Berlin

July 10, 2012

Today we woke up early and took a bus to the airport for our flight to Berlin.  Once we got to Berlin we had to take a long bus and walk a long ways, or what seemed like a long ways while carrying a 35 pound backpack and 2 other back packs.  The hostel was awesome though.  After we got there, we couldn't check in til 2 so we had lunch and a drink in the bar at the hostel.  We then checked in, unpacked, and Kevin and I walked around Berlin.  Then we came back to the hostel hung out, read our books, had dinner and then went to bed early because we were very tired.  

July 11, 2012

Today we woke up and took a free tour of Berlin.  It was 3 and a half hours long, but we saw almost everything there was to see in Berlin.  We saw the Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, stood over Hitler’s Bunker, the Holocaust Memorial, the Book Burning Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, SS Headquarters, The Berlin Wall, TV Tower, Gendarmenmarkt, Museum Island, Pariser Platz, Luftwaffle HQ, Bebelplatz, etc. We then had to go to the main train station called Hauptbahnhof to get the rest of our train tickets for the trip.  While we were there Kevin and I stopped at a shop and he helped me pick out a new scarf and purse.  Then we came back to the hostel, relaxed and hung out with friends we made.  

July 12, 2012

Today we took an hour hour train outside of Belin to Oranienburg to see the Sachsenhausen Concentration camp.  This was not one of the main concentration camps, however it was still very sad and worthwhile to see.  Then we took the train back and after a day of travelling I was tired so we had a few drinks again at the bar downstairs in the hostel and then went to bed, as we had to catch a train in the morning.

Stockholm

July 7

I decided that from now on I'm only going to do posts after every place we visit, because it's to hard to keep up on the posts otherwise.
It was bittersweet leaving Copenhagen today.  I loved Denmark so much I did not want to leave, but I was ready to travel and see some other places and cultures.  Kevin and I left for central station extra early so that we could register our euro rail passes and make sure we knew which train to get on.  We spent the 5 hours on the train ride watching Project X, sleeping and reading.  When we finally arrived we were tired and just met up with Mick and got some food to eat.

July 8

Today we got up, had breakfast in our hostel, which consisted of cereal, coffee, OJ, cheese and bread.  Mick, Kevin and I then wandered around Stockholm then found a canal tour where we saw all of the main tourist attractions in Stockholm in 5 hours, including Tivoli where we had lunch.  We then went back to the hostel and relaxed, read a book and watched some TV.  Then we went to a Cafe to eat and called it a night early again.

Kevin stoked to be in Stockholm on the canal tour!

Tivoli-Stockholm

Stockholm on a grey day

July 9

Today we went strolling down this street with a bunch of shops on it and hit some souvenir shops and walked around.  We stumbled upon the most strange and weird looking statue I have ever seen (picture below).  Stockholm is on a bunch of different islands, so the smell of the ocean reminded me of home and I wanted to swim so badly.  We then went to a grocery store where we got swedish meatballs and pasta  for lunch and dinner.  Swedish meatballs are probably the most tasty thing I've had.  Kevin and I went to bed early as we had to get up extra early for our flight in the morning.  

Last Night in Copenhagen

July 6
Took my final exam early in the morning and after Marissa and I finished, we went back to my place to have a few beers to celebrate her last class as an undergraduate.  After that we went to the super market, called the netto, and Robin made us a great going away dinner.  Later we all went out to Heidi's bar.  Soon after that Kevin, Laura and I went to the Happy Pig, Francis Pony, Disco Bar, and a couple other bars.  It was a fun and crazy last night in Copenhagen and it was sad that we had to leave.

Robin is the best cook

Last family dinner 

Laura, Kevin and I

Tivoli

July 5
Today was not as exciting as the other days.  I went to class as usual and then went to Tivoli.  Tivoli is a cool amusement park, kind of like Disney Land, but more of a park.  Since you have to pay for every ride you go on in Tivoli, my friend Marissa and I just walked around for a little bit and then went back to DIS to study for our final exam we had the next morning.

Tivoli Hotel

4th of July-Copenhagen Style

July 4
Today was the usual day in Copenhagen.  Woke up, went to class, had a delicious sandwich at Eat Me, came back, did homework, and then had dinner.  Later that night Skindergade 40 went out to Skindergade 14 to celebrate the 4th of July.  It was fun, but not as exciting in the United States, as no one in Denmark really cares about July 4th.

Red Light District- Copenhagen

July 3

Today was nice because I didn't have class until 8pm.  I slept in, did some homework, prepared my presentation, and also prepared myself for the red light district  in Copenhagen.  It was very interesting to see and experience, and was not as scary as I was expecting it to be.  After that I went to Kuløbar where I met up with everyone in Skindergade 40.

Another Lazy Day

July 2

Today was another lazy day in Copenhagen.  I think the lack of sleep caught up with us.  I went to class, like normal, where we went on another field study.  Then I did my homework and study for my final.  After enough of that, I joined Robin, Mick, Kevin, Tori and Jess and watched 300.

Lazy Day

July 1

Today we slept in, which was very nice.  Then Kevin, Mick, Robin and I watched wedding crashers.  Kevin and I then went to Kings Garden to watch the showing of the Euro Cup final, where Spain dominated Italy. 

A Danish Graduation

June 30

Finally making it back to Copenhagen, I woke up early and did my laundry from the week.  Then went to the Netto, the grocery store, with Kevin, Mick, and Robin.  After we made dinner together, we went to our SRA Robin’s parent’s house to see a Danish style graduation celebration for his sister.  In Denmark, after you have you graduation ceremony from high school, you get on a truck with you class and celebrate.  They go through the streets blasting music, drinking, and making lots of noise.  All day long they make stops at each of the parent’s houses of the graduates where the parents provide food, drinks, and a bathroom.  They stay there for about 10-14 minutes and then they move on to the next house.  After they have made it to all of the houses, they go back to the school and have a party.  It was really cool to experience because it is completely different from the states.  Instead of wearing graduation caps, they wear these special hats that have different color bands symbolizing what schools they went to.  They will wear these hats the entire week, not just on graduation or at their ceremony.  After we got back, we went out with everyone in Skindergade 40 to A Bar for our last weekend in Copenhagen.  

the truck

some of the graduates with their hats

Final Day in Brussels

June 29

For our last day in Belgium, our class went to Leuven, which is about 20 minutes away from Brussels.  First we had an academic visit with a researcher.  We then had lunch and a tour at Huisbrouwerji Domus, which is a restaurant and a small brewery.  We then went to Stadhuis, which is the town hall of Leuven, as well as St. Peter’s Church, which is across from the town hall.  We only had a short amount of time before we had to catch a bus to the Brussels airport and depart back to Copenhagen.  

Tour of Huisbrouwerji Domus

Study tour class

Outside of Stadhuis (town hall)

Anatonium and Mini Europe

June 28

Today we started by meeting with a sex therapist and had an educational presentation and wrap up afterwards.  Today we had a lot of free time, so most of the people in our class decided to go to the Anatonium.  This structure was built for the World Fair in Brussels in 1958, but now it is a permanent exhibition.  The Anatonium is 335 feet tall and at the very top you get a panoramic view of Brussels.  We also explored each of the spheres and climbed to each one by steep escalators and stairs.  We then went to Mini Europe, which is next to the Anatonium.  Mini Europe is just how it sounds; it is a display of all the top sites in each of the countries in the European Union.  Each of the models is on a scale of 1:25 and has so much detail in each of the structures.  It was very interesting to see all of the structures and get an overview of all of Europe, even the places I am not going to make it to on this trip.  Today was one of the hottest days yet, almost 90 degrees.  Most of us were tired and dehydrated so we went back to the hotel and hung out until it was dinnertime.  We met as a group to go to Rose Blanche for dinner, which is in the middle of the town square of Brussels.  Afterwards, most of us went to a bar again to watch the Germany vs. Italy game.  It was difficult to watch this game because most of the people in the bar were Italian fans and I was cheering for Germany.  At half time I left with my roommate, went to get a souvenir, and went to bed after a tiring day.  

Anatonium

Cleaning the Anatonium

Escalator up

Mini Denmark

Mini Leuven 

Another Day in Brussels

June 27

We went to the Magritte Museum today and had a tour guide show and explain paintings done by Magritte.  We then ate lunch at the top of the Musical Instruments Museum and then took the metro to have another educational presentation for our class.  Then we went back to the hotel, took a shower, and went to a bar for dinner and to watch the Portugal vs. Spain game.  This game was very entertaining as the people in the bar were very into the game and when Spain won, everyone went crazy, all night.  You could even hear people still celebrating and honking when we got back to the hotel to go to bed.  

Antwerp

June 26

With my class we went north of Brussels for the day.  We had an instructor teach us how to make Belgian chocolate lollipops as well as chocolate crunch balls in a gorgeous building in the town square.  The chocolate in Belgium is very delicious, as you can imagine, so I enjoyed this part of the trip very much.  He let us take home the candies we made as well as sample his chocolate by dipping marshmallows into it.  The chocolate filled me up quite a bit, but I had lunch in a very good Italian restaurant, which was on a side street of the town square, next to city hall in Antwerp.  Then went to SENSOA where they gave a presentation about their organization.  Later that night I ate at a Chinese restaurant with my friend Marissa, we met up with the rest of our class and went out to a bar called Délirium Café.  This bar has over 2,000 different types of beers that you could order, from fruit beer to beer with a very high percentage of alcohol.  It was recorded in The Guinness Book of Records in 2004 as there are beers from over 60 countries available there, many of them being Belgian beers.  The great part about this is that it was only a couple of Euros.   

Chocolate lollipops 

Making the chocolate crunch balls

Antwerp Town Square

Délirium Café

Brussels and Mussels

June 25

Today we left for Brussels, Belgium bright and early-too early if you ask me.  The minute we arrived we placed our bags in storage in our hotel, went to grab a quick lunch, and went on a two hour walking tour of Brussels.  We saw the square (picture below), which was gorgeous and had many different styles of architecture on each side of the square that you looked at.  We covered a lot of ground, seeing practically every aspect of Brussels that was important and beautiful.  Our tour guide also added in many interesting facts about the sexual history of Brussels as well, which has a very different feel than Copenhagen does.  We then went to ILGA-Europe, International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, where we meant Sophie who gave us an overview of what the organization does.  ILGA main concern is with LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex) human rights and equality in all aspects across Europe.  We then went back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple of hours.  Then went to this amazing restaurant called Chez Leon, where I had mussels, french fries, traditional Belgian beer, and chocolate mousse.

Brussels

Symbol of Brussels- a little boy peeing

Crepes

June 24

Today was a rather relaxing and boring day.  Most of the day it rained so I slept in late and then Kevin and Mick had to leave for their study tour around 2.  Then I walked around with a couple girls in my hall and found a crepe place where I ordered a crepe with nutella and a scoop of ice cream.  Afterwards, I went back to Skindergade and packed for my study tour, then watched England sadly lose to Italy in penalty kicks with my SRA Robin.

Sight Seeing and History in Copenhagen

June 23

Today I finally got to sleep in, but I also wanted to go an see some sights around Copenhagen, so I woke Kevin and Mick up.  We went to the Botanisk Have, which means the Botanic Gardens.  Here we saw, beautiful gardens and got to explore in them.  We eventually made our way to Rosenbourg Castle as well in Kings Garden.  Kevin wanted me to take a picture with the guard so I did, and when I approached him he said it was all right to take a picture, but it was not all right to get to close.  I guess he liked to have plenty of personal space. 

We then went back to Skindergade 40 and relaxed for a while and made dinner before going to Sankt Hans, which is the burning of the witch, in Fredericksburg Park.  The celebration of Midsummers’s eve was a festival of summer solstice.  Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits and in later years, witches were burned in them.

Rosenbourg Castle

Botanic Gardens

Fredericksburg Park

Sankt Hans

Waffles, Chocolate and Beer- The Belgian Way

June 22

Today, we gave and received many presentations on all aspects of Brussels, Belgium, which is where we are going next week for our study tour.  I learned many interesting facts about Belgium, such that there are two languages spoken here, French and Flemish.  However, in Brussels, French is the dominant language.  Also, the region of Belgium is broken up by the language you speak; the Flemish in the north of Belgium, the French in the south and Brussels being the middle ground.  Our presenter, a native of Belgium, suggested many places to get waffles, chocolate, and beer- only the finest of Brussels of course.  I have really been enjoying my class as well.  It has been brightening my horizons to new ideas and experiences on the topic of sexuality in different cultures. 

Later that night I returned home, met up with the usual crew and went out to a couple of bars with our SRA Robin.  

Daily Life in Copenhagen

June 21

Today I woke up with what I thought was pink eye.  So I went to class as I normally would, and then my eye got better so I thought it was just an allergic reaction.  So I put a towel over my pillow, took some Claritin and by the next morning I was good to go. 

Overall, today was a fun day with the basics of going to class, coming home, doing some homework and going out.  Our SRA, Robin, Mick, Kevin and I had dinner that Robin made for us.  It was a beef pasta dish that was very good.  We ate this while watching the Czech Republic vs. Portugal Euro Cup game.  Later we went out to Kuhlerbar again; this time our SRA Robin came out with us and showed us all his great dance moves.  I made sure to get plenty of pictures of that. 

Relax

June 20
Today was a day that was filled with a lot of sleeping and school.  Even though my class is a lot of work and homework, it is very intriguing to me.  We talk about many parts of sexuality in Denmark and Brussels (where my study tour is next week) and compare it to the United States.  This class is not only giving me more international knowledge of history, laws and social life in Copenhagen and Brussels, its also giving me perspectives that many Americans do not have.  I have also talked with my SRA's (social residential assistant) and their friends from Copenhagen and it is fascinating to me to hear their perspectives about the United States compared to Denmark.
Every one in my class today was very hungover and I found it very hilarious.  I guess Americans really aren't responsible when it comes to drinking, especially before they are 21.  After going to my class I came back, relaxed, and did some homework.

Boring Day, Exciting Night

June 19
Today was pretty dull and boring, until the night.  Went to class and had a guide take us around Copenhagen teaching us the sexual history of the city.  Although it was very interesting, by the end of the tour my feet were sore and I was tired.  Got back to my housing where Mick and Kevin wanted to go to Christiania.  This is a place that is self-proclaimed and self-governed neighborhood in the borough of Christianshavn.  It is like a commune and there is also lots of stands where people are selling things such as food, souvenirs, ponchos, rings, etc.  It has a completely different feel than the rest of Copenhagen.  Also, you are not allowed to take pictures inside of Christiania, unless its on the outside.  Afterwards, we came back and went out to a bar called kulørbar (pronounced like "cooler bar").  This bar was very fun and had lots of music, dancing, and free beer all night.  I've learned a couple of Danish words already that have come in handy: øl which means beer, skål which means cheers, and tak which means thank you.

Jet Lagggg

Waking up was the most difficult it has ever been.  I was feeling beyond exhausted and so jet lagged.  Lucky for me, we had to be up and at town square for a welcome meeting at 9am.  After the meeting, we went got into groups and went on a hunt to find the major historic and important areas in Copenhagen.  We visited a port, which is the biggest tourist attraction in Copenhagen because you can sit on the canal and admire the surroundings as well as the colors of the buildings, the water, etc.  We also went to the place where the Queen stays and witnessed the changing of the guards.  After 3 hours of walking, we finally came back to our housing.  Kevin and I got a delicious club sand which at the place next to our housing.  Surprisingly, we were able to pick out some  words such as roast beef, bacon, etc. that in Danish look very similar to English.  Unfortunately, we had to go to our classes.  I am taking psychology of human sexuality and after about an hour of lecture we were assigned to groups to go to explore Copenhagen (again).  We ended up having to go to similar places that we were sent to before, while observing the PDA (public display of affection) and cultural aspects of sexuality in Copenhagen.  We also went to 2 gay bars and 2 sex shops, both of which were very different than in the states.  After we finished exploring, I went home to meet up with Kevin and Mick where we then went to the grocery store.  It was not as hard as I expected to get food there and figure out what the words meant.  We got breakfast food, spaghetti and meat balls, bread and sand which supplies, as well as plenty of beer.  The Danes were very helpful when we were purchasing milk, as milk and yogurt come in cartons here and the words are very different from skim, whole, or 2 percent milk.  In Denmark, the grocery store does not provide bags for you.  You either have to bring your own bags or have to purchase them from the grocery stores.  Then we went home, made dinner, watched the Spain vs. Croatia soccer game, and called it a night early.

Longest Day Ever

Traveling to Copenhagen was tiring and long.  After waking up at 4am to get to LAX, I spent 5 hours on the first flight, had a 2 hour lay over and then another 8 hours on the second flight, only getting about 30 minutes of sleep.  By the time I arrived in Copenhagen, I was excited and exhausted.  Once we got to DIS we had to attend an orientation and pick up our books, cell phones, etc.  At this point I was becoming delusional from lack of sleep.  Luckily, Kevin came into the orientation 10 minutes after me; a sigh of relief.  We then went to our housing called Skindergade 40, got into our rooms and unpacked.  We met the three SRA's (Social Residential Advisors) and fellow students that lived in our housing over a couple Pilsner beers and pizza.  Pilsner is the equivalent in price to a Keystone, however Pilsner tastes so much better.  We were informed that there was a soccer match viewing of the Euro Cup in the Kings Garden, just a 5 minute walk away.  Everyone went to the Kings Garden to watch the Denmark vs. Germany game on the big screen.  It was crazy and so much fun.  As I quickly learned, soccer is a way for the people of Denmark to express the pride they have for their country, and they certainly showed it with how many people attended the showing, face paint, jerseys, etc.  After a depressing 2-1 loss to the Germans we strolled home an had the best night sleep I'd ever had. 

Denmark vs. Germany-Kings Garden