Since my last entry there have been a several things that have prevented me from updating. The first is that during the week before I left, my computer and my computer’s screen decided they didn’t want to talk anymore, which meant I had to take my computer to the Apple store for a check up! Luckily they put a brand new screen on. For free! The second thing was that for the last two weeks I have been on travel break. DIS gave us the wonderful opportunity to travel all over Europe for the last 2 weeks. I traveled with Lindsey and Hannah to Greece for the first week and spent the remainder of the time in Italy with Lindsey. I tried to keep it short, but its still a pretty long entry. I guess that’s what happens when I don’t write for 3 weeks…
Here we go!
If you want to see pictures, they are below on a separate post because things just got too complicated.
GREECE
Crete
The first night was spent on Crete. We took a taxi to our adorable little hostel that came with a balcony! We found out we weren’t in the city we thought we were when I asked if how we could get into town. The lady told us we missed the last bus, so I asked if we could walk. She gave me a really funny look and said, “Its 25 km away”. Oops! We still managed to find food and spent the rest of the night chatting. The next morning we took a bus into Heraklion and ventured to Knossos to explore some ancient Minoan ruins. Knossos is the site of the labyrinth where the Minotaur lived! The ruins were amazing, and I was surprised at how much interaction there was with them. You were free to touch, sit on, and feel almost everything! It was hard to grasp their age and I struggled to comprehend what they meant to the society, but nevertheless being in the presence of something so ancient was quite the experience. We came back into Heraklion, and found some gyros. Yumm. We walked around a bit, got a tennis ball from some Greek boys who caught us watching them play tennis, saw part of a castle and a crazy drag race, and made our way back to the ferry terminal. Later that night we took a ferry to Santorini, sight of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!
Santorini
We were in Santorini for 4 nights and 3 whole days. From the very first morning I knew we were someplace special. The small white houses hang on the edge of sharp cliffs like Tetris pieces. The colors are simple, with blue roofs, white walls, and the occasional splash of yellow or pink. The sunlight streaming through the clouds and glinting off the clear ocean water sent a wave of happiness through me, but that could just be S.A.D. from being in the dark of Copenhagen all the time. Anyway, the first day we went on a hike from Fira, the town we stayed in, to Oia, a town on the far end of the island. The walk took all day, and we didn’t have food or water, but it was so worth it. Watching the island unfold itself really allowed us to discover all of its dimensions. With the whole day together, our conversation also helped me discover new dimensions of my fellow travelers as they also unraveled their life tales. It was a beautiful day not only for the scenery, but also for the conversation. We rolled into Oia sweaty, thirsty, and half starved (at least I was all of those things) and managed to snag the corner seat on a balcony of a restaurant over looking the caldera. We had to beat out a bunch of rich, middle aged Americans from the cruise ship, but we had the best seat in the house! We walked through the curvy streets of Oia enjoying the sunshine. We watched the sunset in at an overlook in Oia. My favorite part was that when the tip of the sun finally set a very large group of Asian tourists started clapping and cheering! Then we happened upon 3 boys (Gabrielle from Argentina, Taylor from Canada, and Pedro from Brazil) who were also traveling. We had met Gabrielle in the process of getting to our hostel the night before, but hadn’t expected to see him again. They ended up joining us for a night of fun in Fira exploring the nightlife of the off-season! The next day we rented a car and met Gabrielle and Taylor at the beach. The volcanic beach was warm and the black sand was so soft. We spent a good portion of time swimming in the cool, salty water of the Mediterranean. And I mean salty. It was a good thing none of us had any small cuts anywhere or we would have been in pain! I actually felt more buoyant in the water than I usually do. I was impressed by how clear it was. Although it was over 12 feet deep, the bottom was clearly visible. We spent the rest of the day exploring the island in our lovely rental car. We found a red beach surrounded by red rock cliffs. We asked a couple to take our picture, and it turns out they are Seattle (Capital hill to be exact) natives! The guy had graduated from SU! Such a small world! We watched the sunset over the Caldera, and got a great restaurant recommendation. The owner liked Hannah’s beautiful eyes, so we got our bread and desert for free! Thank you Hannah! Our last day was spent at Ammoudi beach, which was covered in red rocks. Although it wasn’t what we were expecting, it was still breathtakingly beautiful. I spent the day lounging around, eating bananas with nutella, and writing postcards. We trekked back up the donkey stairs and caught a bus back to Fira for a final drink at Tropical bar, a bar we adopted on our first night, and our last sunset. We went back to the same restaurant for a final dinner of delicious Greek food. I left totally addicted to Greek yogurt and baklava. Mmm. The next morning we took the bus to the airport and spent 3.5 hours sitting outside waiting for the airport to open and then another hour waiting to board our plane!
Athens
Little did we know we had arrived in Athens in the middle of a bus strike. So after a series of busses, metros, and trolleys we made it to our hostel. This was our first experience with a real hostel and a 10-bed dorm room. The rainbows, unicorns, and jungle plants that decorated our hostel clearly indicated it opened in the 70’s. The first night we walked to the Olympic Stadium, which housed the first modern Olympic games and was the site of the Ancient games. The combination of sunlight and white marble has become my main association with Athens. The next day we walked all over the city! We visited all the major sites including the Acropolis (and the Parthenon), the central market, and a hill that overlooked all of Athens. The ruins were incredible and I loved spending time there, but as a whole Athens was not my favorite city. A cloud of smog hung over the endless expanse of taupe buildings. Just not a sight I enjoyed, especially after coming from the incredible landscapes of Santorini. But I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our last day with Hannah
ITALY
Rome
On the plane from Athens to Rome, we met a girl named Mirelle from Mexico. She came to stay in our hostel, and quickly became our third travel companion. The very first night in Rome we went to the Castle of Saint Angelo and the bridges right near by. The bridges were covered in beautiful sculptures. Since we were starving, we went to dinner with a group of people from our hostel. Since all of them were in their late 20s and traveling for long periods of time ranging from 6 months to a year and a half it was really interesting to hear their stories and think about the prospect of traveling by myself. On one hand, traveling alone would offer unique opportunities of meeting new people and exploring independence. But on the other hand, it sounds like a pretty solitary existence, and after awhile I think it would be exhausting and lonely. Anyway, the next day we woke up early to beat the crowds (yes, there were crowds in November) to some of the more popular sites. Mirelle had made friends with two boys in our hostel, Nate and Jordan, so they joined us. Rome was a wonderfully walkable city, so we made our way on foot. The Colosseum was incredible, but not like what I expected. Inside there was a maze of walls where I expected there to be a stage, or just a flat surface. Still, you could just imagine it packed full of people and if you used your imagination enough, the sounds of the city turned into the roaring of a crowd. Connecting to the people who had poured their energy into this ancient structure was much easier than at Knossos for me. Maybe it was all the movies and TV shows its featured in or the fact that I knew its purpose, but it was much easier for me to comprehend and appreciate what I was seeing. We spent most of the rest of the day at the Roman forum, wandering around more objects from antiquity. Later that night we ventured to the Trevi fountain to throw our coins in, one to make a wish, and one to come back to Rome!
The second day we spent in the Vatican. First we went through the Vatican museums. They had several interesting exhibits, one including artifacts and even mummies from ancient Egypt. There was hall after hall of art galleries too. I think I saw enough white marble statues and renaissance art to last a lifetime. I mean, there are only so many pictures you can look at of Jesus on the cross or Mary holding Jesus as a baby. And the Vatican had rooms and rooms and rooms filled of them. I was worried that by the time we got to the Sistine chapel, I’d be “arted out”, but that was for naught. When we walked in, I was shocked. Its so much bigger and much more intricate than any pictures I’ve ever seen. The figures looked like they were in motion, reaching towards you out of the ceiling and walls. Every inch is covered in Frescos. It was hard to imagine one person accomplishing that within one lifetime. And when you put it into Michelangelo’s career, it becomes even more inspiring. He wasn’t even a painter, he considered himself a sculptor. To be able to create so much beauty over ones lifetime; it was incredible. I left with a feeling of awe, and a little bit of jealousy. That wasn’t our last encounter with Michelangelo. We next went into St. Peter’s Basilica. First, St. Peter’s square is fantastic. Since the square is shaped like an ellipse, if you stand right on the focal point, all the columns line up in a row! Pretty great application of geometry! Inside was Michelangelo’s first Pieta, the sculpture of Mary holding the body of Jesus. It was a motif Michelangelo explored a lot over his career, but in this particular one the emotion inscribed into and the dialogue between the two faces was astounding. I came away with a new appreciation for him, especially because he was commissioned at age 23. We went up to the top of the cupola (don’t worry, Michelangelo designed that too), which had an amazing view of the whole city. Definitely worth the 551 steps to the top! It was beautiful, and made me realize how much we’d been walking! We also went down to the papal tombs, where we saw the grave of Pope John Paul. Later that evening, we walked to the Spanish steps on the way to dinner. We had really bad luck with Italian food the first two days. Everything was expensive, and really just not very good. We got unlucky again, with an edible, but now great dinner and 3 desserts that were awful. How does bad tiramisu exist in Italy? The next day, it was just Lindsey and I, we’d had fun with the other 4, but I think we were both ready for some time away. We decided to follow Lindsey’s recommendations from PJ (my old ochem prof). We weren’t disappointed. PJ led us to great coffee (I enjoyed a latte, which was literally a first) and pastries, delicious pizza slapped together like sandwiches, an amazing 5 pound ricotta cheese and chocolate tart split between the two of us, and a cute market with fresh fruit, veggies, and spices. Thank you PJ! Later that night, we met our friend Jeannine from DIS. Her parents were with her in Rome, and they had rented an apartment that they invited us to stay at for a night. I was SO grateful to be out of a hostel, and we had a great dinner at a very Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. We ended up playing cards (a game I might have liked, had I not lost by over 250 points…) with her parents for a few hours before just talking and going to bed. Her parents were wonderfully kind and made us feel right at home. It was exactly what I needed, a little bit of family time.
Florence
The next morning we took a train to Florence. Florence was a much smaller city, and very beautiful. The first thing we found was the market. It was fun to walk through, but the venders were on us like sharks! Everyone had a comment for us when we went by, and if we stopped to look they just wouldn’t let us leave their stand. It was so stressful! I felt pressured constantly, even if I just wanted to look at something. The only good part was it was easy to bargain like crazy. It was not a place we spent a lot of time after that. Our first night was just wonderful. We spent some time in the Duomo sitting, reflecting, and journaling. It put us in a great mood, and we found a restaurant for dinner that was able to continue our momentum. It was pretty fancy and we thought we would just get the pasta. Once we tasted the gnocchi with a thick, creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce and the bowtie pasta with mushrooms, we decided to have one night where we pretended we were Italian (and rich) by having a full meal with all three courses. For our main course we had a steak sampler. There was a filet mignon with a sweet, tangy blueberry sauce, another with a thick and sweet balsamic vinegar, and a third on focaccia bread with rosemary. It was so good; I can’t even effectively articulate the experience. We finished with tiramisu and chocolate cake, which were both incredibly enjoyable. We left feeling full and satisfied. Although it was pretty expensive, we both knew the experience was worth the extra money. The next day in Florence we went to the gallery where we saw more Michelangelo. First, we saw the David. It’s massive! I didn’t realize how big it was! There were several other Michelangelo sculptures that were unfinished. Seeing his process was really cool. The figures look like they’re alive and struggling to be released from the marble. This was consistent with the artist’s own description of how he saw his sculpture, as figures hiding within the marble that just needed to be released. The rest of the gallery was renaissance art, and I saw another 5,000 Jesus on a cross and virgins holding babies. We decided to take a break from religious art by going to the modern photography exhibit. Unfortunately we misunderstood the sign, and it was more of a historical exhibit. But I discovered something super interesting. When I put my hand down on one of the signs, there was brail! We realized that throughout the exhibit, underneath certain photos there were plaques with texture on them for blind people to feel. There was bubble wrap, fur, sand, felt, and all sorts of crazy things. It was a really interesting concept, and provided us with some entertainment. That evening, we spent some more time exploring Florence and discovered a great little pizza place across the water for dinner.
On our last day in Florence, we braved the market again. We found this one really great vendor who just let us look without hovering, and when we went to buy, still made us a good deal. After walking around some more, we went back to our hostel for a little rest. Although we were both ready to be back in Copenhagen, we managed to have a great time. We decided to go back to our pizza place and try the pasta, which turned out to be a great life choice. It was a pretty quiet night; we just walked around the town, strolling along the river and through the streets.
Sienna
We took a day trip to Sienna to retrace the steps of our friends Meghann and Megan who had spent 6 weeks there in the summer. Even though it was freezing, it was a wonderful day. We took a bus to the middle of the Sienna from Florence. We walked around the streets, and tried to follow Meghann and Megan's recommendations. We saw the Duomo and St. Catherine’s Sanctuary, but we just spent most of the day strolling. The landscape was so pretty! I can only imagine how nice it would have been if we were warm! We sat in the main piazza (a square) eating gelato, thinking about our friends. (Meghann and Megan: I dedicated a bite to each of you.) The city was pretty quiet, which was really relaxing. We walked through a couple art galleries. We also found a small shop where you could watch the people hand paint the ceramics they sold. It was really cool to watch. After a lovely dinner, we took the bus back to Florence. The best part about Sienna was being where our friends had been. It felt so special to be able to have a little peak into what their life was like for those 6 weeks.
Rome (again) and Copenhagen
Our train from Florence arrived in Rome around 11:00, and our flight out of Rome left at 22:00 (10 pm). So we had a lot of time to kill. We carted our stuff around all day, found some lunch and explored some of the sights we hadn’t seen yet. We searched all over the city for Birkenstocks (for me, unsuccessful) and running shoes (for Lindsey, successful). We were tired, stinky, and ready to be home, but we managed to have a good time anyway! We sat on the steps of the national museum people watching and laughing to ourselves. After another pizza dinner, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight much to the dismay of our Italian waiters.
Side note: We ate a lot of gelato, but if I put that in there every time we did, that’s all the Italy section would be about. I just didn’t want anyone to think we missed out on Italian Gelato.
Side note #2: All the photographs are Lindsey’s, who was nice enough to let me have them after my cameras (yes that’s plural) didn’t work.
Of course, when you’re tired and ready to be home, things just can’t run smoothly. Our plane landed on time at 00:30 (half past midnight), but the metro wasn’t running. We took a bus to the Vanløse station and finally arrived at 2:30ish. Pia, my host mom, was wonderful and came to pick us up! We dropped Lindsey off, and when I got home both the girls were up to say welcome home. I missed my host family a lot! It was so nice to see them. Peter was still on a trip sailing with 7 of his guy friends in Greece, so when he came home Tuesday the family was all together again! I had a great time being home and having privacy and my own space. Getting back into the rhythm of school was hard, and that was compounded by the fact that Harry Potter came out and I was leaving for the next weekend. I was totally unproductive the day we went to see Harry Potter, and even though we didn’t go at midnight, I still saw it before everyone in the US! Ha. Friday night, I left for my next adventure in Amsterdam!
Amsterdam
I had decided before travel break to take a weekend trip to Amsterdam with two girls I met at DIS, Jeannine and Cassidy. Although I was regretting the choice early in the week and feeling traveled out, I had a great time. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. We all know its well know for it’s liberal lifestyles, but I was struck by its architecture. The houses that lined the canals were so cute, and very Dutch. I didn’t like it as much as Rome, but it was pretty charming. The first night we checked into our “hotel”, a word used very loosely in Holland apparently. We went exploring and found a Winter Wonderland fair, decorated with Christmas lights with the smell from delicious pastries and waffles drifting all over. Christmas season started sometime while we were on travel break in Northern Europe. While I’m normally a very strict observer of the no-Christmas-until-after-Thanksgiving rule, this year I’ve made an exception. I fully embraced the lights and garlands that decorated the city. The next day we started out by going to Anne Frank’s house. It was such a powerful experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but seeing the actual space where they lived brought her story to life. Seeing the pictures Anne had put up on her wall, her diary, the window she looked out of from the attic, and the chestnut tree in her back yard personalized her experience. I was able to connect with her story on a level I hadn’t previously experienced. The person whose experience and pain I felt most directly was Otto Frank’s. I felt I could really understand the feelings of hope during his search for his family and the pain he felt when he learned of their fate. There were several letters he had written to family and friends throughout the process. The one picture that struck me most was one of Otto standing in the attic of the empty annex looking out the window. It was taken sometime after he discovered what happened to his family, but the emotion in his gaze is gripping. There was also a recorded interview with him. He talked about how surprised he was when he read the diary. He had had a great relationship with Anne and considered them close, but he had never heard any of those deep inner thoughts she was having. It was sad that he never got the chance to really get to know his daughter. After Anne Frank’s house, I took a little bit of time to myself on our walk into town to think and decompress from the emotions my visit had brought up. Our next stop was the Red Light District. It was interesting to see, but not too exciting during the day. Lots of cafes, but that was about it. We mostly just walked around the city center and tourist shops while I resisted my urge to by Netherlands soccer jersey’s for the fans I knew during the past world cup. We made a trek to the I Amsterdam sign, and ate the PBJs we made from our hotel’s free continental breakfast, which consisted of bread (not toasted) jelly, peanut butter, nutella, and cheese. It was interesting, but free so I was happy! Later that night we went back to the winter wonderland and spent some more time admiring the lights and enjoying chocolate waffles. We decided we wanted to see the Red Light District at night, so we walked back down. It was totally different at night. During the day, not much was happening down there. It was easy to walk around and see the shops and the canals. At night, it was packed full of people. You had to maneuver your way through the crowds of people. The next morning we woke up, ate our bread/cheese/jam breakfast, and made our way to the central train station. Cassidy left early in the morning and Jeannine was staying one more night to have a Thanksgiving dinner with her host family.
I committed to making Thanksgiving dinner for my host family, and the Bensons this Thursday. It will be quite the feat, but I’m excited to share a truly unique American tradition with my Danish hosts! Next Friday, I’ll leave for Geneva to spend 2 nights there while Peter and Pia head to Berlin and Carla and Sørine stay with farmor og farfar (Their grandparents, the Danes refer to grandparents as farmor and farfar, literally dad’s mom and dad’s dad, and mormor and morfar, literally mom’s mom and mom’s dad. That way, you never get mixed up about whose whom!) Well, that’s all for now. Its not a complete account of everything that’s happened in the last two weeks, its really just the highlights, but seeing as its 7 pages long I think it’ll do for now! Congratulations and thanks for making it this far!
Love,
Anja
