Sweden Trip

Before I tell you about Sweden...

For my Auntie:

School work is okay.  I do not have nearly as much reading or writing to do here, but I have had a lot of project work.  A lot of what I am learning is interesting, but I actually wish it were more content based, academically focused and challenging.  Weird right?  AND... I AM SOO EXCITED TO SEE YOU IN 2 1/2 WEEKS!!!!!

For Rachel:

I really liked the visiting family and I am excited to spend more time with them.  The beds were actually not very comfortable.  So far the beds I have stayed in here are much smaller and harder than those at home.  Here is a picture of my bed.

For Jimmy:

Get a life.

SWEDEN...

So, we left early Saturday morning to catch a ferry to Sweden.  It was a very short ferry (about 20 minutes) and then a quick bus ride to the hostel where we stayed that night.  The picture below is of Kronborg Castle in Helsingor, Denmark where the ferry departed from.

After we checked into our hostel, the 40 of us split up.  Half of the group went to go biking and the rest of us went canoeing for the day.
The canoe trip was very informal.  We all got into canoes and made our way down the Ronneå river at our own pace.  It was very pretty and scenic along the way, but mostly we enjoyed being outside and on the water.  It was a very relaxing trip.  We pulled our canoes up onto the shore and ate our lunches in a random field.  In all, it took us about 4 hours to make our way to the final docking location. We then had the chance to walk into the town of
Ångelholm for a short while before going back to the hostel.

When both groups had returned that evening we had a BBQ cookout at the hostel.  It was a little windy and the tough guys that were attempting to keep a fire going were rather pathetic.  I thought about giving them a quick lesson in fire building 101, but decided not to hurt their male egos.  The chicken wasn't cooked and the burgers were gross, but man those marshmallows were delicious!

The next day the groups switched and I got to try biking.  I was a little nervous going into this adventure because we were completely on our own.  Armed with only a few tiny maps and some suggestions about sights to see we left the hostel. 

About 45 minutes into the trip my friend Erin's bike broke.  Her back wheel would not turn and we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday morning when nothing was even open.  So, instead of heading back and missing out we WALKED!  Erin, I, and an intern working  at DIS named Jill walked with our bikes for about 2 hours and then ditched 'em in a town called Brunnby.  Determined to see some great sights we pressed on.  Along the way we had the chance to see some gorgeous country side and ocean views.

The main attraction that people on the bike trip wanted to see was the driftwood sculptures called Nimis.  Now, apparently Sweden doesn't really believe in road signs or indicators of tourist attractions because THERE WERE NO SIGNS.  We got lost many times and had to ask at least 8 different groups of Swedes for directions.  Nimis was on the side of a mountain that you had to navigate through a forest to get to.  We took many wrong turns, climbed up two mountains and down a cliff face before we got to our destination.

In the end, it was worth it.  Nimis was VERY cool and we had a hilariously great time getting there.  To give you a little background, Nimis was built illegally by a man named Lars Vilks in the middle of a nature reserve.  It is a maze of towers and tunnels built entirely from drift wood nailed together on the side of a mountain.  He began working on it 27 years ago and has yet to finish it.

At the end of our trip Erin, Jill and I were incredibly proud of the fact that we had made  it to our destination without bicycles.  We hiked for 5 hours, traveled 12 miles, and were able to see the same sights that those on bikes did.  It was definitely an adventure, and I slept VERY well that night.

(FYI: After we saw Nimis Jill called a taxi to take us back to the starting point... we never did get the bikes back.)

Visiting Family

So, I realize that I have been totally neglecting my blog lately.  I apologize for the severe lack of pictures and stories for the past few weeks.  Since I got back from my short study tour I have had a LOT of school work.  I am having a lot of fun abroad, but I must keep reminding myself that I am going to school at the same time.

Nevertheless, I have had some fun.  Last Sunday I went on a canal tour of Copenhagen.  They took about 50 of us on a big flat boat around the edges of the city.  We saw many sights that we had seen before, but from an entirely different perspective.  It was quite a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend the day.  

This is just a picture of me in Ribe a few weeks ago... I liked the boat.

Yesterday, I had a really awesome experience that allowed me to learn more about traditional Danish lifestyle.  DIS has a program that matched students who are not living with a family up with a "Visiting Family" that they can meet periodically during their trip.  The family I was meant to be with backed out last week, but fortunately I was able to join my friend Erin to visit hers.  They are a family of four living about an hour north of Copenhagen.  Their names are Flemming (father), Karin (mother), Mette (daughter, 19) and Katharine (daughter, 14).  They also have 3 dogs and 7 birds living in their house!!!  After Flemming picked us up and brought us to his house he cooked the family (and us) dinner.  We ate pork and potatoes with a funny creamy sauce that I was not especially fond of.  They were all very nice and spoke English extremely well.  Erin and I spent the night there since we live so far away.  I will see them next on Friday when Erin and I will go to their house for dinner and then come into the city for fun with the family on Saturday... I can't wait!

This weekend I will travel to Sweden for a few days on a short adventure trip.  I hope to come back with some great stories and beautiful pictures!

Short Study Tour

So, as part of the DIS curriculum, each academic program gets to take various study tours. This was our first tour as a class and we had a GREAT time. It was a really good way to get to know each other better and experience certain parts of Denmark that we would not otherwise have had the chance to see. Our class traveled all around the country by bus in the very short 3 days that was our trip.


DAY 1


On the first day we headed south of Copenhagen to an island called Møn. Here we visited a unique school and living facility for children and adults with special needs. It was a whole community where they could live, work, and receive and education. After that we visited a very old and beautiful church where the walls were covered in medieval frescoes depicting scenes from the bible. The group shot below is my whole class standing in front of the cemetery behind the church.

Next, we went to a Møns Klint, which are some famous white cliffs. We had to walk down this enormous, wooden stair path to reach the water by the cliffs. We were pretty tired by the time we got there, but the view was incredible.

When we finally reached the bottom of the stairs we had to take off our shoes and roll up our pants to reach the shoreline because the tides were so high. The water was FREEZING!!! They told us that we could "take a dip" if we wanted, but I decided to pass. Only one boy and my teacher decided to brave the icy waters, you can see her in the background of the picture below.

For the first night we stayed in a hostel in a town called Næstved. (Don't ask me to pronounce it beacuse I can't)

DAY 2

On the second day we headed to the city of Odense, which is where Hans Christian Anderson was born. We got to see the little yellow house he grew up in. Odense is a very small, but cute city and while we were there we got to eat in the Ugly Ducking restaurant. We ate a lot of very traditional Danish food on the trip, which I am beginning to get used to. A traditional meal might include fish, cheese, bread, potatoes, beets, Danish meatballs and various other foods that I am reluctant to try.

For most of the second day we visited various special schools and got to meet the staff who worked there. They told us about their programs and we learned a lot about the Danish philosophy on education.

That night we made our way to Ribe, which is the oldest city in Denmark.

Day 3

For the last day of the trip we began with a guided tour of Ribe. I really enjoyed this tour because we were able to walk all around the city and learn about its history and culture. The picture below shows one of the narrow streets in Ribe and the beautiful Cathedral in the background.

After we left Ribe, we made our final stop on the tour... LEGOLAND!!! We had a ton of fun in Legoland. Basically, it is an amusement park for children, but we had fun too. There were so many structures and rides made completely of Legos...I was impressed.

Here is an example of one Lego structure. They had built the whole Kennedy Space Center and the rocket would produce smoke as if it were about to take off. I think one of my favorite Lego structures was Mount Rushmore that had actually been built into the side of a hill.

We had a really great time on our tour, and I cannot wait for our long trip to Holland. For now I must focus on my school work. It is a very busy week for me with papers and presentations. Be patient with my lack of posts. I love you all and miss you very much!!

Study Tour Weeekend

Hello Everyone,

First, I want to thank you all for following my blog.  I think I enjoy reading your comments just about as much as you like reading about my adventures.  I just wanted to let you know so that I will be taking a 3 day short study tour to the west coast of Denmark and will not be posting until I get back.  Now the last time I went a few days without an update a few of you got a little upset... please be patient.  I promise to provide you with stories and pictures when I return, but for now I must head out.  It is not quite 7:00 in the morning here and I need to make my trek into the city to meet my class.  I love you all!

By the way, to answer Jake's question... they play most of the same sports here that we do at home.  Soccer is pretty big, and most Danes follow American football and other sports too.  They get a lot  of American television and I believe that is why their English is so good.  Also, the official religion is Lutheranism, but most people here are pretty ambivalent towards the church.

IKEA Trip!

I know a few of you have been very curious about where I live in Denmark and what my room is like.  The reason I have held off showing you is because prior to yesterday my room was rather bare.  It was a VERY white room with little furniture and minimal lighting.  For the most part my room has remained the same, but at least it has some color.  We took a trip to the local IKEA yesterday and I got a new set of sheets and some little accessories. 

This is a picture of Socialt Kollegium where I live on the first floor (thank goodness!).

    This is my newly colorful room.

Now, my bathroom is still a bit of an issue.  It is small, icky and old, but there is not much I can do to it.  It is a toilet/shower combo so the shower nozzle is controlled by the sink.  I really don't like it, but I can live with it for another 3 months.

This is me at my desk pretending to do work (as always).

And just as a little bonus I thought  I would show you one of the methods I get around the city in.  This is my preferred method of public transportation... the BUS!  I ride the bus to class everyday and it is pretty convenient.  I do a lot of walking here, but the bus is nice for greater distances.

Well, I think that is all for now.  I will leave you with  a new Danish phrase to learn...

" Jeg elske mig bekendte og slægt!"

I love my friends and family!

Tivoli Gardens

So, I dedicate this post to my pain in the butt relatives that are in desperate need of a chill pill.  For the record... I am not sad, in trouble, deathly ill, or bored.  I AM GOING TO SCHOOL!!!!  Now, I know some of you are getting a little old and may not remember the entire concept of school.  Just so you know, it involves attending classes every day, reading excessively, writing papers and such.  As my father would say, I am here to get an education NOT live it up in Europe to entertain my family.  However, I did have a little fun this weekend...

TIVOLI GARDENS

On Friday night a few of us went out to dinner at a place called RizRaz that served a relatively cheap Mediterranean buffet that was DELICIOUS!  Then we went to Tivoli Gardens that is right in the center of Copenhagen.

Tivoli was built in the early 1840's and is currently the second oldest running amusement park in the world.  It had some really fun rides, beautiful scenery and great food.

On Friday nights in Tivoli there is free concerts.  The band was pretty good, but they sang in Danish so we didn't really know what they were singing about.

Basically, Tivoli was a lot of fun and we were glad we went.  I hope that this post will hold you over for now.

A Preview of tomorrow's post: IKEA!!!

Frederiksborg Castle

Yesterday I went on a trip to see Frederiksborg Castle.  We took a bus about an hour north of København to a city called Hillerød.  The castle was originally built in the 1600's in the style of the Renaissance.  While it served as the home of the royal family for many years, it is now a museum depicting Danish History through paintings and antique furnishings.  The grounds were absolutely beautiful and the inside of the castle was set up to look like it would have when King Christian IV lived there.

  This was taken at the entrance to the main castle.

  This is me standing in the gardens behind the castle.  The grounds extended much further with beautiful fountains, statues, "the guest room/castle" and a pretty forest.

This is a picture of a "watch lion" in the great hall where balls would have been held.

This is one of the many rooms in the castle set up to match the period and adorned with impressive portraits and paintings.  This bed may look like a child's bed, but in reality it was a grown man's.  In olden days people were very superstitious and believed that the Grim Reaper would come and take away people that appeared to be dead.  To avoid this, people would sleep sitting up in bed and therefore it did not need to be very large.