A Brief Hiatus...

So today is the official start to our 2 WEEK spring break!! I'll be traveling to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin with my good friend from SLU who is also studying at DIS and another close friend studying abroad in Austria.  This means that I won't be able to post anything until I return to Copenhagen... but don't worry it will definitely be worth the wait :)

Vi Ses Snart

Walking in the Footsteps of HCA

Me and HCA

This morning I had a walking tour field study for my Hans Christian Andersen Class. We saw many of the places he stayed and frequented while in Copenhagen, including four of residences.  On our tour, our professor also took us to the Royal Theater where Andersen attended its opening night in October 1874,  just 10 months before the fairy tale writer's death. In total, we made ten stops and while I've passed many of these places during my time in Copenhagen thus far, I had no idea they hold a sentimental value to one of Denmark's most beloved authors.

Vis Ses Snart

Hiking in Denmark!?!

Going to a university neighboring the Adirondack Mountains, I have seen and climbed some pretty daunting peaks. Denmark, in comparison, is quite the opposite with its flat landscape (before leaving, my  host dad sarcastically told me not to fall off any cliffs!). When I saw that DIS was sponsoring a hiking trip, however, I decided to give it a go and explore the country's countryside. After meeting at Norreport station and taking the S-tog train north-east for about an hour, the twelve of us arrived in Frederikssund. 

View from bridge

While it was a tad breezy, the weather could not have been more beautiful as there was not a cloud in the sky.  We had to walk through a small shopping square and across a main bridge before crossing into the backyard area of a local Viking Museum which allowed us to access the woods. Since there was not a single trail path (a pretty unheard of concept for the Adirondacks), the group divided and went on separate paths after having a group picnic lunch overlooking a farm.  

After meeting back up at the local museum, the director invited us in to see the exhibits free of charge; apparently, the museum had a grand opening of a new interactive display the day before and he was quite excited that Americans were interested in seeing the ancient archives of the Frederikssund area. Although the museum signs were only in Danish, he explained to us that some of the various artifacts displayed were from 600BC. Laughing, he told us that we would never find these sorts of native artifacts in New York!

Although hiking in Denmark was nothing in comparison to the Adirondacks, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon and to see another area of Denmark.  

Vi Ses Snart

    

  

AG København Handball Match!

AG Kobenhavn Players Entering the Court

Last night, my buddy network and two other networks joined together to attend one of the last handball matches-- AG København versus Lemvig- Thyborøn Håndbold. Having Mikkel Hansen, the best player in the world on their team AG København unsurprisingly won pretty easily with a final score of 39-25. Nevertheless, it was still an exciting game to watch and the Danish crowd cheered every time AG København scored a point. Handball is a fast-paced game, with only two 30-minute halves and a 15-minute halftime break. 

One of my favorite parts of the game was having the “Sweet Caroline” song come on during and the crowd cheering “So Good, So Good”; this song is one of SLU’s favorite crowd songs at our hockey games so it immediately reminded me of my home university. I also really enjoyed the paper clappers that were provided to all the fans and how everyone would yell the last name of the player who had just scored a goal.

In some ways, attending a handball match was no different from attending a hockey game or similar sporting event in the USA. Members of the crowd still wear their team’s jerseys and jump up from their seats when a point is scored. Concession stands sell fan favorites, including Denmark’s famous hotdogs (and after last night, I can attest that they better than any American hot dog I’ve had). Children still run around the stadium, chasing the home team’s mascot, which happened to be a rooster. I think the main difference was the overall excitement of the crowd-- there was never a dull moment in the game and the crowd continued to cheer and make noise throughout the game.    

Vi Ses Snart 

Fun Fact: A Foodie's Paradise

Being the foodie that I am, I was excited to hear that Copenhagen's top restaurants have recently been awarded a total of 14 Michelin Stars. This certainly is a major accomplishment for such a small country. Noma, the world's best restaurant which holds two Michelin stars, focuses on Scandinavian cuisine... now if only I could get pass the exceptionally long waiting list and the expense to eat there!    

Check out this website for a listing of some of Copenhagen's most : http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/eat-and-drink/michelin-starred-restaurants

A Ballet & A Film

On Thursday evening, I had the opportunity to go to a Danish ballet at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen called "Dans2Go." One of the Danish Language and Culture classes purchased group tickets to see the performance, and although I am not in this instructor's particular section, I jumped at the chance when my friend offered me an extra ticket. The ballet was composed of three mini performances, with the first and the last following a story line and the second consisting of a traditional ballet routine. I am by no means an expert when it comes to ballet, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and seeing the theater.

Last night, my host family took me to see "The Descendants" at the nearby movie theater. The movie theaters in Denmark sell their tickets online, and purchasers can choose which seats they want to have ahead of time. I've discovered that Danes take their movies pretty seriously, and frequent the theaters quite often so this online system is useful and effective. I was most surprised, however, by the concession stand-- if you thought the concession stands in America had everything, think again. Instead of a stand, there is essentially a concession store where moviegoers can individually choose their snacks.  With such an extensive selection one would think I had a tough time deciding, but I actually made my decision quite quickly as my host sister recommended to me a Danish treat called "Penguin Sticks-- flavored, filled chewy licorice sticks.  Very Danish and very good!   

  

The Royal Theater

Belgium & the Netherlands

Now that I’m back into the swing of things with classes, I thought it would be the perfect time to fill everyone in on my travels to Belgium and the Netherlands.  My short study tour a few weeks ago was really just a precursor to the unforgettable week of my long study tour. We flew into Brussels last Sunday morning and took a guided bike tour after having lunch at the Grand-Place… what a way to start, right?? Despite the somewhat lousy, typical Belgium weather, the bike tour was one of my favorite activities; we were able to get an overview of the capital city and saw the exteriors of many of the government buildings that we visited later in the week. I traveled to Brussels about seven years ago with my parents, and I was stunned by how much of the city I still remembered! The four-hour bike tour included a pit stop at one of the more famous French fry stands in the city and we were each given an extremely large portion of fries and a choice of dipping sauces, which allowed our group to bond over trying each others selected condiment.

Biking Tour!! 

Biking Group Photo

Chocolate Factory Workshop- Dressed to Impress :)

The academic portion of the tour began Monday morning with a group visit to NATO headquarters.  I was particularly excited for this visit as my dad worked as a logistical Naval officer for NATO a few years ago and, travelled to NATO headquarters a few times each month.  We had two separate lectures at NATO where we learned about the organization’s responsibilities and connections to the EU. On Monday afternoon, we all partook in a Chocolate Factory Workshop. Practically every other store in the city’s downtown is a chocolate shop… many of which offer free samples! Before entering the actual chocolate making area, we were each outfitted in plastic aprons, hats, shoe covers, and gloves. Very classy! The woman instructor guiding our class was extremely French, and she had really high expectations in regards to our mold-filling and dipping duties. After making many different types of dark chocolates, we were treated with a presentation on the making of chocolate, which included tasting several samples, of course. 




After dinner, some of my friends and I made our way back into town to see the famous Manican-Pis statue and try the famous Belgium waffles at a nearby stand. Ironically, the waffles were almost as big as the particularly small statue!!!

So many choices... how is one ever supposed to choose?!?

Representing SLU!
Me and two of my St. Lawrence & EU classmates
at the European Commission

On Tuesday morning, we went to the European Commission where we met with a member of the Danish Commissioners’ Cabinet.  Before leaving Copenhagen, our class was divided into small groups and assigned two different government officials to interview—one being a lobbyist and the other a permanent delegate. My group’s interview was later in the afternoon so a few of us managed to find our way to another section of Brussels via the metro system and had lunch at the original Le Pain de Quotidien—a Belgian sandwich semi-chain restaurant that is popular in the Northern Virginia area.  I have been to Le Pain de Quotidien several times in the States with my parents and friends, and it was neat to eat at the original one in Belgium.  Our interview was with an advisor for a rather large lobbying firm called Business Europe; I quickly realized that it was experiences such as this that truly separate a study tour from a typical trip to Belgium, as I would have never had the opportunity/access to meet such high political officials and government workers.  Later in the afternoon, we had a group lecture at Parliament and a visit to a new museum called the Parliamentarian.  These visits were followed by a group dinner to Chez Leon where we were able to experience a real Belgian favorite– “Mussels in Brussels!” 

After several early mornings, it was nice to be able to sleep in a little on Wednesday before meeting in our hotel’s conference room for a presentation by a Political Officer at the U.S. Mission to the EU.  This informal discussion allowed each of us to get a glimpse into the life of a foreign service officer and hear from two interns about their work in the Brussels office.  We had our second round of interviews on Wednesday afternoon; my group was fortunate to meet with an extremely interesting permanent delegate from Turkey.  Our class has been discussing Turkey’s role and its position/stance with entering the EU since the first day of class in January.  It was fascinating to be able to hear a firsthand perspective of some of the struggles and frustrations that the country has been facing for the past sixty years as they have continually tried to be accepted into the union.  We were greeted with a pretty significant rainstorm as we left the Turkey embassy, and we had to walk across town to meet up with the rest of our class at the Magritte Museum.  Despite our drenched selves, the guided tour of the Belgian artist’s surrealist works was quite interesting. 

Before leaving for the Netherlands on Thursday afternoon, we had a lecture at The European Union Council and the Council of Ministers.  We were seated in a conference room with a large circular table and were able to mimic some of the logistical procedural routines of the actual ministers during our question and answer session.  

Our EU Class and Professor Jacob Buksti at the Council of Ministers

After our final free hours in Brussels, which included one last stop at a chocolate shop appropriately called “Mary’s,” we departed for the Hague by bus.  We made a planned pit stop at La Trappe brewery where we learned about the process of making beer and were served a delicious family-style meal in their beautiful tasting room. There are only 7 Trappist beers, each made under the control of Trappist monks.  

Me and some classmates at the La Trappe Brewery

On our final day, we had a PowerPoint presentation of the Netherlands’ position in the EU at the Danish Embassy, followed by a visit to the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia).  Having never learned the details of the wars in Yugoslavia, it was both fascinating and disconcerting to hear about the conflict and the court’s proceeding measures to establish justice.   

We then made our way to Amsterdam and had a final group lunch before we were given the choice to have a guided tour/lecture at a Prostitute center or free time.  Because this was my first time in the Netherlands, I wanted to see some of the city and decided to go to the Anne Frank House instead—one of the most somber, yet inspiring museums that I have ever visited.

Anne Frank House & Museum  

As you can probably tell by my long, detailed account the long study tour was a week filled with amazing experiences, opportunities, and plenty of Belgium culture.  Being a government major, it was incredible to meet with the formal EU institutions and gain private access to their office buildings.  And overall, there was a nice balance between educational experiences, cultural activities, and free time.  At the same time, with my luggage filled with various free programs/portfolios that we received from our visits and some chocolate as well, it was definitely nice to return to Copenhagen and spend a relaxing weekend with my host family.       

Long Study Tour: Brussels & The Hague

I'm leaving early Sunday morning for my long study tour with my European Politics Program and won't be able to write about my travels until after I return. Here are just some of the scheduled group visits/activities for our week trip: visit to NATO, European Commission, European Parliament, European Union Council and Council of Ministers.

But don't worry, it's not all educational; there are also lots of fun activities planned including a chocolate workshop, biking tour of Brussels, tour of Magritte Museum, and visit to La Trappe Beer Monastery.

Should be a fun and exciting week!

Vi Ses Snart