Hello!
Welcome to the first blog post of the trip! We are starting in Copenhagen, staying in a hostel in the Medieval City Center. The past few days have been filled with lots of exploring, eating, biking, and sort of just being in utter shock of the lifestyle here. I have not gotten to experience a different culture in the way I have here even just in the first few days! I was a bit anxious about studying abroad as I have never experienced this sort of immersion into another culture. The last time I travelled internationally I was 7, so I did not really understand. I will go over what I have done each day and then detail some of my main takeaways and thoughts on these first couple days!
Itinerary
Monday – On Monday, we woke up and met up with some of the other students in our study abroad program. We then went to a coffee shop, chatted, and got to know each other a little better. We then decided to explore a little so we ventured to the Round Tower, which was built as an astronomical observatory. The amazing tower requires a spiral climb with beautiful white interiors to get to the top where there are 360 views of Copenhagen! We then walked over to the Botanical Gardens, which is basically just a plant museum. For me, as a plant nerd, I LOVED this. We then had a bit more time before checking into our hostel for the week and meeting up with the class. Finally though, we met with the other students, professionals, and professors. We did introductions and discussed the basics of the class and then were given our first assignment: to obtain our bikes and choose a local and follow them around on a bike. So, we went off and just biked around… it was honestly terrifying at first as the biking infrastructure here is just unbelievable and extremely different from the states. We then all met for pizza in the park, a debrief, and more socializing. To end the day, a few of us from the program went to a bar down the street from the hostel and grabbed some pitchers of Denmarks iconic ‘Talsburg’ beer.
Tuesday – On Tuesday, my three roommates and I decided to sleep in a bit to overcome some jet lag, however it did not help. We then got ready and ventured to Torvehallerne KBH or the Glass Market, which is a covered marketplace with stalls. Vendors sold everything from produce to coffee to ice cream to gourmet food. After walking around the entire market, I got a salad, which was SO good and fresh. We also picked up some fresh fruit to snack on throughout the day. We then met up with the rest of the class and then went on a bike tour with Bike Mike, a local who is VERY enthusiastic about biking and informed on Copenhagen’s history. We went all around the city and saw a lot of cool places, parks, cobblestone streets, the harbor, and more! After, I explored Christiania, the hippie neighborhood of Copenhagen and we stumbled upon the Christiania Bikes workshop where we saw someone building the cargo bikes I have seen all around town! I then biked with a few others to a thrift store and browsed there. Then I ventured on my first solo bike ride back to the hostel! Finally, we ended the day with a picnic in the Rosenberg Castle Park! We were wiped after the long bike tour, so we hit the hay!
Culture Insights
I have many initial insights and observations about the culture here in Denmark, but I will attempt to summarize them and discuss the most valuable ones. To start, this city is incredibly clean and well kept! There are trash cans everywhere of course and I even saw some people picking up litter! The parks are incredibly well kept and overall the space and the city is just well respected by all citizens. I love the public spaces, especially the green spaces, like the parks. The public space here is very public and is shared very well. For example, there are docks for swimming all along the harbor, just open for anyone to use! I am currently writing this post as I sit in the public København Library, which also extremely clean, well kept, and lively! They also do not tip here because workers here make living wages (wow, what a concept!). The public services and democratic ideals truly make for a society where people are able to be comfortable, happy, and kinder to each other. Everyone I have met has been so kind and friendly! I am loving seeing the culture here and a successful, sustainable society focused on the well-being of the citizens (not corporations, governments, or billionaires).
Biking Insights
Where do I even begin with the bicycle infrastructure. WOW, it is truly amazing to see the bike culture here. To begin, the roads are set up for cyclists; You can essentially bike any road. Cars and pedestrians know to watch out for bikers. It is so amazing experience these bicycle roads that have their own stop lights, turn lanes, and barriers between the road. Some locals can get pretty aggressive with their biking and go quite fast! People bike in any clothes here and helmets are not super common. I got to bike over a bike and pedestrian bridge, which had the special red biking asphalt that I saw in my pre-trip assignment. I geeked out about seeing and riding on it in real life! At first, I was a little overwhelmed and stressed as a new cyclist on the road, but it gets easier every single time I go back out, which is promising. Nothing is farther than a 15 to 20 minute bike ride away from our hostel, which gives us a ton of freedom! I have seen some super cool cargo bikes, and the ones made in Christiana are electric and can carry quite a lot of stuff. People here also carry just about anything in, on, or around their bikes. I saw two people biking with OTHER bikes, lots of parents carrying multiple children, countless bags, and more. My favorite, however, is when people put their little dogs in the baskets of their bikes! 🙂 Check out the picture below.
Well, that is all for now! Thank you for reading and I will update you all soon! Leave a comment or follow for updates!
Yours,
Macy
