The Windy City



Copenhagen Street at night



Super quick update: A lot has been going on in Copenhagen but nothing really update-worthy-ish. Lots of birthday parties, jazz festivals and adventures around the super old city. I'm finally starting to get the gist of Copenhagen's geography and I'm finding myself lost less and less everyday.

My classes have started but seeing as I only need to take 3 courses I only have class 3-4 times a week, so lots of free time to roam! The weather has been an unreal topsy-turvey of conditions, mostly windy though sometimes even getting up to 75km/hr winds!! Its pretty insane when you're trying to walk to class and you're tripping over your feet trying not to be blown away!

Valentine's day (a holiday I actually enjoy surprisingly) consisted of a bunch of my friends and I making a huge dinner with as much red and chocolate as possible and watching old school 90's romantic comedies. Such a romantic day...

Booze stand, a guy handing out free shots in a market place



Anyways this week Kali is coming from Canada!!! She'll be arriving tomorrow and then we set off for Berlin on Tuesday morning. After Berlin we're off to Paris where we're meeting our friend Mike who is going to school in Nice for the term, and then on to Portugal to catch some sun and go wine tasting lol finally!!! I'll try my hardest to update along the way!

Friends DJing at a club

Mode Mode Mode Fashionista



Big fashion show screen on Stroget



Giant lamp in the middle of the restaurant square in Malmo

It's been a crazy week. Not only has it been the kick off to the semester week long Insomnia party, but its also Copenhagen Fashion week:). I also took a little trip to Sweden which I guess I can say a few things about before diving into the wonderful world of fashion and nightlife. (Try to make this brief)

Last weekend we caught the train to Malmo, Sweden for a little tour around the city. What we didn't know was that we planned this trip on what seemed to be the coldest day of the year there with winds of up to 60km/hr. So being the troopers that we were we still braved the cold and roamed around a city very similar to Copenhagen in arcitecture, albeit smaller and less lively. It was still a very beautiful place and it was strange how different cultures can be just by crossing a boarder. We even experienced a bit of culture shock because of the immediate language and currency change that we weren't used to. After freezing every one of our body parts we decided to dip into a little old cafe called Prontos which claimed to be the home of cheesecake. Naturally we had to try this out, and true to their word, it was amazing. After shopping and mingling with locals we stopped in another restaurant where we vowed to stay for the rest of the time due to the cold weather and the fact that it seemed to be where all the locals were staying to keep warm and drink and have a good time. We were almost relieved when we evetually got back to Copenhagen because it was somehow warmer there. Sweden is definitely a place to visit in the summertime-lesson learned haha.



"Mode Umgen" talk show (the guy in the sweater is a Danish celeb?)



Copenhagen is notoriously known for its high-class, chic and stunning fashion. Every single Dane knows how to dress in the latest and most fabulous attire. Walking through the streets of the city is like walking through a massive fashion show, and it helps that the majority of danes look like runway models who wear 3 inch heeled booties/shoes on a daily basis. I have died and gone to heaven being here. Fashion week is a 4 day event where fashion shows are run all over the city, along with in-store events, contests and parties. Free sample promotions and giveaways can also be found in any shopping center you entered. Unfortunately all the shows were invite only and not available to the public, except for a few shows that happened to be performed right in the middle of the streets, with dancing and cat-walking and all that jazz. My friend Jackie and I stumbled upon a Fashion Week tv talk show that we somehow managed to push our way into and got on tv a few times. Obviously we had no clue what they were talking about but the whole time you could see us blatantly standing in the background...famous. We also were able to get on the guest list for the ELLE IAM fashion party, which turned out to still have an enterence fee that was waaay over our budget but we managed to make a few chic Danish friends and experience the lifestyle of high class partying.



Family Dinner



Insomnia week has also been quite interesting. The clubbing scene in Copenhagen is extremely high class and agian.. chic. Very different to the Canadian, almost "grunge" partying. Socializing is the main event here, and drinking. But bars and clubs are two very different things. Copenhagen bars are where you go to sit and drink, smoke and socialize with your friends as loud music plays in the background. Clubs are constant dancing.

In between all the fashion and nightlife, we have family dinners almost everynight...My two friends are amazing cooks and put anything I've ever created to shame...regard photos....Its our way of relaxing..and obviously eating.

I also booked my flights this week to go visit my sister in March in Scotland where her and her friend Skip have rented an apartment for the next few months. We're travelling over to Ireland for a few days to experience St Patricks day the way it should be experienced... on the streets of Dublin! Wee... Kali is also coming to visit in 2 weeks!! We are taking off to Berlin, Paris and who knows else where! :)

Hitting the town..like a boss



Malmo, Sweden

 

Catherine's pumpkin soup..nom nom

Jeg Kan Ikke tale Dansk... Undskyld



Outside favourite Cafe in Norreport



Quick update... offically DONE and PASSED my danish language course, although I am still incapable of saying anything in danish other than telling people I'm from Canada and I cannot speak danish... To celebrate we went to our favourite cafe called Paluden Boger, in the middle of the city and had drinks/food/yum... we are continuing this celebration tonight and then heading off to Sweden tomorrow for a night out in Malmo.

Today was also my economics meeting, a faculty taken very seriously in Copenhagen. We have our own cafe which only econ students can go to, a long with our own club (with Tshirts, so its official) and also several economics buildings and a large library. I am fortunate enough to have all my classes on the City Campus which is right in the heart of Copenhagen...it is STUNNING, and today I was, for the first time, able to see and tour around this part of campus. The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and my campus is actually the oldest part of the university, so walking through the buildings is pretty amazing and medieval looking. My language course had been on the newest campus built only a few years ago and is extremely modern and high tech (every door opens automatically for you as you walk up to it, spaceship like lol). There is also Copenhagen's largest botanical garden situated right infront of the entrance to the city campus which come spring, I'm sure will be amazing to see.

Bigger news..its Fashion Week in Copenhagen next week!!! :):) Basic goals for the week: meet a celebrity, sneak into an "invitation only" show, become bff with Marc Jacobs annnd win a million dollars and buy everything on display...simple enough.

hej hej.

In case anyone cares, this is a map of the KU campus'. City is where my econ courses are and South is the newest campus where my Danish courses are. They're all about a 4-8min metro ride from each other...or you can bike which is what most people do.

Best Cupcakes in the entire WORLD! Bakery on Stroget St.

Cafes, Kroners and Fun

I am exceptionally horrible at recalling what I have been up to over the last few days. I seem to have been both very busy and not busy at all. My days are crammed with things I've been doing but only on my own accord because I seem to have so much free time here.

Besides still attending the language course every morning until noon, my friends and I have been mindlessly roaming this never ending and extremely enchanting city. Last tuesday we toured the Royal Library and saw the famous new extention known as The Black Diamond... it consists of some super cool danish arcitecture which is way ahead of its time (as is with most of the new buildings in Denmark). It sits on one of the canals that flow through Copenhagen and is stunning.



Walking down Stroget, shopping of course



A large habit of ours is cafe cruising. Because Copenhagen is filled with beautiful, cosy, unique and amazing cafes we try to hit up a different one almost everyday. The Danes love to socialize in cafes and unfortunately (or not) my consumption of hot chocolate here went from a lot to A LOT! Hot chocolate and anything with carbs in it seem to be what the danish really know how to work...and alcohol, but we won't go there.

As beautiful as Copenhagen is, it is EXTREMELY expensive. Its actually the 7th most expensive city in the entire world (lovely)! And there is no exaggeration here. A cup of coffee (or hot chocolate) costs about 30-40 kroner, which is about $6-8. Most danish meals out are about $25 a plate (at a middle class restaurant). And don't even get me started with the clothes. However if you know where to shop, there are some really nice places with reasonable prices. Like a shoe store we found with these beeautiful shoes that all happen to be under $40...fun place. Going out here can also be very pricey. Some bars charge a $15-25 cover charge :s.. but my friends and I try to steer clear of those ones unless its a special occasion.

This weekend we some how by chance stumbled upon one of the main bar streets in Copenhagen. A street filled with your typical european bars that are jammed packed with young students smoking, drinking and being awesome haha. This is where the danes go out. Walking into bars here there is no english, but most danes are friendly enough to approach you and converse in english and take you around to different bars with them. It's very easy to make friends here.

A majorly interesting part of Copenhagen is a place called Christinia. I've mentioned it before but never really explained what it is. I may butcher this but let me try to fill you in...Christiania is some what of a social experiment from which the government allocated a block of land (34 acres) in Copenhagen to (basically) a group of hippies and let them form their own rules and regulations. It is a "socialist anarchic sanctuary where everyone who lives there can determine what happens" (woo go wikipedia). This little fenced in community happens to be Copenhagen's second largest tourist attraction, mainly because on this land, smoking and selling weed is actually legal. People from all over flock to this area to buy weed from the stands that line the teeny streets running through it. In the winter time it seems like a dodgy place with all the gloom and big men walking around with guard dogs, but it is actually a beautiful area. In the summer there are even concerts and parties that go on in the streets. I would love to show everyone pictures except for the fact that picture taking is not allowed here, they would seriously smash my camera if I tried.

Michelle and Cate salsa dancing

Last night was my friend Cate's birthday so we all went out for dinner. Unfortunately in Denmark everything is closed on Sundays so the only restaurant we could find online that was open was a place called Pussy Galore. Ya. But it turned out this was actually a very classy restaurant (despite the inital, obvious first thought). And we ordered pitchers of sangria and expensive danish food to celebrate Cate's big day. Cate is from Vancouver but is orginally from Colombia so we forced her to dance salsa for us after dinner with a few others.

Anyways this week we all have our language course finals so we're studying away for the rest of the week.. or like me and procrastinating by writing a blog...To celebrate being finished, we're in the midst of planning a weekend trip to Sweden :), and then my reeal classes start next week, back to good ol economics in Denmark.

Yummy danish salad

Aussie Catherine outside a cafe we found by walking into a random courtyard (creepy dolls all over..)

Yes I take pictures of hot chocolate...

Bakery window...this is what I have to walk past everyday, more than once because they are everywhere...and amazing!

An archive room in the Royal Library...a few books and what not

Cate and I creeping danish sculptures in a museum

Danish Advertising Awesome-ness

A little taste of danish advertising...I saw this on tv when we were having lunch at a pub. Gotta love danish humour :)

Bars, Beer and Carlsberg

Caramelized Carlsberg beer...yum?? Sitting in the Carlsberg Bar

Copenhagen is constantly buzzing. There is always something going on here or something to do and theres an endless list of things to do for entertainment. Naturally the most exciting one is partying, something of which the Danes seem to understand perfectly. Friday my friends and I decided to venture out of our international bubble and mingle in the real danish bars..in the meat packing district of Copenhagen. As sketchy as the name is its actually a small area of the city with several very popular danish clubs which are jammed packed with people. European clubbing is soo much better than it is in Canada (sorry). There were people as young as 15  and as old as 70 hanging around and drinking away having an awesome time. People also know how to dance here, so obviously when life gives you lemons....I started a dance off. We ended up staying until 4am (which is early).

Copenhagen's Christmas beer (given out every

year for free in the streets of Copenhagen one day a year

near christmastime- its almost a national holiday)

Today a bunch of us went and visited the Carlsberg factory. Carlsberg is Denmarks home beer, orginally brewed here and known all over. I wish I could inform you more about it but I learned nothing today during the tour as I was naturally more fascinated by the props and displays then the actual information (really you shouldn't be surprised). After the tour we all got to sit down in the bar and sample the different beers, we also ate lunch here and other beer-bar things. By then it was getting dark so we had to leave.

In Denmark it tends to get dark very early, around 4:00pm. It's also quite gloomy in the winter time and many danes tend to dread the winter because of the horrid weather. Its been about 2 degrees here for the last week, cloudy and sometimes with fog. The summer however is bright and cheery and it doesn't get dark until 10pm!! I can't wait for summer time now. We're planning a trip to Spain soon so we can get some sun back into our lives. But Copenhagen is still a beautiful place despite the gloom. I suppose it gives it character.

In 2 weeks I will be going to Amsterdam with a bunch of my friends, just after (and slightly during) the University of Copenhagens "Insomnia Tour". This is similiar to our Frost/Frosh week where we go to seven different bars in seven nights. But those with bracelets get free shots at all the bars and instead of leaving at 2am (when Canadian bars close) we stay there all night, european style. Challenge accepted!!!

 Jackie my little Austrailian snookie-like friend. Loving the old universal beer collection display...the stacks went on forever

                                                             Aussie biddies in the bar

Me and Rosalind (fellow Canadian), and lovely side profile of finnish lad Mikko, in the meat packing district

Hvad Kommer Du Fra?

This country never ceases to amuse me. The last few days I have spent trying to become accustomed to the danish lifestyle, and let me tell you, its quite entertaining.

Erin and I on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen

(famous harbour street with shopping and dining..fuuun)

The other day I experienced my first grocery shopping outing in Copenhagen which was both a terrible fail and huge success. After refusing the help of my one danish friend out of pride and curiosity I decided to try to do this on my own. Since I suck at speaking, reading and/or writing the danish language still, I had absolutely no idea what anything in the store was. I am almost positive at one point I had a can of some animals organs in my basket (which I cutely had to wheel behind me like dragging a bag of food, and added to my enjoyment). I weaved in and out of the aisles with no direction and no idea what I was buying. After an hour of trying to look like I knew what I was doing I decided to leave with what I had. It turned out ok except for the fish paste I bought instead of cream cheese.

Everyday I get up and join my friends in our danish language class which seems to be a huge joke and we're all beginning to realize that this language is almost impossible to learn! Like the sentence "Hvad hedder du?" This means "what are you called?" Which seems simple enough, except for the fact that its pronounced "Vaaal Heil-yeah-du?" If you're trying to say this word based on that pronounciation I would just stop because its crazy, you have to stick your tongue almost out of your mouth in order to get the proper sound. Danish is all about the sound, and it's impossible to read out.

Shopping with sisters in Copenhagen (on our journey
to find the Palace last weekend)

After class we usually go out exploring. Mainly shopping, which in Copenhagen, is UNREAL! Calling all fashionistas, if you're a shopaholic like I am, this is the city for you. Known as the fashion capital of Scandiavia and one of the best shopping cities in europe, Copenhagen is wall to wall, street to street shopping. It is filled with beautiful stores of mid to high class clothing and accessories. The main shopping street called Strøget, is constantly busy with tourists and locals shopping around, eating in the cafes, restaurants and pubs that also line the street. Music fills the air along with the danish shouting and chatter. It's beautiful, and also happens to be the place I find myself the most. Hilariously enough, my acedemic buildings are also in this central area which makes me one lucky person when the semester starts...and another reason why I will be broke in t-minus 1 month.

The night life is crazy. Last night me and all my international friends headed to the Studerhuset. A bar for international students which was jammed packed when we got there. A little different then the normal danishbars but none the less an awesome time and another place to easily meet a million new interesting people from all around the world. Yesterday we also toured Copenhagen's Museum Kunst. The art museum which was a large 200 year old building downtown, but the inside had been renovated and was very modern.

Anyways, more to come, I wish I could write everything I've been up to down but I guess you'll all just have to come experience it with me for yourselves!!... hint hint;)

Love you all,

xox

Finding the Royal Danish Palace just in time to watch the changing of the gaurds ceremony. We were probably the most excited people there...