We're a really productive crew

Herning, Denmark...while we were supposed to be sketching...

Food & Friends

This weekend I spent a lot of time with friends. Friday night I went to my friends' kollegium in Osterbro. A kollegium is a lot like what a dorm is in the states, except here there are a lot of international students living in the building. We all ate together and then went out for a little while. Then on Saturday night I had 4 friends over for a Mexican themed night. We made taco bowls and fresh guacamole which was really good. We hung out for a while at my place, talked and listened to music, and then went and checked out the Meatpacking District in Copenhagen.

Torvehallerne Market

Earlier this week, Ami and I walked down to Norrebro, an area near our school that has a bunch of small shops and markets. We found Torvehallerne, one of Copenhagen's new farmers markets. It's an indoor market, filled with fresh fish and meat, small places to eat prepared foods and other places to buy gourmet foods. It's was a really nice market, but is also one of Copenhagen's most expensive farmers markets, so we just walked around inside and took advantage of the places offering free cheese samples.

Western Denmark

Last week my architecture program had a short study tour to Western Denmark. We went to a few different cities, including Arhus and Kolding and had the opportunity to see a lot of different types of architecture. We went to a lot of churches, both old and new, visited the Middlefart Savings Bank (which is the 4th most enjoyable place to work in Europe) and spent a little time at the AHoS Museum. On top of the museum was a huge, circular rainbow walkway that had different panels of glass so when you walked through it you went around the color spectrum. It was an exhausting trip, but we got to see a ton of cool things and had the opportunity to bond with more of the people in the architecture program at DIS.

Louisiana Museum

Earlier this week my architecture program went and visited the Louisiana Museum. There was an exhibit on new Nordic architecture at the museum, where we had the opportunity to see models, plans, and images of structures that have become famous in recent years. The different things we saw were either buildings, museums, or landmarks in the Nordic countries, or were located somewhere else around the work and were designed by architects from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, etc. It was an interesting exhibit, but my friend Ami and I also spent some time outside of the museum on the lawn taking in the scenery.

Want to look like a Dane? Or maybe find out how to piss them off?

How to Look Like A Dane:

http://copenhannah.tumblr.com/post/14228929903/how-to-look-like-a-dane

How to Piss Off A Dane:

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/how-to-piss-off-a-dane/

Christiania

Yesterday, my Danish Language and Culture class went on a tour of Christiania. For all of you who don't know, Christiana is a part of Copenhagen that has been self proclaimed an an independent nation for years now. There's a very long history behind the area, but basically now its a place known for its legal hash market (and only really legal by the Christiania standards, not the laws of Copenhagen). We got to meet up with our tour guide, named Joger, who has lived in Christiania for over 20 years. He showed us all around where people build their own homes and live, and also showed us some of the shops and businesses in the area. Its a very free spirited, I guess you could say 'hippie' place, but all of the locals seem to be devoted to the same values. Nobody owns any land and they live by a strange set of rules that mostly involve being calm people who are devoted to their community. It is definitely a huge separation from what the rest of the city of Copenhagen looks like and represents, but was well worth the visit.

Frilandmuseet

Another one of my classes had a field study last weekend as well. We visited the Frilandmuseet a bit outside of the city. We spent a few hours at this open air museum, observing some of the old Danish, Swedish, and other Nordic architecture from past centuries. There were a lot of old houses with stone walls and thatched roofs, even some roofs that were made out of seaweed (which I had never seen before). I was an interesting visit that provided some interesting insight into how buildings were constructed years ago.  

Tietgen Kollegium

Last weekend I visited this building called the Tietgen Kollegium, in an area near where I live. 'Kollegium' is the Danish word meaning dormitory, so this is where about 400 students from the area universities live. Visiting this site was actually a field study for my architecture class, but proved to be very interesting. The Tietgen Kollegium is the result of a design competition that took place back in 2002 hosted by a large bank in Denmark, called Nordea. The idea behind the whole competition was to  design a modern dormitory that accommodated the needs of present day students. The circular design that won the competition really emphasizes the idea of community between the students. All of the other buildings in the area, which are part of the IT University in Copenhagen, are very long and rectangular structures, so the kollegium really stands out among its surroundings. One of the coolest aspects of the building is that the architects designed it so it won't just be modern today, but can also easily be kept modern in years to come. The panels on the walls can be removed and replaced as the years go by in order to keep with the whole idea of a dormitory that will always be modern, no matter what year it is.

Nyhavn & Islands Brygge

Today I spent some time riding around on my bike to explore more of Copenhagen. I followed the waterfront opposite my apartment and within about 15 minutes found myself in Nyhavn, one of the more historical parts of Copenhagen. That picture on the top of my blog that's also in this post? That's Nyhavn, the typical picture attached to all things Copenhagen in books and online. It's a really touristy area, so walking around there was a bit of a challenge. When I was done in Nyhavn I headed back across the bridge to the Islands Brygge area and found a bike road that went down the waterfront. There was a lot happening, tons of people were out laying in the sun and listening to the free entertainment on the grassy beach by the water. I got a few good pictures of the modern architecture on Islands Brygge, which was a pretty drastic change from the buildings I saw in Nyhavn earlier on.

Copenhagen, Denmark

I finally arrived in Copenhagen earlier this week and got my apartment. Its in Islands Brygge, a quiet and newer neighborhood with a more modern feel than the rest of the city. The complex where my apartment is located has a lot of young families and is loaded with children. I have come to realize that Copenhagen is actually a huge place with about 10 different districts. The main focus of the city appears to be on the environment. Not only is 20% of Copenhagen's energy derived from wind power, but the people of the city are committed to cutting back on car emissions, which is why thousands of people commute via bicycle. In fact, I just read about the new bicycle highways the government is putting in all around the city so bicycle riders can be guaranteed a safer ride, especially when coming into the city from the outskirts of town. There are my Copenhagen facts for you, keep checking back for pictures of what I find while exploring.

The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood: Russia

Peterhof Palace Gardens: Russia

Warnemunde, Germany

Today was the last day of our cruise, and we spent it in Warnemunde, Germany. In Warnemunde, we visited the Sherwin Castle and Gardens. The castle previously belonged entirely to the royal family of Germany, but now the majority of the property is home to Parliament. Today we saw the parts of the castle used for the museum and also were able to explore the surrounding gardens. It was a gorgeous place to visit and a great way to end our cruise.

Riga, Latvia

We spent our day in Riga on a Jewish Heritage tour. Our tour took us to Rumbula, a Jewish memorial in the center of town, a getto museum, and a synagogue that has survived in Riga until today. We learned a lot about the declining Jewish population in Riga and what factors contributed to those deteriorating numbers. We also got to see much of the town, which is about twice as big as Tallinn, while going from location to location on our bus tour.

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn was a small, but interesting city. We took a tour and discovered its abundant history and also had a change to explore both the upper and lower parts of of the city. We only spent a few hours in Tallinn, but we got to see many things, from the more modern buildings, like the picture in the upper right of the Estonia Modern Art Museum, to the more classical buildings and parts of town that can be seen in the lower three images.

St. Petersburg, Russia

In St. Petersburg we visited a number of historical sites, scattered throughout the city. Our first day was spent going to The Hermitage Museum/ Palace Square (bottom right) and a number of cathedrals and churches (like St. Isacc's- the top 2 left pictures), and The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood (top right). Today was our second day in St. Petersburg and we spent the majority of it outside at the Peterhof Palace which is also home to Peter the Great's Gardens and Fountains. The architecture of the buildings, as well as the layout of all the gardens are meant to bear a strong resemblance to Versailles in France. We had a traditional Russian lunch, and visited Catherine's Palace in the afternoon which was really stunning.

Helsinki, Finland

Today we spent the first day of our cruise in Helsinki, Finland. Compared to Stockholm, Helsinki is a  bigger city with many more large industries. We didn't do a tour or anything, so we explored the city on our own for a little while. I found Helsinki to be a city that is packed with different examples of not only historical architecture, but also many examples of modern architecture, especially in the newer apartment buildings. Now we are sailing off to St. Petersburg, Russia where we will spend the next two days.

Stockholm, as told by Thomas

Stockholm, Sweden (Day 2)

Today we explored a little more of Stockholm with a visit to the Vasa Museum. Here we had a chance to see the famous Vasa ship that was excavated, in its entirety, from the bay just a few years ago.

Stockholm, Sweden

Welcome to my abroad blog! I will be using this as a way to show everyone at home all of the things I see and experience while I'm abroad over the next year. First stop, Stockholm! We arrived this morning and only went out exploring for a little bit (via a sightseeing bus). Hopefully tomorrow, when the jet lag is our of our systems more, we will be able to see a lot more.