A Week In Photos

I've slowly getting more adventurous in wandering around and exploring new locations in Copenhagen, and I've been cooking progressively more challenging meals (scrambled eggs! hamburger patties!) for myself.  I am heading out on my first study tour (DIS plans trips that are relevant to our course content throughout the semester, this is our "short" study tour that lasts Thu-Sat) tomorrow and so don't have a lot of time to blog.  Instead of a lot of text, I will share my adventures in pictures in order to give you a brief run down of what I have been up to.

On Thursday night my Danish class had our "cafe" night where we all went out to dinner, courtesy of DIS, to get to know one another and practice speaking Danish.  I felt like a Hyggelig atmosphere, with the dim lighting and new friends, was almost achieved.  Mostly us college students who are cooking on our own this semester were grateful to have a free, hearty meal.

Noodle stir fry at Paludan Bogcafe

On Friday night my friends and I made beef chili with beans, onions, peppers, broccoli and carrots, with corn muffins (which ended up tasing more like cupcakes sans the frosting) on the side.  I was quite proud, and deliciously full, after the dinner we made.

Emma, Julia, Emma and Emilia at our chili dinner

Friday evening we also went to a club in town, Den Glade Gris (The Happy Pig).  It was a really fun and relaxed atmosphere, with bar seating and live music downstairs and a dance floor upstairs.  The night we were there a Danish Cover Band, The Prostitutes, was playing.  They did covers of "Summer of '69" and "Use Somebody".

The Prostitutes, a Danish cover band playing at The Happy Pig

On Saturday some friends and I went to Nationalmuseet, Denmark's National Museum.  They had exhibits on Denmark's pre-history, the renaissance age, an exhibit on Queen Margarete and her love of archeology, an exhibit titled "Stories of Denmark 1660-2000" and my favorite, an exhibit on toys, including many intricate dollhouses.

Some of the dollhouses at the exhibit Legetøjets Verden (Toys: Their World)

Although I don't have a picture from this, on Saturday night we went to the Copenhagen Jewish Film Festival.  This event happens only once every other year and apparently brings out all the Jews in Copenhagen.  We saw "Holy Rollers", a slightly dark but thought-provoking movie staring Jesse Eisenberg (the main actor from The Social Network) as an Orthodox Jew in New York who gets caught up in an ecstasy trafficking ring. 


Today, my Danish class took a field trip to Christiansborg Castle.  The royal family used to live in this castle, but now it is home to the Parliament, the Prime Minister and his staff, the Supreme Court, and it also has rooms for the Queen to formally received guests.  We got a tour of the underground ruins, which remain from the former fortress and two former castles (both of which burned down) that used to be on this spot, and of the Queen's reception rooms.

Christiansborg Castle

After our trip to Christiansborg, I went to explore the Royal Library on my own.  The Royal Library got a new addition in 1999, called the Black Diamond, that is a spectacular piece of architecture on the inside and outside.  Inside is full of reading rooms, the national photography museum, a gallery of cartoon artwork, and a cafe and gift shop.

The outside of the Royal Library

The inside of The Black Diamond

 I must go, as I am headed off to Lübeck and Kiel, Germany and  Sønderborg, Denmark early in the morning. I will do a full posting about my adventures there after the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!