Sunshine & Sangria :)

I just got home yesterday from my spring break trip to Portugal! Everything was fabulous: the city, the food, the people and most of all the weather! I wish someone had filmed us when we first stepped outside of the Lisbon airport. We went absolutely crazy! Our flight was early, so we arrived at our hostel before our room was ready. We asked the man at the front desk if we could use the restroom to change into shorts and he thought we were being a little overeager because it was "only" 70 degrees. We then told him that all six of us have been studying in Copenhagen for the past 3 months and he completely understood. After changing into more appropriate attire, the first thing that we did was find and outdoor restaurant. We sat in the sun and drank sangria for hours. It was wonderful. Then, we came to our senses and realized that our poor Scandinavian skin was in dire need of sunscreen. We lathered up and spent the rest of the day touring around Alfma, which is the old town of Lisbon. 

Starting our vacation off right!

The flea market in Alfama

On Saturday night we met up with one of Claire and Annie and my good friends from Gustavus who was visiting Lisbon for the weekend. We ate dinner with her and her friends and then all went on a pub crawl that our hostel organized. It was so great to see another familiar face!

The next two days were pretty tough... We took a train to Cascais, which is the "cosmopolitan" suburb of Lisbon. It's known for it's nice shops and beautiful beaches. We lounged on the beach all day, which was fabulous but also very stupid for someone with my hair color. By then end of the day I was looking pretty rosy. At sunset on one of the evenings, we took the train to Belém to see some of the historical sights of Portugal.

The Discoveries Monument

Fishing at Sunset

Belem Tower

Jeronimos Monastery

On my fourth and final day in Portugal, we took the train to Sintra, which is where the famous Pena Castle is. The castle was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The bright colors and creative architecture made it a truly unique structure. We spent all day walking around the castle and the luscious Queen's gardens that surround it. It was a perfect last day in Portugal.

Mumford & Sons!

Claire and I went to the Mumford & Sons concert on Monday! The night still seems like a dream. We got to the venue super early and made it to the front row! The concert was amazing! I was in complete awe from the second they started playing. Each member played several different instruments plus they all can sing beautifully. I literally started crying during my favorite song called "Below My Feet" because it was so much to take in. It was clear that they all get along really well and love what they do. It was fun for me to watch how much fun they were having on stage. I am forever grateful for Chelsea, who bought me my ticket for Christmas. It was without a doubt, the best performance I have ever seen.

P.S. The bass player, Ted, winked and blew a kiss at Claire and me before he went off stage :)

Bustin' Ice!

Chelsea, Valary, Claire and I went on a Scandinavian adventure this past weekend. First, we took a 5-hour train ride to Stockholm, Sweden and stayed there for one night and one day. Then, we embarked on an overnight cruise that took us to Helsinki, Finland. I can now officially say that I have been to all of Scandinavia!

Stockholm Highlights:

• Gamla Stan: Gamla Stan is the Old Town of Stockholm. It is filled with tiny little walking street and intricate buildings. There is a little square called Stortorget that has a row of very unique and colorful old buildings. They are sort of the icon of Stockholm and are pictured on nearly every postcard. 
• Changing of the Guards: We went to the Royal Palace to watch the changing of the guards because I had read online that it was kind of a big deal. Whatever website I was looking at did not lie; It was definitely quite the production! There was a lot of marching and then a little concert from the royal band and then a presentation of the marines. There was even a master of ceremonies to keep everything in order. The whole thing lasted around 40 minutes!
• Gustaf Adolf and 3 Crowns: Being the proud Gusties that we are, Claire, Chelsea and I went a little 3-crown crazy while in Stockholm. The 3 crowns were literally everywhere! We saw them on everything from important government buildings to baby onesies. Chelsea and I bought cheese slicers with the 3-crowns cut out. I figured it will make for some very festive wine and cheese nights at the House of Blues next year :) We took our picture on Gustaf Adolf Torg (street) and climbed his statue. I have to say, we did a good job fulfilling our Gustie duties. 
• Hills! I thought Stockholm was a beautiful city, especially because of its hills. It was a drastic change of scenery from the flat landscape in Copenhagen. I liked that you could get a good view of the city from pretty much anywhere. Down by the water there was an especially nice view. We found some random stairs that led up to a bridge where we could get an aerial view of the city, which was perfect!

Stortorget

Beautiful Stockholm

Proud Gusties in Gustav Adolf Square

Gustie Tower 

Changing of the Guards

Our main man Gustav

Helsinki Highlights:

• Cruising in the Baltic: We took a cruise ship from Stockholm to Helsinki. I was surprised how how big the ship was! Chelsea had told me we were taking a "ferry" so the image in my head was not a massive ship. Although the ship was big, our cabin was very cozy... in other words tiny, but we managed. It was beautiful sailing out of Stockholm at sunset. We passed tons of islands with little cabins--very scenic!
• Bustin' Ice: In the middle of the night our entire cabin (all 4 square feet of it) started shaking because our ship was cutting through ice. In the morning we saw Helsinki harbor filled with ice chunks, it was actually really pretty.
• Friendly People: In general, the people in Helsinki were noticeably friendlier than other places I've been, which was really nice!
• The Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Kirkko): The Rock Church is well exactly what it sounds like... a church made out of rock. It was a very interesting building. I was amazed by how warm and inviting it felt on the inside.
• Cafe Regatta: The weather took a turn for the worst in the afternoon, but we new there was a chance of snow and did all of the touristy things before it hit. We spent the rest of our time in Helsinki in a one-of-a-kind cafe by the lake. It was a cozy little cafe with quite the eclectic interior. There was everything from old skis and to an ableksiver pan hanging from the ceiling. We had cinnamon rolls and unlimited coffee that only cost 2 euros. Also, every time we brought up our mug for a refill the woman working gave us 5 cents back... we never quite figured out that system. 

Our Cruise Ship to Helsinki

Sailing Away!

Ice Ice Baby

The Rock Church 

Cafe Regatta

A Visit from Chelsea and Valary

Chelsea and her friend Valary arrived in wonderful Copenhagen a week ago. It was Valary's first time in Denmark, and I have to say she hit most of the highlights! They had a very busy week and I was able to join them for most things because it was Easter holiday. Here's a little summary of our exciting week together in Cope City:

Christiania

Prayer flags in Christiania

Jan took us all around Christiania (if you don't remember from my previous post, that is the little hippie/free/socialist community within Copenhagen). Then, he drove us around the city and pointed out important landmarks including the infamous Little Mermaid. I have to admit, that was the first time I've visited her this semester. After a busy day of touring, we ate lunch at a cozy little cafe and then headed back to the Larsens for a power nap before going out. We went to a club called "Night Fever" that played all 80s and 90s music. Needless to say, we danced like fools and sang obnoxiously all night. 

The one and only, Little Mermaid

Baby Danes mimicking the Royal Guards at Amalienborg

On Easter, we went over to Anne's apartment in Frederiksberg. We cooked egg bake (which apparently is very American and Anne got a kick out of) and sat and talked. It was weird not to be home for a holiday, but I was lucky to be able to spend it with Chelsea and some good friends. Chelsea and I skyped my parents that night, which was very nice. On Easter Monday, Chelsea and Valary and I went to Dragør to admire all the cute yellow house and sailboats. Then we met up with Anne again for a delicious dinner at Puk (I'm starting to become a regular). 

Dragør Harbor

So fun to all be together!

My delicious Danish stew at Puk

Tuesday was a beautiful day! The sun was out in full force and so were the Danes. I swear Copenhagen's population has doubles since the weather has started getting nice. I met up Chelsea and Valary after class to enjoy a Sommersby in the sun. On Tuesday night, the Larsens treated us to Sticks'and'Sushi, which was super lækker as always. 

New wild Sommersbys 

Sticks'and'Sushi :)

I did not have a field study on Wednesday, so I had my entire day free to explore with Chelsea and Valary. We spent the day touring Frederiksborg Slot and Kronborg Slot--two of Denmark's famous castles. Anne was able to come with us, which made it even better (it's always good to have our "official" tour guide along)! Kronborg Slot is the castle where Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet, takes place. We were able to go underneath the castle into to "casemates," which are cemented vaults where prisoners and artillery were kept. Holger Danske is also found in the casemates. Holger is a statue of a sleeping Viking who protects Denmark. According to legend, he will wake up if Denmark is ever in grave danger (apparently Denmark wasn't in real danger during World War II...). We finished of our day by heading to Nyhavn to watch the sunset. It was the perfect ending to the week. 

Frederiksborg Slot  

Helsingør-- city where Kronborg Slot is 

Holger Danske 

Kronborg Slot

Watching the sunset in Nyhavn