Denmark, the 2nd time around
To conclude my blogs about Europe, I present to you the last leg of our journey, and our return to Denmark.
Thursday: Head to the Fest!
We had gotten to Denmark the day before, so today was our first full day back in Denmark. Ida and I had wanted to go to a concert or a music festival together while I was in the country, and it just so happened that there was a music festival happening during our time, in her actual city! It was small, more of an "up-and-coming" collection of bands, but it was a 3-day festival with a camp site, so we went for it! We ended up with a pretty big tent, but we weren't a part of anybody's camp, so we were kinda like our own little camp, and then we could wander around and meet people she knew and people she didn't know! We got there in the afternoon and bands started playing that evening.
Musical highlights: Gypsy Hill. They had this eclectic fun sound but had live trombone, trumpet, drums.... in addition to some electronic. Cool band. From the UK, so they spoke English.
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Sunday: Fest to Beach
Technically we didn't get to sleep until Sunday. We went to bed around 6. Which was really cool, because I saw the sun set and rise! They didn't have too many hours of darkness because of how far north they are (especially compared to Florida or Panama). We got up around 9, took down the tent, and were picked up by my dad. And as soon as we got home, we took showers. Also, I lost my toothbrush, which was kinda awkward. But, hey, it could have been worse. A few hours after that, we drove to the beach! It was all of Ida's family and our family. Yay north sea!
Thursday: School!!
The Danish school system is fairly easy to understand, at least for me. Though, I probably don't know everything, but some of the basic are- up through 9th is mandatory, 10th is optional & you can go to normal school, boarding school, or take a gap year, and 11-13 is this college/high school hybrid thing. Ida's in 13th grade. I met her during her optional 10th grade, but she was in 11th at GHS. So, it was the first day of school, and Ida let me come by for the 2 classes she had that day. One of them was English, which was funny. I helped a little, but honestly, Ida's English is so good, she doesn't really need help. Only with the slang/idioms. I believe I taught her what "to flip someone off" means. They were reading a short story in English where that came up. It was funny seeing some of the people from the festival. Some of them remembered me. Some didn't (there was a lot of alcohol at the fest). Some I'd never met before. After that, we rode home, and then we made earrings! One of my favorite things! The Danish 1 krone has a hole in it, so it was perfect to make into earrings. It's also practically worthless, considering how much things cost in Denmark. In $ it's about 16 cents. And there's hearts on it! Cutest money ever.
We had gotten to Denmark the day before, so today was our first full day back in Denmark. Ida and I had wanted to go to a concert or a music festival together while I was in the country, and it just so happened that there was a music festival happening during our time, in her actual city! It was small, more of an "up-and-coming" collection of bands, but it was a 3-day festival with a camp site, so we went for it! We ended up with a pretty big tent, but we weren't a part of anybody's camp, so we were kinda like our own little camp, and then we could wander around and meet people she knew and people she didn't know! We got there in the afternoon and bands started playing that evening.
Musical highlights: Gypsy Hill. They had this eclectic fun sound but had live trombone, trumpet, drums.... in addition to some electronic. Cool band. From the UK, so they spoke English.
Friday: The Fest continues...
After spending our first night at GrimFest, we decided to take a short trip home to bring back some things we didn't want (like the camp stove), refill water (we hadn't found the water area in the camp site at that point), and just have a little break from the craziness. After a few hours, we headed back. And we listened to bands, met people, and had a good time!
Musical highlights: Julias Moon. I really like this band! They played pretty early though, so the vibe wasn't perfect, and one of their songs totally didn't work, but the rest was great sounding and fun and every time I hear Delirium I remember that day. I would post the video for the song, but for US-viewing, it would probably be rated R, so watch it at your own discretion. Trentemøller. I don't remember the set super well, but I know that they were one of the biggest bands there. Not that I knew them. But yeah.
After spending our first night at GrimFest, we decided to take a short trip home to bring back some things we didn't want (like the camp stove), refill water (we hadn't found the water area in the camp site at that point), and just have a little break from the craziness. After a few hours, we headed back. And we listened to bands, met people, and had a good time!
Musical highlights: Julias Moon. I really like this band! They played pretty early though, so the vibe wasn't perfect, and one of their songs totally didn't work, but the rest was great sounding and fun and every time I hear Delirium I remember that day. I would post the video for the song, but for US-viewing, it would probably be rated R, so watch it at your own discretion. Trentemøller. I don't remember the set super well, but I know that they were one of the biggest bands there. Not that I knew them. But yeah.
Saturday: Bazaar & More
We were pretty dirty at this point. But hey, that's how it goes. We decided to walk away from the area and visited this place called the "Bazaar." It had a lot of little stores that clearly were not of Danish origins. We bought some spicy ginger ale. We found a little playground. It sounds like we weren't spending a lot of time at the fest, but most things happened during the evening/night, and we were spending all our time there, during those times. We just took some breaks during the day. During the afternoon we also watched a poetry slam. But all the intelligible Danish was making me sleepy, so I kinda just slept on Ida's lap as she and one of her friends watched. After watching a band that evening, we met a guy and went off to his camp, where we met a bunch of people that Ida didn't know. I had some really in-depth conversations about the US and Denmark, governments, societal norms, experiences in the respective countries, the festival, and all kinds of things. It was very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also played Ninja at one point. And some guys tried to teach me how to count to 10 in Danish (or maybe that was the night before?). They were unsuccessful. Sorry!
Musical highlights: Analogik. One of the bands that Ida liked and knew about. They were lots of fun too. Marvelous Mosell. Not my normal type of music, but we had fun dancing. When Saints Go Machine. Actually, we didn't watch this band, but we had meant to. Ida had seen them before. They were also the last-performing band. But we were hanging out with people instead. We didn't really regret it.
I had such a great time at the music festival, and I wish I could go back every year! Alas, I do not have the money to spend on tickets to Denmark. But I do hope to someday go to Roskilde with Ida. That would be a week to remember. Bucket list item, for sure. As it is, I met so many people!! Everyone that I met, I may not remember your name (I'm terrible at that) but I will never forget the experiences we had.
We were pretty dirty at this point. But hey, that's how it goes. We decided to walk away from the area and visited this place called the "Bazaar." It had a lot of little stores that clearly were not of Danish origins. We bought some spicy ginger ale. We found a little playground. It sounds like we weren't spending a lot of time at the fest, but most things happened during the evening/night, and we were spending all our time there, during those times. We just took some breaks during the day. During the afternoon we also watched a poetry slam. But all the intelligible Danish was making me sleepy, so I kinda just slept on Ida's lap as she and one of her friends watched. After watching a band that evening, we met a guy and went off to his camp, where we met a bunch of people that Ida didn't know. I had some really in-depth conversations about the US and Denmark, governments, societal norms, experiences in the respective countries, the festival, and all kinds of things. It was very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also played Ninja at one point. And some guys tried to teach me how to count to 10 in Danish (or maybe that was the night before?). They were unsuccessful. Sorry!
Musical highlights: Analogik. One of the bands that Ida liked and knew about. They were lots of fun too. Marvelous Mosell. Not my normal type of music, but we had fun dancing. When Saints Go Machine. Actually, we didn't watch this band, but we had meant to. Ida had seen them before. They were also the last-performing band. But we were hanging out with people instead. We didn't really regret it.
I had such a great time at the music festival, and I wish I could go back every year! Alas, I do not have the money to spend on tickets to Denmark. But I do hope to someday go to Roskilde with Ida. That would be a week to remember. Bucket list item, for sure. As it is, I met so many people!! Everyone that I met, I may not remember your name (I'm terrible at that) but I will never forget the experiences we had.
Sunday: Fest to Beach
Technically we didn't get to sleep until Sunday. We went to bed around 6. Which was really cool, because I saw the sun set and rise! They didn't have too many hours of darkness because of how far north they are (especially compared to Florida or Panama). We got up around 9, took down the tent, and were picked up by my dad. And as soon as we got home, we took showers. Also, I lost my toothbrush, which was kinda awkward. But, hey, it could have been worse. A few hours after that, we drove to the beach! It was all of Ida's family and our family. Yay north sea!
Monday: Beach House Day
I went in the water! It was very cold. Also, it smelled different. I'd never had a sea that smelt like it. It was a lot less salty, so that's probably some kind of factor.
I went in the water! It was very cold. Also, it smelled different. I'd never had a sea that smelt like it. It was a lot less salty, so that's probably some kind of factor.
Tuesday:
We met some new people and then we drove back to Århus. I think this was actually from Sunday, but the Ida's fam gave us some candies. The Haribo were great of course. But then, the Tyrkisk Peber. For some reason, Danes apparently love this candy. We all decided it was the worst candy ever. I tell you, this candy is NOT GOOD. My immediate reaction was that it tasted like chemicals. And my mouth tasted like chemicals and licorice and nastiness for a while after. I looked them up and apparently the ingratiates include licorice, pepper, and AMMONIUM CHLORIDE. If you hadn't heard, there's this thing called "salmiakki" that's a type of salty licorice flavored with ammonium chloride. I'm sorry, but no. I do not want ammonium chloride-tasting candy. Or licorice. Literally the worst thing I've tasted.
We met some new people and then we drove back to Århus. I think this was actually from Sunday, but the Ida's fam gave us some candies. The Haribo were great of course. But then, the Tyrkisk Peber. For some reason, Danes apparently love this candy. We all decided it was the worst candy ever. I tell you, this candy is NOT GOOD. My immediate reaction was that it tasted like chemicals. And my mouth tasted like chemicals and licorice and nastiness for a while after. I looked them up and apparently the ingratiates include licorice, pepper, and AMMONIUM CHLORIDE. If you hadn't heard, there's this thing called "salmiakki" that's a type of salty licorice flavored with ammonium chloride. I'm sorry, but no. I do not want ammonium chloride-tasting candy. Or licorice. Literally the worst thing I've tasted.
Wednesday: Århus
Today was was exploring. We found the library, a cool art museum with a rainbow walk on top of it, a record store, shops, bars, churches, movie theaters, etc. It was a fun walk around the town. I think we also got ice cream on this day. There were some really unique flavors, which was pretty cool. Also, apparently their movie theaters are really expensive. I didn't ever experience it, but the Danish movie theater scene seems like a sight to see.
Today was was exploring. We found the library, a cool art museum with a rainbow walk on top of it, a record store, shops, bars, churches, movie theaters, etc. It was a fun walk around the town. I think we also got ice cream on this day. There were some really unique flavors, which was pretty cool. Also, apparently their movie theaters are really expensive. I didn't ever experience it, but the Danish movie theater scene seems like a sight to see.
Thursday: School!!
The Danish school system is fairly easy to understand, at least for me. Though, I probably don't know everything, but some of the basic are- up through 9th is mandatory, 10th is optional & you can go to normal school, boarding school, or take a gap year, and 11-13 is this college/high school hybrid thing. Ida's in 13th grade. I met her during her optional 10th grade, but she was in 11th at GHS. So, it was the first day of school, and Ida let me come by for the 2 classes she had that day. One of them was English, which was funny. I helped a little, but honestly, Ida's English is so good, she doesn't really need help. Only with the slang/idioms. I believe I taught her what "to flip someone off" means. They were reading a short story in English where that came up. It was funny seeing some of the people from the festival. Some of them remembered me. Some didn't (there was a lot of alcohol at the fest). Some I'd never met before. After that, we rode home, and then we made earrings! One of my favorite things! The Danish 1 krone has a hole in it, so it was perfect to make into earrings. It's also practically worthless, considering how much things cost in Denmark. In $ it's about 16 cents. And there's hearts on it! Cutest money ever.
Friday: Århus to Copenhagen to Nykøbing
Leaving Ida. So sad. We were heading back to Trine's place in Nykøbing, but on the way, we were going through Copenhagen. In Hamburg, we did this free 3-hour walking tour. Copenhagen also had these available, so we were like, of course! The tour company is really cute cool. They have tours in about 18 cities at this point. If you're ever in one of these cities, I highly recommend taking one of their tours. Seriously though, they're awesome. Check them out. We learned a lot about Copenhagen, had a nice time, and had a bit of a dreadful picnic in the rain before heading off on our way again.
Leaving Ida. So sad. We were heading back to Trine's place in Nykøbing, but on the way, we were going through Copenhagen. In Hamburg, we did this free 3-hour walking tour. Copenhagen also had these available, so we were like, of course! The tour company is really cute cool. They have tours in about 18 cities at this point. If you're ever in one of these cities, I highly recommend taking one of their tours. Seriously though, they're awesome. Check them out. We learned a lot about Copenhagen, had a nice time, and had a bit of a dreadful picnic in the rain before heading off on our way again.
Saturday: Movies & Park
That practically sums up the whole day. We didn't do much.
That practically sums up the whole day. We didn't do much.
Sunday: Movies & a Beach
Again, a fairly uneventful day. We did go to a beach (I've lost count of how many European beaches we've visited) but it was super windy and cold so we just walked along it for a bit before heading back to the house.
Again, a fairly uneventful day. We did go to a beach (I've lost count of how many European beaches we've visited) but it was super windy and cold so we just walked along it for a bit before heading back to the house.
Monday: Packing & Movies
What fun. Packing. Everything was going, so that made it especially important. We were coming back or just going to the next-over country. We were getting ready to go home.
Tuesday: Fly home
That was it. The lady checking our bags asked us if we had been weighing our bags. Yuuup. Success. We had a picnic in the airport, though we accidentally lost our olives because they hadn't been drained. Oops. Said goodbye to Copenhagen. Said bye to Amsterdam. Watched 4 movies on the way to Atlanta. Fell asleep on the way to Orlando. Oh, and guess what, one of our bags got lost. When we finally got home, I fell in love with my bed. Happiness is a warm bed... and we got our bag about a week and a half later, so thank goodness for that.
And that was Europe. Like, 5 months late, but I finished it! I have, of course, missed a bunch of small little things in my blogging, but hey, you don't have 8 weeks. So, what did I learn? Europe is awesome. Countries truly are different. It's really fun to debate about different countries and likewise, learn about them. And if I could go again, I'd go in a heartbeat. Not sure how I'd survive the winters, but I know, I love Europe. And I really need to visit more than the 5 countries that I visited this time. Someday, Greece. Someday, Italy. And Netherlands and France and everywhere else- I want. I'll get there eventually. Thanks for witnessing this journey! Visit my dad's blog if you want to read his Europe blogs (he didn't procrastinate as much as I).
See ya!
What fun. Packing. Everything was going, so that made it especially important. We were coming back or just going to the next-over country. We were getting ready to go home.
Tuesday: Fly home
That was it. The lady checking our bags asked us if we had been weighing our bags. Yuuup. Success. We had a picnic in the airport, though we accidentally lost our olives because they hadn't been drained. Oops. Said goodbye to Copenhagen. Said bye to Amsterdam. Watched 4 movies on the way to Atlanta. Fell asleep on the way to Orlando. Oh, and guess what, one of our bags got lost. When we finally got home, I fell in love with my bed. Happiness is a warm bed... and we got our bag about a week and a half later, so thank goodness for that.
And that was Europe. Like, 5 months late, but I finished it! I have, of course, missed a bunch of small little things in my blogging, but hey, you don't have 8 weeks. So, what did I learn? Europe is awesome. Countries truly are different. It's really fun to debate about different countries and likewise, learn about them. And if I could go again, I'd go in a heartbeat. Not sure how I'd survive the winters, but I know, I love Europe. And I really need to visit more than the 5 countries that I visited this time. Someday, Greece. Someday, Italy. And Netherlands and France and everywhere else- I want. I'll get there eventually. Thanks for witnessing this journey! Visit my dad's blog if you want to read his Europe blogs (he didn't procrastinate as much as I).
See ya!
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