A week of visiting Danish Museums and Castles

Hej,

It’s really been a while since I wrote my last blog and I apologize for that, I had a lot of things going on here in Copenhagen. Since, this was the week before Spring break, every professor gave us a lot of tests, quizzes and papers to write. The good news is that I am done with all that, and there are no more classes for me (at least for a while now). I am already on my spring break. Unlike all other DIS students, I am not leaving on the weekend, I have decided to stay in Copenhagen for the weekend and then catch a flight to London on Tuesday.

Today is bright and sunny in Copenhagen, sky is clear and I can already see all the people getting out of their houses and heading towards the parks. The city becomes very lively on sunny days like this; nobody wants to miss the opportunity to get the sun. Specially, after all those windy days that we had this past week, I am looking forward to spending two nice days in the parks and taking care of my things before I leave. Wind is a big problem here (for me, not for Danish because they produce 25% of their energy from the wind). Wind is strong and powerful and has knocked me over quiet sometimes, it literally pushes you over and it gets extremely hard to walk.

I have decided to go shopping with two of my Danish friends today. We would be heading towards Danish shopping mall and then probably going to Toj & Sko (a clothing store). There are a lot of H&M’s here, you would at least see three or four on every street, it is really hard to avoid them. They are a little expensive compared to the other stores. It is a lot cheaper to shop in Germany or Sweden (neighboring countries) than Denmark. Even though Danish currency is kroner and other EU countries use Euros, it is still cheaper to go shop at other places.

I am also going to get a haircut today, I feel like I need it, its been a long time since I had one or maybe I am just tired of wind ruining my hair all the time.

So, in the past week, I had a friend visiting me. She is studying abroad in Scotland. It was really fun to have her come, there were lot of things that we did together that I might not have done by myself. She really made me dig deep in Copenhagen, and find places that maybe were not that touristy. We went to a lot of museums, including

Guinness world of Records museum: It had pictures and statues of a lot of people who made it to the Guinness World Record book, Including world tallest man, woman with the smallest waist and a lot others.

Myesterious museum: We took a self-tour of the place, and I screamed when I first got in, there is a lot of scary stuff but it was fun. It is dark in there, there are skeletons, ghosts, screams and motion censored statues, so if you are not into horror movies, I would suggest don’t go.

Glyptotek museum: One of the finest museums of Denmark, the architecture of the building itself is beautiful. It has ancient mummies, Greek Gods, Egyptian art and French landscape paintings.

King’s Gardens: Gardens are located 5 minutes walk from where I live, lucky me. This place is the perfect place to be at on a sunny day, you would see the park full of people, little kids playing around, families having picnics, old and young couples walking around, and tourists taking pictures. It is one of my favorite places to go.

Rosenburg Castle: The castle is located right next to King’s Gardens and it has Queen’s Jewels, dresses and a lot of other things. It is quiet big, so give yourself enough time when you come here.

Royal Stable: Quiet obviously, the stable has horses in it but not only horses they are royal horses. My friend got a picture with one of the Queen’s horses.

Danish parliament: We managed to have an English tour of the Danish parliament, and got brief information on the Danish political system. I am planning on going to the parliament soon so that I can see it in session.

Unfortunately, my camera refused to take a lot of pictures, because the memory card was full but I would be putting more pictures on sometime soon. But now, it is time for me to go out and enjoy this beautiful day with my friend.

Farvel.

Ireland - Round 2 (Day 1&2)

It has been 4 days since I left my parents in Ireland, and I still can't really believe I've just seen them. It weirdly felt like I was just home from Wofford for a weekend, not like I hadn't seen them since January. Instead of them coming all the way to Austria, I met them "halfway" in Dublin. Even though I went earlier, I was glad to be back...especially since the weather was much nicer this time around! After their plane flew in Friday afternoon, my parents waiting in the Dublin airport for my plane to arrive. We met up just outside of baggage claim and it was so exciting to see them again. We roamed around our hotel a bit the first night, but due to the expected jetlag - we called it an early night. On Saturday morning we all woke up early and started our day. One of the first things we saw, was "Litton's Store" My middle name is Litton, and it is my mom's maiden name, so we were both pretty excited about it. The people working told us it got the name from Litton Lane, which was right around the corner, and has one of Dublin's famous recording studies-U2, Van Morrison, and The Cranberries have recorded there.

Since I had been to Dublin earlier, and my parents were going to be in town a couple more days after I had left, we decided to spend a large amount of our time outside of Dublin. The countryside, etc and then my parents could do the "Dublin stuff" after I'd left. We first headed to Howth (pronounced Hoe-th). It's only 30 minutes outside of Dublin, and if you don't have time to go far outside of the city, it's a great way to see the coast of Ireland. It was so lovely. It was a obviously a large fishing town, so there were great big boats everywhere, people cleaning recently caught fish, and of course good restuarants. We mostly enjoyed the view and walking around. A lot of people come to the area to hike, and we unintentionally went on a hike as well. We tried to find a castle, that is now a cooking school, and we found it, but we also walked up to a golf course that was much farther than expected. The route and view though were worth it.

After we finished up Howth, we headed back to Dublin and toured the Jameson Factory. It was a fairly short tour, but it was still interesting. Right as we were leaving, it started to rain. Not a sprinkle, but a massive down pour of rain. We got some Jameson plastic ponchos and grabbed cab as fast as possible. We ended the day with a wonderful dinner in a local pub.

Our first(real) day in Ireland was so fun, but exhausting!

Bucharest, Romania- terrifyingly fascinating

04.03.2011- 04.05.2011

I have never been to a city so terrifyingly fascinating. Bucharest, Romania, in Southeastern Europe still remains in turmoil and despair after the fall of communism in 1989 and European Union accession in 2007. Corruption is still rampant, especially in the healthcare system, which keeps the city from progressing. The city, though, is called the “Paris of the East.” Like Paris, you will find beautiful art nouveau style buildings, an Arc de Triumph, and the Champs d’Elysee.

But, next to those art nouveau buildings and along Bucharest’s Champs d’Elysee will be run down grey ones, blocks of crumbling buildings, air conditioning units lining the sides of the buildings, and power-lines sprouting in over 15 different directions.

It was sad to hear Romania’s terrifying history—Romania was under one of the cruelest communist regimes. The people had no power and no food. They were freezing, starving, and violated. The amazing thing is the older generations do not talk about the past. Much of the terrors of the regime are left buried. Only in a few places around the city, including Revolutionary Square, are reminders of the past and commemorate the 1,600 people who died overthrowing communism.

One of the most memorable events on our trip was when we went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk about coming to terms with the past in post-communist Romania, more specifically about the archives of the Securitate secret police. We visited the reading room where people where they can request files of themselves or of their family members (with consent) during the communist regime to see whether they were watched or followed.

The scale of the project was grand and incomprehensible. Most of the victims were everyday workers. They were followed because they told jokes or if they had a friend abroad. Many of the cases ended with no leads, just being expensive and wasteful.

The people seemed a little gloomy and quiet. They were warm, but a little timid and nervous. One of the students in my group was even asked, “Why are you in Bucharest, Romania?” It was a little unnerving to see police at every metro station when stamping your ticket and even inside the cars. Also, you would see police or security in certain stores, including casinos and McDonalds.

It was hard to enjoy my time there (also because I got sick). It was difficult to see so much pain and suffering; visiting Bucharest was definitely an eye opening experience. I had to go out of my way to spend my Romanian leu or ron. It was really intriguing to me that they mostly used smaller bills (20’s, 10’s, 5’s, and singles) and only 50-cent coins (no pennies). Some of the stores didn’t even have change after a transaction with a 5-leu bill. While I was there, I paid an extra leu or one less because the stores didn’t have change. This just shows how inefficient the country is, on a small scale.

We went to a meeting on anti-corruption and spoke to an anti-corruption coordinator. The interesting thing is that she participated in corruption as well, in the healthcare system. What she disclosed to us was unreal--- doctors make a salary around €400 and rent is €300. To provide for their families or to get rich, doctors take bribes. Horrifyingly, some doctors will refuse to provide service if the “white envelope” does not have enough cash in it. She said, “ you are not in a position to barter when it is you mother’s life. You do what you can and hope the doctor will do all that he can do.” Frankly, that is sickening. I understand why so many educated young professionals are leaving Romania for other countries and why people smoke so much here compared to most other European countries (you can buy packs of cigarettes at the restaurant tables). I honestly didn’t think the city was going to be this bad, almost 5 years after European Union accession. Compared to other EU countries, Romania is far behind.

But, the people have the hope. We found red and white bracelets that symbolize hope, prosperity, and good health tied to trees. Romanians will wear the bracelets until they see a stork, swallow, or the beginning of spring.

I am interested to what Romania will look like in 25 years and also interested to see what Sofia, Bulgaria offers. Hopefully it won’t be in as much turmoil.

Wrapping Up Nicely

Well Greetings!!

Sorry it’s been so long since I have written but things have been crazy up here in D.C.! I have some great news though, I have a few job offers that I am interviewing for next week!! James Hardie, a global research/building company, is flying me up to Chicago for an interview! The Human Resources VP prepped me that it will be very intense and direct (whatever that means) and that I should amply prepare myself. I am nervous and excited about this opportunity and will keep you up to date with what I find!

Work is going great. I absolutely adore the people that I work with. Shout outs to Beth and Anna! This week has been slightly hectic with the budget discussion and also with the recent happenings and hearings with the Oversight and Government Reform Committee (of which my boss serves on). I am looking forward to the end of the week for the weekend although I have lots of school work for next week. In my theater class, we are preparing our end of semester projects, which I am actually going to have to miss because of my Chicago flight. We have been attending some pretty interesting plays (not exactly my type) and I feel that I have been culturally “stretched” on many occasions. In my Debate class, we are presenting and also writing thesis papers about a particular public policy of interest, its significance, failures, successes, impact, how we would change it, etc. I am writing my paper on Euthanasia and the implications of a national legislation that would legalize it. Somewhat controversial but I am really enjoying the research.

Me with the Capitol Police Horses at a Protest!

I will be returning home to the great state of South Carolina in 3 weeks!! So crazy to think that I have already been here for 3 months. The time has truly flown and I think that I have turned into a city girl. I can’t wait to get back though to my family and friends. I miss you guys!

Until next time…

Midterms...half way done

Between midterms and my parents visiting, I have been a bit forgetful with my blogg; so prepare for a blog overload the next few days....

Back to my midterm week. After I got home from Budapest, midterms got started. I was a bit overwhelmed by midterms simply because it means I am halfway through with my semester abroad, and this is unbelievable. At times I feel like I have been here forever, but then it also feels like I have been here no more than 2 weeks. It's a weird paradox.

My classes though are wonderful. They are incredibly interesting. One of my favorites is Austrian Womens Literature. Pretty much all of my classes are focused on Vienna, or its surronding countries (My other lit class is Eastern European Literature). I really like this...I think just having lived most of my life in America, the things I learn are mostly American or British related. It makes sense, and I love the things I learn, but it has been neat to focus on authors, and other subjects from a part of Europe I never have looked into indepthly.

I am quickly becoming a fan of Austrian literature, and especially their music. In my music class we study the classical music of Vienna. I love it, and I have become a big fan of the Opera. Mozart is by far my favorite composer, and my favorite Opera singer, of today, is Anna Netrebko. She starred in one of my favorite operas a little while ago, Le Nozze di Figaro, and it was brilliant. I love to rewatch scenes from it on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEH9D5eQPF4&feature=related

Just before midterms, my roommate and I got tickets to a preview for Anna Netrebko's upcoming Vienna Opera, Anna Bolena. I tired to get tickets to the actual opera (which premiered April 2nd) two months ago, and every single show for the month of April was sold out. Anna Netrebko is understandably a huge deal in the opera world, and since she doesn't stay in one city long, its a big deal when ever she does a show--especially in Vienna.

The preview we went wasn't the entire opera, but they told about the history of the opera, and interviewed cast memebers, the conductor and the director... Anna Netrebko's understudy preformed a song. The preview just made me even more sad I din't have tickets to the actual opera... but a little bit is better than nothing! We had the most amzing seats also. We sat in a box, in the first column on stage right--the second row up. In these pictures you can see behind me the mirror image of our box from the outside.

The opera is going to certainly be one of the things I will miss most about Vienna when I leave, but I am glad I have found a new art form to enjoy when I am home.

Living the life of a goddess in Athens, Greece

Week of 28.03.2011

I am astounded that I just spent a few days in Athens, Greece, only a four days after my unbelievable trip to Barcelona, Spain. A group of 16 IES students left on Thursday morning for our Southeastern Europe Field trip to Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria. It was incredible that we were in Greece Thursday evening after a quick flight!

After we settled into out hotel that not only had a roof top terrace, but also a view of the Acropolis, a few of us wandered through the streets of Athens to find our first great Grecian meal. Throughout the entire week, we ate well: Greek salad (with an entire block of feta cheese), spicy cheese dip (tasted like pimento cheese), fried potatoes with cucumber yogurt dip, mousaka (eggplant dish), baklava (the best from Beneth Bakery!), “shredded wheats,” and yogurt with honey and walnuts!

First meal in Athens, Greece- Pork gyro

Greek salad (with an entire block of feta cheese)

Friday morning, the IES group began an all day affair with meetings. We met with a representative from the Institute of International Relations with the Bank of Greece to talk about the Eurozone and Greek Debt Crisis and its impact on the attitude of Greek citizens toward the EU, another two representatives from the Ministry for Foreign affairs of the Helenic Republic about the EU enlargement issues and the Eurozone crisis, and a representative from the Hellenic Foundation for European Foreign Policy on the Greek perspective on EU, more specifically about the Turkish and Greek relations. All of the meetings were very informative and the speakers were engaging. I was grateful to learn more and have the opportunity to ask questions.

To round out the day and get some fresh air, a friend and I fooled around in a playground, spinning on a Grecian merry-go-round, found the temple of the Olympian Zeus, and finally climbed the Philopappos Hill.

Being a kid again on a Grecian merry-go-round

Temple of the Olympian Zeus

View from Philopappos Hill

The slopes of Philopappos Hill are covered in pines and the maze of paths leads to the best view of Athens!

From Philopappos Hill, one could see the Agora, the Acropolis, the Greek Isles, our hotel, and other famous monuments. It was breathtaking!

That evening, we ate a wonderful meal at Restaurant Psaras that has been open since 1898. It has served Elizabeth Taylor herself, but has remained a local favorite.

As a reward for a day of meetings, Saturday and most of Sunday was free. I think it was a fair trade! We hit the Acropolis early in the morning before all the tour buses dropped off visitors, made our way through the Acropolis surrounding area, Agora, Acropolis museum, Mitropoli church, Panagia Gorgoepikoos, mini Mitropoli, and more.

Acropolis surrounding area

Acropolis

Agora

Sunday was also another day for us to explore Athens. We went to the Athens flee market, haggled with a vendor over an €800 pair of candelabras (my taste far exceeds my wallet sometimes), rummaged through old pocket watches, and weaved our way through the open shops.

I enjoyed antiquing and really wished that I could bring back some of the inlay furniture I saw. Too bad there is a 50 lbs. baggage weight limit. We also saw the changing of the guards in front of the Greece Parliament building. What a sight! The changing of the guards occurs every Sunday around 11:00 am.

The soldier’s shoes with balls on the toes and flowy white shirts tickled me.

It was great to see! We meandered through more of the streets, revisited the Athens flea market, bought desserts again, for the 3^rd day in a row from the Beneth Bakery (baklava and “shredded wheat”), and hiked up a hillside.

I’m not exaggerating when I say it was straight up. But, the view was incredible, once again! I enjoyed overlooking the city everyday I was in Athens, especially with the water, coastline, mountains, and greenery surrounding you!

Then, we made our way back to the hotel to leave for Bucharest, Romania. But, I ended my time in Athens just perfectly—enjoying my “shredded wheat” on the roof top terrace overlooking the Acropolis.

There’s more of my Southeastern Europe fieldtrip to come!

Back in Copenhagen; waiting for the Spring Break

It is hard to believe but I am already more than half way through my semester. Just to make sure that I was not missing any Copenhagen touristy sites, I went out this week again to look for new museums, shopping streets, and castles with my friend. I must say that this week is one of the busiest one for me, because we would soon be going on spring break which is two weeks long (yay....). I am working on my papers and presentations that are all due before I leave, but I have not forgotten to make my travel plans for the spring break. When you are in Europe and you have limited number of days to travel, it is hard to decide where to go first. Anyways, I have decided that I would be going to London first, then Scotland and finally Czech Republic for my break. I would be staying in Prague with a nice family, Prague is such a beautiful city I abslolutely can't wait to get there.

Until then, here are some more pictures from my very own Copenhagen;

Fountain near Stroget (the tourist street) is a popular spot to hang out. It is close to the bus stop so most people sit on here while waiting for the bus to come. Stroget is one of the popular streets of Copenhagen with all the fancy shops in it, it catches tourist attention.


The Opera House is really magnificent form inside and outside. It is located at the back of Royal Palace. You have to take a water taxi to get to the opera house which is the most interesting part. Opera house holds several performances every week, some of them are also attended by Queen of Denmark. The Queen, herself has deep interest in designing costumes for the performers.

You can see the water taxi in front of the opera house, you can take this taxi to get to quite a few places in Copenhagen because the city is surrounded by small lakes. There is also a canal tour that you can take, and see a few locations while sitting in the boat.