CPH
27 degrees, snowing
Here I am, 120 days later, writing to you on my last night in Denmark. What a country. What a semester.
I don't think it is possible to sum everything up here. Instead I will tell you about something the Danes call 'hygge' which just might be my favorite thing I'll take away from my time here. There is no direct translation into english which makes it an even more Danish concept. It is a noun, an adjective, a verb, a concept, a state of mind, a feeling, a habit. In its most basic form it is a cozy warm feeling. But, it is so much more than that.
Hygge is spending the evening sitting around the dinner table with family or friends just enjoying each others company. It's delicious smells and tastes. It's living in the moment and really appreciating all the good things in your life. It's books and wool socks. It's walking through the snow on a cold cold day and having hot chocolate waiting for you at the end of the journey. It's candles and blankets. It's catching up with old friends. All of these things and SO many more can be described as hyggeligt.
And sometimes it's not as obvious as lighting candles and wrapping yourself in a blanket. Sometimes the hygge sneaks up on you. Sometimes it's just walking down the street and realizing 'Hey! I am in Denmark and what an amazing place this is.'
I hope to come back here someday but until then,
I wish you all the hygge in the world
thanks for reading
Allison
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
716 unites at Agnes cupcakes
CPH
20 degrees
It's always "sunny" in copenhagen.
I am not writing this entry to quip about the weather. What I wanted to share with you is a little encounter I had in a cupcake cafe yesterday. First I'll explain how I ended up in said cupcake cafe.
It is finals week here at DIS so I have had a sizable amount of work to get done. Add that to the mild case of insomnia that has been plaguing me for the past week or so and you get... well... you get some interesting side effects. On Tuesday I turned in my term paper and took my Environmental Economics final and by the time I was done I was feeling pretty wiped. But when Carolyn suggested we go get cupcakes for lunch I thought 'why not? let's throw some sugar on the situation.' And we did just that- we ate cupcakes for lunch [they were delicious, and fancy and SO sugary - everything a cupcake should be and more]. The place was really crowded so we asked if we could share a table with two men who were there drinking coffee looking very out of place amongst a predominantly cupcake-loving-female crowd. They said yes of course and so we got to talking. As it turns out one of the guys studied abroad in the US... in Buffalo! So we chatted about it, played the "what street do you live on?""oh I know right where that is," game. He studied architecture at UB and so we talked about Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House too.
Meeting this guy was such an incredible coincidence I just had to share it.
-Allison
20 degrees
It's always "sunny" in copenhagen.
I am not writing this entry to quip about the weather. What I wanted to share with you is a little encounter I had in a cupcake cafe yesterday. First I'll explain how I ended up in said cupcake cafe.
It is finals week here at DIS so I have had a sizable amount of work to get done. Add that to the mild case of insomnia that has been plaguing me for the past week or so and you get... well... you get some interesting side effects. On Tuesday I turned in my term paper and took my Environmental Economics final and by the time I was done I was feeling pretty wiped. But when Carolyn suggested we go get cupcakes for lunch I thought 'why not? let's throw some sugar on the situation.' And we did just that- we ate cupcakes for lunch [they were delicious, and fancy and SO sugary - everything a cupcake should be and more]. The place was really crowded so we asked if we could share a table with two men who were there drinking coffee looking very out of place amongst a predominantly cupcake-loving-female crowd. They said yes of course and so we got to talking. As it turns out one of the guys studied abroad in the US... in Buffalo! So we chatted about it, played the "what street do you live on?""oh I know right where that is," game. He studied architecture at UB and so we talked about Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House too.
Meeting this guy was such an incredible coincidence I just had to share it.
-Allison
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday adventures
CPH
snow
The cultural infusion continues.
Wednesday Caro and I went to see.. wait for it...wait for it... Den lille havfrue... the little mermaid!!
The statue was so close to the shore I couldn't believe it.
This statue is beautiful and yet so sad somehow.
We also went to the National Museum where we saw tons of little trinkets, toys, jewelry, swords, wood carvings, paintings, statues, clothes and many many more Danish odds and ends. I could have spent many more hours look at the collections here.
More soon.
Allison
snow
The cultural infusion continues.
Wednesday Caro and I went to see.. wait for it...wait for it... Den lille havfrue... the little mermaid!!
The statue was so close to the shore I couldn't believe it.
We also went to the National Museum where we saw tons of little trinkets, toys, jewelry, swords, wood carvings, paintings, statues, clothes and many many more Danish odds and ends. I could have spent many more hours look at the collections here.
 |
| A small clock |
 |
| A goofy wooden animal head |
 |
| Part of the dollhouse display |
 | ||||
| Period room. |
Allison
Ballet, flash mob, and a forest brewery
CPH
34 degrees, snow
Hej!
It's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog so lets get right down to it.
A lot has happened in the last week. It been business-as-usual at school- I am halfway done with finals just one more paper and three tests before I am home free.
I am trying to get as much Danishness into these last two weeks as I possibly can. Here is what I have done so far.
Last week friday I went to see Sleeping Beauty (the ballet) at Det Kongelige Teater. The whole performance was absolutely beautiful- the dancing, the costumes, the live music, the sets, you name it. The theater is absolutely gorgeous as well. The walls are covered in intricately carved wooden figures and moldings. And almost everything is painted gold..it is after all the king's theater.
The next stop of the night was a bit more... casual. A flash mob in the metro! This was the first flash mob I have ever participated in and I lurved it! The metro car was PACKED but there was just enough space between the crowd and the ceiling for some crowd surfing ( I did not partake ). Great, great flashmob.
On Saturday Carolyn and I headed north of the city to Ballerup in search of the Skovlyst brewery in the middle of Hareskoven forest.
The inside of the brewery was rustic and warm. It felt so good to step into this bright room after being outside. Drinking beer, in a forest brewery, in a foreign country, with a great friend is an awesome memory.
34 degrees, snow
Hej!
It's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog so lets get right down to it.
A lot has happened in the last week. It been business-as-usual at school- I am halfway done with finals just one more paper and three tests before I am home free.
I am trying to get as much Danishness into these last two weeks as I possibly can. Here is what I have done so far.
Last week friday I went to see Sleeping Beauty (the ballet) at Det Kongelige Teater. The whole performance was absolutely beautiful- the dancing, the costumes, the live music, the sets, you name it. The theater is absolutely gorgeous as well. The walls are covered in intricately carved wooden figures and moldings. And almost everything is painted gold..it is after all the king's theater.
The next stop of the night was a bit more... casual. A flash mob in the metro! This was the first flash mob I have ever participated in and I lurved it! The metro car was PACKED but there was just enough space between the crowd and the ceiling for some crowd surfing ( I did not partake ). Great, great flashmob.
On Saturday Carolyn and I headed north of the city to Ballerup in search of the Skovlyst brewery in the middle of Hareskoven forest.
The inside of the brewery was rustic and warm. It felt so good to step into this bright room after being outside. Drinking beer, in a forest brewery, in a foreign country, with a great friend is an awesome memory.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Danish Humor
CPH
winter
I am giving a presentation about Danish humor next week for my Danish Language and Culture class.
Although google-ing "danish humor" doesn't yield as many hits as I would like... here is a description of Danish humor pieced together from a few different sources.
"Dry, literal, self-deprecating, pragmatic, closely linked to irony, sarcasm, ironic sarcasm, and word play that is often lost in translation"
YIKES
vi ses
winter
I am giving a presentation about Danish humor next week for my Danish Language and Culture class.
Although google-ing "danish humor" doesn't yield as many hits as I would like... here is a description of Danish humor pieced together from a few different sources.
"Dry, literal, self-deprecating, pragmatic, closely linked to irony, sarcasm, ironic sarcasm, and word play that is often lost in translation"
YIKES
vi ses
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Taksigelse
CPH
35 degrees, cloudy
Here are some of today's sights from an old military base east of Copenhagen
35 degrees, cloudy
Here are some of today's sights from an old military base east of Copenhagen
And since it is after midnight here I am going to make this my thanksgiving post.
This is the first thanksgiving I have ever spent away from home and I can't think of a better reason to be absent than to be off in Denmark. I have a lot to be thankful for this year so even though most of Denmark doesn't technically celebrate thanksgiving I certainly will be.
So to my family, to friends I haven't seen for a while, to friends I see here everyday, and to a certain tall-ish man friend - thanks, for being so great. Oh and happy thanksgiving!
with love,
Allison
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tis the Season
CPH
35 degrees, windy (understatement) and wintery mix
Thumbs down to who ever coined the phrase "wintery mix." It's raining and it's snowing, just tell it like it is. "Wintery mix" sounds like some sort of mixed bowl of holiday candy and treats - IT COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM A BOWL OF CANDY.
There are better ways of spreading holiday cheer than to try and sneak it into the weather forecast. Copenhagen is actually quite good at the whole christmas look. Here are a few pix I snapped on the way to school (before the weather started).
35 degrees, windy (understatement) and wintery mix
Thumbs down to who ever coined the phrase "wintery mix." It's raining and it's snowing, just tell it like it is. "Wintery mix" sounds like some sort of mixed bowl of holiday candy and treats - IT COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM A BOWL OF CANDY.
There are better ways of spreading holiday cheer than to try and sneak it into the weather forecast. Copenhagen is actually quite good at the whole christmas look. Here are a few pix I snapped on the way to school (before the weather started).
Makes you feel all warm and christmas-y inside doesn't it?
vi ses
Allison
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