WEEK DRIE, VIER, VIJF

It has been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted.  So much has changed now that I have been in Amsterdam for over a month:  I no longer have to look up how to say the week numbers on Goodgle because I can count in Dutch and I have discovered the Stroopwafel McFlurry!  The last couple of weeks have been very cold and rainy (even snow!) and I desperately miss LA winters. Here's what I did:


The weekend after I last posted a bunch of USC students were visiting Amsterdam and I enjoyed hanging out with them and running in to more people than I wanted to see when we were out at night.  Other than that, it was a had week for me in school and spent a lot of time catching up on school work.

Frozen Canals in Copenhagen!

THEN, the next weekend we went on our first trip to Copenhagen, Denmark!  I traveled with two of my good friends from USC (Alex and Laura) and Alex's cousin Jeff who came to visit.  We took the train to the airport where they tried to tell me I had to pay to check my luggage.  She claimed that my luggage was too long and I had a hard time believing that after Dad bought me the supreme traveler's suitcase from Eagle Creek and I'm sure they knew the correct size a European carry-on had to be. Alex and I fought with the lady who finally said that I could take it on the plane and try it... it fit without a problem.  We got to Copenhagen in the late evening and instantly noticed the harsh cold weather and the surplus of 7-Elevens.  We walked straight to our hostel to put our luggage down and walked in search of food (I tried my first Shawarma and fell in love).  We fell asleep early to get ready for our big day of touring.  Saturday morning we got an early start and bundled up with two pairs of pants, wool socks, and every other layer we could think to wear.  It was so cold that the rivers were completely frozen with the boats still in them and after half an hour of walking your muscles would tighten, shortening your steps.  On our way to the Royal Palace we saw Christiansborg Palace where the Danish Parliament is held and stumbled upon the adorable street of brightly colored houses along another frozen canal called Nyhavn.  At each stop Jeff would take out photocopied Lonely Planet pages from his back pocket and read us the paragraph description of the monument we were taking pictures of.  Nyhavn is a common touristy area, but of course we were the only crazy people outside that day.  We stopped here for some Irish Coffee to warm up!

Christiansborg Palace - Danish Parliament

Nyhavn

Next we saw the Royal Palace where we took pictures with the guards and continued to Frihedsmuseet - the Museum of the Danish Resistance.  You really enjoy taking your time and reading every description at a museum when you are avoiding going back outside.  Close by was the famous Little Mermaid statue.  The Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen wrote the tale and the city is filled with small tributes to him.

Hanging out with Hans Christian Anderson

Me with the Little Mermaid statue

Our final stop that day was the Rosenborg Castle.  It was built in 1606 and has been left practically the same way as it was built and decorated.  We saw inside and also saw a bunch of artifacts from Christian IV and the royal treasures!

After our 6 hr walking tour of Copenhagen we went back to the hostel for a long nap then navigated the streets for local bars we could sit in and relax after out long day.

The Round Tower

Sunday morning we had to leave in the early afternoons so we got up early once again and after having a breakfast of "danishes" we headed to the Round Tower where we climbed to the top and saw the most beautiful view of the whole city!  Finally we walked to Christianshavn, which is a artificial island off of the city with lots of canals and a beautiful church.  It is supposed to have an incredible view, but the tower was closed for the winter.  The inside of the church was enough of a sight though and the giant organ was carved from wood with the most delicate details.

View from the top of the tower

The church in Christianshavn

more frozen water

Finally we headed back to the airport and back home to Amsterdam!

The next week I recovered from the long weekend and caught up on school work.  It snowed on Wednesday as I was doing homework at my desk with the view of the courtyard and I couldn't stop talking about it to my roommate and friends.  They laughed because its no big deal to them, but I've never lived in a place where it snowed.  

This weekend Laura and I visited the Albert Cuyp Markt, the largest flea market/farmers market in Amsterdam.  It was so fun and we had tons of good cheese samples and explored the different tents.  They have everything from produce and fish to clothing and wigs.  We went because we were told that they make fresh stroopwafels, which are Dutch cookies they sell everywhere.  They are two thin wafers with a maple-y caramel in the center.  We watched the man make them for a while, but decided to end our day with Pofferjes (the mini pancakes I wrote about last week) that were made right in front of us. 


That's it for now, but next week we are headed to Prague for our second adventure!





How could I forget to mention the many "Jensen" sightings around Copenhagen! I never forgot to tell the people I met (including 7-Eleven cashiers and the Pizza guy) that I was Danish and my last name was Jensen.  Here are a few...