So off I set to my exam, with my textbook, notes, laptop, water, food… I wasn’t alone with my suitcase though, Andrea also took hers. Definitely the easiest way, although we got some very strange looks when walking through CBS. I entered the room that I THOUGHT my exam was in, got all set up with cables and cords etc… before hearing a flurry of Danish conversation. While my Danish reading is getting better, my verbal comprehension is still not great (if you heard it, and then saw written down what was said, you would understand!) and I had no idea what was said. Upon asking for an English translation, I found I was in the wrong room. I’ve never managed to do that before in the previous 6 years of exams… but I got settled into my exam eventually.

Thankfully the exam itself was pretty straightforward and I’m not too concerned about my result, despite our lecturers reputation for never giving 12′s and very, very rarely 10′s – I would just like to know soon!

When I thought about Danish food, the first thing that came to mind was a ‘Danish’. You know, the sweet flaky pastry treat with yummy fillings.  Well, apparently in Denmark these are called ‘Weinerbrød’ – which actually translates as ‘Vienna bread’. I think this is one of those things that I have just learnt not to question in Copenhagen, but brings me to an important point – Danish food is a bit weird. Here are five things to show you just what I have been dealing with.

Number 1 – The weinerbrød as mentioned above. Perhaps our version of them is just not very traditional, but I have found them very strange here. The best one I have had since I left New Zealand was actually in Stockholm, in Sweden. Go figure. There are amazing bakeries all around the city though, and if you know the right place to go to, you can even stop by on your way home from a night out and purchase some freshly baked bread from the back door.

Number 2 – McDonald’s Happy Meals come with a choice of fries or carrots. Sliced carrots. In a bag. I was a little baffled by that, until I realised that the Danes have a love affair with the carrot. It is quite common, and normal, to be sitting in class when someone pulls out a whole carrot and starts munching away. The university canteen even sells carrot sticks. Not sure that they need to eat them to see in the dark as the saying goes, considering it is now only dark from 10pm to 4am!

Number 3 – The Pølservogn (stand) on every corner. You could describe a pølser as a hot dog, but that just doesn’t do it justice. It is usually a bun which has one open end only, into which they squirt tomato sauce and mustard, then put in a frankfurter. Another student from AUT who is on exchange in Glasgow, Scotland, came to visit me last weekend. I made her try one, and she actually quite enjoyed it. As a quick, albeit greasy, lunch on the run they work okay, but the Danes swear by them.

Number 4 – The massive amount of pork and fat in Denmark. New Zealand may have about 9 sheep to each person (according to some quick googling), but Denmark has about 5 pigs to each person. Not only do they love their pork meat and bacon, they love to cover it in even more fat. Like the traditional dish which has a topping of pork fat mixed with parsley. Mmmm. For a country of rather thin and healthy-looking people, their eating habits sure aren’t great.

Number 5 – Rødgrød Med Fløde. This makes it on the list simply because it is almost impossible to pronounce – and Danes love to hear you stumble on it. It is a dessert made from red berries and cream and is actually quite tasty. Of course, if you even tried to pronounce this while ordering the waiter will just laugh at you. It sounds a little something like: roulll groulll mehl fluuehl.

Alhtough their traditional meals are a little strange, the Danes love to try new foods. In Copenhagen especially the food and restaurant scene has been improving in recent years, with many global influences. In fact the Copenhagen restaurant ‘Noma’ was just announced number one in the world. Now, if only it wasn’t so expensive…

Considering that my plane had just taken off from a country that I had never thought I would visit, and somewhere that we don’t hear a lot about in New Zealand, I thought this was pretty fitting. I feel lucky that I have the opportunity to not only be studying in Copenhagen, but also to have had the chance to visit these countries. I’m also really looking forward to my next trips: London + Dublin, Berlin + Prague. I then have my “big” trip – Munich – Venice – Rome -  Florence – Cinque Terre – Milan – Barcelona – Bordeaux – Paris.

First things first though – an exam this Friday and a marathon on Sunday. Eeek!

Phone call # 1: Asking which number on the street the bus station was. The answer didn’t match up and they didn’t understand where we were. We then began running along the street we were on.

Phone call # 2: Explaining that we were on the street listed, but really could NOT see the station. Asked if they would wait for us (bus was due to depart in about 10 minutes). They said no, so we started sprinting. Bear in mind that we were in jeans, boots, big jackets, scarves and gloves – carrying our gear. We would have looked crazy.

Phone call # 3: Desperate attempt to get them to wait for us. Reply was no, they couldn’t wait. By this point we had finally found the station (nowhere near where it was said to be). We could see the stop where our bus was supposed to be – but there was no bus. Eventually they suggested we take a bus to a bus stop further up the road, where they would pick us up.  With no buses in sight and no Latvian cash left (having planned our spending well!), she told us to get a taxi.

Phone call # 4: As the taxi driver didn’t understand english, and we had no idea where we had to meet the bus, the bus attendant spoke to him.

We jumped in, bags on our knees (no time to put them in the boot!) and our driver took off. He must have thought he was in a James Bond movie, changing lanes and passing lots of cars. With this being only the second time in 3 months I had been in a car, I was a little nervous – but we really had to make that bus! Pulling up to the bus stop, he motioned that this was where they would meet us. With no luxury bus in sight I was at the point where I didn’t care anymore, was ready to head back to the hostel after an hour of stress and running! Thankfully, the bus arrived with the attendant waving to us. After thanking our speedy taxi driver, we settled into our comfy seats and tried to calm down.

The bus trip itself was uneventful. The countryside looked similar to that you could see in New Zealand (or Denmark for that matter), except for the run-down buildings and often abandoned buildings we occasionally came across. Latvia definitely had a different feel to it than the other places we had been to – possibly a more ‘real’ feeling. Our bus arrived beside the central markets, next to a dirty river. Walking for about 10 minutes to reach our hostel, we were confronted with the sight of many people begging, many disabled. While I frequently see people on the streets in Auckland city on my way to University, here it just seemed so much more visible, and shocking. Our first afternoon and evening in Riga, we walked a bit around the central city and had a yummy dinner, but decided to head back before it started to get dark.

After exploring a bit more the next day, we felt a lot more comfortable. Riga was a town with a mix of old and new architecture. There was definitely a visible Russian influence and presence, despite Latvia having been independent since 1991. Interestingly, the Freedom Monument, in a main square in the city, survived many decades of occupation. Apparently placing flowers at her feet would get you a trip to prison in Russia in the past!

The receptionist at the hostel recommended a restaurant for dinner – Lido. We decided to try it out, as they had some traditional Latvian food. Although it was similar to a buffet, there was one key difference. You paid for exactly what you chose. Salads were weighed, while all other dishes were served in one portion size only (usually HUGE!), for which you pay a set amount. We actually ate here twice because it was so good, however we were a lot smarter the second time, choosing to share certain dishes so that we could actually try things, and not end up with a full plate of chips… aye Kate? Haha.

We visited another Occupation Museum here, however they had a lot of physical exhibits. Seeing this, combined with what we had heard in Tallinn brought it all together and increased our understanding. One thing that really amazed me was how the people of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia joined hands over the distance between their main cities – a line of approximately 2 million people demonstrating their solidarity against their former occupiers.

The development of the Riga Free Tour was supported by the European Community programme Youth in Action. Created by a British tourist, the idea of these walking tours was to get tourists away from just the old town centre, broadening their experiences and introducing them to a different side of Riga. The funding provided by the EC ended late last year, but the guides continue to conduct the tours, for tips only. Our guide was really knowledgable and friendly. We visited the markets (crazy!), the suburb of Moschaka (Little Moscow), flea markets, a Russian Orthodox church and a gallery among others. The flea market we visited she described as being the place where you can find something if it was stolen from you in Riga! Sadly we weren’t allowed our cameras in there, but the place was incredible. Like a shanty-town with tarpaulins and makeshifts stands. My best find there was some old New Zealand currency! I was pretty excited to see it, could be worth a bit in the future since it is no longer accepted…

After our free tour, we decided to walk past the old KGB-building. It was a strange feeling to stand outside a building that people had been tortured and killed inside. On the corner of a busy road near the central city, a small, simple memorial has been placed on one side. The building has been barred and boarded up on the inside, but remains intact. After only being independent for 18 years, our guide mentioned it was almost too soon to do anything with it. It is hard to know what could be done.

A suggestion of things to do in Riga at our hostel included getting a haircut. Desperately in need of one, and not willing to pay the insane cost in Copenhagen, I decided to do it. I felt a little nervous, but after the hairdresser mentioned the magic word ‘layers’ and mentioned ‘getting rid of some of the weight’ I knew it would be fine. And I loved it!

We met a lot of other travellers at the hostel. Run by Australians (of course!), there were some Australians there – and one New Zealander. This was the first Kiwi I had met since leaving New Zealand, so I was pretty excited. I’m ashamed to say from the moment I met him I thought he must be from West Auckland, he looked like an exact copy of Van West from Outrageous Fortune. Turns out I was right though, he was from out West! One night at the hostel the owner got us all to try ‘Black Balsam’ – a traditional Latvian liqueur. This tasted even worse than the Vana Tallinn!

After a few days here it was off to the airport for a flight back to Copenhagen. Managing to fit everything back into one carry-on bag (yes, two weeks in winter with one bag – including running gear!) I headed ‘home’. It was strange arriving back, but it felt great – even listening to the Danish that I can’t understand made me smile. Two weeks of new experiences and sights was amazing, making me look forward to my big trip at the end of semester!

We took a wander to find the Nordea ATM, stumbling across a newly renovated shopping area in the process. Originally a number of warehouses, they have gutted them and extended some, using metals, glass and brick. I thought this area looked amazing. The fact that they had some really cool shops helped with this, and Kate was really excited to see a ‘Boost’ Juice Bar there.

We stayed just outside the Old Town walls. Sadly it rained for much of our stay, but the area was still really pretty. Some parts of the old walls remain, as do a few of the towers. We visited ‘Kiek in de Kok’, a museum which only recently opened. It is built into the old town walls and into one of the towers. This gave us a great insight into the history of Tallinn, especially since we had visited the Estonian museum of Occupation the day before.  It was quite overwhelming to be honest. They didn’t have a lot of physical items  (simply because they didn’t survive) so instead there was a lot of video footage, including a number of interviews with people who lived through the time. Estonia is a very young country, only finally gaining independence in 1991.

One night in Tallinn we decided to head out to a club with some others from the hostel. Before we left we tried ‘Vana Tallinn’ – a creamy-ish liqueur. It didn’t taste quite so good, but is a Tallinn speciality so felt we should try it. We danced for a bit in a huge, but nearly empty, club. A few days of travelling (and a few nights of snoring) meant that by 2am we were almost ready to go. As you can see below, there was lots of crazy lighting. And music. ‘Grease Lightning’ anyone?

The Old Town was just gorgeous to walk around in – so I’ll let the pictures talk for me!

Old Town wall

Freedom Monument

St Catherines Passage

Orthodox Church

Looking out over Tallinn

When we made it to the island we took a walk around, seeing a submarine, many old buildings, a frozen solid dock, a hovercraft and a military base. I also stood on the Baltic Sea! Rather exciting… and then a little scary. The island has been under Russian, Danish and Swedish rule at various points in history, but is now under Finnish rule. The original fortifications were constructed in the 1700′s, while the island was considered to be important for Finnish culture until they were able to regain independence in 1812. It currently has a military base on it, while also used for tourism with a number of cafes, restaurants and art gallery’s/workshops. It also had a lot of snow when we were there… which meant we had a bit of fun. Snow up to the waist anyone?

Standing on the Baltic Sea!

After heading back to the city, we saw the changing of the guard at the Finnish presidents house and parliament. Let’s just say that this was a little more low-key than in Sweden – as in there were two of them. And they had to wait for traffic lights to cross the road. We also saw a cathedral up on the hill. Sadly it wasn’t open, but the view from the top was great.

We were very happy to have had such nice weather, particularly when we walked to get our ferry to Tallinn. Although this was only a 3-hour ferry ride, people began queuing almost an hour before because there is no allocated seating. We decided to join the crowd, but after a day of walking we took a seat on the floor. Kate ended up playing with a little boy and girl who were sitting near us. Some things completely pass the language barrier – playing cars and making noises, peek-a-boo… Plenty of laughs that’s for sure. Then the doors opened and people started running towards the boat. It was so sudden, and then we were getting shoved out of the way – an old man decided it was okay to elbow his way past me and try to push me over on the escalator! We were a little unsure about where to go, but thankfully got some seats (there aren’t usually enough seats for all deck passengers) and were able to take a rest bfore we arrived in Tallinn…

And to show how small a city can be:

a – we saw Michael and Aude, two others who live at Holger, after booking our ferry tickets.

b – we saw Andy and some of his friends on the island that we visited.

c – we saw a group of the girls from Holger/CBS after leaving the island.

It was crazy to have managed to bump into them without any planning. They were all in Helsinki for the day on their way to Russia.

Photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=224910&id=573153573&l=b95b3ef768

Since we were travelling in the ‘cheap seats’, we were on the absolute lowest level. This meant that we were below two decks of cars, and under the waterline. As Kate remarked, now we knew how Jack felt in Titanic – especially because the Baltic Sea was covered in ice. Each time the bow hit ice during the night, I was convinced that would be the one that ripped it open. BUT thankfully we made it to Helsinki safely, ready to continue our journey.

We made it to our hostel and received lots of helpful tourist directions from the receptionist. She suggested we visit a restaurant – ‘Ravintola Konstan Molja’ for a traditional Finnish lunch. It was really interesting, lots of meat and potatoes (mmm!) and a really nice dessert. Apparently the dessert was a special Easter tradition, it tasted very similar to lemon icing! We also tried reindeer soup. It looked and tasted similar to corned beef. Sorry Rudolph…

We met a crazy German guy who had more of a Kiwi accent than me. Rather strange! He came with us to visit Temppeliauko Church and KIASMA, the Museum of Modern Art. The Church was incredible, carved into the middle of a rock hill. The inside was left roughly hewn, with glass, concrete and wood used in the construction. We had hoped to get back to a service, but with little time in Helsinki (and a fair bit of tiredness by that point) we missed out. KIASMA was amazing. The building itself was awesome, and the installations were quite thought-provoking.

To be continued…

More pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=224910&id=573153573&l=b95b3ef768

We visited ‘De Kongliga Slotten’ – The Royal Palace. We saw the Royal Apartments, Treasury and the Tre Kroner Museum. The Royal Apartments were incredibly ornate, and are still used when Heads of State visit. I didn’t expect it to be so ornate, because the outside of the palace is quite plain compared to others we have seen. The palace had been rebuilt many times over history, and also suffered from a huge fire which destroyed much of the castle. The Treasury contained some amazing jewels, with the majority dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. They glittered and shined, but looked like they would be really heavy! The Tre Kroner Museum told the story of the construction of the castle and how it had developed over the years.

We managed to see the Changing of the Guard most days we were in Stockholm – simply because our hostel was just around the corner from the palace. With a royal wedding coming up this year, there was a lot of construction in the area and I’m sure the guards are all getting ready for it too!

One thing you can say for the Swedish museums – they do them well. There was always translations from Swedish into English, often into other languages also. The information provided was really detailed and the exhibits were amazing.

Stockholm was very pretty, especially as the sun came out. I do understand what people say when they think it is similar to Copenhagen though. However, after a few days of little sleep, lots of eating and a little bit of shopping, we got on a bus and headed to our ferry to Helsinki…

Check out the photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=223955&id=573153573&l=2c49cd97cf

This building, dating from the 16th century, housed our favourite cafe – ‘Chokoladkoppen’. This was just to the right of our hostel, on the main square in Gamla Stan – Stortoget. Apparently there were a few executions there.

Stockholm is apparently known as the ‘City of Museums’, something we were confronted with when we saw a list of over fifty museums to visit. The first day we were in Stockholm we took a walk around with Kate’s friend Annika (who lived in Australia and played soccer with Kate), seeing a bit of the city before having some traditional Swedish meals for dinner. We loved the Swedish meatballs… but weren’t so keen on the raw beef pattie with egg cracked over it. We also headed out to a club, where we happened to bump into some other Holger residents and CBS students.

We were a little tired on the Sunday, but headed off to the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament) for a tour. I found this really interesting, we had a great guide who told us lots about the Swedish political system. Some interesting points include the fact that MP’s are seated according to their region – not by party. So you could have a liberal next to a conservative, but the system seems to work for them. They also have a really cool way of showing the results of MP’s voting. The little ‘seat’ icons on the wall light up green, red or yellow depending on the members vote. They have a unicameral system, made up on 359 members.

The next day we met up with my friend Ross, who came to AUT on exchange in 2007. We had a yummy buffet lunch while catching up, then headed to the Vasa museum. This was described as being a boat in a museum. It was way more than that! The Vasa was a ship which was launched in 1628. Thirty minutes after setting sail, it sank in the harbour. This had something to do with the King’s unrealistic demands and a lack of ballast. But, after 330 years, the ship was raised from the harbour and preserved. It now sits in a climate-controlled museum, with huge exhibits explaining how life was life for them, the problems with the ship, how it managed to survive… An interesting fact is that the Baltic Sea is a little less salty than others, and therefore woodworms can’t survive there. This is how the boat managed to stay intact for so long (if it was in New Zealand it would have been gone!).

Continuing the museum trend, we visited ‘Stockholm’s Medeltidsmuseum’ (Stockholm’s Medieval Museum). This was full of medieval history and things they found when trying to excavate an underground car park for the Parliament. Needless to say, the car park didn’t happen, but an amazing underground museum was put in place. We also visited the Stockholm City Hall, which is where they hold the Nobel Prize dinner each year. The grand staircase was designed so that you easily walk down it in heels and long dresses – the architects wife spent a week walking up and down different staircases until they settled on that one. In boots and jeans, I couldn’t quite tell, but I’m sure it’s great for those dinners. They have both a ‘Blue Hall’ and a ‘Gold Hall’. The Blue Hall isn’t that Blue, but boy, the Gold Hall is GOLD!

To be continued….

Check out the photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=223955&id=573153573&l=2c49cd97cf

After sitting a 72-hour exam for Strategy & Management of Human & Financial Resources with Hannah (oral exam in a month) and an oral exam based on my group project for Industrial Organizational Analysis, it was time to pack my bags for a trip away. The night before I left I had an awesome homemade pizza with Kate, Sarah, Renee, Bridget & Carin before heading to Nexus, the CBS student bar. I had class the next day and had a few errands to run… therefore I began packing about 4pm on Friday – when I was leaving Holger at 8pm. You would think I would have learnt after my disastrous packing for Copenhagen, but no. Adding in the fact that I could only take hand luggage due to flying home on the last leg it was a little stressful.

BUT… Kate and I made it out of Holger on time, and settled into our seats to begin our nine-hour trip to Stockholm, Sweden. 

Over the next week and a half we will also be heading to Helsinki in Finland, Tallinn in Estonia and Riga  in Latvia, before returning to wonderful Copenhagen. Strange how quickly it has become home to all of us.

Posts and photos upon my return!