Tis the Season! Jul time in Copenhagen

The concept of Hygge (pronounced “who-ga”) has been my favorite part of Danish culture. Hygge is a uniquely Danish concept and has no direct English translation.  It's a word that evokes coziness and intimacy, especially when relaxing with good friends or loved ones. It is a room lit by candles, a warm cup of gløgg (nordic hot wine), a blanket at the dinner table, a fireside conversation. During the winter, hygge is everywhere.  With less than six hours of sunlight and cold northern winds, hygge explains how the Danes get through the harsh Nordic winter.

Hygge plays a big part of the Danish celebration of Christmas.  The Danes LOVE Christmas and begin to celebrate at the start of November.  In Copenhagen, Christmas markets pop up on all the major squares, twinkle lights line even the smallest of side streets, Tivoli (Copenhagen’s amusement park) hosts a string of holiday performances, and gløgg and æbleskiver (a traditional sphere-shaped pancake) are served in all the cafes.  

(Christmas at Tivoli Amusement Park)

On November 1st, the city celebrates "J Day"—the annual launch of the Danish Christmas beer (julebryg). Carlsberg Brewery employees drive around to bars and cafes singing the traditional Tuborg Christmas Brew song and handing out free beer to guests to market the start of the season.  The Danes say that the first snowflakes falls over Denmark when the Christmas brew is launched.  

Then, on November 30th, families gather at Rådhuspladsen, the city hall, to cheer on Santa, or as the call him Julehjerter (the Yule Man), as he climbs the ladder to light the Christmas tree and officially announce the start of the holiday season. 

Dryehaven (the Deer Park) -- saw a heard of 60+ deer

Conditori La Glace-- famous patisserie

I could not have asked for a better note on which to end my semester in Copenhagen, nor could I have asked for a better four months here. I met wonderful friends, took meaningful courses, and experienced what has been called the happiest city in the world.   I'm sad to say goodbye to a city that I have grown to love so much, but the joy and cheer embodied in the Danish celebration of Christmas has made me excited to return home and to Ohio, where for nineteen years I have celebrated the holidays with family and friends.  We may not be in Denmark, but we can do hygge too!Thank you to all who have kept up with my blog. If you haven’t already, plan a trip to Copenhagen- and maybe bring me with you!

Lily 

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

-Terry Prachett

Berlin, Germany

It took a lot to get me out of Copenhagen (starting to feel like my time here is running out!), but last weekend I flew to Berlin with Berry, one of my closest friends from high school.

Because my program offers two weeks off for travel, until Berlin, I hadn't done any weekend visits.  While we packed a lot into the two days we were there and hit many of the sites that we had wanted to visit, we left feeling like we needed more time.  We loved what we saw of Berlin, but didn’t feel like we had a clear sense and understanding of the city. 

We stayed with a family friend of Berry’s in an apartment in East Berlin. The friend, now in his sixties, moved to West Berlin from the US in the 1970's, and shared with us what life was like in Berlin during Soviet control.    

Our visit focused on Berlin’s many historical sites—the Topography of Terror museum (about Nazi Germany), the Memorial to Murdered Jews, the DDR museum (about life in East Berlin under Soviet control), and the Berlin Wall.  We also got a taste for German cuisine (which for a vegetarian really just means potatoes), made an attempt to keep up with the city’s wild nightlife, and stumbled upon Berlin’s many murals and art displays.  On Sunday, we found a hip flea market called Mauerpark, where we discovered cool finds, street food, and live music. 

{memorial to murdered jews in europe}

{berlin wall}

Overall, a wonderful weekend! The trip will be my last outside of Copenhagen, until I return to the US. I am excited to spend the next few weekends checking off all those items still on my Copenhagen bucket list. 

“Berlin is more a part of the world than a city”

-Jean Paul, Writer, 1800

Venice and Florence, Italy

After four days in Morocco, my friends and I left for Italy. 

We stopped in Venice first, but only had time to stay the night.  Despite a short visit, we managed to fit in a canal-side dinner, get our gelato fix, and lose our way in the tangled Venice streets. 

We woke up on our second day to the sound of rain, and by noon the streets were flooded. The water from the canals had creeped above its structured walls and in some areas, we stood in more than a foot of water. We walked on make-shift platforms, which the city had set up to allow for pedestrian traffic, and passed shopkeepers sweeping out huge puddles of water from their shops.  But of course, the locals appeared unfazed!  I can only imagine that this type of flooding is nothing new to Venice and is slowly becoming the new normal.  I am so glad that I made the trip to Venice now, as who knows what state the city will be in by the next time I make it to Europe.

Later that day, we hopped on a train and an hour later got off in Florence.  We stayed in an airbnb apartment just a block away from the Duomo—Florence’s largest and most visited cathedral. 

That night, I met up with Kristi, my college roommate, who has been spending the semester in Florence.  It was so wonderful to see her and to hear all about her new Italian life.

Over the next few days, we visited several of the city’s gardens, wondered into small art galleries, drooled over Italian leather, and stuffed our tummies with homemade pasta, specialty pizzas, regional wines, too much gelato, and lots of truffle.  Overall, a successful trip!

On Friday, we took an hour-long bus ride into the Florentine countryside and sat for a wine tasting in a 15^th century castle amid acres of vineyards. 

While at Gusto’s Pizza, a local favorite that Kristi had recommended, we ran into the film crew of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. They must have been doing a feature on Italy.  I looked for the host Guy Fieri, but no luck- too bad! 

On our way back, our train ran into delays on its way to the Milan Airport.  More flooding.  From outside our window, we saw cars covered with water up to their wind shields.

Such a wonderful trip! I could not have asked for more beautiful places to visit or lovelier people to travel with. 

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return"

-Leonardo da Vinci