Hej Hej Copenhagen!

Almost there. I'm in the Copenhagen airport awaiting my flight home. I was up at 5:45 this morning and will land in Boston at 5:45 PM when it will be almost midnight back here in Denmark. The days are finally longer, though - it's light until 9:30 PM and the sun rises at 5! I'll miss that but I am certainly looking forward to getting back to some warmer weather. I'm still living in my winter jacket here. 

My final week in Copenhagen was packed with exams, goodbyes and last minute sightseeing. Last Friday night was my roommates last night in Copenhagen. We decided to spend the evening at Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. It's right in the center of Copenhagen and just a few blocks from our school. We had a great last night with Hannah, enjoying all the rides and a delicious dinner in the park. 

Hannah, Stephanie and I in front of
Nimb - one of the best restaurants in Denmark next to Noma

My roommate is there on the left and our other friend, Samantha on the right

Tivoli at night

We took Hannah to the airport Saturday morning and said our goodbyes. I'll definitely be visiting her and Stephanie in DC this summer and New York when Hannah goes back to Barnard in the fall!

On Sunday my visiting family took me to Nina's Cafe, a small farm teahouse in the countryside near where they live. It was the cutest place and reminded me a lot of the Wenham Teahouse but on a farm and with a thatched roof. We had a whole buffet of cakes to eat and tea and coffee to drink. I was in Heaven! My visiting family from the left: Birger, Anne, Henrik, Mic, Birger's mom, and Mathias. They have made my time in Denmark the most special and I am so thankful to have had them here. They'll be visiting us in early August and I cannot wait! 

5,000 year old grave sight

Henrik, Mathias, Mic, me and Birger

 I spent all of Monday studying and then turned in a paper and took my Nordic Mythology exam on Tuesday. Stephanie and I then spent the rest of the day sightseeing. We climbed the spire of the Church of the Holy Spirit. There was a beautiful view of the city from the top but it sure was windy and a little scary! I thought the whole thing was going to blow right over with me on top.

Afterwards Steph and I went to the major department store in Copenhagen, The Magasin. We browsed and then got my visiting brother, Mathias (16), a confirmation gift at Urban Outfitters. We then met my other visiting brother, Henrik (24), at Noma, where he is a waiter. Being a waiter here, though is not something to be taken lightly. He went though years of intense schooling in food and wine to get hired here. He graduated in March and won a medal for gaining honors grades and was presented with this medal by the Queen herself just a few weeks ago.

 Noma, a two Michelin star restaurant, was ranked The World's Best Restaurant in 2010, 2011 and 2012. It is world renown and very expensive. Famous people are known to eat here including many athletes, politicians and even American movie stars such as actress, Kirsten Dunst. The head chef, Rene Redzepi, was recently on Time magazines front page cover. The food is of "Nordic Cuisine" but is pretty out there in my opinion. A lot of the food is taken straight from Denmark's forests. That means you could be eating moss, twigs and even live ants that have been stunned. If you get the chance to go, though, don't give it up!

 Stephanie and I finished our day at our favorite cafe in Copenhagen, Cafe Paludan. I got the goat cheese salad, which is me and Hannah's favorite. 

Wednesday I spent probably about 10 hours writing a case study report for Corporate Finance. Whoever said study abroad courses were easy was very sadly mistaken. Thursday I went to Mathias's confirmation in Allerod. The confirmation took place at a very small old church and the rest of the celebration was held in a hall that the Levinsens rented out. They invited nearly 30 family members and close friends. The catered "lunch" started at one and they hadn't even gotten to dessert when I left at five. One thing about the Danes is that you can always guarantee that any meal is going to take a very long time and dinner parties could go on for seven hours. It was an amazing meal, though, per usual. I sat next to Mic, Henrik and Mic's girlfriend, Johannha, which was great. I had a wonderful time getting to know the other more distant members of the family as well. There were lots of toasts, for which everyone had to stand up for every time. Another tradition is that people write songs for the one who has just been confirmed. The songs are typed up and passed around so that everyone can sing them. There was also a "quiz" on how well you know Mathias, which was passed around as well. It was quite the party and I think Mathias was very happy.

Kat and Chris looking very sad because
we're leaving Copenhagen :( 

I took my History of Copenhagen exam on Friday and turned in my Corporate Finance report. Chris, Samantha, Kat, Stephanie and I all met up for a last dinner together in Nyhavn that night. Stephanie and Samantha left the next morning and so we said our goodbyes to them before the rest of us took a walk around the harbor.

Chris, Samantha, Kat and I at Nyhavn

Ravnsborggade - my home in Norrebro, Copenhagen

I went out with the kids in my house for a last night out in Copenhagen. I got really lucky with the kids in my dorm. They were messy and loud and I felt like I was living in a frat house the last four months but it sure was fun. We all hung out and reminisced about the amazing times we had together this past semester. Someone even came up with superlatives for each person. Steph: Most likely to be at the gym. Apparently I made an impression.

The entrance to Ravnsborggade 11

My room

Well, so long to Ravnsborggade. I'll miss the people and my room, which I shared with Hannah, but I sure won't miss the mountains of dirty dishes and half eaten food in the kitchen or the overflowing trashcans and constant lack of toilet paper, paper towels and soap in the bathrooms. It's a miracle any of us survived living in this place. Below you can witness the kitchen and the disaster in the girls' bathroom (I can only imagine what the boys' must have looked like). And wouldn't you want to cook in this kitchen?? At least the sink isn't so clogged with food that water is overflowing onto the floor.

And so long to Copenhagen. I'm excited to get home and see my family and friends but also sad to leave my new friends and family here. I hope to one day come back to the place that was my home for four months. 

Hej Hej, Copenhagen! Tak for an incredible semester! 

Impressionism in Paris

This past weekend was my last trip abroad. I was back in Paris but with my Impressionism in Paris class this time. We arrived late Thursday night in the Saint-Germain district in the Latin Quarter. It was the perfect location with some very cool places and delicious restaurants around us. 

Versailles

Friday morning we were up early, ate French baguettes with jam and coffee for breakfast before walking to our bus tour of the city. Our guide was great and very informative. We even made a few stops to jump off and do a little exploring.

Versailles

Our bus tour concluded at Versailles. We then had a guided tour of the palace and grounds. My roommate, Hannah, and I had coincidentally just watch "Marie Antoinette" the week before so it was all very appropriate. It's a great movie and being able to see the lavish luxury these people actually lived in was incredible. My favorite room in the palace was Marie Antoinette's seen below.

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

The grounds were converted into a palace by Louis XIV when he moved in the mid 1600s. It was originally the hunting lodge of his grandfather. Louis XIV had become so afraid of his own people rioting that he felt he needed to leave the city of Paris and rule from twenty miles out. This in part led to the French revolution a century later. Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette of Austria when she was just fifteen years old. She and her husband ascended to the throne just four years later with the death of King Louis XV. The French people were initially charmed by her beauty and spunk but eventually came to dislike her with her incessant expensive partying, gambling and promiscuity at Versailles. Her husband meanwhile spent endless tax dollars supporting the American Revolution. The French people were starving and discontent which led to revolution in 1792. Both she and the king were imprisoned and executed. Their young son was imprisoned and brutally tortured for years before dying in the cell. The daughter returned to Austria in a prisoner exchange and died childless thus ending the French royal line.

The gardens at Versailles

That night in Paris a few friends and I went out for drinks and then dinner. I decided to be brave and ordered escargot! I was a little nervous but it was delicious. Incredible actually! We had French bread and I also ordered a salad with duck. The food was so good. Afterwards we went to a bar across from the hotel and ran into a few Danes, which was quite a surprise in Paris! We felt we could relate being from Denmark ourselves. 

Saturday morning we went to Musee de L'Orangerie and saw Monet's Water Lily paintings, which were displayed in two white oval rooms. It was a pretty moving experience so see those in person. 

Afterwards we crossed the bridge to the Musee D'Orsay where we had a guided tour of the museum. I love Impressionist painting and could not believe I was seeing all the pieces I had only seen in magazines and art history slides for years before. My favorites were those of Monet and Degas.

We had free time the rest of the afternoon and figured it was only appropriate that we head to the original Longchamp in Paris.

We gained admission to the Opera House next and then popped in the Galeries Lafayette, Paris's major shopping gallery.

Galleries Lafayette

The Opera House

Our day concluded with a dinner cruise on the Seine River with our class. The tour ended under the Eiffel Tower when it was all lit up and sparkling. So beautiful!

Beef with foie gras

Sunday morning our professor led us over to Notre Dame where we attended the morning Mass. I have been to mass in Rome, Barcelona and now France. Each has taken place in churches centuries old with enormous history. They are so beautiful and offer such moving experiences. The music, stained glass windows and open space is amazing and all contribute to the magic.

My friends and I then went on a walking tour through the old Jewish district, Marais. Our weekend in Paris concluded with our class at Le Pub Saint-Germain, where we were given five different plates of dessert.

The Tuileries at the Louvre

I'm now back in Copenhagen and enjoying every last second of my last week here! I cannot believe how fast it has gone by!!