We Know What We Are, But Know Not What We May Be

Cities I've Visited

2010-12-06T04:10:00.000+01:00

Thoughts on Going Home

2010-05-16T13:10:00.001+02:00

N.B. I am currently at Heathrow Airport, in London, enjoying my last few hours on European soil. I hope to be home by Sunday evening, however I may be delayed by fresh ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

As my final post from Europe, I have decided that instead of writing about how much I am going to miss Denmark, or how much I have learned since coming here, it would be interesting to list some of the things I am going to have to re-adjust to as I move back home. Some of them are things I am looking forward to, other I am more nervous about. If nothing else, it will be a great way to highlight some of the differences between living in Denmark and the US. However, I hope it will also help me to mediate some of the adjustments I have to go through. I need to decide what I will bring back from Denmark, and what I will leave behind, what I will change about myself, and what old habits I will readopt. I am hopeful that my time in Denmark will have changed something, even if I am not conscious of what exactly it is. So, without further ado, here is my list:

1. Cheep Food. I won’t lie; this is one of the things I am looking forward to most. Scandinavia is known world wide as one of the most expensive places to live, especially for foreigners. Everything is more expensive in Denmark, especially food. A reasonable pastry is about $2, a latte perhaps $6, a cheap piece of pizza might be $2.80, and a bottle of water $5. These are cheap food in Denmark. Going to a fast food restaurant will easily set you back $10 to $15, and a cheap night out will be at least $25, plus drinks. Although I hate how much it costs in Denmark, I have to admit that it really makes me appreciate eating-out so much more, because it is a special-occasion for everyone.

2. Altitude. I have spent the last nine months living at sea level. Denver, the mile high city, is more than 2 km higher than Denmark. The highest I have been on this entire trip was the top of Untersberg, near Salzburg, Austria, and that was just about as high as Denver is. Although I am looking forward to the mountains again, I am going to have to take a little time to the general lack of oxygen in Colorado, especially in the mountains which can be more than 4 km above sea level.

3. The English Language. Although I conversed with my professors, friends, and host-family primarily in English, I was living in a country where the dominant language was Danish. Even though most Danes are fluent in English, I was at times more or less immersed in the Danish Language, which I was attempting to learn. Although I am no where near fluent, few foreigners ever are, I made more progress than most Americans, and felt comfortable in situations where I heard nothing but Danish for hours. Although I complained about the difficulty of pronouncing the guttural consonants and absurd vowels of the Danish Language, they eventually started to grow on me, and I will certainly miss hearing them. I will have to rely on my small collection of Danish Pop-music and movie, plus the wonder that is YouTube, to get my weekly fill of the Danish Language, if only to remind me how ridiculous it really sounds.

4. Cloths Dryers. For some reasons, one of the biggest shocks when I first got to Denmark was the lack of a dryer. Most Danish families don’t have one, as they are extremely expensive and use up a lot of energy. Danes prefer to dry their cloths the old-fashioned way, outside…and in the hallway during the winter. I became accustomed to the routine of doing my laundry and waiting a day for my cloths to dry. It is going to be strange to imagine that now it will take three hours for cloths to go from hamper to drawer. I just can’t fathom it.

5. The Movies. Another insanely expensive commodity in Denmark is the price of a movie ticket, often between $16 and $20. As such, I have only seen five movies in theaters while I was here; Abrazos Rotos, New Moon, Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, and Valentine’s Day. In America, I would easily see that many movies in a month. I love going to the movies. It is such a relaxing-yet-enlightening experience, and generally doesn’t cost that much. I am very much looking forward to getting back to my favorite independent theaters, where I can see a great foreign film, with English subtitles, for only $7.

6. Big Cars. Denmark is known for being relatively progressive when it comes to environmental issues, and as such, most Danes drive small, climate-friendly, cars. Most Danish families only have one car, and many don’t have any at all, preferring to bike or take the train. One of my professors was proud to explain to us that he has been able to live for sixty years, raise three children, and maintain a summerhouse in North Zealand, all without ever having owned a car…although he does have five bikes. He takes the bus to work, he bikes to the grocery store (every day), and if he needs to get to his summer home, he just has to hop on a train, and is there within an hour. I have grown accustomed to the streets of Denmark being dominated by bike, and very small cars. The largest personal car I have seen on the road here is a Jeep Cherokee, and it looked huge to me. I am a little apprehensive about coming back to a country where SUVs dominate, let alone having to drive one again.

7. The Media. I have to admit; I really didn’t miss American news while I was away. It was very refreshing to get away from the partisanship and polemics that is the American media. I loved getting my news from the Danes, or from BBC, as they offer such a unique, albeit biased, perspective. When Obama passed health-care reform Europeans rejoiced that America had finally joined the civilized world. Experiencing the European media has given me the opportunity to really take a step back from American politics, and attempt to understand what is really going on. I learned a lot, though not much that can be described in writing, though I will try to write more once I am back in the states. That being said, I am also somewhat nervous about what I missed in American media while I was away. What Music and TV-Shows, not to mention books, don’t I know about? What new words have entered the American dialect of which I will be woefully unaware? I am really nervous that at some point, someone will make a veiled reference to pop-culture, which will go right over my head. Maybe I worry for no reason, as Denmark is fairly current on American pop-culture…I just like to feel like I am always aware of what has been going on in the world, and that I may have missed out on something important.

8. Weather. During my fist two months in Denmark, the weather was perfect. It was sunny almost every day, moderate temperatures, with very little rain. Then November hit, it began to get cooler, and significantly darker, and by the end of December, it was dark by 4:30 PM and snowing. After the New Year, and what turned out to be one of the coldest Danish winters in 20 years, we were all expecting spring to arrive. The sun began to come back, but spring never really arrived in full. It got warmer, it rained instead of snowed, and some of the plants began to grow again. However, we never had more than a week of really great sunny weather, even when the sun was out for 16 hours a day. I know that it hasn’t been much better in Denver, but I feel like I am ready for some genuinely warm weather, instead of the undecided chilly climate that I have learned to love in Denmark.

My Final Weeks in Denmark

2010-05-15T13:52:00.005+02:00

I have been pretty busy with school these last few weeks, but have also been trying to experience as much as Copenhagen as possible. I went into tourist mode again, trying to see the last few sights I hadn’t seen yet, and I am proud to say, I believe I succeeded. On top of final papers and examinations, I was able to visit all the museums, churches, and castles I had been putting off in the hope of better weather. Alas, summer-weather never arrived, so I just went out and saw them anyway.

In terms of museums, I have visited the National Museum, the New Carlsberg Glyptotek, The National Galleries of Art, The Thorvaldsen Museum, and the Open Air Museum. I also visited Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød, Kronborg Palace in Helsingør, and Rosenborg and Christiansborg Palaces in Copenhagen. I also revisited some of my favorite places. It has been a great few weeks, and I only wish I had more time to write about it. Instead, I will upload just a few of my photos, with descriptions, in the hopes of demonstrating just how beautiful Denmark can be, even in bad weather.

The National Cathedral

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Thorvaldsen Museum

Gundestrup Cauldren at National Gallery

Open-Air Museum

Rosenborg Slot

Crown Jewels at Rosenborg

Frederiksborg Slot in Hillerød

Kronborg Slot in Helsingør, Hamlet's Castle

Frederiksberg Slot

Church of Our Savior

View of Copenhagen from the top of Church of Our Savior

Beowulf Revisited

2010-04-25T09:35:00.005+02:00

Perhaps the one thing I will never forget about my high school freshman World History course is our final assignment. We were told to read a book written in the middle ages, or about, the Middle Ages. As I was already obsessed with the works of JRR Tolkien as a fifteen year-old, I naturally decided to read Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon legend of a Geatish hero who liberates the Danish King Hroðgar from the monster Grendel. Hroðgar is a semi-legendary king of the Danes, also known as Roar, who is believed to have lived sometime in the 6th century. Little is known about him from the sources, except that his lived in a great hall called Heorot, said to be so spectacular that it was called the Byzantium of the north. Several early Danish historians, most notably Saxo Grammaticus, wrote that Heorot was located in the town of Hleiðra, known in modern Danish as Lejre. Lejre is situated on the Island of Zealand, a mere 40 kilometers southwest of Copenhagen. In 1986 a Danish archeologist discovered a Viking age (c. 900) hall there, and then nearby a hall from the mid-6th century, the exact time Roar is said to have lived. This hall, some fifty meters long, is now believed to be the very same Heorot from the Beowulf legend. It is a stone-throw away from several ship-setting burials, which could even be the burial place of Roar himself. Last weekend, I was giddily surprised to discover that my Nordic Mythology class would be visiting Lejre as a field-study. We were actually able to stand on the spot where Heorot stood, and where Roar is buried. Although all one can see are a few stones or a sod-mound, it was an incredible experience to be able to see the places I had read about so many years ago. It was certainly one of the most amazing experiences of my trip to Denmark so far, even if there wasn’t that much to actually see. The idea of being in places where great things are said to have happened is very satisfying for me, especially when they took place so long ago, and have captivated the imagination of the northern peoples for generations.

A ship-setting burrial

The outline of Heorot

Our field trip also featured a trip to the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum

(which I had already seen, and wrote about here) as well as to Trelleborg Ring-Fortress. Throughout Denmark there are five ring-fortresses, built all virtually at the same time, and seemingly as military facilities. It is believed that they were built in the late 900’s by the Danish King Harald Bluetooth (who also erected the Jelling Stones described here). Harald is said to have made the Danes Christian, and likely did so using forces housed in these ring-fortresses. They are impressive structures, even today. Surrounded by as massive earthen mound, and symmetrically arranged, they certainly would have looked intimidating in their day, when nothing of their kind had ever been seen in the north. The Trelleborg museums has also reconstructed what one of those halls might of looked like, so our class was able to sit inside for a while, around the fire pit, and quite fittingly, drink a little mead.

Trelleborg Ring-Fortress

A Reconstructed Mead-Hall

The Alp Mountains and the Nature of Travel, Spring Break 10 of 10

2010-04-24T19:24:00.006+02:00

If I were perfectly honest with myself, I would admit that the prime motivator for my recent vacation to the Alps was an irresistible desire to see mountains again. I have lived a majority of my life in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, and have become accustomed to, and perhaps even dependant on, their persistent reminder of the vast majesty of nature in the face mankind’s seemingly impressive achievements. One of my favorite memories from childhood is driving south on Colorado’s I-25 highway on a July 4^th evening. We passed by several small towns and cities who were all celebrating their independence by releasing fireworks high into the sky. Although close-up the fireworks often appear to reach into the heavens, I could see from the road that they hardly seemed to approach the base of the mountains, let alone their summit. Good mountains dwarf everything in the vicinity, and remind us that we truly are miniscule when it comes to the absolute immensity of our planet, let alone the universe. This is why I love mountains, apart from their obvious and often overwhelming natural beauty. During my stent in Europe, I have seen many countries, and even a few small hills. But nothing had come close to what I had at home, and I therefore set out to conquered Europe’s largest mountain range, the Alps. The Alps are a result of the ongoing collision of two continental plates, and are therefore, like the Rockies, relatively young. The peaks of young mountains haven’t had time to erode into the gentle and elegant peaks known to the Appalachians. Rather they are rough, jagged, and oftentimes aggressive looking. This makes them all the more striking, more in contrast to the clouds into which they cut, and perhaps even more beautiful. I was continually awed by what I saw during my time in the Alps, and I simply cannot wait to return as an adult, when I have more time and more resources to spend exploring these wonderful mountains that felt so strangely familiar.

I also spent a lot of time while I was traveling the Alps reflecting on my entire travel experience, and what it really means to travel. Up until that trip, I had traveled to many different cities, in order to see churches and museums, to learn about history, people, and their customs. It struck me that the best of these trips, both by my standards and by general tourist standards, were the cities with the most beautiful churches or the best museums, both obstinately human creations. Even those with wonderful city parks were not truly natural, as most of those parks are carefully planned and maintained. I wondered why I would want to travel at all, why I needed to see the old-yet-beautiful buildings, and why it all mattered in the end. Parts of my Alp-trip were completely different, spent more or less enjoying nature’s creations of mountains and valleys, lakes and trees. I don’t know how I should compare these disparate experiences, or even if I should. I love churches and museums, but I also love mountains and lakes. The former represent the highest form of western consciousness regarding the importance, and indeed relationship between, truth and beauty. However, the latter, the mountains and lakes, are physical and genuine manifestations of this relationship. I have spent a lot of time looking at beautiful things in beautiful places, and although I enjoy them profoundly, I still don’t understand why I should, or even why they seem so imperative to me.

Perhaps they are special, at least in the European context, because we have recorded histories of events that have occurred, both in cities and the mountains, often hundreds of years ago. Maybe this is where the two come together. Both are beautiful, but in different ways, and both fill the pages of history, and are even, oftentimes, visual reminders of those histories. Perhaps that is why I have enjoyed traveling Europe so much, because I have devoted at least part of my life to learning about what happened here, and now that I am here, I get to see it all. It somehow makes me feel more connected to that past, something I feel is lacking, especially in the Western US. Our history is shorter, our cities less grand, our mountains less historical (though just as beautiful). Hannibal crossed the Alps, not the Rockies. Napoleon dined in Berlin, not Denver, and Queen Elizabeth I is entombed in Westminster, not Colorado. That doesn’t mean less important people lived or live in the territory now known as the United States, just that we can only read about the last 100 years there, and not the last 10,000. I look forward to traveling more, both in Europe and in the US, though I am interested to know how this experience will change the way I travel. I want to see as much of the world as possible, both its churches and its mountains, however I feel Europe is somewhat unique, to me anyway, in that it is connected to a past I identify with. America is culturally a product of Europe, it is a continuation of European history, and returning to Europe is in a sense returning to a long-estranged cousin, one that has moved on from its past, but which hasn’t forgotten it.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein, Spring Break 9 of 10

2010-04-22T12:06:00.005+02:00

When I realized that I would be visiting the Alps, and that I would be only a few hours away from Liechtenstein, I knew that I would have to go. The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small nation tucked in the Rhine Valley between Switzerland and Austria. It covers an area of about 160 square kilometers (or 60 square miles) and is home to about 36,000 citizens. It has a long and confusing history as an assortment of medieval counties and principalities, which were eventually formed into the independent nation of Liechtenstein in 1866, as a constitutional monarchy ruled over by the Princely house of Liechtenstein. Today, their head of state is Prince Hans-Adam II, whose grandfather Prince Aloys was the first Prince of Liechtenstein to actually live there. Most of the family used to live in Vienna, and participated in the courtly-life of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That being said, it seems the people of Liechtenstein are a patriotic people who are proud of their history, and of their monarch. The Liechtensteinische Landesmuseum (National Museum) tells the story of the country from its first inhabitants in the Neolithic up until the present in a seemingly honest way, but stops just short of criticizing past monarchs for their mishandling of the country. Besides the Landesmuseum, there is also a very impressing art collection in Vaduz, as well as several administrative buildings, and a church or two. On a hill overlooking Vaduz is the castle, which is the current residence of the royal family. Although tourists are free to climb up to the castle, it is not actually open to the public, which is a rare thing among European castles in general. Nevertheless, it offers a great view of the city, the mountains above, and the Rhine valley. It was great to spend a few hours in one of the world’s smallest countries (the 206^th by population, and 211^th by area). Although it is very expensive, using the Swiss Franc, it is also very beautiful and somewhat quaint. If you can afford it, there are some wonderful shops and restaurants, as well as banks. However, most importantly, it will give you the good fortune of having the right to say: “Believe it or not, have indeed been to Liechtenstein, have you?”

Southern Liechtenstein

Vaduz

Vaduz Castle

Views from Above

Zürich and Sargans, Two Faces of Switzerland, Spring Break 8 of 10.

2010-04-19T12:42:00.005+02:00

During the two days I spent in Switzerland, I visited two different cities, and they couldn’t have been more disparate. Zürich is largest city in Switzerland, and is situated on the spot where the River Limmat flows out of Lake Zurich, which is fed by the Linth River flowing from the Alps. It was first established in 15 BCE as Turicum, a Roman tax-collecting outpost, but has now grown into a city of almost 400,000 inhabitants, 30% of whom are foreign citizens. About 22% of Switzerland’s residents are foreign nationals, choosing to live here for a variety of reasons, most notably for its low taxation policies, but also for other political and economic reasons. The city therefore has developed into an international business center, as well as a popular shopping destination. The city is incredibly clean and well-managed, its streets are lined with glittering shop windows, and both cars and bicycles stop to let pedestrians cross at the crosswalks. The city also had some historic buildings, mostly churches, as well as a wonderful national museum, but the city as a whole is not a tourist’s paradise.

***

Fifty miles south-east of Zurich is the small town of Sargans, Switzerland. It is located in the Rhine river valley, not far from Liechtenstein, and indeed I initially only intended to transfer to a Liechtenstein-bound bus when I first took a train to Sargans. However, once I saw the town, I knew I had to spend a couple of hours exploring. Although the town sits quite low in the valley (only 1,500 feet above sea-level), it is surrounded by incredibly high alpine peaks. On the north end of town is a 13^th century fortress built on a hill overlooking the city. Climbing up to the castle, one encounters a small church built after the plague in the 16^th century, countless vineyards, and eventually Schloß Sargans. From the castle, you can see down into the Rhine valley, an abundantly fertile area due in part to over 50 inches of precipitation per year. While in Zurich one grew accustomed to the sounds of cars and busses, all one can hear in Sargans are the birds, and occasionally a train passing through. It was a wonderful place.

Torino, Spring Break 7 of 10

2010-04-18T20:34:00.006+02:00

My last day in Italy, Easter Monday, was spent exploring the once-Olympic city of Turin. My guess is that most of the venues were outside the city center, predominantly in the mountains, because there is little evidence in the historic old-town that anything of the sort took place. It was a wonderful day, much improved weather-wise from Milan, and I spent I lazily wondering about. Most everything was closed before noon, except the churches, which were all full of individual worshipers. I have read that Turin is particularly spiritual, especially for northern Italy, and I concur based on the little I saw. Perhaps it has something to do with being the home of the much-debated Shroud of Turin, supposedly the funeral shroud of Jesus Christ Himself. Irritatingly, I discovered upon my arrival that the shroud would not be open to the public until the 2^nd of May, less than a month from now. Nevertheless, I enjoyed still enjoyed the day. I spent the better part of one hour waiting in line to ascend the Mole Antonelliana, an incredible tower serviced by a glass elevator. From the top, you literally have an incredible 270º view of the Alps. It was well worth the wait. After that I toured some more churches, as well as surprisingly large collection of Egyptian antiquities, before strolling along the Po River. As it was a national holiday, every other Italian family was out, enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery with me. Along the river, there is a modern reconstruction of what a Medieval Turin would have looked like, complete with narrow passageways, public fountains, churches, and small merchants shops. I enjoyed Turin very much…the mood of the city was remarkably calm and relaxed, at least compared to Milan, and it seemed the most important thing in the world was simply enjoying the good weather.

Some of Turin's Churches

Main Square

Roman Ruins

Medieval City (re-constructed)

Along the Po

The Mole Antonelliana, and view from the top

(click to expand)

Milano, Spring Break 6 of 10.

2010-04-16T16:49:00.003+02:00

Milan, the heart of European fashion, is a very metropolitan city. It is a lot like many other large European cities, but has some unique qualities. I was fortunate enough to visit on Easter, when it seems the normal rules were suspended. In the heart of the city all of the churches and cafes were open, although none of the museums were. In the less central areas, only the small restaurants and bars remained open. Most of the people, it seemed, were spending the day at home, as all of the shopping, and Milan has a lot of shopping, was closed for the day. The most popular tourist destinations in Milan were centered around the Duoma, a large gothic cathedral where regular services are held. There are also public parks, many museums and theaters, as well as generally interesting buildings, packed with Europe’s finest designer boutiques. I rather liked Milan, but I would like to see it at its best, when everything is open and alive, rather than on a very rainy Easter Sunday, when every dog big and small wears its own raincoat.

Crossing the Alps, Spring Break 5 of 10.

2010-04-13T13:49:00.003+02:00

In the year 1794 James Watt patented the steam powered engine, which changed the transportation of goods and people forever. Within fifty years, all of industrialized Europe was establishing their own rail system. The railroad was an important investment economically, as it facilitated the rapid movement of consumer goods in the burgeoning market economies, but also politically, as rail-networks soon became important for defense of national borders. In 1859, The Austro-Hungarian Empire opened the first lines for what would eventually become the Brenner Railway, linking Austria with the Austro-Hungarian province of South Tirol (now part of northern Italy). The vast empire was committed to maintaining its borders south of the Alp Mountains, and when it was completed in 1867 it became the first railway to transverse the Alp Mountains; starting in Innsbruck, Austria and terminating in Verona, Italy.

Although new technology greatly increased the speed with which one can cross the Alps, the route it follows through the mountains is very old. From Austria the route follows the Inn River (a tributary of the Danube) up the Wiptall (Wipp Valley). It crosses over Brenner Pass, the lowest Alpine pass, at only 1,370 meters above sea level (4,495 feet). It then joins the Adige River (which flows into the Adriatic Sea south of Venice) through the Eisack and Adige Valleys into Verona, at the base of the Alps. Brenner Pass has been an important mountain pass from even before the Romans arrived in the area, though in the 2^nd century AD they completed the first road crossing the Pass. The Germanic Alamanni crossed the pass in AD 268 attempting to invade the Roman Empire, as did countless other peoples wishing to travel into Italy from the north.

Today, the railway more or less travels along the same paths that have been used for thousands of years, with the help of some modern innovations, namely 25 short tunnels (about 25 km in total) and 4 bridges. The rest of the way, the tracks follows the river up into the mountains, or out again. Humans have always relied on flowing water, either for trade or crop irrigation, or even to find the gentlest course between two places. Its no coincidence that almost every inland European city is located on a river. I have seen several rivers on this trip. Both Düsseldorf and Vaduz are situated along the Rhine. Munich sits along the Isar River, which flows into the Danube. Salzburg is on the Salzach River, which flows into the Danube via the Inn. The Danube is Europe’s second longest river, originating in the German Black Forest and flowing through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine into the Black Sea near Milan and Turin are in the Po River basin along the Po River, Italy’s longest which joins the Adriatic near Venice. Zurich is along the Limmat River which flows into the Aar and eventually the Rhine.

Brenner Pass is a rough dividing line between Italian- and German-speakers, as well as between northern and southern European lifestyles. One can observe these differences simply by watching the landscape pass by as the train moves south. In Austria you see small farming villages centered around a church and settled in fertile valleys amongst the high, snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The fields stretch a little way up the sides of the mountains and are used to graze cows or else to grow wheat and barley. However once one passes over Brenner Pass, the landscape changes. The villages become more spread out, often based around large villa estates. Although there are still churches among the residential buildings, one also sees more small churches or monasteries located in the foothills of the Alps. In addition to wheat fields and orchards, which are located in the low valleys, one also sees the hills covered in grape vines and olive trees. Mediterranean Europe has long relied on the mountainsides to grow two of its most important crops, whereas in the north they were rarely of importance. The gradual change between German and Italian can be observed in the informational signs at the station. In Innsbruck everything is written in German and English. As you pass south, everything is in both German and Italian, and even the cities have names in both. The train passes through cities called Brennero/Brenner, Fleres/Pflersch, Funes/Villnöß, and Castelrotto/Kastelruth. By Verona, the signs were in Italian and English. There are also significant cultural differences between German-speakers and Italian-speakers, as I witnessed even in the very mundane atmosphere of the cafes. I had my lunch in the Austrian city of Innsbruck, and was served by a quiet, punctual waitress who spoke little, brought me my food, and left me alone. That night, I had dinner in a Pizzeria in Milan, and after being seated spent ten minutes talking to the staff before I even got my menu. The hostess asked if I spoke Spanish after she discovered that I don’t speak Italian, and the rest of the staff thought it would be funny to see how much Italian I could understand, and how much they could pretend to speak in Spanish. I was seated at the back, next to the table where the cooks and waiters were enjoying an espresso break, and they spent the next ten minutes talking to me, laughing, singing, and dancing. I eventually got my food, and ever later by bill, and left completely shocked at what had just happened. I have spent so much time in Northern Europe; I am forgetting my previous experiences in Spain and Italy. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved taking the train across the Alps, if for no other reason than it offers countless breathtaking views of this beautiful and snow-covered mountain range.

Salzburg, Spring Break 4 of 10

2010-04-10T13:41:00.005+02:00

What I liked best about Salzburg, aside from its cultural and historical heritage, was that the city existed vertically, as well as horizontally. There are four small mountains (large hills, really) in downtown Salzburg, and I was able to go up three of them. The most important is Festungsberg (Fortress Mountain), on top of which is the Hohensalzburg Fortress. This fortress, started in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein, is what has kept the city from invasion for hundreds of years. Immediately next to Festungsberg is Mönchsberg, which houses the new Museum of Modern Art, as well as a very beautiful wooded area with great views of the city. Across the river Salzach is Kapuzinerberg, which is the home to an old Franciscan monastery. While I was able to take an elevator or funicular to the top of the other mountains, I had walk up Kapuzinerberg. It was a lot of fun, and I got a great panorama of Altstat (Old Town). Old Town Salzburg, like many other cities, has wonderful churches, museums, and plazas. As a Roman Catholic diocese, Salzburg has many beautiful, ornamented, catholic churches. Salzburg is also the birthplace of W.A. Mozart, and no one could visit the city without being reminded of that fact everywhere they looked. There are Mozart candies, concerts, and albums absolutely everywhere, and you are also able to visit his birth-home as well as his residence. Salzburg was just the right size to visit for a few days, and although it was fairly touristy, I liked it quite a lot.

Schloß Neuschwanstein, Spring Break 3 of 10

2010-04-10T13:20:00.005+02:00

I have to admit that it has been a long-held desire of mine to visit Neuschwanstein Castle ever since I saw a photograph of it in one of those kitschy Castles of Europe wall-calendars in my local bookshop. On my last day in Munich, I decided to make that dream come true. I took a train into the deep south of Bavaria, only a few miles from the Austrian border, to very feet of the Alp Mountains. In 1869, King Ludwig II of Bavaria decided that the mountains of his childhood home needed nothing less than a fairy-tale castle to fulfill his fanciful imagination. This palace, one of four he started to build, was designed first by an artist, not an architect. The exterior is a romantic exaggeration of the Romanesque style, with some Gothic influences, and was later to become the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. The interior is dedicated to the world of Richard Wagner’s opera’s and as such is an incredible embodiment of the worlds of Tristan und Isolde, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Parsifal, and Lohengrin, all of which are old European legends and fairytales. Every surface is covered in vivid figures of swans, heraldic motifs, and scenes from the fairytales. The entire castle is beyond description. You are not allowed to take photos inside, but here you can see some of it. I have said it before, but the photos simply cannot capture how absolutely amazing this place is, and I couldn’t be more sincere in saying that no one should ever pass up a chance to visit this castle, should the opportunity present itself.

München doesn’t mean beer, it means Munich…Spring Break 2 of 10

2010-04-10T13:10:00.000+02:00

The city of München (Munich), located in the southeastern German province of Bayern (Bavaria), is known worldwide, for better or worse, as the birthplace of Oktoberfest. Having decided to visit in March, however, I like to think that I experienced a different Munich, one entirely devoid of beer, though still culturally and gastronomically intoxicating. The main attraction in Munich is Marienplatz (Maria’s Plaza), where several of well-known landmarks are located. The Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) is a wonderful neo-gothic building that looks a lot older than it is. It sits in the heart of Altes Stadt (Old Town) surrounded by designer boutiques and coffee shops situated in buildings whose dignity is now questionable in light of their new residents. Many important and beautiful churches are also in the vicinity. To the north one finds Odeonsplatz, which is the location of the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, when Nazi supportes attempted to take control of the city. Although I could find no written indication of where the beer hall actually stands, I am pretty sure it is now a San Francisco Coffee Company. Right next to Odeonsplatz is Residenz, the former home of the Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria, which is now used by museums and local government. Beyond Residentz is the Englischer Garten (English Garden), a sprawling city-park with several exotic buildings (such as a faux Greek temple) and a nice stream running through it. Overall, Munich was a great city to spend a few days in, but unless you are a crazed and perhaps deluded beer-aficionado, the city feels incredibly mono-focused on emphasizing what I am sure they believe tourists perceive to be their main selling point. This cycle only reinforces itself and indentified over the years and has now, more or less, taken on a life of its own. Munich has been around a lot longer than Oktoberfest, 635 years longer in fact, Oktoberfest dating only to 1810, and it would be nice if people recognized that quaint Bavaria has so much more to offer to the curious tourist who dares to say no to beer and instead drinks sparkling water with both lunch and dinner!

The New Town-hall

Odeonsplatz

In the English Gardens

Church of Our Lady

St. Peters Church

Maypole

A Mural in Residenz

The River Isar

From the museums

Düsseldorf-Heart of the Rhineland, Spring Break 1 of 10

2010-04-10T12:55:00.003+02:00

This is the first of ten posts on my recent vacation to the Alps region of Europe, and I will be posting about one per day for the next week. Although my final destination was central Europe, I was fortunate enough to manage to find a flight to Munich with a 7-hour layover in Düsseldorf. I figured it would give me at least a few hours to explore the city, which is only a 20-minute train ride away from the airport. I am really glad I made it to Düsseldorf, though I feel bad that I wasn’t able to spend more time in the city. The city center in itself is fairly small, but I have read that the outskirts of the city as well as surrounding villages also have a lot of important historic sights. Nevertheless, I was able to see some of Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf sits on the Rhine River, an important trade route in Western Germany and Easter France for hundreds of years. The river flows all the way from the Swiss Alps until it joins the North Sea in the Netherlands, passing through countless cities involved in trade over the years. It was the first time I had seen the Rhine, and I was very excited about it.

Düsseldorf has a very impressive city park system, and I quite enjoyed strolling through several parks blooming with flowers, each with its own little lake and overly aggressive geese. Düsseldorf also has many interesting churches, most of them fairly new, as the city was bombed heavily by the British Royal Air Force during WWII. The rest of Altstadt (Old City) is mostly restaurants with street-side seating and many blocks of Europe’s finest designer shopping. It didn’t feel forced or overly commercial, like it often does in Eastern Europe. Instead, Düsseldorf’s best shopping district, Könginsalle, felt a lot like Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, except in Düsseldorf it has a moat down the middle. It was just enough to see for one day without feeling overwhelmed, though I do hope to return someday, especially to see some of the surrounding areas and to explore one of Europe’s most fertile river valleys, especially nearby Neander Valley, where in 1856 the very first Neanderthal skeleton known to modern anthropologists was discovered.

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-28T18:44:00.003+02:00

I am just 14 hours away from heading off on my penultimate vacation of two semesters studying abroad in Europe. I decided I wanted to see mountains again, as it has been many months since I saw anything larger that a hill, and so I am headed south to the Alps. My main destinations are Munich Germany, Salzburg Austria, Milan Italy, and Zurich Switzerland, with short day trips to Düsseldorf Germany, Turin Italy, and Vaduz Lichtenstein. I am very excited for this trip, because I am going to be traveling like most Europeans have for the last one hundred years, via train. Below is a map of my route. The blue line represents my flight to Munich via Düsseldorf. The red line represents my travels via train throughout the Alps, and the green line represents my flight back to Copenhagen. I am very excited to see all of these cities, to see mountains, and to travel my train. I will be blogging as I go along, and posting at least one blog per city as soon as I return to Copenhagen in two weeks time. Until then, Auf Wiedersehen and Arrivederci!

Bispebjerg

2010-03-25T12:43:00.005+01:00

Bispebjerg – The Bishop’s Mountain – is a northern suburb of Copenhagen, and is now home to a large number of Denmark’s immigrants from the Middle East. However, it also has two very interesting attractions from the first half of the 20^th century; Bispebjerg Kirkegård (Bispebjerg Cemetery) and Grundtvigs Kirke (Grundtvig’s Church).

Bispebjerg Cemetery was established in 1903, to accommodate the ever-growing and ever-diversifying population of Copenhagen. It has several special sections for Catholics and Muslims, as well as for the victims of the Nazi Occupation of Denmark, both Danish and British. Additionally, it has sections devoted to Swedes as well as several for Russian and German Soldiers. It is certainly a multicultural cemetery. At the main entrance, the rules of the cemetery are explained in a quadralingual sign: in Danish, English, Turkish, and Arabic. Danes maintain their cemeteries much better than Americans do; they are virtually city parks where people happen to be buried. It is a place with well-kept avenues lined with well-manicured trees, as well as areas where more naturally growing flora flourishes. In one of these areas I discovered several of Denmark’s well-known forårsbebuder (heralds of spring), the first wildflowers of the year, marking the true beginning of spring. The birch trees were also undergoing their yearly transformation; shedding their old bark for a new reddish-tan covering that will soon fade back to the distinctive black-and-white by which birch trees are so recognizable.

Bispebjerg Cemetery

Forårsbebuder: Erantis (Eranthis)

Forårsbebuder: Vintergæk (Snowdrop)

Forårsbebuder: Krukus (Crocus)

New Birch Bark

Not far from the cemetery sits Grundtvig’s Church, a stone-structure built in the 1920’s in Expressionist style. It is named after Denmark’s illustrious Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig, a scholar and priest from the Danish Golden Age, the first half of the 19^th century. He transformed Lutheranism in Denmark, founded the Danish Folk High School system, and encouraged the preservation of Scandinavian mythology and folklore as essential to the national character. He is often credited as the founder of modern Danish national consciousness, and as such is one of the most important Danes of the Golden Age. The church built in his honor is very unique, because it is one of the only expressionist churches built. It is very elongated, reaching to heaven, with a uniform façade of tan bricks. The buildings around the church were built of the same material and style, which gives the whole neighborhood a cohesive aura. Personally, as much as I liked the church, I felt the overall affect was very sterile and inorganic, especially when contrasted with the abundance of the cemetery. It is an interesting paradox that the space dedicated to honoring the dead is most alive, while the space dedicated to celebrating God-given life feels so lifeless. The inside of the church is incredibly simplistic. Plain wooden chairs, not pews, line the nave. There are two simple pulpits, and a brick altar clothed in a white fabric toped by a candelabra. There are no paintings on the walls, and no stained-glass windows. Perhaps it was the conspicuous lack of ornamentation, or the fact that it was the first time I had ever been the only person in such a large church, but it left me with a very strange feeling afterwards. I was glad to be back outside in the fresh spring air, which has finally arrived in Copenhagen, though I will soon be heading south to the Alp Mountains, where I am hoping spring has truly sprung.

Danes are like Hobbits…

2010-03-21T13:11:00.003+01:00

“Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt.”~J.R.R. Tolkien, Prologue to The Lord of the Rings

Yes, we all know that Hobbits are a short, merry folk who make their living as simple farmers, and who live in a hole in the ground. We also know that Danes are tall people, emotionally reserved, less than three-percent of whom still farm, and all of whom live very much above the ground. Nevertheless, there is something about Danes that reminds me irresistibly of the Hobbits. Maybe it’s their love of ale or of breaking into song. Maybe it is their excessive smoking habits. Either way, there are some interesting parallels to be drawn between the land of The Shire and the Kingdom of Denmark. Some of these comparisons are, of course, rather superficial, but still a lot of fun to ponder.

Hobbits are known for enjoying the comfort of their homes. The home represents all that is wholesome and good. It is a place for family and friends to come together, shut themselves off from the perils of the outside world, and enjoy a candle-lit meal and lengthy conversation. The same is true of the Danish home. They have even have a word for it, hygge, meaning coziness and comfort. Danish hygge involves many of the same elements, especially the candlelight.

Food in Denmark is also a lot like what I would imagine Hobbits eat. Traditional Danish cuisine consists of barley, potatoes, rye, roots, greens, berries, and mushrooms, the last of which we are told Hobbits are particularly fond of. A large portion of Danish foods are also grown organically, much like they would have been in a pre-industrial Shire. Like Hobbits, Danes are also great lovers of beer. Denmark is the seventh highest consumer of beer per capita in the world, at over 23 gallons per person per year.

Another intriguing similarity between The Shire and Denmark is how they perceive outsiders. Hobbits are notoriously distrustful of outsiders, and to an extent so are Danes. I have written before about the issues Denmark is currently having now that there are a large number of immigrants living in Denmark, the same would probably be true in the Shire. At the same time, there is a lot of well-meaning animosity between the different farthings of the Shire. We hear a lot about how Hobbits of Hobbiton think Bucklanders are a queer-folk, much in the way that Zealanders in Copenhagen love making fun of the residents of Western Jutland.

In a little known chapter of the Lord of The Rings, The Scouring of the Shire, Frodo and the Hobbits return to their homeland to find it under the control of a puppet leader, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who everyone knows is under the control of the evil wizard Saruman. Much like the Danes during WWII, most of the Hobbits are quietly complacent, preferring the peacefully accept the circumstances. However, a small resistance faction eventually contributed to the downfall of Saruman/Nazi Germany.

Finally, in the ultimate marriage of Danish environmental consciousness and Hobbit aesthetics, I give you the Low-Impact Woodland Home. It looks like a Hobbit-hole, but it is really an ecologically sound home, built from scratch, with special consideration taken to how it would impact the environment.

When Liberal means Conservative

2010-03-16T17:46:00.009+01:00

I have been planning on writing about Danish Politics for quite some time now, but have never worked up the energy to do so. Some of my friends have taken the Danish Politics class, and so are probably much more qualified to analyze it in-depth than I am. However, I will share some of my impressions and opinions, from a slightly different perspective, I hope.

It is often difficult for many Americans to discuss non-American politics. They have to step away from the categorical concepts we use for American politics, as politics are organized differently here. The most obvious of these is the infamous liberal-conservative pairing. In America, these are seen as polar opposites on a political spectrum, within which all politicians must categorize themselves. However, these distinctions do not exist as clearly in Danish Politics, or even European Politics in general.

In fact, as my title implies, the words liberal and conservative mean very similar political programs here in Denmark. One must take into consideration the origin of these ideas in European politics. Once upon a time, the nations of Europe were governed by absolute monarchies. However, during the Age of Enlightenment, a group of individuals decided people should have rights, such as equality, liberty, private property, and democracy. Those individuals who for the next hundred or so years fought for these rights were called Liberals. Those individuals who fought against them, who were in support of the continued reign of the aristocracy were called Conservatives. However, as democracy took hold, and eventually all people were secured basic democratic rights, these terms began to change their meaning. In America they came to mean one thing, in Europe, another. One aspect of the original program of European liberals was the promotion of a free-market economy, and it is this element that modern European liberals have emphasized as an important ideology. However, Conservatism in Europe also promotes the capitalist ideal. Therefore, in terms of economic policy, European liberals and conservatives often have a lot in common. They sometimes differ on social and cultural issues, with the conservatives tending to be more traditional and resistant to change. In Europe, the Liberal-Conservative dichotomy is best understood in different terms, namely Progressive-Liberal. Progressive parties are those who favor socialist economic systems, where the government has more power to regulate the market, and to provide social support for its people. Progressives are also forward thinking when it comes to social or cultural issues.

Below are some of Denmark’s mainstream political parties, along with short descriptions and their positions on certain issues. I think it is interesting that there are so many different political parties in Denmark, and how they do not at all fall into the categories that American political parties do. I think the US could learn a lot from Europe’s multi-party systems. The two-party system stifles diversity of political thought, and pigeonholes politicians into having to choose from the lesser of two evils, as opposed to a party that truly represents their varied beliefs.

The Liberals (literally: The Left)- The current governing party. Generally right-of-center, meaning their name is deceptive. They originally started as an advocate of the farmers. They are economically in favor of a free-market and of keeping taxes low. Generally cautious about immigration. In favor of individual rights in relation to the state and other institutions, and less interested in the rights of groups.

The Conservative Party-In coalition with the Liberals. Similar in many issues. Right-of-center, though more liberal than other European conservative parties. Slightly more skeptical of immigration and minority rights.

The Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne)-Currently the largest opposition party. A progressive, left-of-center party. Economically in favor of social democracy, that is a strong social welfare state. Culturally progressive, and slightly more sympathetic to immigrants.

The Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti)-A left wing, socially democratic and green party. Inspired by the Marxist critique of capitalism, they believe the state should be responsible for shaping a positive society for all its members, and not for large corporations and other institutions. They are, however, skeptical of the European Union, and of adopting the Euro as a currency.

The Unity Alliance, The Red-Green Alliance-A combination of the Communist Party of Denmark, the Left-Socialist Party, and the Socialist Worker’s Party, this is Denmark’s farthest left party. They support a comprehensive social welfare system, social justice for all, environmental sustainability, and international solidarity in the struggle against capitalism. They are also opposed to the EU.

The Danish Peoples Party-I have written about this party before, here. It is perhaps the most enigmatic party. On the one hand, they support improved welfare for the elderly and for animals, but are opposed to the EU. Their most outspoken policies, however, are opposition to immigration into Denmark. They are practically openly racist against Muslims and other non-Danes. They oppose headscarves, and mosques in Denmark. They once offered to pay immigrants to leave the country permanently. They also support higher spending on national defense and the US lead war on terror. Their political catchphrase is “Denmark for Danes.”

I would like to be clear, these are only my perceptions and opinions about Danish politics. If you want more information, I am providing links to their English-language web-pages. Except for Danish People’s Party, which, not surprisingly, only has a page in Danish.

Venstre, Konservative, Socialdemokraterne, Socialistisk Folkeparti, Enhedslisten, Dansk Folkeparti (Danish), Radikale Venstre, Liberal Alliance.

Český Krumlov

2010-03-16T09:47:00.010+01:00

One of my favorite parts of my study tour in the Czech Republic was our trip to the small town of Český Krumlov, in the south of Bohemia, just 15 miles from the Austrian border. Krumlov lies inside the region of Bohemia known as the Sudetenland, which has historically been the home to many German-speaking families. The Sudetenland is essential a crescent shaped area making op the northern, western, and southern borders of Bohemia with Germany and Austria. These are generally mountainous areas, and were renown for their fine craftwork, especially glass, textiles, paper, and toys. Germans first arrived in Czech Bohemia in the 1200’s, however many more arrived once it became part of the Holy Roman Empire, and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In fact, after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Bohemia was essentially a German-speaking country. The governing elite was ethnically German, and only the rural peasants spoke Czech. After WWI, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved, many of the Germans in these regions wanted the Sudetenland to be part of Germany or Austria. Alas, the Allied forces decided at Versailles to keep Bohemia ‘intact’ and the Sudeten Germans became a minority within the newly established Republic of Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately, the Germans in the region were treated fairly poorly within the republic, and their hardships were exacerbated when the Great Depression hit and luxuries such as glass and toys were no longer exportable. These two factors combined to make the Sudeten Germans very poor and very angry. When Hitler announced that he would be the ally of all Germans in the Sudetenland, and the rest of the Eastern Europe, he was welcomed with open arms. After the Munich Agreement of 1938, as Nazi troops marched into the Sudetenland, they were welcomed with public glee and exaltation. The Sudetenland was the most nazified region of the Third Reich, and Hitler even made a trip to Český Krumlov, where he was most welcome. After the end of the war, however, the Czech people were tired of dealing with Germans, and therefore almost all Germans were exiled from the country. Some of them were driven forcibly from their homes by their friends and neighbors. The rest had their property seized by the state, and were given deadline by which they had to leave the country. What is most incredible is that the Allied Powers who encouraged the transfer of Germans could find no objective criteria to define who is German and who is Czech, so they resorted to using Hitler’s own racial criteria and definitions.

We heard from a Czech woman who grew up in Krumlov, and the talked to us about the town’s history. She felt very conflicted about the German issue. She admitted that she personally felt an inherent aversion to Germans and the German language, but at the same time, she felt very guilty that they were driven from their homes. At the same time, she talked to us about how she was fearful that Germans would return to the Sudetenland to re-claim their homes, even though they have no legal claim to them anymore. She told us that many of the German tourists in Krumlov visit their family homes, talk about how they want them back, and about how someday the Sudetenland will be German again. At the same time, within Germany itself, most of the refugees who fled their homes felt like outsiders once they arrived. They were considered racially German, but they were not culturally the same, they were distinct Sudeten Germans. However, because of the guilt they feel for having supported the Nazis, many of them didn’t feel comfortable talking about how they were wronged. Most people don’t even know about the German transfers, for this very reason; we don’t know how we understand it. Were the Sudeten Germans really hate-filled supporters of Nazism, or were they just deceived and disillusioned with their treatment by Czechoslovakia? Did they deserve to be driven from their homes, where there families had lived for hundred of years? Is being a German really incompatible with being a citizen of the Czech Republic? How should Germans today feel about what happened over sixty year ago? Are they still responsible for what their grandparents may have done during the war? Dealing with these questions is one of the reasons I really liked Český Krumlov, and also the reason I am traveling back to German-speaking lands in a few weeks. I plan on spending 3 days in Germany, 2 days in Austria, and 3 days in Switzerland and Lichtenstein. German speaking peoples have a unique character that somehow appeals to me, so I am hoping to learn more about it while I am there.

A photograph of Hitler's visit to Krumlov. We were shocked to discover that our hotel sits 20 feet from where this photo was taken

~~~~~~~~~

The town of Český Krumlov, it is an incredibly well preserved Renaissance town. As you can see in the map above, the heart of the city is essentially an island surrounded by a great bend in the Vltava River. On a cliff to one side of the river sits a huge castle, once the home to various German aristocratic families. The inner courtyards of the castle are covered in frescoes and murals, all wonderfully restored, from the Renaissance. The families of the castle were interested in alchemy and other esoteric traditions, so the walls are covered in obscure symbols and other mysterious motifs. Additionally, it is said that there is still a ghost who returns to the castle periodically to warn the residents of Krumlov of bad news or other omens. Here are some photos of the castle, outside and in, by night and day.

Another landmark of Krumlov is St. Vitus church, first built in the 14^th century. The interior is beautifully decorated with painting, statues, and other decorative features.

Finally, the rest of the town is very quaint. It only takes fifteen minutes to walk all around the old-town, but it is wonderful, and surrounded by the river on every side. I really wish we had more time in Krumlov, it had a very appealing character. The residents were friendly, and the city is saturated with museums and art. There are also several nice restaurants, as well as some great shops. As small as it is, I still feel we didn’t quite do it justice.

Dåb og Dyrehave

2010-03-14T22:02:00.003+01:00

I recently realized that this blog has focused rather heavily on my travels abroad, and that I have neglected writing about my life here in Denmark. This is due partly to the fact that I haven’t done that much exciting lately, because the weather has been awful. Denmark is just now coming out of the coldest winter in 20 years; so most of us have stayed cozily inside our houses. Nevertheless, now that the sun has returned, I will undoubtedly be exploring Copenhagen again, and hopefully writing about it.

For now, I am going to tell you about today, my lovely Danish Sunday. My host mother’s sister recently had a daughter, and today the whole family got together for he baptism (Dåb) into Den Danske Folkekirke (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark). Generally, the Danes are not very religious people. My host father once told me most Danes consider themselves four-wheel Christians, meaning they go church on four occasions during their life; their baptism, their communion, their wedding, and their funeral. As I also learned in December, many of them also go for Christmas. Nevertheless, today my extended host-family descended upon Lyngby Kirke, or rather we ascended up to it, as it sits upon a hill. Built in the 1100’s in Romanesque style, it is a beautiful old church. According to its English language promotional material, the church was built on the sight of an earlier wooden church. Apparently, people used to believe that the hill was once a site of pagan worship. It was fairly common practice in the past for churches to be built on the site of pagan temples, making it easier to converts to feel at home with the new religion of the land. Nevertheless, the flyer I grabbed dedicated the entire first paragraph to dispelling this belief, before it even states when the church was built., which quite frankly makes me think they are compensating for something.

That being said, it was a beautiful church. The ceiling was covered in frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible and the lives of the saints. These were of course covered in plaster and white paint with the arrival of the Reformation (Lutherans do love their whitewash), but they have been well preserved and restored. The service was like any other Lutheran service, except that it was in Danish. We sang, prayed, listened to a sermon about spiritual hunger, took communion, and then at the end we witnessed the baptism of three-month-old Vigga Marie.

Afterwards, we all went to Restaurant Kongekilden (The Royal Spring), which is located inside Jægersborg Dyrehave (Jægersborg Deer Park, literally Hunter-Castle’s Animal Garden). We had a lovely Danish Smørgåsbord buffet-style brunch. We ate, among other things, muesli with yoghurt, bread, butter, cold-cut meat, cheese, smoked salmon, sausage, bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, and a delicious chocolate brownie that we all decided was made of pure butter.

After brunch, and several hours of chit-chat, we all went for a walk in the Deer Park. We were hoping to have the chance to see some of the deer, but instead we got to enjoy the beautiful weather animal free. The weather was a little cold, but sun was shining, something we haven’t seen in months. The park is great, though perhaps a bit muddy. It is full of ancient oak trees, many of which have survived lightning strikes. It was a great end to the day, most of which had been spent attempting to interpret 30 Danes conversing simultaneously. My understanding of Danish is getting better, though I still sound awful when I attempt to pronounce even to most simple sentences. Maybe one day I will get a hang of it, but for now I must content myself with merely understanding some of what is going on around me. It will be a strange change when I get home and can understand every conversation, read every sign, and order a pastry without butchering its name.

Art Nouveau in Prague

2010-03-10T17:59:00.009+01:00

I have already mentioned the diversity of architectural styles in Prague. One of the most unusual styles you find, as well as one of my favorites, is Art Nouveau. As an artistic movement, Art Nouveau was born during the last decade of the 19th century, and lasted a surprisingly short time, only about twenty or so years. It is considered a reaction to the academic art of the era, when neo-classical and neo-renaissance styles were prominent. It is also strongly associated with the revival of folk art and traditions from this era. Architecturally, it looks very distinct. Art Nouveau incorporates curved, organic lines and shapes, it includes frescoes and mosaics, and it also uses wrought iron, bronze, and even stained glass. The effect is very interesting and difficult to describe in words. It is very beautiful, and it seems to speak to something deeper than the intellect, something more natural or even spiritual. It offers a wonderful contrast to the seemingly ostentatious and sterile facades of the other buildings one sees. As much as I appreciate the gothic and baroque, I have become very fond of Art Nouveau.

While in Prague, we were able to see quite a few Art Nouveau buildings. The best known of these is the Prague Municipal House, designed by Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek.

The Municipal House has a concert hall where we heard a sampling of European and Czech Classical Music, the latter being the works of Antonín Dvořák, and Bedřich Smetana. The hall was also decorated in Art Nouveau Style.

Several Czech Hotels were build Art Nouveau, such as he Grand Hotel Europa, where we had goulash for lunch one day, as well as the Hotel Central.

The Moravian artist Alfons Mucha was a painter and decorative artist who was instrumental in the development of Art Nouveau style, especially in the fields of painting, drawing, and jewelry design. He designed this stained-glass window for St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle.

He also created this advertisement for a production of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet.

Here are some photos of other Art Nouveau buildings from around Prague.

First Impressions of Prague: Beautiful Buildings

2010-03-07T17:14:00.005+01:00

Everyone I know who has visited Prague has told me that it is one of the most beautiful cities they have ever seen. But having traveled for the last six months, I know from experience that most every European city of considerable size, as well as many smaller ones, have their own fair-share of beautiful buildings. However, there is something that immediately strikes the visitor as different about Prague. It is not the simply the beauty of the buildings, nor even their quantity, which is considerable. It is their diversity. My first impressions of Prague’s main squares are ones where Gothic cathedrals, Rococo town halls and Art Nouveau cafes sit side by side, in a sort of cacophonous harmony, which somehow and unexpectedly works for the city of Prague. Because every building is so different from the next, each contrast helps to tell a story about the history of Prague, and the changes it has seen over the centuries. Thus far I have taken only a cursory walk of the city, and have seen only some of its main attractions, but the difference between Prague and the rest of Europe is fairly evident, in this respect. I have also explored the far side of the Vltava River, and seen Prague Castle. Here are some photos of my first two days in Prague, with descriptions. I will be posting more thematically and specifically in the next few days.

Prague's Art Nouveau Municipal House was built in 1911, about which I will post more later.

Charles Bridge, across the River Vltava

On Old Town Square you can see a Gothic Church, a Baroque Church, and the Rococo balcony from where Klement Gottwald declared Czechoslovakia a communist state in 1948.

This is one of my favorite buildings in Prague, though we never found out what it is

A view of the city from across the river

A view of Prague Castle

More of the castle

And finally, St. Vitus Cathedral, at Prague Castle

An Update, finally.

2010-02-27T12:45:00.002+01:00

Somehow, I have managed to neglect this blog for the last several weeks, for which I don’t really have any excuse. I have been in Copenhagen, going to class, but not much else. Sometime soon, I will have a post or two on the Danish prehistory exhibit at the National Museum, which is very interesting. I will also be visiting some of the other museums in Copenhagen, and posting photos and descriptions. However, before that, I will be spending the week in Prague with my DIS program. I won’t have Internet, but once I get back I should have several very interesting posts and pictures. I also look forward to my spring break this year, which is in a couple of weeks. I will be visiting the cities of Düsseldorf, Munich, Salzburg, Milan, and Zurich. Below is a very cool map I made of the cities I have visited seen over the course of my travels (yellow) as well as the cities I will be visiting (green). Enjoy!

Padborg

2010-02-09T17:06:00.007+01:00

Padborg is a very small town that lies immediately to the north of the Danish-German Border. It was here we visited a small concentration camp called Frøselv built during WWII to house Danish political prisoners who defied the German occupation of Denmark. Denmark has a unique history in regards to WWII, especially in its relationship to Germany at that time. In and of itself, Germany viewed Denmark rather ambivalently, as it was fairly small, and racially acceptable to the Nazi regime. However, strategically speaking, it was an important steppingstone to the German occupation of Norway. Norway was important to Germany because it offered access to controlling the North Sea, as well as proximity to the United Kingdom. Southern Norway is less than 300 miles from Scotland. Therefore on 9 April 1940, Germany launched ‘Operation Weserübong’ and invaded Denmark and Norway simultaneously. Less than six hours after German troops arrived in Denmark, King Christian X and the Danish Government officially surrendered with objection to the German Occupation. This is seen by many, especially those outside of Denmark, as a sign of either cowardice on the part of the Danes, or even worse as an indication of complacency with or support for Nazi Ideology. Nevertheless, most people in Denmark understand that it was the right decision to make. Denmark lost 16 soldiers in the few hours it resisted the German invasion, and had it continued it would have inevitably lost many more. The decision to “cooperate with objection” to the German occupation also insured the continued protection of Danish lives over the course of the war. The Danish people had managed to evacuate a majority of its Jewish population to neutral Sweden before the invasion. Additionally those five hundred or so Jews who were exported from Denmark to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp were never sent on to extermination camps. That being said, between 50 and 100 did perish during this period, predominantly but not exclusively of old age. The Danish government was also allowed to establish its own prison camp for Danish political dissidents and saboteurs. This was an attempt to ensure that Danish citizens were not deported to camps in Germany and Occupied Europe, where conditions were considerably worse. The camp was run by Germans, but funded by the Danish government. From what we learned while visiting the camp, it was much better than the camps elsewhere, but was still packed with several times its maximum occupancy towards the end of the war. Additionally, some prisoners were deported to German camps elsewhere. In all of Denmark 6,000 prisoners were held in concentration camps by the German government, and approximately 10% of them died or were executed during the process. This is one of the lowest mortality rates among Occupied Europe, and is generally understood to be a direct result of the Danish government’s decision not to resist the Germans.

From GoogleEarth

Photos of the Camp today

As you can see from the photos above, the camp itself is located inside of a small forest, and is made up of administrative buildings, barracks, and guard towers. We toured a museum in one of the barracks that documents life for the prisoners at the camp. We also heard from the Director of the museum, who explained the history and significance of the camp during WWII.

The Director also discussed the camp after the end of the war. It was converted by the Danish government into Fårhus Camp, and housed many of those who were convicted to prison sentences for collaborating with the Nazi’s during the war. This is one of the most controversial aspects of the camp, and is a very complicated issue, especially considering the relationship between Denmark and Germany in this area. Southern Jutland is a region that has historically been a part of to both Germany and Denmark, and is therefore a place where the two have mixed, and where the German minority has lived for generations. During the war however, many Germans living in Denmark felt a sense of allegiance to Germany, and many were sympathetic to Nazism. Many Danish citizens, including those considering themselves to be ethnically German, decided to collaborate with the Germans during the occupation. Many young men also joined the German army to fight the Soviets. However, when the war ended, the re-established Danish government passed retrospective laws that made collaboration with the Germans a crime. Many members of the German minority in Denmark, as well as other Danish citizens, were punished under these laws. Over all 40,000 people were arrested for suspicion of collaboration, most of whom were punished with under four years in prison (such as the one at Padborg). However 5,000 were released without charges, and 46 were executed. Many people felt that this law, especially in the respect that it acted retrospectively, in essence making certain actions illegal that were fully legal at the time of said action, amounts to nothing more than petty revenge on the part of the Danish government. This is a highly problematic part of the camps history, especially as so many members of the German minority in this region of Denmark felt as if they were unjustly treated after the war. The museum is currently working on an exhibition commemorating the Fårhus Prison, but the director clearly has strong feelings against it. He emphasized several times that those convicted were punished for collaborating with a terrorist government. It was also clear that as a very patriotic Dane, he was personally offended by any Danish citizen who he thought was working against his country.

The story of Denmark during WWII is one fraught with difficulties. On the one hand, Danes are proud that their decision to collaborate with the occupation (with objection) decreased the loss of life in Denmark, and they are especially proud that they were able to save so many of their Jewish citizens. However, those who did collaborate with the Germans, as the government did, were punished after the war. Danes also idolize the Danish Resistance Movement, which fought against the Germans once they had established control of Denmark. As our museum director contradictorily put it, “collaborating with the invasion saved our lives, but the resistance movement saved our honor.” Most Danes don’t know exactly what they feel about this part of their history. In general, they are a peace-loving nation; so finding a relatively peaceful resolution with Nazi Germany is an example of this ideal. At the same time, they believe the resistance movement had the right to fight the Germans, even though the King himself advised his people not to resist for fear of loss of Danish lives. And after the war, they took extraordinary steps to punish those, who as far as I can tell, were only following the example of the Danish government. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Nazi government perpetrated some of the greatest evils known to modern history. But it does beg the question; to what extent can one hold the ordinary German people responsible? To what extent were they blinded by nationalism, fear mongering, or simply overwhelming indoctrination? And how should the descendants of those people, the modern Germans living in Germany or abroad, feel about their past? How do they reconcile their love of country with the horrendous things that country has done over the course of history? In short, for how long are we responsible for the sins of our ancestors?

Jutland Again

2010-02-07T17:37:00.011+01:00

It seems crazy, but I have somehow managed to make it to Denmark’s mainland peninsula Jutland (Jylland), three times now, and although I have sees many places more than once, I still learn something new each time. This time I visited Southern Jutland with my DIS core course for our Short Study Tour of Western Denmark. On this trip we visited the towns of Jelling, Sønderborg, Dybbøl , Flensburg, Ribe, Vejen, and Padborg; of which only the last two were 100% new to me. You can read more about my previous experiences in Jutland here and here. This post will discuss what new things I saw on this trip, except for Padborg, which I have reserved for a subsequent post.

Jelling is known for its Viking Rune Stones, and is a World Heritage Site and one of my favorites. However, this visit I was also able to visit the Royal Jelling museum, which was closed last time. Additionally, we were lucky enough to see the stones after a blizzard, meaning some snow had blown into the indentations on the stone, creating a very neat effect allowing the images carved into the stone to be seen very clearly.

Sønderborg and Dybbøl is the site of one of the most famous battles between Prussia and Denmark during the Second Schleswig War in 1864. It represents the end of the Danish Empire (which once included parts of Norway and Sweden, Northern Germany, as well as Iceland) and the beginning of the modern Danish propensity towards pacifism and internal development. It is also the site of a Danish Icon, the Dybbøl Mill. Last time I visited the mill was under construction, and I was unable to see it. This time, I was able to see only a little more however, as there was heavy fog that morning. We also visited the museum on the battle site, which documents the history of the war and the battle. The Victory Column of Berlin, which I saw in January, is in part a monument to the Prussian victory of the Danes at this battle.

Vejen is the home of Danish Sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen (1861-1941) and its art museum now houses many of his works. He is a sculptor beloning to the French Symbolism movement, and his sculptures are often dark and grotesque.

One of his most famous works, The Troll that Smells Christian Blood

Militarism

The Shadow

Ribe is Denmark’s oldest town, and this year is celebrating its 1300^th birthday. It is a very quaint old town, best known for its cathedral. We toured the city and its cathedral, and were even able to climb to the top of its tower to get a panoramic view of the town and its surroundings.

A very old building

The Cathedral

Views of Ribe from atop the Cathedral Tower

There is a small Viking museum in Ribe, which has many artifacts as well as reconstructions from the Viking times, when the town was founded.

I also had an interesting cultural experience in Ribe. My friends and I decided it would be fun to visit a Danish tavern one night after dinner. We wandered around the completely deserted town until we found Sønderjylland Hotel, and old pub not far from the cathedral. Upon entering we discovered it was mostly a bar occupied by elderly chain-smoking Danish men, along with some old wooden stalls and a pool table. We all got our drinks, me my favorite Somersby Apple Cider, and sat down at a table in the corner. Not long after we arrived however, a large white-haired man speaking what appeared to be German joined us. He was obviously intoxicated so we let him continue speaking for a few minutes. After he summoned the bartender to bring us all more drinks, we learned that he was the Danish owner of the bar, and that his English was not very good. We tried talking to him in Danish, but he seemed intent of practicing at least one foreign language with us. Somehow, I was able to understand him enough to learn that his was Danish, born in Ribe itself, but that he had German or Austrian family. He also knew some Spanish, and told me that he had been to Alicante in southern Spain. He was also planning a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Unfortunately for us, his drunkenness inhibited him from formulating sentences in less than two languages, and his sentences were a spattering of Danish, German, English, and Spanish. It was a fantastic opportunity to test my capacities for linguistic comprehension, as well as a valuable reminder of the absurdity and dangers of alcoholism. We left an hour or so later (after promising our new friend we would return the next night) in complete shock of the experience we had just gone through. Needless to say we were sure he would not remember us and were somewhat comforted by the fact that we would be 150 miles away in Copenhagen by the next evening.

Our Pub, Sønderjylland Hotel

Overall, it was a great study tour, and it gave me the opportunity to think about western Denmark in a new way. I also have a very important discussion of the town of Padborg which I will be publishing soon, as it really was a fascinating story.

A Second Semester in Denmark

2010-01-31T20:31:00.005+01:00

My apologies for having neglected this blog for so long, especially as far as material on Denmark is concerned. I spent my winter vacation traveling in a very cold and snowy northern Europe, and have now returned home to Hillerød for my second semester in Copenhagen. It is a week into my classes, and I am looking forward to a great semester. I am studying ‘European Culture and History’ with special emphases on Czech History, the relationship between the environment of Europe and its people, Norse Mythology, as well as European Storytelling, and the beloved and best-known Dane, Hans Christian Andersen. I have a bunch of ideas for blog-posts about Denmark and its people, as well as some travel plans that are sure to provide interesting stories I will relate to you in due time. I am traveling back to Jutland for my third time this weekend. I will be visiting some places I have already been, such as Jelling and Ribe, and hopefully to some new places as well. At the very least I will get to see museums and churches that were closed over the holidays, when I visited last. For now however, I will post a few pictures of a field-study I took to Odense, the home of H.C. Andersen, where a museum in his honor has been built.

London

2010-01-31T19:21:00.007+01:00

I have delayed writing post about London itself for quite a while now, as there was so much that loved in London, I don’t really know where to start. London is probably one of the best cities I have ever visited, and is very high-up on my list of favorite places. Its charm is manifold, but in short, London offers the following appeal. It’s huge. It’s a city of well over seven million people, very densely packed into one place. Not only that, it is extremely diverse. It is a place where people of the most disparate backgrounds live and work together. According to one survey, over 300 different languages are spoken by its inhabitants, whose religious professions range from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, and atheist, as well as a fair number of others. As many as 15% of Londoners were born outside of the UK, making it a place where you can encounter almost any variety of person. On top of this, the city is almost 2,000 years old, and the reminders of its history are everywhere. In architecture alone, you can see Norman buildings, Gothic buildings, Renaissance buildings, Georgian and Victorian buildings, as well as fantastically modern buildings. In short, it was fantastic, and it very much satisfied the anglophile inside me.

Here are some photos of all the amazing things I saw. I took the embarrassingly large quantity of 500 photos of London alone, so I had a hard time narrowing it down to these few. If you are ever curious to see the rest, feel free to ask me next time you see me. Or better yet, visit London if you can, because it is fantastic.

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben and the London Eye

Inside the reconstructed Globe Theater of Shakespeare

Along Fleet Street

St. Paul's Cathedral as seen from the Millennium Bridge

Trafalgar Square

St James's Park

Hyde Park

Buckingham Palace Gates

A War Memorial

London Bridge

Tower of London

Piccadilly Circus at night

Platform Nine-and-three-quarters, at King's Cross Station

"The Gherkin"

The Sherlock Holmes Museum, at 221b Baker Street

And finally the once home of our friend Friedrich Engels

Oxford

2010-01-17T14:34:00.006+01:00

On my last full day in England, I decided to visit the city of Oxford, which is best known for its University. It is one of the oldest universities in the world, known to have existed in some form in the year 1096 CE. It is made up of 38 Colleges, each with its own history, cathedral/chapel, and residential and dining halls. Some of the more famous include Christ Church, Corpus Christi, and Magdalen. It is an amazing complex of incredible buildings and history.

The town itself is also very old, and was first occupied in Saxon times. It has many old buildings not associated with the university, as well as great museums and other cultural attractions. I had a great time visiting Oxford, and I am very jealous of my friends who have studied there, if for no other reason that it is extremely beautiful, and has so much history.

Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath

2010-01-17T14:16:00.009+01:00

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has created a list of some of the most spectacular and significant places and buildings, known as World Heritage Sites. I have made it my goal in life to see as many of them as I can. While in England, I got the chance to see four of them. I took a tour to the southwestern English countryside to see Stonehenge, and the City of Bath.

Our first stop was the Stonehenge Monument, which was built is several stages between 3,100 BCE and 1,930 BCE. It is one of the most recognizable Neolithic stone constructions, as well as one of the most controversial. Everyone has their own idea about what Stonehenge was, and who built it. All that being said, it was totally worth a visit, no matter how touristy it may be. I loved seeing the stones, it was very special.

Next we visited the Cathedral of Salisbury, which was built between 1220-1320 CE. It is an amazing church, which is currently being restored. It contains the oldest working clock in the world. It also houses one of the five remaining copies of the Magna Carta.

Finally, we got to the City of Bath, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It houses a natural hot spring, the waters of which have been thought to be magical and curative since before the Romans. The Romans built what is essentially a sauna there, as well as a temple. Then, in the Victorian Era, it became a resort town for the Royal Court. The nobility flocked to Bath to ‘Take the Waters’ in hopes of healing any number of ailments. Today you can still take the waters for 50p, which was an interesting experience. It is strangely warm, salty, and sulfurous. I think the best that can be said is that I didn’t get sick from it. It is a great city, full of Georgian and Victorian architecture, as well as an impressive church of its own. It was a great day outside of London, and a wonderful chance to see some of the English countryside, which is beautiful when covered in snow.

Taking the Waters

The River Avon

"There’s No Place Like London"

2010-01-08T21:23:00.002+01:00

I have officially started my second short holiday of the winter season, this time in London, England. I was in Berlin, Germany last week with my parents, and I will be posting photos from that trip just as soon as I am back in Denmark. For now, I would like to keep you all filled in on my trip here in England. I will try to write as often as I can, but if I don’t, I will post everything at the end of the trip, next Friday.

This is the first time since august since I have been in a country where the ‘official’ language is English. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, and now that I am here, I still don’t. In fact, I’ve heard very little of the ‘Queen’s English’ since I got here. Sure, all of the signs are in English first, but still multiculturalism is all around me. When I arrived, I waited in the customs line with a group of Mandarin-speaking Chinese tourists. On the train, I was next to a group of Turks. I went out to what I thought was an Italian café for dinner, only to find the television was playing Croatian News and it is frequented by Frenchmen and Russians (or other Slavic-speakers, I wasn’t exactly sure). It is absolutely incredible how many different languages you hear here in London, and this has only been the first few hours.

I have also learned that you have to look the other way when crossing the street, as they drive on the left side of the road here. Somehow I forgot that in all the confusion of arriving in a city of over seven million people (more than ALL of Denmark). Thankfully however, in my neighborhood, instructions to look left or right are painted on the sidewalks, so I was saved from making any mistakes.

I’ll keep this blog short at I am planning on getting an early start to my sightseeing tomorrow morning. I will be sure to fill you all in on my adventures here just as soon as I can. Thankfully, I have wireless at my hotel, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Until then…Cheers!

Jutland Adventures

2010-01-06T11:41:00.009+01:00

My family and I have finished our trip to the mainland peninsula, and we have seen quite a bit. Our only stop on the first night was to Koldinghus, an old palace in the town of Kolding. I previously visited the palace, with DIS and you can read my post about it here. However, this time it was decorated for Christmas. In the former dining hall, there was a large Christmas tree decorated with children’s paper ornaments.

The next morning we went to the small town of Jelling, which is the burial place of the first King of all Denmark, Gorm the Old. Gorm was originally buried in a Viking style burial mound, with many grave goods and even a stone ship. However, his son Harald Bluetooth moved him into a church next to the mound. Harald was the king who converted to Christianity. There is a very old stone church where Gorm is buried, and also a large rune-stone commissioned by Harad honoring his father. This stone also bears the first known representation of Christ in Scandinavia.

Gorm's Mound

Rune Stones

A Modern Version

Jelling Church

Our next stop was the small village of Stadil, on the west coast of Denmark. Stadil is the village where my great-grandmother lived before she immigrated to the United States with her parents. We visited the old family farm, Stougaard, as well as the Stadil Church.

Stougaard Farm

Stadil Church

Next, we made our way south along the coast, and stopped near the town of Hvide Sande to look at the North Sea.

Finally, we arrived in Ribe, which is the oldest town in Denmark. It was originally settles in… We saw the Ribe Cathedral, which is very beautiful, even from the outside.

Overall, it was a successful journey to Jutland. We saw a lot, but learned that there was even more we didn’t see. A lot was closed because of the holidays and the winter, which is not peak tourist season. Nevertheless, we saw a lot of very interesting things, many of them hundreds of years old. It is incredible how much happened there so many years ago, and how much of it remains today for visitors like us to see and enjoy.

Christmas Eve in Denmark

2010-01-06T11:38:00.004+01:00

As you know, my parent came to visit me this Christmas, and we celebrate Christmas Eve with my Danish Host Family. Christmas in Denmark is about three things; food, a Christmas tree, and gifts. Every Christmas, Danes sit down with their family’s and eat more or less the same thing. For meat, they have roast duck with prune and apple stuffing, and fleskesteg (roast pork with cringing). They also have normal boiled potatoes with gravy, sugar coated brown potatoes, and red-cabbage. After that, we have a very special ris a’lamande, or rice pudding with almond pieces, and cherry sauce. However, inside the pudding, there is one whole almond. Every Christmas, the person who manages to find the whole almond without eating it gets an extra gift. It took a while to work our way through the pudding, but in the end the almond was found. At the very least, this is a tradition that insures that all the pudding gets eaten, whether the guests really like it or not.

After dinner, and the first round of dishes are done, we move on to the Christmas tree. The Danish Christmas tree is decorating with ornaments, raffia, and lit candles. All the lights are extinguished, and everyone joins hands, rings Christmas carols, and dances around the tree. One can’t help but think of the pre-Christian Scandinavians who did the same thing with their juletræ over a thousand years ago. Although it was a little awkward not knowing the words to the carols, we got by humming along, and I at least enjoyed it very much.

Finally it was time to open the presents, accompanied by coffee, tea, and the Danish Christmas cookies. Danes generally try to open one present at a time, with everyone reading out who it is and what it is from, but in the end it generally ends up a little more chaotic, as it would take hours otherwise. As far as I can tell, Danes are one of the only countries to open their presents on Christmas eve, and not Christmas day. Christmas day is a time to celebrate with other relatives or friends, or even to go see a recently released film. It is still a national holiday, as is they day after it (aptly called Second Christmas Day), and it is a time to relax at home with friends and family. I think we all enjoyed experiencing an authentically Danish Christmas, and hope to have a chance to do it again sometime.

Christmas Cookies and Other Preparations

2010-01-06T11:26:00.005+01:00

No Danish Christmas would be complete without Christmas cookies. This year, my host-mother and I made three different types of Danish cookies that are generally reserved for the holiday season. It is a great way to pass the time before Christmas Eve, and it makes the house smell wonderful.

Our first Christmas cookies were called brunkager (brown cakes), which are a lot like our gingerbread cookies. They are made primarily of brown sugar and syrup, with spices. The mixture is rolled into a log-shape, and then frozen. Then you cut thin slices and bake them. Ours also have chunks of almonds, which were almost translucent because the cookies were so thin.

Next we made vanillekranse (vanilla-wreaths), which are a sugar cookie. However, the dough is pressed through an old-fashioned meat grinder, which makes into long tube. These are cut into smaller pieces and wrapped into circles, hence the wreaths. If the dough is still cold, the keep their shapes well while baking, and the have a very nice texture. I also discovered that these cookies are absolutely wonderful when dipped in hot tea…

Finally we made klejner, perhaps the most difficult cookie. The dough was simple enough, but it needed to be rolled into thin sheets, and then cut into a trapezoidal shape with a slit in the middle. You then have to fold the corner through the middle, to create a sort of bow. IT is simple enough to start out doing, but after a while it gets difficult, as it is very delicate and time consuming work. Nevertheless, the bows are then deep-fried in oil, which makes them delicious.

The rest of Copenhagen was also decorated for Christmas, and I thought a couple of more photos might be nice.

Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T12:56:00.000+01:00

Today, the 21^st of December, is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that the sun will set at its farthest southern point and will slowly begin moving back to the north. To ancient observers, when the sun changed from setting in the south to setting in the north, it seemed to sit still, at its southern point, which is where we get the the word solstice. The winter solstice, in the Germanic world, used to be called Jul, which is now used as the word for Christmas. As I have already written, these two holidays were combined during the Christianization of Northern Europe. Nevertheless, Winter Solstice also means that today is the shortest day of the year. This morning, the sun rose at 8:38 AM, and this afternoon it will set at 3:38 PM, meaning we have less than seven hours of full daylight. This may seem depressing, but Winter Solstice also means that the days are finally going to get longer. By the time I leave Denmark in May, the sun will rise at 4:47 AM, and will set at 9:16 PM, meaning we will have more than 16 hours of day, which is double what we get right now. I am glad that it is going to get lighter outside, and cannot wait to see the sun again. For now however, I have become oddly accustomed to the idea that early mornings and late afternoons are supposed to be dark, and that all important outdoor activities must be completed by three.

Goodbye Hopenhagen

2009-12-20T15:32:00.005+01:00

Now that the Copenhagen Climate Conference is more or less over, I thought I would post some more photos of some of the different displays that Copenhagen set-up for the conference. Some of them were sponsored by the municipal government, others by Non-Governmental Organizations, and others by private individuals or organizations.

At Gammeltorv, right by DIS, the World Wildlife Fund set up a melting Polar Bear, made of ice, which revealed its skeleton as it melted. I will let you interpret the symbolism…

On the same square, there was also a photo display from Peru. They were very interesting, and well taken, photographs.

All of the protests and activity made the Copenhagen Police rather edgy. I have never seen this many in the city before, it was like the DNC in Denver last year.

On the National Cathedral...

As expected, there were also a lot of un-authorized postings around the city.

Finally, I leave you with my most confusing photo. I have no idea what this was, but it was set up for about two weeks, and had postings about auditions for something…

Santa Lucia in Malmö

2009-12-18T11:50:00.022+01:00

This last weekend I had another opportunity to visit the city of Malmö, Sweden. I was fortunate enough to go on the 13^th of December, which is Santa Lucia Day in Sweden and other Scandinavian Counties. St. Lucia is a festival day closely associated with Christmas, as well as other Scandinavian winter traditions. As a person, St. Lucy was a Christian martyr who dies sometime around the year 300 C.E., however the festival in her honor takes place on the same day as Lussinatta, which is a celebration that has origins in pre-Christian Scandinavian mythology. The two traditions were merged to create the modern Swedish tradition of Santa Lucia.

There was a great Christmas Market in Malmö during the daylight hours, with a variety of different food and gift stands selling anything from candied almonds and mini-doughnuts, to woven hats and scarves. However, once darkness falls, which is at about 3:30 PM, the real festival begins. Candles and torches burn in every square and plaza, and all the roads and storefronts have garland and LED light decorations. There is an ice-skating rink and a Ferris wheel. Finally, at 6:30, the Santa Lucia procession arrives in the main square of the city. There was a band, horse-drawn carriages, and a procession of children bearing torches. Traditionally, each town selects the most beautiful girl to become Santa Lucia, who wears a headdress of candles and fur-boughs. In Malmö, Santa Lucia arrives with a small choir and a plastic and glass headdress. Once they arrived, they went up to a balcony, and spent 30 minutes singing Swedish Christmas Carols. As they sang, it began to snow, making the experience even more delightful. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, watching a Santa Lucia festival in Malmö. Although it is a tradition that has spread over many parts of the world, especially in Swedish-American communities, it really was wonderful to experience it in a country where it has been celebrates for hundreds of years.

Malmö Christmas Market

Santa Lucia is a festival of lights

The Procession

Malmö's Santa Lucia-2009

A video with three of the songs we heard while it was snowing.

The sound quality isn't great, but it should give you an idea of what we heard.

(Note: It takes about 20 seconds for the music to start.)

Commentary at La Campana

2009-12-10T22:19:00.005+01:00

This, my final post about my trip to Spain, is an homage to the blog of one of my closest friends, who spent her summer studying abroad in Sevilla. You can find her blog, and her ‘Commentary at La Campana’ here. La Campana is one of the oldest and best-known cafes in central Sevilla, and it is from here that I wish to share with you some of my concluding thoughts about Sevilla and Spanish Culture. Having been in three very different countries in the past three weeks, I feel I am in the unique position of being able to compare my impressions of the three different cultures. Denmark is, generally, a quiet and orderly country, where everyone waits their turn in line, and where people generally keep their emotions to themselves while in public. However, Danes can be as kind and generous as anyone else once you get to know them and become their friends. Pretty much all Danes speak English, and the second they discover you are a foreigner, they immediacy switch to English, preferring you not to butcher their Danish Language, which I assure you is an inevitability. Russians are pushy in lines and organization is not a top priority. They are even more reserved than Danes when they first meet you. They do not smile with people they do not know and more often than not, from what I experienced, they are antagonistic towards others, especially foreigners. Many of them in the tourist industry are unaccustomed to Americans, and can at times be almost hostile towards them. They expect that you speak Russian, and even if they understand what you ask in English, they will probably respond in Russian. Spaniards are much more openly emotional than either the Danes or the Russians. It is not uncommon to hear someone yelling into their cell-phones in exasperation or frustration, a sight you would rarely see in Copenhagen. They are also much more friendly on the streets, even with people they do not know. Many of them do speak English, but if they know you speak even a little Spanish they are very encouraging and appreciative of the gesture. Spaniards are also much more pushy in lines. It was funny to watch them board the plane in Copenhagen, the steward had to keep announcing that only certain seats were allowed to board, not that that stopped the Spaniards from forming a mob around the door.

Some other random thoughts I would like to share about Spain. The people are so accustomed to warm weather in the summer that they find November to be cold. I arrived in Seville with t-shirts and no jackets, anticipating the idyllic 70° (21°C) weather, which I found warm compared to Denmark and Russia. Nevertheless, you could always tell who the Spaniards were because they were all wearing jackets with scarves. It was absolutely crazy that they could be cold in such perfect weather, but they were.

Spaniards really do take a siesta in the afternoon. I was very surprised on my first day there, when at two o’clock everyone started closing their shops and heading home until five or six in the afternoon. Traditionally, the siesta was designed to get people out of the streets during the hottest part of the day, but I assumed that wouldn’t be true in the winter, when it is nice outside all the time. Nevertheless, everything closes down, and you either have to find a café to wait it out, or better yet, head back to your hostel for a nap.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip to Spain. I am so glad I had the chance to return to the country, and I look forward to my next trip, whenever that may be. I would highly recommend the city of Seville to anyone looking to travel to Spain. It is not as touristy as Madrid or Barcelona, but it is still a wonderful city with wonderful people. I can see why so many people who visit the city fall in love with it.

Carmona

2009-12-10T22:08:00.005+01:00

On my fourth day in Spain, I decided to visit outside of the city, to a small town about an hour east of Seville known as Carmona. The one thing I loved about Carmona is its history. This location has been inhabited for literally thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence going back to the Tartessians and Celt-Iberians who migrated to Spain in the eights century B.C.E. It was an important Phoenician and Carthaginian city in the fifth century BCE. Then it became a roman city called Carmon. After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was conquered by the Visigoths, and shortly thereafter it was renamed Qarmona by the Muslim rulers of Al-Andalus. After the reconquista, its name was changed to Carmona, which remains to this day. The city is full this history, and it makes for an absolutely wonderful day-trip. Some of the highlights include the several fortresses in the city, as well as its museum, which is full of artifacts discovered within the city. Below are some photos of what I saw.

Main Gate of the City

Citadel

Views of the City

Town Museum

Los Barrios de Sevilla

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Seville is divided into several different neighborhoods, each with a different history and character. I stayed in the central Barrio de Santa Cruz, where the Catedral and Alcázar are located. It was probably my favorite, but also the easiest to get lost in, as the streets are very narrow and labyrinthine. I also explored many of the other barrios, each of which is unique and interesting.

Barrio de Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is also home to Casa de Pilatos, the home of the Marquis de Tarifa.

Very narrow streets, this is my Pensión.

Barrio de La Macarena

Monolitos Romanos

Muros-City Walls

Churches

Barrio del Porvenir

Jardines de Maria Luísa

Museo Arqueológico

Plaza de España

Barrio de Arena

Torre de Oro

Río Guadalquivir

Barrio de Triana

A working-class neighborhood across the river from central Seville, and the home of many of the sailors who sailed with Columbus, as well as the home of Seville's Artists and Students.

Alcázares Reales de Sevilla

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The Royal Palace of Seville was originally a Moorish fort and palace built by the Almohades dynasty which ruled in southern Spain from 1121-1269 C.E. It is a collection of Palace Buildings, with intricate patios with fountains, and an extensive garden, all of which is surrounded by a thick stone-wall. It is an amazing example of mudéjar art, which is a combination of Islamic style architecture and design with gothic and romantic motifs. It is incredibly intricate and geometric, as well as colorful. The gardens are absolutely amazing. Having recently been in freezing Russia, they are perfect. Acres of trees and flowers, along with ponds and fountains. It was built to be a paradise for the rulers of southern Spain, and it truly is, even today. Some sections of the palace are still used as the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family when they visit Seville. I spent several hours, and could have spent several more, wondering the gardens and patios. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, and I seem at a loss for words fit to describe its idyllic tranquility.

The Outer-Wall

Palace Interior

Gardens, Patios, and Fountains

And finally, a poem by Luis Cernuda, written in the 1940’s from exile, about the city of his birth.

“It was a sky of blue, clean and pure, glorious in light and warmth. Among the tops of the palm tree, above the terraced roofs and white corridors that crowned the garden, a grey and ocher tower stood slenderly like the chalice of a flower.”

Ocnus, Ancient Garden

To Luis Cernuda, on the 100^th year of his birth, Seville, 2002.

This very poor translation is my own, and hopefully the English conveys some of the surreal beauty of these gardens.

La Catedral de Sevilla

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The Cathedral of Seville, or La Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, is the third largest church in the world, after St. Peters Basilica in Italy, and Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Italy. It was completed in the 1500’s on the sight of a former Moorish mosque. Several parts of the mosque were used in the structure of the new cathedral, including a minaret tower, which was converted into a bell tower, known as La Giralda. It is the highest point in central Seville, and offers a wonderful view of the architecture of the Cathedral as well as the layout of the city of Sevile.

A View of the Facade of the Cathedral

The Interior

A side chapel

The Main Altar

A View of Seville from La Giralda

The Layout of the Cathedral

From Patio de las Naranjas

La Giralda at night

Winter in Denmark

2009-12-04T12:53:00.014+01:00

Winter has finally arrived in Denmark. The last few months we have had very mild weather, mostly in the low 50’s with a little rain. But starting on the 1^st of December, we dropped down to the upper 30’s during the day, and below freezing during the night. We even had a few flakes of snow last Wednesday. I have now taken out my winter coat, which has been out of use since I was in Russia, and have even started looking for a warmer hat.

Our First Frost

The first day of December also marks the start of another season here in Denmark, the start of Christmas Season. Christmas is the most important public holiday in Denmark, and is the time when many people’s favorite traditions are played out. Nevertheless, as most Danes are not religious, it is not really a Christian holiday. In fact, the name of this holiday doesn’t mention Christ at all; the Danish word Jul (Yule) comes from a pre-Christian Pagan holiday celebrated around the time of the Winter Solstice (21^st of December) by all Germanic peoples of Europe, including the Scandinavians, Germans, and Anglo-Saxons. Nevertheless, this old holiday was blended with Christmas, and the traditions mixed together to create a modern Danish Christmas.

In the home, Danes have some very special decorations for the Christmas season. We have an Adventskrans, or Advent-Wreath, made of pine-boughs we collected from the forest, with four candles. One of these candles is lit every Sunday leading up to Christmas. We also have an advent candle, with numbers counting down the days of December, which we burn every morning. As December is the darkest month of the year in Denmark (the sun will set at 3:40pm this afternoon), it makes sense that the traditional decorations involve candles.

Our Advent Wreath

The city also comes to life during this time. There are lights and garland on many of the streets, and the stores have all decorated their windows for the season. This year, we have some extra decorations in honor of the COP15 Environmental conference that will be held here in a few weeks. All of the Christmas lights in the city are LED, which use less energy that normal lights. Additionally, the large Christmas tree in the Town Square is powered partially by bicycle-generated electricity.

Copenhagen's Christmas Tree

Bicycle Power Generators

Lego Santa

The shop windows are decorated

Christmas Trees on sale on Kultorvet

Christmas Garland

Christmas Lights

Preparations for the Climate Conference

Welcome to Hopenhagen

I am not sure what this is for yet, but it is huge...

I will soon be posting more about both the conference and the Christmas season as time progresses, as well as all of the posts from my trip to Spain, which I have neglected to upload so far. I hope you enjoy!

A Danish Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T22:04:00.004+01:00

Thanksgiving here in Denmark was a huge success. Thanks to the help of my host-mother, and one of my host sisters, we managed to pull off a very American Thanksgiving for 13 people. We started the night before, my host-sister making the pumpkin pie, and me the corn bread. Then, this morning, I started peeling 13 pounds of potatoes, all by myself. After that, my host mother and I made stuffing, cranberry sauce, baked pumpkin, and a waldorf salad. Around noon, the 12-Pound Turkey arrived with my host sister (we had a special connection to get the turkey, as they are hard to find here in Denmark). We put it in the oven for three and a half hours with the stuffing, and started making the candied sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. We also made fresh whipped cream for the pumpkin pie. It was nice making everything from scratch, and now I know I am prepared should I ever have to make a Thanksgiving meal of my own.

All in all, it went very well. We set a formal, albeit Christmas-y table, and enjoyed the good food and great company. It was almost like being at home, just without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Tomorrow will be black Friday in America, but here in Denmark, everything will be back to usual.

Getting the Turkey Ready

Into the oven

Baked Pumpkin, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy

Pumpkin Pie

A Set Table

The Finished Turkey

And of course, no Thanksgiving would be complete without left-overs.