Trip Recap

Hi everyone! So, we got back from our trip last night all in one piece! Which is a small miracle considering how much stuff they packed into our schedule. Our core course's objective is memory and identity, so the point of this trip was to examine the identity of Denmark and how history has impacted the people's opinions and lifestyles.

OH, ALSO my brother will is leaving today for Nepal! I think he already started his blog too, and seeing as he is an extremely entertaining individual, I have no doubt in my mind that his blog is going to be hilarious. (If he actually remembers to post. jk jk).

aww tazo so cute

So good luck will!!! I miss you a ton and I'll think of you every day out there in Kathmandu.

Alrighty. Pastry break brb. 

FRIDAY

Friday morning we left super early and spent the whole day at a Folk Highschool (or a Folkehøjskole in Danish). The most important thing to know is that these schools are nothing like american high schools. The young adults who attend these schools are usually around 18 - 21 years old and come to the schools only for a semester or a year as a break from college. Folk Highschools don't have classes or exams. As a student you pick a major (the school we went to had majors like: journalism, art, theater, music, outdoorsmanship, and ceramics) and devote your whole semester to self exploration and honing your major skills. All students live and socialize on campus (there is a bar and a dance floor in the basement), and only leave to visit home occasionally on weekends. 

This visit was truly amazing just to see how important self development is to many Danes. Many students save up money for years just to attend schools like these, and the students who don't attend usually take a semester off to go traveling. (This type of school is one of the only in Denmark that costs money. Primary school and college educations are paid for by the government.)

 This is the back view of the Folk highschool we went to: Ry Højskole

ok too much info, therefore it is time for bullet points:

• It was beautiful!
• We went on a hike to one of the highest points in the city.
• Denmarks tallest mountain - Himmelbjerget - was also in the city and stands at a whopping 482 feet. Tiny mountain!
• The students all have shifts helping cook meals and running the bar.
• Two of the girl students put up a hook up map....a poster with everyones pictures on it that connected people with string who had hooked up. I'm not sure if that was a brilliant idea or a terrifying one, but it was very entertaining to look at (probably not if you lived there though). 
• I had a lovely conversation with some of the danish students about obesity in America. American student quote: "Yeah, I miss seeing fat people." Danish students chalk up our battle with corpulence to our love of fried food (at first I disagreed about this...but then I remembered that our state fairs have deep fried snickers bars) and the problem of having the unhealthiest food as the cheapest food.
• BEST HOMEMADE BREAD ON THE PLANET I WOULD SELL MY SOUL FOR AN ETERNITY OF THAT BREAD IT WAS SO GOOD. And they put butter and jam on it! (Danes prefer marmalade over jelly).
• I'm not gonna lie I ate 4 pieces of that bread.
• at morning meetings every day students sing song from their Folkehøjskole song books. We got to sing some too when they introduced us to the school: Let it be and With a little help from my friends by the Beatles. Definitely didn't see that coming due to my catholic school upbringing. Song books = Peace is flowing like a river, Eagles wings, etc. not the Beatles.
• My team won the awesome contest, so free beer for all! 

SATURDAY

• Went to a concentration camp in Denmark called Frøslevlejrens (this Danish concentration camp was very different from other camps like Auschwitz - the prisoners were well fed due to Danish control of the meals, there was no torture and no killings in the camp, and the only thing prisoners had to fear was being sent to a bigger camp like Auschwitz. This camp was used in 1944 and 1945.

The central building.

A drawing done by a prisoner of the same building in 1944.

• We went to a castle!!!! Glückberg castle that is. Sadly, they did not allow pictures inside, which is such a bummer because it was magical. I have also decided that I am going to summer there next year. Maybe i'll have a garden party. You are all invited! Also, due to developing plumbing trends, all of the bathrooms are disguised as giant wardrobes! 

 Danish royalty used to spend their summers here before the Danish/German border changed,  today Glücksberg is still a german castle.

 Found a dog!

The tour guide made us wear these around the castle. (and yes you can slide across the floor in them like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATTjGKJwhFI)

• Lunch in the castle!

Lemon mousse soufflé thing with pomegranate seeds

• went to a small german town for the night (It used to be Danish before the border changed so a lot of the people speak German and Danish). 
• I had some authentic German food for dinner: Schnitzel anyone?

SATURDAY

• Got up early once again.
• Saw a battlefield where the battle of Dybbøl took place in 1864 (which the Danes lost spectacularly to the Prussians, resulting in the border change). 

• The next stop was a modern art museum called the Kunst Museum. This museum houses many famous Danish artists. Oh yeah, and they have a really cool gargoyle goblin fountain thing outside. (I like their "pretty fountains are for weird people, we shall have a gargoyle!" attitude).

• Our last stop before going back to Copenhagen was a traditional Danish lunch at an inn somewhere in the middle of Denmark. (<I have no idea where it is....fell asleep. Dang it). The food was amazing. First you start off with an assortment of fish and some salad. There was smoked salmon, some tuna stuff, and A TON of herring (also caviar). The next course is the main event. Here you have a choice of different cooked fish (the first course fish wasn't really cooked..I don't think), pork, meatballs, or beef. Then the third course is a small plate of cheese and or fruit. The finale is Dessert (which was a almond chocolate mouse roll thing - also delicious) with coffee. ALSO bread with every course. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I love bread, especially Danish bread. 

On the way home we watched A Royal Affair (a fantastic Danish movie about King Christian the seventh who was kind of crazy). It was very good (sad, but good) and I definitely recommend it.

I'm so happy to be "home"! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! (Sorry for the long post). Talk to you soon! Love, Becca