Os/Lo Costs/Hi

I've just returned from my marvelous mid-semester trip and I'm feeling spiritually rejuvenated but physically exhausted. The Norsome Foursome, comprising of NC, Lau, KD and myself just completed a week-long trip to Norway.

Last Thursday, after KD missed her flight to Oslo, NC and I were left with each other for a couple days in Oslo. Lau was to meet us a couple days later as she had an unavoidable class excursion.

We had been warned about how excessively expensive Norway was before our trip, so we paid Norwegian Airlines an extra €8 to bring a suitcase with us. We filled the suitcase up with plenty of food; canned tuna, Belgian sweets, mixed nuts, instant pasta, potato crisps and waffles. Think of your favourite unhealthy food - it was probably in our suitcase.

While we went to Norway with the intention of spending money frugally, we noticed within minutes of arriving in Oslo that it was just impossible. A simple meal (eg. a hot dog, or a Big Mac) in Oslo will set you back at least 80 Norwegian Krones (ie. €10 or AUD14). That is fine if you are a millionaire like Paris Hilton, but not so fine if you are a student who hates Paris Hilton, like me.

Even the hostels, which were already the most expensive I've ever had to pay, required an extra payment just for using their bedsheets. So, after checking into a hostel, NC and I decided to escape the expensive city and caught a fairy to visit Gressholmen, an islet in Oslofjord (pictured). It was a deserted island - the only structures we saw were a cafe that was closed until May 2011, an outdoor toilet and a shed. The landscapes were beautiful (but nothing compared to the fjords we saw in western Norway later in the trip) with cliffs made of several rock layers that resembled the skin of a zebra.

The next day was eventful with KD finally arriving in Oslo and Yannis and Alex (also on exchange at CPH) running into us at our hostel. We visited the Nobel Peace Center by the harbour; one of the most interesting museums I have ever been to. As some of you may know, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo each year (whilst the other Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm). I was particularly pleased to learn of the Nobel Committee's recent announcement that Liu Xiaobo would be the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. I had learnt about him and several other Chinese-imprisoned ideological and peaceful political dissidents through my human rights course at Hong Kong University. The museum was extremely high-tech and interactive (pictured) and made it fun for kids and adults alike to learn about the achievements of past recipients. The nomination process for the award is quite complex, secretive, and at times controversial. In fact, Adolf Hitler was once nominated for the award (although this was later retracted), and winners such as Lê Ðức Thọ have declined to accept the award on political grounds.

Another notable site we visited in Oslo was the Opera House (pictured); one of the great modern architectural triumphs (at least, I think it should be considered one!).

 We also visited the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art which was home to a very interesting and fun exhibition by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. Here, I felt like a child again playing with my pals in a big ball pit and a number of other unusual enclosures (pictured).

Next stop // Next blog // Bergen and the west coast fjords of Norway!

Fredericksburg Castle

A couple weeks ago, we again took advantage of the free S-trains and went to the end of the line to Hillerød to visit Fredericksburg Castle.  The highlight was definitely our afternoon of gambling and frolicking in the glorious gardens behind the castle.

 

 

Mønsdayitis

Yo! I'm totally in the bestest mood today!

I've been stealing my neighbour's wireless internet since I've lived here, so the connection's consistently weak or failing, which makes it nearly impossible for me to skype with anyone. But last night I skyped with my best friend from America (the time difference is terrible) which made my day. She's coming to visit me in a couple weeks and we're heading to Amsterdam together to meet some friends.

Also, I'm heading to the Fjords next week for the mid-semester break with the Awesome Foursome; a group of us who met here. It's been a bit stressful organising it because, as expected, everything in Norway is as expensive as Al Gore's electricity bills. Also, it seems that all the hostels in Oslo are completely booked out so we have nowhere to live (sad face), so please help us if you know of anyone there!

Today I went on a day trip to Møns Klint; one of the natural wonders of Denmark. It is a set of chalk cliffs along the southern coast (pictured), about two hours' drive from Copenhagen. As I walked on the pebbles along the water with my Kiwi friend, we couldn't help but comment on how unimpressive it was compared to the coastal landscapes down under, but for Scandinavia, it was impressive.

The next stop was in Liselund, where we spent some time at a park, appropriately named Romantic Park. I'd just been to a similar park (the gardens behind Fredericksburg Castle) last week, so I decided to climb through a fence on the outskirts of the park to the coast (pictured). It was beautiful. I felt so isolated; we were accompanied by a lone fisherman battling against the waves (pictured).

After that we headed to Elmelunde Church. It is apparently a very typical Danish Church. If I was a kid again armed with a handful of crayons and toys, this is how I would've designed my church (pictured).

Our final destination was Jaettestue; a set of graves from the stone age. We had to climb through a small tunnel and crawl around this igloo-like stone structure (pictured). A strange experience but definitely worth going because it's not everyday you see something odd like that.

enjoi

Long Overdue

Wow! Time flies here! I've been in Copenhagen for about 6 weeks now and I can't believe I've only managed to write a couple lines about my time here so far.

There is too much to write in one post, so I might just start with something boring (but I find it interesting because it's so different to back home!): classes at the University of Copenhagen.

I enrolled in an intensive course here (European and International Commercial Law) that commenced before orientation week and before I even moved into my apartment.  It definitely deserves its title as an 'intensive' course; it was taught six hours a week, and required plenty of readings and preparation before class.  However, it's over for now fortunately, so I'll only have two more courses for the remainder of semester!

The law campus is very different to the one back home.  It's not so much a campus, but rather, a set of buildings scattered around the centre of the city.  For instance, the main hangout for law students, the Jurahuset (which houses a canteen, computer rooms and library), is located in a trendy street filled with vintage clothing stores, coffee shops, bars, pizzerias and S&M shops out of all things! A short cycle from the Jurahuset is the Metro Annex, where most of the law students have their classes. Everyday there are musicians playing outside (pictured) which makes it a wonderful place to study.

The timetables work on an academic quarter schedule, so classes begin at quarter past the hour, and end on the hour.  This is great for me because it means I'm never too late for class!  But it also allows us plenty of time to cycle to our next class.

I'm currently living in Vesterbro, about 15 minutes away from town by bike.  The particular area I'm living in is filled with an eclectic and odd mix of people, but it comes as no surprise considering it's a council-owned set of apartment blocks.  As I leave for class each morning, I am always greeted by an old cheerful Danish man who is (somehow) drunk by the time I leave for class (9.30am).  There are quite a few interesting characters like that but I enjoy it.  There are about 70 exchange students living in this particular set of apartment blocks, each living in a 2 bedroom apartment, so it's got the perfect mix of privacy and social balance.  I have met some older, retired Danes living around the area and they seem pleased that there are now young, vibrant and generally open-minded students to talk to in the area.  The owner of the pub on our street seems pretty pleased too as we're giving him some good business!  On our first visit there, he gave us bottles of Jagermeister and Fisk for free!

Unfortunately I don't get my own bedroom, but rather, a lounge room (pictured) which I have converted into a bedroom (by using string and curtains).  My housemate gets 'the good room'; the one with the door.  All the exchange students in this area are in the same situation, where one housemate gets a proper bedroom and the other is stuck with the lounge room.  It results in some interesting dynamics and issues; for instance, my housemate has to walk through my room in order to reach the bathroom and kitchen.  We also have no common area or dining area to hang out or lounge about, so this creates problems at times too.  But, it's all part and parcel of the exchange experience and everyone seems to be trying to make the best of it.

The best part about living in these apartments is that there's always a dinner party to attend (pictured) or just someone around the corner to catch up with if you get bored.

 

Speaking of getting bored, I think I'm getting bored of writing this!  Time to get outta here yo!

J

Første Weekend in kōpənˌhägən

 

So I've finally got time to write something about Copenhagen! However, it's only going to be a couple sentences as I'm exhausted and I have class in the morning.  These pictures were taken during my first weekend here a few weeks ago.  It seems like an eternity ago; the weather was pleasant and I was bursting with energy.  Currently, it's raining, windy and cold.

On the first weekend a bunch of us took advantage of the free S-trains.  I'm not sure why, but on the first weekend of every month the trains are free for everyone and shops remain open for longer.  So, logically, we abused the system and caught the train to the very end of the line to Klampenborg.  There is a beach around here as well as a deer park (pictured).  We had brought our bikes onto the train so we were able to ride around the deer park.  After riding around for 15mins we spotted some deer.  They're pretty awesome, but not as awesome as kangaroos.

Madr:D

I've been in Copenhagen for two weeks now and I desperately want to write about my time here.  However, I feel that I owe it to myself to write an entry about my recent time in Madrid before it's too late.  So here it is!

Madrid was hot and humid and unlike Barcelona, there were no beaches to escape to.  I joined a 'free' walking tour that guided us through the Royal Palace and a number of other landmarks.  Everybody seemed a little disappointed by the fact that we didn't pass by any truly captivating landmarks.  Sadly, one of the highlights for me was an eccentric overweight man dressed as Spiderman at the Plaza Mayor (pictured).

It took me a few days to really appreciate Madrid.  To my delight, we stumbled upon the San Miguel Markets (pictured); a food market sprawling with gourmet food and drink stalls.  We indulged in some nice treats such as yoghurt covered in a number of delicious toppings such as fruit puree and nuts.  A short walk down one of the numerous aisles would lead us to a stall that specialised in vodka and caviar.  What a combo!  We tried a number of ice-cold wine-based drinks and traditional snacks amongst other things.

One night we went on a tapas crawl and tried a number of cidars, cheeses, meats, pastries and bread.  It was delicious, cheap and mostly incredibly tasty!  Each tapas bar we visited specialised in food from a specific region from Spain, and we could really notice the difference between each region's food.

Our last day in Madrid was one of my favourite days of my Spanish holiday.  A group of us stocked up on Spanish potato crisps, wine, cheese, bread and other delicious goodies before heading for a picnic (pictured) at the luscious greens of Parque del Buen Retiro.  This is a massive park of approximately 350 acres with a giant lake in the middle for people to paddle boats in (pictured).  We lay in the park for hours, enjoying the shade and listening to Angus and Julia Stone.  This park also houses a number of wondrous buildings such as the Palacio di Crista (pictured).

We finished off our Spanish trip in style, eating churros dipped in cups of hot chocolate at a laneway chocolateria.

100% FEEL OK everybody!

Valencia Tomatoes

The notorious Tomato Festival (La Tomatina) in Bunol was one of the most memorable days of my life.  At about 6 in the morning on the last Wednesday of August, a few of us decided to avoid the crowds at the train station and catch a taxi from our ritzy hotel in Valencia to Bunol.

When we arrived in Bunol, the sun was taking it's time to rise.  It was cold, and there were many food, beer and sangria stalls being set up.  We had a few hours to kill before the siren would sound at 11am for the tomato battle to begin.  During this time we stocked up on goggles and beer before the huge crowds of over 30,000 people arrived.

When we arrived at the main street of the battle we were packed like sardines (of the Australian variety).  There was a sea of (mostly obnoxious) Australians and it was worse than any mosh pit I'd ever been in (pictured).  It had warmed up by now and we were all excitedly anticipating the first siren to mark the beginning of one crazy hour.  The buildings along the streets were draped in water-proof/tomato-proof sheets and the locals, perched on their balconies above, were entertaining us with their music and cooling us down with their hoses.

 

After the first siren, there was a loud cheer and a number of horns could be heard.  Countless big red trucks filled with tonnes of rotten tomatoes somehow wormed their way through the masses. After the first truck passed our laneway, all hell broke loose.  It was only a matter of minutes before everybody was soaked in tomato.  A group of men dressed in spotless white sailor costumes saluted the trucks and soon after, they were almost unrecognisable (pictured).

The goggles came in handy, but easily fogged up.  Each time I removed my goggles to clear the fog, a big stranger would hurl a tomato right at my face.  It was that intense and I don't know why he was so dam accurate with his throwing.  Anyway, I got him back pretty good because I never lose a battle!

We were extremely lucky to have a lovely Spanish lady directly above us pour buckets of water over our heads to clear our eyes and rinse our mouths upon chanting "Agua Agua Agua!" (pictured).

At one stage I feared for my life as I almost had my feet crushed by a passing truck.  The streets were flooded with tomato (it was now inches deep) and as the truck passed me, my feet were literally centimeters away from the wheels.  I had to push myself against the moving truck and one slip or push in the back would've marked the end of my dancing career.

 

The hour seemed to pass by slowly at the time.  We took shelter in some side streets and stumbled upon some sangria stalls to refuel ourselves before re-entering the battle.  After the second siren that marked the end of the tomato battle, we rushed to the train station to return to Valencia.  A much needed siesta awaited us and we spent the afternoon and evening exploring the city of Valencia.

Valencia is a lovely city; it doesn't share the reputation or glamour of it's neighbouring cities but it is still a gem of a place.  The streets are filled with pastel-coloured apartments (pictured), splendidly detailed buildings and very creative graffiti.  That night we enjoyed a final drink with our backpacking friends by a kerbside cafes overlooking a beautiful fountain.

End.