Danish (Pastries not People)

I arrived in Copenhagen late Wednesday morning with the girls, and we immediately went to the ATM to get some Danish krones.  The Danes have one of the cutest currencies out there since all their coins are shiny and covered in crowns and hearts.  After checking into the hostel, Lauren, Emily, and I set off to explore some of the city.  Our first adventure was climbing 400 steps to the summit of the Church of Our Savior.  The view was gorgeous, though unfortunately the cloudy sky inhibits my pictures from conveying this beauty.  The church tower is also home to several bells that began ringing during our struggle to reach the top.  I don't know how the hunchback of Notre Dame could ever stand such a volume!  After  getting our feet back on solid ground we walked over to a bakery where we split a delicious dessert made of marzipan, strawberries, and cream.  Needless to say it was heavenly.

 

On our second day in Copenhagen, we made our way to a beautiful park that was home to the famous Little Mermaid statue.  We rounded a harbor full of sailboats to stumble upon an unusually rowdy scene.  Unbeknownst to us simple tourists, there was a big football match (and by football I mean soccer) that weekend in Copenhagen.  Some of the visiting fans were taking the opportunity of drunkenly turning the Little Mermaid into an effigy.  A few men actually scaled the rocks to dress the statue in a t-shirt and scarf supporting their team.  It was humorous to say the least.  After seeing the statue, we walked around the rest of the park.  Part of it is a somewhat active military fort called Kastellet.  I got to see my first old-fashioned windmill there too! 

After the park, we walked down the street and saw the palace where the Danish royal family currently live.  The palace has guards stationed outside the doors and they look a lot like the British ones.  One tourist was posing for a picture next to one guard, but I guess she was standing too close because he promptly stamped the butt of his rifle on the ground and then used it to shift her over a foot.  I think she was surprised and a bit shaken by the suddenness of the whole action.  Walking further down the street, we stumbled upon an jeweler's shop with a small amber museum located just above it.  Copenhagen is known for its amber since in history many residents harvested it along the shores after the waves had torn it from the ocean floor.  It reminded me of Jurassic Park.

We spent the rest of the day struggling to get to Frederiksborg Castle just outside the city but it was unfortunately closed by the time we got there.  However, the outside looked so beautiful that we knew we had to come back the next day and try again. 

Unknowingly, we picked the absolute perfect time to visit Copenhagen, for it just so happened that on our second night the entire city was having a huge celebration!  Early every November, at exactly 8:59 pm, all the bars release Christmas beer!  They only have it for the Christmas season, so everyone goes crazy when they can finally get it!  Lauren, Emily, and I weren't that familiar with the city night life so we ended up stuck in an area filled with posh bars and no idea of where to go for a glass of Christmas beer.  After wandering for a bit, I got fed up and stopped the first young person I saw.  The second he opened his mouth to give us directions, all of our mouths dropped.  There was no mistaking his Irish brogue.  Out of all the people I could have asked for help, I stop the one Irish tourist.  And he wasn't just any Irish tourist!  His name was Shane and he was actually a teacher at a high school that three of my friends from Maynooth graduated from!  (Upon my arrival home, I asked one of my friends about Shane and he told me that he had accidentally punted a gaelic ball at Shane's head and, in turn, Shane punted it into the river haha!)  As corny as it may sound, I have to say it.  Small world!  With Shane's guidance we continued on our quest for Christmas beer and we weren't disappointed!  We entered a bar and were handed free Christmas Beer!  Though I must admit that it actually tasted pretty gross to me.

 We headed back to the hostel to get some sleep, and I think I should take the opportunity to tell you a bit about the building our hostel was neighbors with.  You may have heard of the Bella Hotel because apparently President Obama went there for a conference on climate etc. (we were told that the windmill in front of the hotel was built because of Obama's visit but that it actually doesn't work because it would make too much noise)  The cool part of the building is that it actually leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa (it leans 15 degrees while Pisa only leans 3.97).  The top juts out 10 meters farther than the base. 

 

The next morning we went back to Frederiksborg Castle and I am so glad we did because it turned out to be my favorite part of Copenhagen.  Let me tell you, Danish royalty don't mess around.  The castle is huge with several stone spiral staircases, hundreds of rooms, grand halls, a church, and a park for a backyard.  We spent hours just winding our way through the building and grounds.  I especially enjoyed looking at all the paintings of members of the royal family.  I think that the men had a secret competition to see who could groom the most ridiculous moustache, which would be a genius form of torture!  Think about it.  All the Danes would be forbidden from laughing the foolish caterpillar growing on their lord's face.  Absolute torture!

After taking the train back into the city, we wandered around the downtown shopping streets a bit before finally grabbing our bags from the hostel and rushing to catch our train that would take us to the airport.  This train was significantly more uneventful than our last one, although we did get to make friends with some Germans.  Traveling is exhausting and I was extremely happy to finally see Ireland again.  It is quite possible that I kissed the ground in full view of all the taxi drivers lined up and waiting for passengers.  They can judge me I don't care!

...Or Did You Get Lost in Amsterdam?

To continue with my "Study Week" (as they call fall break here) adventures, after a awful day of traveling, I made it safe and sound to beautiful Amsterdam!  I was so exhausted that I ended up just going straight to bed, but that was good because I got to start fresh the next morning.  I met up with four other SMC chicks from the Maynooth program to explore Amsterdam: Lauren, Emily, Katie, and Madison.  We all had different things we wanted to do so it was nice to have a bigger group so we could split up.

In the morning, Lauren, Emily, and I walked to the Rijksmuseum which is home to many of the famous paintings and other works of Dutch artists.  We started upstairs with the paintings and oh my goodness gracious were they beautiful!  My favorite was "River View by Moonlight" painted by Aert van der Neer (here is a link if you want to see it yourself http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/SK-A-3245?page=0&lang=en&context_space=&context_id=). Johannes Vermeer's paintings were also very beautiful.  Downstairs there were all sorts of miscellaneous art pieces.  One room was entirely dedicated to illustrations in children's books and you could sit on couches and read the books that were displayed on the surrounding walls.  In another room there were two giant doll houses.  They put ladders in front of them so that you could peer into the attic and upper rooms.  I know three little girls who would have gone crazy playing with those doll houses!  There was also the figurehead from an old ship hanging above one of the doorways.

After getting our fill of culture in the Rijksmuseum, we stepped outside where what do you think accosted our eyes but the famous "I amstersdam" sign.  Photo op?  I think so!  (The next day we actually found a miniature one as well!) For some reason the "I" in the sign had a mustache, I wish I could tell you why.  


Amsterdam is of course known for its beautiful and numerous canals, but you may not know that it also seems to have just as many trams.  Lauren proved to be an expert at navigating them.  She always got us to the right stop and headed in the right direction on the right tram.  Now you may not be so impressed with this, but trust me, you should be.  Those things are confusing!  After getting off the tram, I would break out the map and maneuver us among the streets, bridges, and canals to our destination.  We made the perfect team!

The trams aren't the only way of getting around Amsterdam.  Biking is a big deal there too!  They actually have a huge, multi-level parking garage just for bikes!  All the streets and bridges are lined with bikes and bike racks too.  I especially enjoyed seeing all the men riding along on their bikes with their girlfriends sitting sidesaddle on the back.  It was so cute that Emily and I had to try it!

One of our many destinations was the Tulip Museum.  Yes, it's just as adorable as it sounds!  There was a little shop with a display on the history of tulips in the basement.  We learned that tulips actually don't have a scent (though some modern hybrids can have one).  Who knew?  I also discovered a white tulip called Maureen!

We also went to Bagijnhof which was a community of homes for single, lay Catholic women called beguines.  Even though between 1578 and 1795 Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith and much of their property was confiscated, the beguines were left in peace.  This is because they were lay women and their homes were considered personal property. Though the last beguine died in 1971, still only women live in the homes of Bagijnhof. 

That night we did two of the most touristy things possible.  First we went on a canal tour boat ride and second, we went to the Ice Bar.  We had to watch a hilariously corny video and get suited up in puffy white coats and gloves.  Then we went into freezing (literally) cold room where everything was carved out of ice.  There were icy chairs and benches and even sculptures of penguins.  After the bar, we passed through the Red Light District on our way home.  It was honestly the most depressing five minutes of my life, and that is really all there is to say about it.

On our last day in Amsterdam we went shopping in a flea market just down the street from our hostel.  Lauren got some hilarious slippers that looked just like wooden Dutch shoes!  Afterwards we headed over to one of the canals where we rented a paddle boat and wound our way among the different streets of water.  Besides a brief run in with a couple of threatening swans, we were able to relax and enjoy the beautiful buildings lining the canals.  I must admit that I am in love with those narrow yet tall houses.

After giving our legs a good work out, we made our way to a tulip market.  It was incredibly colorful!  I even picked up a packet of bulbs from one of the vendors and shipped them back to Mom.  Hopefully they'll pop up in the spring, though I may not be home in time to see them.  Lauren currently has some growing in a tin can in her room!

My final adventure in Amsterdam was a somber one.  I went with Madison and Katie to see the building that Anne Frank hid in for years during WWII.  Having just studied her diary last year at Saint Mary's, I appreciated being able to see first hand what I had only read about.  The house is a little hard to describe, and to be honest, I think Anne does it best in her diary, so please look there if you'd like an accurate picture.  The rooms are now bare because Otto Frank, Anne's father, requested that it remain unfurnished.  However, there are photos in each room of what it would have looked like when Anne lived there.  As I walked through the different rooms there were two things that especially stood out to me.  First, was the bookcase that covered the secret entrance to the attic.  Stepping through that didn't even feel real.  I couldn't believe that I was passing through the entrance to Anne's world.  The second thing that I found eerie was Anne's room.  It contained no furniture, but all her posters and pictures were still glued to the wall.  There were movie stars, the royal family, advertisements, and family photos.  As vivid as my imagination is, reading about it just doesn't compare to actually seeing it first hand.  Throughout the rest of the museum there were video presentations, quotations, and Anne's actual diaries.  It was very moving and even though a huge crowd was passing through each room, there was barely even a whisper.  As sad and spooky as it was, I'm glad that I got to see where Anne lived.

After the Anne Frank house we hurried back to the hostel to gather our things and then hopped on a night train headed for Copenhagen.  For some odd reason I was the only one to get a bed, and all the other girls were stuck in compartments that only had chairs.  I investigated my room and seeing that a suspicious looking man was there, I opted for sticking with the other girls.  Lauren, Emily, and I had bought cheese, apples, and bread for dinner, so we feasted on these while chatting (though we were interrupted several times by police with drug sniffing dogs).  Unfortunately, more and more passengers kept arriving so I was kicked out of my borrowed seat.  I made my way back to my compartment and luckily discovered that the suspicious man had left the train and that there were 3 extra beds!  I grabbed Lauren and Emily and we moved into my compartment.  There were two other men staying there as well, but they were both very nice and we chatted for a bit before finally going to sleep (I got one of the top bunks which was surprisingly comfortable).  In our conversation, however, one of the men told us that the guy who left was afraid of being searched for drugs by all the police, so he hopped off at the nearest stop!  Are my instincts sharp or what?  In the end we arrived safe and sound in Copenhagen, so no harm done.