Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!!

In the last two weeks, one has really felt Spring coming to Copenhagen. Overall it has been a little bit warmer, and sunnier than it has been since late October. The weather has brought me to wonder where I put my sunglasses when I stashed them away in the fall, and it has made me think of days spent in parks. Needless to say I am ready for Spring to arrive! In this frame of mind my friend Brittany and I headed to Copenhagen Zoo this Saturday to bask in the sunshine (though we still have to wear winter coats) while visiting the large assortment of animals that the zoo houses.

Located in the Frederiksberg area of Copenhagen, the zoo is right next to the Frederiksberg palace and gardens. It is a very nice area of Copenhagen to see, with quaint little cafes optimal for a hyggeligt cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate after having strolled through the extensive gardens connected to the palace. There is still ice skating in the Rundel but now there are more people strolling through the various garden paths than skating. In other words Saturday was a wonderful day to go to the Zoo, and many families were there, taking full advantage of the sunshine to show their children monkeys, lions, tigers, camels, elephants, polar bears, seals, penguins and many other animals. I have chosen some of my favorite animals to show you, so I hope you enjoy seeing them.

This is one of three Tucans they had at the zoo. This one was constantly eating the apples that had been hung on the trees. For this reason and others, I dub him Fruitloop! 

Within the zoo they have animals placed according to where they are in the wild. Due to this, they had a greenhouse for birds, turtles, fish, butterflies, and ... slothes. Needless to say I was a tad suprised when I saw a sloth above me. Typical of a sloth, he didn't do very much the whole time we watching.

Since my brother is an avid frog fan, I had to take a picture of one of the poisonous frogs they had. Since I am fond of naming animals I shall call him Dart.

This monkey, after getting a carrot, decided that he would pose for a picture. He was pretty cool, lounging around and watching ... the humans! You realize watching monkeys just how similar we are to them. It is kind of eery when you think about it. Since he was my favorite I named him Mikie though I am sure the zoo has given him an official name.

I did say tigers in the title, right? Here is one of the tigers basking in the sun, pondering life... or it may just be assessing which of us would taste the best.

 Here is half the lion family enjoying the warmth.

I watched this Mor (mother in danish) and this Little One for a while. Their interaction was so cute and loving, I could not help but miss my own Mother.

Something that is unique about the Copenhagen zoo is that they have an arctic inspired zone. This makes complete sense since Greenland is a territory of Denmark. In this section they have wolves from Greenland (they look like sled dogs), Muskox, Caribou and of course Polar Bears. This really reminded me of how marvelous the Greenland trip was since I was able to see animals in the wild that most people have to go to zoos to see for the first time.

It was a perfect Saturday to be outside in Copenhagen, the animals were entertaining, and the company was great, so all in all it was a nicely spent Saturday Afternoon. As Spring arrives I will be trying to do more of the outdoor activities that Copenhagen has to offer, though I may have to find my sunglasses first!
Vi Ses, Og har en dejlig uge!

Denmark – A Picture Book Come to Life!

Never before in my life have I come to appreciate the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” as much as I have come to appreciate it while in Denmark. I have said it since I first got here in August, and will be saying it long after I leave; I feel as if I have been plucked out of my life and placed in the pages of a beautiful story book. I don’t think I could ever get tire of looking at the houses, which are oh so charming, the nature, or any other facet of Denmark. I love to walk around slowly in Denmark, taking the time to absorb the world around me.

I feel that the only way one will really know the sense of peace that I feel when I am here is either through being here in person, or by those pictures that really do say a thousand words. When I was in Jutland or Jylland (på dansk) this past weekend I took a couple of such photos, and wanted to share them with you. Hopefully you will be able t to feel a bit of Denmark’s magic!

This was where we stayed in Århus – Danhostel Århus

A Danish house by the water in Brabrand.

If you may remember, this past Fall I went to see the Jelling Stones with my host parents. I went and saw them again (they are in Jelling). These two stones have the oldest writings in Denmark about the Kingdom of Denmark. What I learned this time when I went to see them is that this stone has pictures on two of the sides. This side shows a snake wrapped around a lion with the snake biting its own tail.

This side of the same stone is a picture of Jesus. The purpose of this side of the stone is to symbolize that Herald Bluetooth brought Christianity to Denmark.

This is taken walking around the outside of Trapholt (modern furniture and art museum) in Kolding.

A picturesque view over the water in Kolding.

A traditional building in Kolding, complete with a Straw roof.

Another picturesque view over the water.

Part of the walking street in Kolding... now you see why  I walk so slow.

Kolding

A little shop I almost didn't realize was there...

Kolding

 

Hopefully you were able to get an idea about the serenity that one can find in Denmark... if you take the time to pause and look around.

 

If you are thinking to be a PIRATE, beware of the Danes!

Danes, the descendants of the feared Vikings, comprise approximately 10% of the force in the Gulf of Aden combating PIRACY!! Most of my life I had thought that in today’s world Pirates only exist in children’s stories which involve someone walking a plank, treasure chests, and brightly colored parrots.

Yet during the last few years one has heard of Pirates from Somalia... and it is these pirates that we learned about this past weekend with our War Crimes and Human Rights class. Now I associate Pirates with Grenade launchers, skiffs with ladders, and ransoms.

It was truly a one of a kind experience. Only in Denmark would they allow a group of American students to go to the Navy Military Police facilities, as well as the headquarters of the Admiral Danish Fleet to learn about piracy.

We could only take pictures in certain areas, due to security concerns. Not that the Navy’s Operations center had anything to worry about since this was one of the pathways to the WWII bunkers it is situated in.

Though not used as a bunker, being in one definitely has its security advantages... like this door.

Here is one of the communication areas of the Navy Operations center.

It was great to learn about modern piracy from different angles such as human rights law, world security, politics and ultimately justice.

Now I will never view Pirates the same way again, unless I am actually reading a book about pirates, parrots, and treasure chests of old.

An Authentic Viking Beer Experience –Minus the Mushrooms

Once upon a time when the Vikings ruled the seas, the phrase “berserk” was coined. Why you ask, well to describe the behavior of the Vikings when faced with a battle. In order to have acquired a strength and pain threshold that was beyond that of the Vikings’ enemies, Vikings created a magic elixir. A beer brewed from a mushroom, a beer that would cause one to go “berserk”. A beer (and a mushroom) that was so powerful that the Vikings were feared by all. A power like no other!

Since the origin of tales, Danes have had a knack for brewing beer, and anyone who has been to Denmark will tell you that it is not the fizzy colored water that most of us grew up knowing as beer. For the Danes, brewing beer is an art form, something that is measured by quality not quantity.

This past Saturday Ole, Birgitte and I went to Valhal in Frederikssund for a beer tasting festival from local microbreweries. Valhal, where the tasting festival was located, is home to plays of Viking tales during the summer. With the Viking inspired buildings, a Viking-age opening of the festival, the highly coveted Danish beer and the 529 Danish guests, it was an amazing cultural experience for me.

The main building of Valhal gives one a sense of ...vikings. This is a picture from when they were announcing the opening of the ticket sales, with three Danes dressed head to toe in viking garb playing traditional horns.

Down to their boots, they were dressed as traditional vikings.

 
 
 
 

There were no modern glasses for this trio, they carried their drinking horns on their belts.

 As you can see the Vikings enjoyed their beer. And by the way, the name of the beer they were drinking was...Hornbeer. Thus it was chosen as the first hornful of beer,  maybe the second and third hornful as well.

As you can see there was quite a turn out!

And thus ends a modern day viking beer tasting, minus the use of mushrooms in the beer (though one brewer did use chili) and the subsequent battle.

Vi Ses!

Tilbage til København! Mit hjem langt væk fra hjemmet.

As you may have guessed or may know, I have been back in Copenhagen for over a week now. Though it is hard leaving my family in Florida, Copenhagen is really starting to feel like home so it is nice to be back.

(rødgrød- a berry dessert that is an indicator that you are not in Florida anymore - in case you missed signs like the language, weather, historical places etc)

My classes have started, and my calendar is already filling up with due dates, trips and other events. As always, my favorite part of being here is my host family. Ole, Birgitte and I have already continued on our quest to watch all episodes of Matador (we are on episode 12 of this classically Danish TV show) and the three of us are sure to be in front of the television on Friday when Denmark is playing Spain for the Semifinal round of the World Handball Championship!

Here is Copenhagen it is still most assuredly winter, snow is still on the ground (it just snowed yesterday), the canals still have ice.

Yet, though it may be cold I still find Copenhagen quite charming, and love to walk around in wonder.
Here is a picture of the most famous Copenhagen canal called Nytorv. Note the Ice.

Nytorv canal again.

One of my favorite things about Copenhagen in winter is the little Danes, who walk two by two in their brightly colored snow suits with pointy hats.  

Most of the children are usually perfectly coordinated in their snow gear, from their body suit, mittens, boots, and hat they are usually bright enough to see from a long distance away... so they do not get lost in the snow. The neon vests that they are wearing is typically worn by school children this age when they are going somewhere with their teachers. In this case they were near a construction zone, so the vests were definitely a good idea.

Someone asked me why I haven't taken more pictures of the bikes in Denmark, and if there are a lot here...

Here is one of the smallest bike areas at Norreport train station. Needless to say, with this being one of the smallest sections for bikes... there is a big bike culture in Denmark.

As you can tell by this post I am still getting back in the groove of things again. Keep checking in though, for field studies(including Carlsberg brewery), my short study tour(to learn about anti piracy techniques), my long study tour (to Kosovo), some sports games, ballet, opera, a fishing trip, a sailing trip and much more. On this note, I can promise you that there will be much more to come this semester, especially with Michael and my Mom coming to visit!

 As always, if there is something you have heard about in Copenhagen and want to see or questions you want answered, just send me an email!

Vi Ses!