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...

Velkommen to København!

I've been in Copenhagen for a week now and at the request of a few people I've decided to start a blog to keep all my friends and family up to date on my adventures here in Denmark and as I travel across europe:). Please bear with me over the next few months I'm quite terrible at writing things like this, but here it goes...

Today I said good bye to my sister and her friends who have been with me in Copenhagen for the last few days helping me settle in (my parents who came a long with me on the flight left yesterday morning). This week has been... crazy? A constant whirlwind of events, this week has been filled with a million and one new and insane things for me.

Copenahagen is beautiful, unique, UNREAL and so different from Canada. Getting around it has been my main focus these last few days. Most people here bike or use the metro which I am proud to say I am quite accomplished at by now. I also started my danish language course this week because although everyone here speaks english, all the signs, menus, etc, are in danish, and it would be very nice to not have to stare confusingly at people when they try to talk to me (or me laughing awkwardly and pretending to know what they say, only to be returned with an another confused look..). I've met many amazing people already from around the world. Many of my friends come from Austrailia and it now seems that the Canadians and Austrialians have forged  together into one big group very quickly.

A bunch of us went ice skating after class the other day where I was able to show off my inability to skate and apparent "canadian shamefulness" for not being good at one of our national sports. We also have a habit of running off after class to a pub for a pint of Carlsberg (the danish home beer) or my personal favourite, european hot chocolate.

The food in Copenhagen is delicious! Expensive, but worth ever penny..or kroner. I have developed a diet of morning coffee and danish's (yes they are still called danish's in Denmark... although they are a million times better here), lunch danish's and chocolate milk, and wine and danish's for dinner...dear mom and dad you will have to roll me home from europe as I don't think I will be able to walk by the end of this!



Diana, Erin, Skip and I loving life infront of the Little Mermaid



But walking seems to be the primary mode of transportation (besides bikes) which is what I tend to be doing at all hours of the day. Today my sister and I along with her 2 friends and 2 boys from New Zealand who decided to tag along, went sight seeing around the city. One of the main attractions we were determined to see was the famous statue of the Little Mermaid. A long the way we journied through the Royal Palace's courtyard just in time to get to see the changing of the guards, which is a huge, historic traditon in countries with monarchy's like Denmark, and entails a parade of guards with band music and marching. This happens every day at noon and lasts about an hour. We also ventured to Christiania, which I will have to explain in another blog because it could probably take up an entire page. Let's just say it is quite the interesting place...

But for now I am still settling into my apartment and meeting people who live around me. Tomorrow I have class early in the morning and then hopefully getting a cell phone finally. I am certain this is going to be a very interesting and unreal next few months, can't wait!

Missing everyone back in Canada! :)
xox