Loppen & Loppemarked

Last night I saw Sleigh Bells at the Loppen in Christiania. If we hadn't asked people for directions, there was literally no way we would've found the place. Christiania is not well-lit at night and we didn't see a sign on the venue. Basically we noticed a bunch of people standing around outside a building and asked a woman if it was the right place.

The Loppen is a really cool venue. It's small and "hygge." Hygge (pronounced hoo-guh) is this idea of coziness which is really important to the Danes. Sleigh Bells were fun, but they only played for about 30 minutes. I couldn't believe it! I understand that they don't have many songs, but really? The opening band was this crazy screaming chick named The Echo Vamper. Overall it was a good time, and I hope to go back there before the end of the semester.

hygge

 me & Sam

Our awesome view

Today I went to a Loppenmarked (flea market) and let me tell you, Danish flea markets are the place to go. After the disappointment of my previous thrifting attempts, I had pretty low expectations for the Ballerup Loppenmarked. It turned out to be great though! Loppen, by the way, means "flea," which is ironic because the music venue I went to last night translates to "The Flea" in English. Anyways, I found this great old pocket watch and a cute scarf I'm using for decoration. I bought the pocket watch for 50 kroner (about $10), but I've been looking for one for awhile now, so I was so happy to find one!

taxidermy animals!

lots of booths

my pocket watch

pocket watch + newly thrifted belt

And just in case you were curious, here's a picture of my room. I love the slanted ceiling.

 View from my window

Nightlife and Being a Tourist

This week has flown by. We don't have class at all on Wednesdays so it kind of feels like we have two weekends. I explored the thrift scene in Ballerup and was a little disappointed. I went to two stores-one was more like a consignment store and the other was an uninteresting antique-type store. I guess Danes just like buying things new!

I went to the Round Tower yesterday with my friend Emily in between classes. (I can cross it of my list now!) It's not actually that tall, but since Copenhagen doesn't have skyscrapers the view was pretty cool. I didn't have my camera so I found these pictures on the web. 

http://www.copenhagendenmark.co.uk/2004/11/rundetarn-round-tower-copenhagen/

http://www.planetware.com/picture/copenhagen-round-tower-dk-dk040.htm

http://rainprel.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/the-colors-of-copenhagen/

Quick side note-Danes love smoking. There was a concert playing in the square near school and the guy was playing piano and singing with a cigarette in his hand the whole time. Impressive. 

Last night I went out with some of my friends in Copenhagen. It was fun! We stayed in the central Copenhagen area, which attracts a lot of tourists, so I really want to branch out explore areas outside central Copenhagen like Norrebro and Vesterbro.

University of Copenhagen at night

Tonight I'm going to Sleigh Bells at the Loppen! Sooo excited. Its in Christiania so that should be interesting. Christiania is a self-governing commune on an island right outside Copenhagen. I'm going there on a field study next Wednesday for my Danish Culture & Language class so I'll explain more later. Have a great weekend!

Kronborg & Sweden

I went to Sweden on Sunday! Yes thats right, Sweden. You don't get to say that everyday :)

The DIS trips to Kronborg filled up pretty fast so my host parents and I decided to take a trip to Helsingør on our own. Kronborg Castle is this huge place on the coast of Denmark that is the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It's a pretty impressive place.

Inside the courtyard

Me in the courtyard

King Frederick II's initials

Kronborg from across the moat

 "Anno" means year but when I saw this I immediately thought of my sister Annie

The ballroom

Lotte

The charming town of Helsingør

After the tour we took a ferry across the Sound to Helsingborg, Sweden. This was definitely the best part. We climbed up some steps leading to a medieval tower which is the last remaining part of an old Danish fortress. This part of Sweden actually belonged to the Danes back in the 1600s. After taking the "I'm in Sweden!" picture we headed to a cafe for some coffee and pastries. Overall it was an awesome end to the weekend.

On the ferry

Sweden!

the "I'm in Sweden" picture

Helsingborg Harbor

Today I had some time to kill before my Danish class and decided to check out a vintage store nearby DIS. Turns out vintage is extremely overpriced in Copenhagen! Most of the dresses were 500 kroner or more, which is roughly $100. Yikes. Sounds like I'll have to hunt to find a decent thrift or vintage store.

Tomorrow night I'm going to dinner at a place in Østerbro for my Danish class. I heard that dinner is on DIS so keep your fingers crossed :) Theres also a Medical Practice & Policy social event on Wednesday at this vegetarian restaurant called the RizRaz. My friend that studied in Copenhagen through DIS last year recommended it to me, so I'm excited to try it out!

First Weekend

Last night DIS hosted a welcome party for all the students at a club nearby school. I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be really fun! Thanks for the free beer DIS :)

I also bought a ticket to see Sleigh Bells at the Loppen. I'm so excited! If you haven't heard of them, check them out. The song Rill Rill is one of my favorites.

Today I biked to the train station with my host mom and it was bitter, bitter cold. By the time we got back I couldn't feel my face, toes, or fingers. I have a newfound admiration of all the Danes that bike to work or school each day, and that includes both my host parents. Perhaps I'll give it another go once its warmer.

I've started to compile a list of things that I want to do this semester in Copenhagen. In order to make sure I do it, I'm going to post it as a reminder so that I make the most of my time here.

So here's a list of places, and in no particular order. I'll cross them out after I go there.

• Kronborg Castle (Elsinore from Shakespeare's Hamlet)
• Christiania, the freetown
• Tivoli Gardens
• The Round Tower
• Lousiana Museum of Modern Art
• Copenhagen Opera House
• Rosenberg Castle
• Carlsberg Brewery
• Dyrehave park (literally, a deer park)
• go to a party at a Folkehøjskole
• Vesterbro & Nørrebro neighborhoods
• Royal Danish Theater

I'll be posting a picture tour of my walk to school in a few days so stay tuned.

Listening to--10 Mile Stereo by Beach House

p.s. Danes DO jaywalk. I saw it myself! So don't believe it when people tell you that danish people strictly abide by crosswalk signals because its an urban myth. They just do it a bit less than Americans :)

København

So far Copenhagen has been awesome! I'm finally done with three long days of orientation and I start classes tomorrow. I'm living with a host family in Ballerup, which is a northern suburb of Copenhagen. This makes my commute about 40 minutes long by bus and train. Its safe to say that my Ipod is my new best friend.

Copenhagen has a pretty decent music scene that I cannot wait to check out. Sleigh Bells are playing on January 29th and Lykke Li is coming in April! 

I took these pictures a few days ago on a short tour of Copenhagen.

The Danish Parliament

Nyhavn

The Royal Palace (part of it)

 The harbor

 Opera House

Gråbrødretorv (Grey Brother Square)

 Considered one of the most charming squares in Copenhagen