lunch on our way to meet the group at the Lennon Wall.

In front of the Absinthere where we tried some interesting drinks

The Lennon Wall is the one place in Prague where it is legal to Graffiti. It started in 1988 during the time of communism in the Czech Republic.  At the time students in Prague used the wall as a way to express their opposing views and to speak out against the communist regime. Today it represents youth ideals of peace and love.  We left our mark on the Lennon Wall with a black sharpie.

our handprints and names are in the center of the peace sign

The portraits Tess drew of me and Cat...we kind of ended up looking like men

That night we went to the famous 5 story club called Karlovy Lázně for Catherine’s 21^st birthday.  It was kind of a sleezy place but it ended up being fun dancing with the girls. Each floor had a different theme or type of music. My favorite one was the 4^th floor. It was called “Black Music”.  I feel like that is very politically incorrect, but it was definitely the floor with the best music. 

Our last day in Prague Olya, Alaina, Ann Claude and I just walked around the city until it was time to go home. In the airport I ran into Aaron Krebs from back home.  He is studying in Milan and was also visiting Prague for the weekend. Small world!

Me, Olya, and Catherine with the Charles Bridge behind us

Smørrebrød...

Yesterday I went to get Smørrebrød for lunch.  Smørrebrød is a very traditional Danish food, which usually consists of a buttered piece of rye bread with some type of topping.  The toppings can be meat, fish, cheese, eggs, beets and pretty much anything else you can think of.  We ended up going to a little pub near Stroget, unfortunately when you order Smørrebrød there you don't get to choose what kind of toppings you want...they just bring out whatever it is they've decided to make. We all got 3 Smørrebrøds.  I got one with some kind of fish, another with pate and beets and one with some turkey, cabbage and pickles(I think...).  The fish one was pretty good but a bit on the fishy side and Tess traded me her salami and mustard for my beet and pate one.  The salami one was really good.  The cabbage was awful...   It was a very nice, and very Danish experience but I will not be returning to that pub for Smørrebrød.  Next time we will have to go somewhere that you can pick out what kind you want instead of the mystery selection we received.  

My mystery Smorrebrod selection

In the evening we went to a men's handball game.  It was much more intense and even more entertaining than women's handball.  The guys jump so high when they are shooting, its crazy!  Our team,FIF (in the white) was ahead for a good chunk of the game but ended up losing by 2 points in the last few minutes. We'll get 'em next time!

Me and Alaina at the handball game

3 weeks down!

It's been a while since I've posted last so I'm going to through day by day again to organize my thoughts.  Here goes it:


THURSDAY NIGHT:


Catherine and I went to Krasnapolsky Bar downtown. We were very excited because it was supposed to be a big party with a bunch of students from the major universities in Copenhagen.  However, when we arrived we found that we were 2 of about 15 people in the bar.  We were there a bit early so we thought it might pick up in a couple of hours, but we weren't getting our hopes up. So we just ordered a drink and took a seat at one of the many empty tables. We are soon joined at the table next to us by a group of 3 guys. We chatted with them for a while only to discover we were talking with a male model who just walked in the Armani show, an aspiring accountant who also attends CBS and some other guy with a really nice car who didn't really talk much.  Anyway, the model and accountant were really fun (even though they were cheering for the Steelers..too bad for them!).  They ended up inviting us to go to Zen, a really nice and super exclusive club in Copenhagen, where they supposedly go all the time.  Of course Catherine and I couldn't pass this opportunity up. The boys made it sound like we might have a hard time getting in but it turns out they were the ones with a problem.  The bouncer at Zen wasn't very fond of this particular group of guys...there was some arguing in Danish and then in English the bouncer said to them "Go home and go to bed"...Catherine and I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculous night this ended turning into.  Furthermore, the bouncer told us we could come in anytime (unfortunately we didn't bring enough money for cover so we didn't bother)...we have plans to return soon for Catherine's birthday!  As for the boys...they went home in a taxi and Catherine and I made our way to McDonalds near the train station. At McDonalds we met a few more Danes who promised to show us around Copenhagen sometime.


All in all it was an unexpectedly great and very entertaining night!


FRIDAY:


Today, there was a free makeup and hair fashion week event at Illum, the big department store on Stroget. So we went to Illum in the morning to sign up for a slot and then went to nearby Cafe Norden.  The cafe is two stories with a really nice view and a gorgeous interior.  I just got a cafe latte (which was delicious...and should be for 45DKK) but Alaina and Catherine got the nachos.  The nachos were AMAZING. Cafe Norden has perfected the science of making nachos. First of all, the chips had some kind of seasoning on them, a bit like Doritos but classier and better. Secondly, They had cheese melted throughout the entire pile of nachos instead of just on top..EVERY chip was covered in melted cheese.  They came with Guacomole and that sauce that is usually put on Pitas, an odd combination but absolutely delicious.  Cafe Norden will definitely be getting more of my business in the future.

Catherine and Alaina with the BEST nachos ever at Cafe Norden

After the cafe we went to get our hair and makeup done. It was really fun to have a bit of pampering and for free no less!  Everyone looked beautiful!


At night there was a big even at Diskotek In Nightclub. It was quite the place...and not in a good way.  The deal was a pay a hefty cover charge and then its all you can drink beer, wine and champagne.  However, the beer was supposedly like water, the champagne was something fizzy and came in blue and red flavor and the wine was nonexistent.  and because it was all free, people were shoving to get their fill at the bar.  Very unpleasant atmosphere...especially when your thirsty and just payed cover to not be able to drink ANYTHING.  Anyway, when you got past the crowd at the bar you just walked into more crowdedness. The dance floor was my entertainment for the night...watching it, not participating. It was quite entertaining...some people were really getting into it.  Anyway, I left early with a few people from my residence and was glad to be home and watching some Arrested Development.


SATURDAY:


It was really windy and unpleasant outside so Saturday was a relaxed day.  Mostly did readings and stuff for school.


SUNDAY:


Tess and I went on a run through Frederiksberg Have.  Beautiful as usual.  This time we found a tree with a bunch of pacifiers hanging from it and a few notes.  Since our Danish isn't so good we had no idea what the notes said and had no clue what this tree was all about. Turns out its a tradition for kids to put their pacifier on the tree when they outgrow it and then the pacifier fairy gives them a gift.  It happens at about 3 years old, a bit of a rite of passage from baby to toddler.  The notes on the tree are from the kids saying goodbye to their pacifiers.

Pacifier Tree in Frederiksberg Have

After our run we got ready to go to a cafe to do some more homework.  We headed out with no specific place in mind and after about 2 minutes of wandering in the rain we found Cortado.  Its a really cute cafe with a Latin feel.  The Latin music, delicious coffee and free wi-fi make it a great place to study!

Catherine studying away at Cortado

After studying, I tried pate for the first time courtesy of Catherine Michaud. It was actually quite delicious! Then it was off to watch the Superbowl at the sports bar just around the corner.  Before the game started, Catherine had to explain to Tess the rules of American Football.  She used the scraps of food leftover from the delicious burger buffet to explain how the game is played. It was so much fun although staying awake until 4:30 am after a big meal was quite the struggle.  It was also very odd watching the Danish pregame and commentary (they've got a bit of work to do).  But all in all it was a lot of fun, especially because the Packers won!!

Me and Catherine with our plates full of burger buffet 

Tess learning about American football from Catherine

The Football plate

GO PACK GO!

Lots of Firsts: Handball game, Keglebillard and a fashion show

I have been officially introduced to the game of Handball.  Last night Alaina and I went with Jillian her boyfriends and her Danish buddy, Jesper, to a professional handball game right here in Copenhagen. He happens to a part of the FIF (our women's handball team) fanclub.  We met a few of his friends, one of which could be classified as a super fan.  He got really into the game and was furious with the refs.  I couldn't understand anything he was yelling at the refs seeing as it was all in Danish, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't nice.  He also had a drum along with him, at one point he got a bit worked up and ended up chucking the drum stick.  It was quite hilarious.  Needless to say we were the largest and loudest section of people cheering so we were given free beer by whoever was in charge of the game!


Handball is quite an interesting game.  It is one of the most popular sports in Denmark and is said by some to have originated here.  It is a bit like basketball, without dribbling and instead of hoops there are goals. I think we might be going to another game this Saturday against Spain!


Another thing worth mentioning is that even the popular sports here in Denmark don't get quite the crowds American sports do (except for maybe futbol).  The game we went to felt a lot like a highshcool sporting event, but still so much fun!

        

After the handball game we all went back to one of Jesper's friends' place and played Keglebillard, a Danish Billiards game. It is played with 2 white balls, one red ball and five pins placed in the middle of the table.  You get points for knocking down the pins, getting a white ball into a pocket, hitting both white balls with the red ball or hitting the white balls together.  But one of the balls must hit the wall before you get points.  You also lost points if you hit pins down with the red ball or get the red ball in a pocket.  There are some other rules but that is the basic jist of it all.  It was so much fun, and I was actually pretty good.  Me and my partner won all 4 games! 

Alaina struggled with the game at first, but soon caught on.

The billiards set up

Me and Jesper planning out my next shot

I forgot to mention that Jesper's friend is doing research at Carlsberg and therefore lived in the residences of the Carlsberg Brewery.  The place has a fridge stocked with Carlsberg, Tuborg, Cider and (much to my pleasure) coke zero, all free for the taking. The only condition is that you restock the fridge so that there are always cold drinks.  

It is Fashion Week here in Copenhagen so this morning the girls and I went to a fashion show! It was a show of the graduating design students at TEKO, the leading Scandanavian design schools. There was a seat open right up front so the lady sitting next to it offered the free seat to me.  It was so cool and I even got a gift bag that was under my chair!  There were some hair products, a coupon to a salon, tea and coffee.  It was really neat to see some of the fashion and people who are really serious about it.  There were actually a lot of editors, press and bloggers there all taking notes about the designs they saw.  It was AMAZING! Here are some of the pictures of the show:

Loved this one, but the model kept tugging on the skirt...

This was one of my favorites

Love the skirt on this!

Me and Alaina with our gift bags!