Photo of the day 30-09-13

I read somewhere that many Danes light their homes at night with candlelight (in addition to normal lighting). It is pretty evident that candles are popular given the amount sold in stores. They are sold in bulk at markets, Ikea, hardware stores, etc. We figured we should try it, live like the Danes as long as we are here. So far it has been really nice, a bit of soothing light in the window.

The Movies

We decided to head to the movies today and chose to see Rush. The theater was really colorful and the inside was surprisingly beautiful, see photos below. Seating was assigned, although I'm not sure if that was particular to this theater. I think most movies are shown in English with Danish subtitles. Which is great for us, except when the characters are speaking other languages and it is only translated into Danish. Too bad Jon's German isn't up to par yet. We'll try to save our foreign language films for the US.

Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat shalom from Copenhagen. I couldn't find challah, but the bread was pretty delicious. I'll go looking for challah another Friday. (We are within 2 blocks of four different markets, so I did look around but most of the bread is rye or full of grains.)

Photo of the day 26-09-13

Tempe called itself a bike friendly city, but I don't think they know the meaning in comparison to Denmark. There are bike lanes everywhere (somewhat protected) and it feels like 95% of the population bikes on a regular basis. I'll write a longer post on biking later (after I've had a bit more experience on the road), but for now let this photo say it all. The trains have places to store bikes. I can bike to the train station, get on, get off, then bike to school. The stairs even have bike ramps to make it easier to carry them up and down (in addition to elevators).

and then there's...

Photos of the day 22-09-13

These are from my run a couple days ago (half run, half photo taking expedition). I went through a part of the park near us that I hadn't been to before - great flower path. I also ran alongside the water from an earlier photo of the day. Enjoy!

Photos of the day 20-09-13

The first is another view from my bike ride to school, quite beautiful. I thought I would take a different route that went along the water. It was nice until I turned inland and ended up going up a bunch of hills.

Next is the beer I had during the 'Friday Bar' which is where students get together and drink in the lounge area. (Totally not a dry campus, in fact there are several bars on campus staffed by students.) They had a bunch of beers from Brooklyn Brewing Company! Someone was asking about the language on the label when I realized it was Hebrew. Do the ones in the States have Hebrew on them? Let me know! 

  

View on the way home from school. It is a bit of a long ride (13 km), good thing parts are beautiful!

Photo of the day 18-09-13

We took this while at Aldi, the parent company for Trader Joe's. Jon thought it was interesting that at Aldi, 'Trader Joe's' is a brand for American items; it was also on the label for a pack of jelly beans.

Although curious (what is hamburger sauce? what is the difference between grill and hot dog ketchup?), we didn't buy the condiments. Another time.

Photo of the day 16-09-13

Since I likely won't write long posts all the time, I'll try to post a photo every other day or everyday. 

Here is today's photo: Dinner of shakshukah (tomato stew and eggs) and organic Danish IPA beer - beer was tasty, although more cloudy than I am used to drinking. I'd still drink it again! 

Moving In

Last weekend was an Ikea marathon event culminating in our move into the new place. Luckily they deliver, and we were able to furnish our place (mostly) within our budget. It's slowly starting to feel homey. The last few pictures below are our living room. 

We moved to a street called Dronningens Tværgade, which is roughly pronounced liked 'drowning struggle.' Our Danish is still really rough, so we are trying to reproduce what others say and I'm sure each person has a particular accent we have yet to pick up on. Many of the letters we assume are pronounced a certain way sound very different when spoken. (Thank goodness for free Danish classes for new residents.) We got some good advice from a more seasoned foreigner - mumble and slur the word and you'll sound more like a Dane. 

We decided to wander around our neighborhood one night and found our way to the nearest canal/waterway. It was a beautiful walk - see the photos below. It was also neat that we ended up seeing the changing of the guard at the Amalienborg Castle. The guards marched between the different stations, changing out one guard per station. They didn't let anything bother them, even the couple cars that came through the intersection during their procession. All in all a surprising and fun way to end the night. 

Things we noticed:

- Most streets are cobble stone, making walking a bit difficult. I think I need sturdier shoes to walk the streets and I don't know how women walk in heels. 

- Coffee is expensive. Going to a chain coffee store (similar to Starbucks) we found that a cup of coffee was 25 kr., which is about $4. That includes the 25% sales tax, but it is still pricey. Good thing we bought a french press. 

- We can manage to do grocery shopping and check out without needing to ask a bunch of questions in English. Small steps.

Visit to DTU

Today we took our first trip outside of the city and experienced the bus system. First stop along the way was to Ikea for some necessary furniture. Just in case you are confused - Ikea is from Sweden not Denmark, although I couldn't say I could hear the difference in languages yet. It was exactly like the ones in the States, except for the signs. In addition to the weird names, there was also strange writing below it. We were getting really good at pulling up Google translate.

Then on to DTU - the Technical University of Denmark or Danmarks Tekniske Universitet. The campus is beautiful, lots of trees and nice looking buildings. The library looked pretty neat, but we didn't have a lot of time to explore. As we were walking through campus we saw many kegs of beer being unloaded; though curious and tempted, we kept walking. I found my office pretty easily and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it is!

See- my name is on it and everything! 

My officemates / fellow PhD students are really great and gave us some good advice on bikes, buses, and some odds and ends. It was a little bit of a sigh of relief being on campus. Most of the day we have to excuse ourselves for not speaking Danish and feeling a bit rude or at least making other's lives inconvenient. But on campus, everyone speaks English, partially because there are so many international students. It was nice to speak without having to first check if the other speaker knew English, even if we were among the only native English speakers.

Other things we've noticed:

- The lights change from red to yellow to green. It is pretty neat, it gives a chance for cyclists and cars to roll/rev the engine before the light actually turns green. I never would have thought about it, but it's pretty convenient. 

- I think there is a uniform for young women: black tight pants or black tights and a black miniskirt. Every so often women wear other things, but so far I can count on at least 2/3 wearing one or the other.

- Bike rush our is pretty intense. There are so many bikes all around, you definitely need to look twice before you cross what looks like a sidewalk but is really a bike lane. 

Green campus 

Day 2

We slept really well, and woke up to sunshine. We went for a delicious breakfast nearby (see picture below). It is near our soon-to-be apartment, which is great because there is wifi and a great window for people watching. I'll say this again for dinner - the food was really really good. The description was simple, but the sandwich I had came with some good sauces and surprising veggies. 

After breakfast we walked to the Danish-American Fulbright Commission. We were introduced to everyone and went through a brief orientation. Afterward one woman took us to the local bank to get a bank account, always helpful :)

We walked back from the Commission through a couple nearby parks. The first had a botanical garden and a beautiful lake (I can't find the name, but I'll keep looking for it). The next is called the King's Garden. We didn't know at the time, but apparently the large beautiful building is a royal castle next to some barracks, which is why it was guarded by a large guy holding a gun (we were about to walk in and thought better of it). There were so many people eating and enjoying the gardens, along with a bunch of school kids - not sure if they were there as part of a school trip or just hanging out. Lots of fun.

Later for dinner we went to a local place called Cafe Leo. Even though it was a little chilly and drizzling, we still sat outside. According to some advice / reading on the internet, Danes like to sit outside even in the colder months drinking beer. Most places we see have blankets on every chair so you can sit in the cold and still enjoy the great outdoors. I can't say we will continue to sit outside into the winter, but who knows. The soup I had was also surprisingly delicious, not sure what was in it, but would definitely eat it again. We also discovered we like Classic Tuborg beer over Grøn Tuborg (what the waiter called regular). Tomorrow, we venture to Ikea and I head to school!  

Breakfast of one open and one closed sandwich. Surprisingly delicious 

Below: photos of the King's Garden/Rosenborg Castle Garden and the park next to it with some botanical gardens (unsure of the name at the moment)

  

Some nicely groomed trees and high fiving Hans Christian Anderson 

 

  

We made it

We have safely arrived in Denmark and are sitting in our cozy temporary apartment. It is right across from a park that looks cute (although we have yet to wander around). Today we went to a very popular street in an area called Nyhavn to get lunch/dinner. There were tons of people, both Danes and tourists just eating, drinking, and enjoying the nice weather. We were serenaded by three musicians and tormented by a couple bees. I got a lunch platter with some typical Danish lunch items and Jon (to balance it out) got a burger (it came very rare, rare, or medium, nothing after that!).

Some things we've noticed:
- The street lights are suspended from power lines/cables
- Yes indeed there are tons of bikes and you best stay out of their way
- It's chilly
- People seem pretty happy
- We are shorter than most people
- It smells nice in the streets (and the airport)

Tomorrow we meet with the Fulbright office to get some administrative stuff done. Exciting times! And hopefully we will consume a couple danish from the Danish.

English newspaper

Pickled herring appetizer 

Our yummy meals

Nyhavn