Goodbye

Closing Ceremony

As the week continued, my days in Copenhagen were narrowing down. May 17th, was the day to start the goodbyes. That day our school, DIS, gave us a closing ceremony, which was at one of the theaters near our school. Before the ceremony started, they showed pictures they purchased from students throughout the year (I made about $80 for the semester by doing this). As the slide show went through the pictures, I saw 6 of the pictures I had taken on the screen, which was cool and weird at the same time. Once the ceremony started, the realization that I was leaving the next day really hit me. As I sat there listening to the DIS String Orchestra and the CBS International choir play sad songs about good times coming to an end, I began to reflect on my semester. I thought about all the great times I had with my new friends, the many different sights I had seen, and many other wonderful times. All I could really think about was, where had 4 months gone? I couldn't believe how fast time had flown! After 2 hours, the ceremony had ended, which meant we were now alumni at DIS. Afterwards, my friends and I went over the the champagne party to get our free drink and snacks. Our next stop was home so we could finish packing and get ready for the night. That night most of went into the common room to celebrate one last time. During our celebration, we spent most of the night taking pictures and talking about all the good times. The whole night our whole group was sad that we would be leaving each other.

Some of the group

We had grown into one big family, the Tåsingegade (T-Gade) family. Later in the night, we went to the after party being held by DIS. The party was a lot of fun. 

The next morning was one of the saddest mornings I have had in my life. It was the day to say goodbye to Copenhagen. I finished up packing and said goodbye to friends. I knew I had to leave and I was sad about it, but the tears didn't hit me until I had to say goodbye to my friend Ari. As Ari and I were saying goodbye, we both started to cry. I couldn't believe my time was coming to an end when I felt like it just started. Once she left I was in even sadder mood. At noon, my time had come. With my 100 pounds of luggage and one duck taped suitcase, it was my turn to leave. I took one last look around my new home and prepared for my goodbyes. Saying goodbye to my friends and SRAs was hard. Of course, I started to cry again. Leaving Copenhagen was a bittersweet moment. With my bags packed in the taxi, I took one last look at my home and left. During the car ride I took in the beauty of Copenhagen one last time...sadly with tears filling my eyes.

While I was excited to go home and see everyone, I was sad to be leaving Copenhagen. This city had become my new home. Leaving the T-gade group was also sad. All of the good and crazy times we had together will always be in my heart. When people ask why did you choose Copenhagen, all I can say is why wouldn't you choose Copenhagen!? This city had given me the best semester I have had in college and many memories I will never forget. Copenhagen will always have a special place in my heart and I will forever consider it a home. 

NY Carlsberg Glyptotek and Louisiana

Before leaving Copenhagen, I had to make sure I made a stop at the 2 most well-known museums, Glyptotek and Louisiana. On May 14th, I went to them. My first stop was Glyptotek. I spent about an hour there, which was a good amount. When you first walk into the museum there is this very weird fountain of a woman feeding many children. Strange. Then I saw the main statues, such as the Wounded Amazon. The special exhibit there was Cleopatra's World, which was interesting.

Part of Cleopatra's World

Wounded Amazon

Later in the afternoon, my visiting mom picked me up so we could go to Louisiana Modern Art Museum. The rest of the family couldn't make it because of other things going on. When we went to the museum, the special exhibit was Picasso. The special exhibit was really nice. We spent around 2-3 hours walking around the museum. Afterwards, we went to the cafe to get a dessert and enjoy the view. The view was of the sea. In one corner, I was able to see Sweden. It was so awesome. Around the museum, there is also a garden, so windows throughout the museum show a beautiful sight too. Sadly, this was the last time I got to spend time with someone from my visiting family. It was so sad. They were such a wonderful family. The mom told me when I come back to Copenhagen, I must contact them!! 

My visiting mom and I

 

The Final Week

With my finals finally over on May 13th, the time to explore and see Copenhagen had finally come. Most of my final week was spent with friends and seeing the sights I wanted to. I went shopping for jewelry that would always remind me of Copenhagen, went back to the Little Mermaid Statue, walked around the area by where I lived, picked up multiple pastries (leaving Denmark would not be complete without them), Stopping by Nyhavn at night, and many other things.


A part of being with DIS is we got a food stipend. During this last week I had about $200 left. What did this mean? Time to feast and buy the most expensive food and drinks. My friends and I had a large expensive meal almost every night. It was a great way to leave Copenhagen.


One last big event I did with my floor was hold an "Around the World Event." Groups of us had to make a certain drink from a different country. My friends and I had to make mojitos. Sadly, they did not turn out well. The event was so much fun. It was a great way for all of us to be together. I am going to miss the group!

Kings Garden

Nyhavn at Night

Carlsberg Brewery

After my European Business Strategy presentation on May 5th, all of the International Business classes had the chance to go to the Carlsberg Brewery. As a group, we headed over to the old house of the founder. There we had free pizza and beer. Once we finished that, we went to the old brewery. We got to see the Carlsberg horses. Some of my friends and I were about to take a picture with one of the horses and the horse started to eat my friends hair. We saw the an old car used for the brewery, the mansion the founder used, and the old brewery. Our tour headed over to the new factory, which was started by the son of Carlsberg after disagreeing with his dad on the brewing process. The elephants that are by the new factory are the 2nd most photographed sights in Copenhagen, behind the Little Mermaid Statue. Sadly, we couldn't get into the new brewery since it was after 7pm. Instead we headed over to the Jacobsen Brewhouse where we got free drinks for 3 hours. Going on this trip was a nice chance to say goodbye to all my class and spend one last time together.

Carlsberg Elephant

Jacobsen Brewhouse

As My Time Comes to an End

As of May 6th, I no longer have classes to attended at DIS. The moment was bittersweet. On one hand I was happy because I didn't have to go to class, but sad because it was more realization that my time in Copenhagen is coming to an end. The experiences I have had here and my love for the city are not going to make leaving Copenhagen easy. While I am excited to go home, I am sad to be leaving Copenhagen. The city has grown to become a part of me. I find myself doing traditional Danish things, such as not jwalking. 

The weather isn't helping my feeling of not wanting to leave the city. This spring is the warmest spring Copenhagen has had in 22 years!! Most days are filled with sunshine (the sun rises at 5am and sets at 9:30pm) and in the 60s. Since the weather is so nice all I want to do is explore the city. My visiting family has told me a few times that Copenhagen is much better in the summer. When I got back from my study break, I could see the difference in the city with the nicer weather. This nice weather makes leaving sadder because I want the opportunity to leave the city during its best season.


While I am sad about leaving, I will continue to reflect on the many wonderful experiences I have had here and the more that will happen within the last week. Now, it's time to finish up my Copenhagen to do list!

May Day

On May 1st was Copenhagen's May Day. For countries in Europe, this day is synonymous with International Worker's Day. As a way to celebrate, the city enjoys a day at Fælledparken, a local park. The day in the park isn't just a normal day where people have a BBQ with friends. Instead, the park is filled with thousands of people, food stands, several concerts, a few amusement rides, and people having a great time with friends. The day is also filled with drinking. Since the park is down the block from my housing, a few friends and I decided to go experience May Day. When we got there, we were surprised at how big of a deal this celebration was. Once we got there, we walked around and went to see the reggae band. After spending a few hours in the park, we headed back home. Another great cultural experience in Copenhagen.

Tivoli

China Town in Tivoli

While living in Denmark, my time here would not be complete without a trip to Tivoli. Tivoli is the second oldest amusement park in the world and is the most visited theme park in Scandinavia. Since the park opened while I was on spring break, my fellow floor mates and I have been anxiously trying to get to the park. On April 29th, a group of us finally went. As we got to Tivoli, I felt like a little kid again. I couldn't wait to step in the park and start going on the rides. When we walked into the park I was already in love with it. Like the rest of Copenhagen, Tivoli was quaint and adorable.
 Trees, brightly colored flowers, and arches with colored lights adorned the paths of Tivoli. As soon as all of us were in the park, we headed for a ride. The first ride we went on was a little roller coaster that had a track that was built during the 1800s. The breaks of the ride were controlled manually by a man who sat in the middle of the ride shifting the gears. The next ride we went on was the swings. The view from the swings was amazing!! I could see most of the city! During my time at Tivoli, I was reunited with my love for cracklin' fresh (the crispy outside of the pork) that I had in Berlin. My friend and I were so excited for it because we haven't seen cracklin' fresh anywhere since we went to Berlin. Of course, the pork sandwich with it was delicious! As our time continued at the park, we went on more rides. When the sun went down, my love for the park intensified. The different colored lights in the trees, on the rides and on the arches were so pretty. Around 10pm, the free concert came on, which we stayed to watch for a little. I loved my time at Tivoli and can say it was one of the best things I have done here!!

Entrance to China Town

View from the line of Demon

Gardens

 

Barcelona

Similar to our Venice trip, Eric and I didn't arrive in Barcelona until 11:30pm. The good thing was our hostel for the night was located off of La Rambla street. The down side, our hostel was not the greatest. The room was in a separate building from the main building and the room didn't have any lockers to store our valuable things. Luckily, we only had one night there.

April 20th

In front of Arc de Triomf

Eric and I woke up early in the morning so we could get to the apartment a family friend of his was letting us borrow. When we arrived at the apartment, it was a huge step up from the hostel. We were located a few blocks from the Sagrada Familia, had our own rooms and bathrooms, and the best part was we had a balcony with an awesome view! After getting ready, we started our adventure around the city with the goal of getting to the beach. On our walk to the beach we passed Sant Joan Park, went into Salesians Church, Jetuan Square and Dr. Robert monument in Jetuan Squar. One of the bigger sights we saw was the Arc de Triomf and the Liuis Company's Passage. By continuing on our path we ran into the Ciutadella Park. In the park, we saw the National Zoology Museum, Gaudi's Cascade, and a lake. After walking for an hour, we finally made it to Barceloneta Beach. Eric and I sat along the boardwalk eating our lunch and enjoying the view. Before we left the beach, I made sure I stuck my feet in the Mediterranean Sea.

Feet in the Mediterranean Sea

Once we were done at the beach, we decided to hike up a large hill to get to the 1992 Olympic Stadium. On our way to the hill we saw the Gate of Sana Madrona and the Monument of Colon (Columbus). Eventually we made it to the hill and began our hike. At one point we lost track of the path so we ended up taking a nature path. Once we reached the top of one section we were greeted with a magnificent view of the city. 

View of the city from the hill

Olympic Stadium

After spending some time enjoying the view of the hill, we continued on our mission to find the Olympic Stadium. When we finally reached the stadium we walked around for a little. Even though both of us were tired, we continued our adventure around the city. Some of our other destinations included the National Art Museum of Catalunya, Placa d' Espanya, the Font Magic (Magic Fountain), and the Nou Camp Stadium (where FC Barcelona plays). After spending most of the day on our feet, we made our way back to the apartment to take a break before beginning our evening. Once we were a little rested we walked around the area to find a place to eat dinner. For dinner, I had a strange combination of foods. My dinner consisted of a kebab, a sunny side up egg, and salad. Since the FC Barcelona and Madrid game was on that evening we stayed in the restaurant for a little to watch the game with the locals. The rest of the evening we sat on the balcony eating cake, drinking wine and enjoying our view of the city.


April 21st

My day started with a Fat Tire Bike Tour. I did a tour like this in London and loved it so I wanted to do another one. Before our tour started, I was really excited about riding around Barcelona and for the fun to come. At the beginning of the tour, our tour guide told us if we ring our bell 3 times and people don't move we can run them over. I'm sure he was joking...I think. Our tour started in Sant Jaume Plaza, which is one of the most important squares in Barcelona. Other stops included Rei Square, Palau de la Musica Catalana, Barcelona Cathedral, Parc de la Crutadella, and Placa de Toros Monumental (where bull fights are put on). One of the bigger sights we saw the Sangrada Familia. Here our tour guide told us the church isn't finished. The city would like to have it done by 2026, but most people know that won't happen. Being added to the church is more towers so there will be a total of 18. Gaudi, the man who designed the church, said it would take 200 years to complete Sangrada Familia making the completion year 2092. After spending a few minutes there we rode to our last few stops. The last few stops were Port Olympic and Barceloneta beach. At the beach, we had a break to eat. Another girl and I decided to split a few drinks of delicious sangria. What a great way to spend the day. Enjoying the warm and sunny weather on the beach with some sangria. At 4pm our tour was over and I met up with Eric again.

Fruit stand at Boqueria Market

We went to Boqueria Market to look at all the food vendors. At the market, we enjoyed a fresh bowl of fruit. From the market we walked along La Rambla and the neighboring streets to find somewhere to eat for dinner. Next, we went back to the apartment to relax before dinner. On our way home, we stopped at Torre Agbar. Once we were somewhat rested, we started our walk to downtown for dinner. During our way we sawy Gaudi's Casa Mila La Pedera, Gaudi's Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller and Catalunya Square. That night we ate dinner at the restaurant  Les Quinze Mity in Reial Square. We had to wait an hour to get in, but we had plenty of entertainment in the square. There was a couple ballroom dancing and a woman playing the violin. The man called the Aaron Experience was the best. He juggled up to 5 bowling pins, did tumbling, and balanced kids from the line on his shoulders. Plus, his song he performed to was very catchy. Once we made it into the restaurant, Eric and I ordered Fideua a traditional Catalan dish. 

Fideua

When we finished dinner we decided to walk to the Magic Fountain to see if it was one. Of course after walking 30 minutes, the fountain wasn't on like it should have been. Oh well. The rest of the night was walking around the city. 

April 22nd

Sagrada Familia

Our last full day in Barcelona. Even though part of the day was rainy, we didn't let that stop us. We started our day with the Sagrada Familia. Once we made it in the church we were in aw. The interior was stunning and huge! We spent a while looking at everything in the church before we went to the Gaudi Nature exhibit and museum located below the church.

Afterwards, we walked along the Passeig de Gracica before going to La Rambla Street. Once on La Rambla we went to see Gaudi's Palau Guell house. Park Guell was our next stop for the day.

Hill leading up to Park Guell

Getting to the park was a bit of an adventure. Along with taking the metro we had to hike up hill. Luckily, Barcelona installs random outdoor escalators. In the park, we went to see the terrace and houses designed by Gaudi. 

Main entrance to the park

The rest of our evening consisted of walking through the modern parts of the city, seeing Hospital de la Stant Creu and Sant Pau, Barcelona Cathedral,St. Maria Square, St. Maria de Mar Church, and sitting around Reil Square. Since it was our last night in Barcelona we figured there was no better way then to enjoy sangrias and crema Catalana (a traditional dessert). 

Before we went back to the apartment one last time, we enjoyed the street entertainers on La Rambla and walked past the Sagrada Familia. 

My time in Barcelona was wonderful. I really enjoyed the city and would have to say it is one of my favorite cities I have visited. 

More pictures of my trip can be found here

Venice

After spending 5 wonderful days in Rome, I continued by stay in Italy by heading off to Venice. While the Rome trip started and ended smoothly, the Venice trip didn't start smoothly. Our flight to Venice was supposed to depart at 8:30pm. As my friend and I reached the gate, we were informed that our flight was delayed 2 hours, which caused a small problem. Since we were staying at a guest house, we were told to try and be there by 11pm. Obviously getting there at 11pm wasn't going to happen. Next step was to call the guest house. When we called, I was greeted by an Asian man who didn't understand English very well. Luckily everything worked out. Around 10:30pm, we were off to Venice. After walking the empty streets of Venice, my friend and I made it to our hostel around 1am.

April 17th

St. Mark's Basilica

After the start we had to our trip, I was ready for what our first full day in Venice had to bring. That morning we met the 2 other people staying in our room, which gave me another reason to think how small the world is. Turns out one of the boys was from Purdue University and his roommate went to my high school. After Eric and I were ready, we started our long day. The first thing we visited was the Rialto Bridge since we were a 10 minute walk from it. After we headed over to St. Mark's Square.

At the square, we tried to go into St. Mark's Bailica, but it was closed. Instead, we walked around the square, looked at Campanile, and looked at the gondolas along the water. After, we continued our day of walking. Since we didn't have a map, we walked along the main tourist path. Our walk led us through many of the main shops, which we stopped in to look at Murano glass items and masks.

 

Once we found a map, we were able to find the other major sights we wanted to see for the day. Our walk provided us with views of many picturesque canals and old homes. We continued along our original path since it lead us to several sights. Some of the sights we saw included the church of Santa Maria of Giglio, The Museum of Music: Artemino Versari Collection, Campo S. Stefano (square), the church of San Vidal, and a garden near the church of San Vidal. Eventually, we reached a bridge that over looked the Grand Canal so we stopped for a few minutes to take pictures, enjoy the sun, and enjoy the view. We then continued on our adventure through the streets of Venice. As we continued walking through the beautiful streets we continuously stopped into shops and took pictures of the endless canals. Another sight we saw was the  Bucintoro Rowing Club Museum. Inside the museum we saw several items, such as the Duchess of Genoa's Cup (the first major award won by the Bucintoro Rowing Club), photographs, trophies and the social banner. After spending a few minutes in the museum we continued on our tourist path. Our path led us to the church of Saint Maria of Salute. We walked around the area near the church, which had a statue of a naked boy holding a frog and enjoyed being surrounded by water. We had hoped to go into the church, but it didn't open for a few more hours. To pass time, we headed back to St. Mark's Square to go in Doge's Palace. 

Doge's Palace

Doge's Palace was awesome. Of course, there were signs saying not to take pictures. Did I pay attention to those rules? No. Guess I've learned to be extra sneaky. During our tour, we saw the golden stairway, the Grand Council Chamber, Senate Hall, Hall of the Council of Ten, Hall of the Compass, Voting Hall, and the Chamber of the Great Council. My two favorite rooms in the palace were the Chamber of Great Council and the Council Chamber. Both rooms had ceilings adorned with gold molding and large paintings. The Chamber of Great Council is the largest room in Doge's Palace and one of the largest rooms in Europe. This room also holds the largest canvas painting. Our tour also led us through the old prisons. Near the end of our tour, we walked through the Bridge of Sighs. Looking through to the other side was awesome. At the end, our tour led us to the courtyard near the Giant's Stairway.

Council Chamber

Inside the Bridge of Sighs

Once we were done at the Doge's Palace we headed back to Saint Maria della Salute to view the inside of the church. Inside was very pretty. Once we were done walking through the church we took a gondola ride across the Grand Canal. As we continued our day of walking in the wonderful weather, Eric and I saw the church of Saint Moise, the Museum of St. Marko Square, the boardwalk, the Sighs Bridge, and the Arsenal. 

Bridge of Sighs

After spending about 9 hours of walking, we headed off to dinner at a restaurant suggested to us by a museum helper. On our way to dinner, we walked through the lesser known streets of Venice. The less toursity streets helped me enjoy Venice even more. I had the chance to really see how the people of Venice lived. Plus, we saw many more picturesque canals. Once we arrived at dinner, the atmosphere at the restaurant was exactly what I needed after a day of walking. We received a complementary dinner drink and sat along a canal, which provided us with an enjoyable view. 

Canal we saw on our way to dinner

When we finished dinner we ventured back to St. Mark's Square to see the view of the square and water at night. Like the rest of the views we had seen during the day, our evening view was just as picture perfect. After spending some time in the square enjoying the live music being performed by restuarants, we went back to our place. Of course, stopping at the Rialto Bridge to take a night photo. I can say that after 12 hours of walking around, the first day in Venice was a success and very enjoyable.

Rialto Bridge

April 18th

Murano Island

Our morning started off with taking a tour of St. Mark's Basilica. The basilica was stunning. Adorning the ceiling was gold and mosaics. After we finished walking around the basilica, we began our day trip to Murano Island. Since the island is know for its glass, we spent most of the time on the island looking at the shops along the main canals. After spending several hours looking in shops, we left for the main island in the early evening.

Man working in his shop

Once we were back on the main island, we tried to go see if the Arsenal was open. Sadly, it was closed again. On our way to dinner we decided to walk through more side streets. The rest of the night was dinner and walking around Venice.

April 18th
Our last day in Venice. Originally, the hostel said we weren't allowed to keep our bags there once we checked out. Luckily, Eric's Chinese came in handy. He asked the woman in charge of the hostel if we could keep our bags there. Once she found out he understood Chinese she said we could keep our bags there. Thank goodness. Carrying around a 20 pound backpack through the narrow streets of Venice wouldn't have been fun. Since we had seen most of Venice, we only had a few places to stop. Our day consisted of going to the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the church of San Rocco, a public garden and walking along the streets near the Rialto Bridge. Around 4pm, we left Venice to continue our spring break in Barcelona. While Venice is one of the smaller cities I have been too, I enjoyed my time there. Of course, I had to end my trip the Italian way by eating gelato.

Pictures from my trip can be found here