Oktoberfest! (rather Septemberfest) September 17, 2009

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and the smell of saurkraut was in the air.  Torben and I headed over to the local annual Oktoberfest after we had agreed that there was nothing else that we NEEDED to do that day.  If we later remembered something, it wouldn’t have mattered because there was one thing that this day was about… BEER.

We arrived to a small and sad looking array of carnival activities which were simply landscaping for the giant tent that housed an entire day of polka music and “prosts”.  Once we entered there was no going back…

The inside of the beer tent

My authentic bratwurst with saurkraut!

Beer!

Easter Sunday… April 15, 2009

I didn’t mention Saturday because, honestly, nothing happened.  We spent all day taking headache medicine, drinking water, and staring blankly at the television. 

Sunday was great though!  It was another beautiful day, and we rode our bikes into town and saw a film (The Reader) and then we went home to get ready for that evening.  One of Torben’s closest friends got us VIP tickets to the Danish DJ awards, and it was an amazing show, not to mention that said friend won one of said awards.  Some of the biggest names in Danish pop, hip hop, and dance music performed throughout the show, and at the after party that continued into the wee hours of the morning.

Friday, April 10th… April 15, 2009

This was Torben’s birthday and boy did we celebrate. We invited several of his friends over for drinks, and we had plenty. Originally the plan was to start at around 8 O’clock, but apparently that was just an estimation. An out of town guest, and a more local friend arrived a little after 4 O’clock and of course things got under way at this point. I held off on hitting the sauce until about 6, but that seemed to have no effect on my later state. For several hours the liquor and the drunken banter flowed until the guys decided to head to a local bar for some musical entertainment. At this point, my ability to communicate in English or any other language was slim to none, so I opted to stay in with two of my theatre colleagues who had stopped by. Sadly enough, the three of us were fast asleep on the couch within minutes.

One thing that is important to know about me is that there are stages to a night of partying for me, and this has been proven throughout my life. First, there is the point where I have had a couple of drinks and I am comfortable talking to almost anyone. Second comes the stage where I have had a few more drinks, and I usually start to dance and often encourage others to as well. Next is where I am my best, I am a lot of fun for anywhere from a half an hour to two hours from this point. I love everyone and I assume that everyone loves me back. Rarely do I make it past this point, but I did that night and trust me… it ain’t pretty. Shortly after all of this, I go to sleep and there is no chance of waking me most likely until the following day.

A close up of me and Torben’s friend Janus… probably taken by someone who was slightly impared judging by the focus.

Torben and his friend Mikkel who traveled four hours just to be at the party.

Thursday April 9th… April 15, 2009

The Danes truly know how to have a holiday, so we get not one, not even two, but three, yes three whole extra days off for the Easter holiday weekend.  It all starts with Skærtorsdag, which is the Thursday before Easter.  No one that I asked had any idea what Skærtorsdag means or stands for other than a paid day off from work, but I did some research, and it has something to do with The Last Supper.

The sun was out, and it was just slightly cool making it the perfect day to go for a bike ride to an outdoor European Cafe lunch, and then off to wandering through an endless garden.  After that, we headed to Brøndby Stadion to watch Torben’s favorite football club play to a victory.  This was the perfect start to what would be a crazy Easter holiday weekend.

Frederiksberg Have (Have means garden)

The biggest fans all sit in one section, and chant throughout the game. This is a picture of just one of the times when they lit fireworks to distract the other team.

That was there all along? March 30, 2009

So, I was looking at a map of the city the other day in an attempt to better understand they way the things are laid out.  I noticed that there was a very large park just a minute’s walk from our flat, and I wanted to check it out.  I imagined it would just be open fields and perhaps a playground.  We were dog sitting, so I proposed that Torben and I walk Lizzie down to the park on Saturday morning since it was nice outside.

We got there and realized that we are living next to a place where we will definitely be spending time in the nicer weather which we will see in the coming months.  There is a long jogging trail lined with perfectly spaced mature trees that runs through the middle of the square mile-ish sized park. 

To the right of the trail, assuming you enter from where we did, is probably the coolest playground that I have ever seen.  It is filled with space aged looking playhouses, the usual swingset, all sorts of other fun looking stuff that I have never seen, and it is completed with a climbing hill perfectly equipped for “king of the mountain”.  There are also soccer fields over here, and a place that sells concessions.

To the left, there are about a dozen different beautiful circular gardens, and endless fields perfect for picnicing and relaxing with your friends.  There are also cycling trails all around the park which we will be exploring on another nice Saturday sometime soon.

 

Since I am living in Copenhagen… March 25, 2009

I must adapt, and if that means wearing leg warmers, stud earings from the 90′s and headbands, then so be it.

I want to ride my bicycle… March 18, 2009

We bought a second bicycle and got the one that I brought “street ready” so that we can enjoy the sunny weather in full effect when it makes an appearance.  I can be seen almost any given day clumsily making my way through the streets of Copenhagen pretending like I am just like everyone else- someone who sees cycling for transportation as ordinary as brushing their teeth every morning. 

 

I am slowly learning about all of the things that a person has to take into account when mounting their bicycle to run even the smallest of errands.  Just yesterday, I got about a mile away from home when the heavens opened up sending brute forced winds at me head on.  I was peddling harder than I ever have in my life and was seemingly going nowhere.  By the time I arrived at my final destination, about three miles futher, I had wind enduced tears running down my face, and I was sure that I would not be able to make it back home by any means other than the shear fact that the wind would be helping me in the other direction. 

 

So, I am taking it one day at a time, and I am certain that there will be many more entertaining stories on this subject to come.

My bike is the one on this end… this is in our courtyard where you won’t see cars parked in the driveway… just bikes.

The Round Tower… February 27, 2009

I visited the Round Tower, and I have to say that even though it isn’t some big flashy production of a museum, it has to be one of my favorite sites here in Copenhagen so far.  It cost 25dkk to get in, which is less than $5 and well worth every penny. 

The tower was built on the initiative of King Christian IV as an observatory, and it was completed in 1642. Aside from the amazing view at the top, there are two lofts that branch off of the upward spiraling walkway.  The first is a room that was used as a library to the students of the University of Copenhagen from 1657-1861, but has now been remodeled into an art gallery.  The second is full of artifacts related to the history of the tower, and one can see what it might have looked like in it’s original form as the church bell ringer’s loft.

This is a model of The Round Tower, and the church that was built onto it (I would have taken a picture of the tower myself, but the streets around it are narrow making it very difficult to get the whole thing)

The spiral walkway to the top… one will go around the tower 7.5 times in order to reach the observatory level

Just part of the 360 degree view from the outdoor platform at the top of the tower… I could have spent hours up there, but it started raining. I will be definitely going back when the weather is nice!

The National Museum… February 25, 2009

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and it wasn’t too cold! I went to the National Museum which is housed in an 18th century palace complete with gardens and displays of what part of the palace actually looked like when it was inhabited. Below are some of the things that caught my eye…

This is the entrance to the museum

Horns used by people during the iron age. They were used to make sounds believed to possibly pay homage to the beloved sun gods.

Just some of the rune stones found from viking times made to commemorate different important events of the time.

The grand ballroom of the palace the way it would have looked in 1743

A display of an 18th century burgeois home from Aalborg, Denmark focusing on the amazing cabinetry and woodwork of the time.

The drinking horn decorated with gold and jewels. Some might say that it was the original pimp cup.

This is a painting that was made in such a way that the figures can only be made out by looking at it’s reflection on the cylinder in the center… very cool.

Art Fest 2009… February 23, 2009

On Saturday, Torben took me to an art festival here in Copenhagen in the beautiful area of Fredricksburg.  We got to the show just in time to witness the first heat of the “Art Battle”.  Basically, there were four rounds of four painters competing against each other to depict an audience requested topic in only 10 minutes.  The first topic was Johnny Cash.  There was only one painting where Torben and I could really see the how the topic inspired the artist…

After watching about 20 minutes of the battle, we entered the actual exhibition which was basically a maze of hundreds of artists individual booths. Here are some of the hilights…