Adventures of Norway: Crusin' Crazy Down to Denmark

Hello again,

I hope you've all been enjoying the most recent blog entry. I'm proud to say that my blog has reached over 700 page views! That must mean that either I'm more interesting than I though, which is unlikely, or you are all very dedicated. So, a large thank you is in order! I'm glad these entries aren't for nothing. 

Now, let's get down to business. I've been busy (as usual) trying to find the perfect balance here in Oslo somewhere between way too much fun and way too much work. I like to think that I'm probably leaning towards way too much fun, but for my parent's sake (and my bank account's) I'll try not to mention it too much. In all honesty I can't complain yet. I wont bore you too long with the details. My Norwegian is improving with every class session. My history class is still the hardest of all my courses. Best of all, my Norwegian Life and Society class has led me to a view valuable sources for an upcoming research paper. 

But after all of the studying, I do try have some fun. For example, I enjoyed my first professional soccer game this week. Norway's national female soccer team faced off against Belgium at a free event funded by the stadium's sponsors. My friends and I left for the stadium donned in whatever we could find that would make up look like true Norwegian fans. Norway's female soccer team is viewed as one of the world's best teams, second only to Germany one season ago. They showed it on Wednesday and, man, was it fun. Every goal brought the crowd to its feet with cheers and songs. Not for one moment did I feel like an outsider. Don't get me wrong... it certainly wasn't like watching UND vs U of M, but, I can certainly say I enjoyed it. Below you can see a few pictures of the stadium and the game.

A fun time for all here in Oslo. But, I'm sure by now you're dying to figure out what the title of this blog is referring to. Either that, or you're extremely bored. So, without further ado, I give to you one of the best trips of my time here so far: Denmark!

On August 28th, I headed out to Denmark with 10 other friends on a cruise ship.The ship was very nice and the prices for food, wine, etc weren't bad either. Below you can see a picture of the luxurious room I stayed in with my roommate Sarah.

If you can't, that was strong sarcasm. I think it was only appropriate, knowing who I am, that I stay in the smallest room possible. I shouldn't complain, however. The room was only 17 dollars for a round trip! The first night was a long, but fun filled night. We started the night off with some Karaoke followed by some dancing. After that we danced some more. And then more. By 3 a.m. most of us had gone to bed knowing Copenhagen was awaiting us. We would arrive at 9:45 a.m. on a beautiful day in Copenhagen. 

Below you can see one of the first sight I saw as we entered the city. Not to bad, am I right? 

Copenhagen was a sight to see. The city is filled with small, colorful houses and large beautiful building. The churches lining the streets of the city were each, in their own way, as beautiful as the last. The weather was sunny, and the company was great. As we moved through the city, we had the opportunity to see the changing of the guard outside the royal courtyard. A band proceeded the changing and moved through the town. 

Below you can see the guards and bend members dressed in full gear. Their stylish hats are not for sale, so don't ask. I found that out the hard way. (Only joking, mom)

After the 'ceremony' if you will, we headed to the famous, or perhaps infamous, area known as Christiania. The Green Light District as it is called, is a small neighborhood outside of Copenhagen known for its 'simpler life' atmosphere. The area is lined with graffiti from one end to the other. Paintings saying "No Photos in the Green Light District" line the walls of almost every building. I'll dance around this a bit, but the Green Light District has a reputation for the "green" that is sold there. You can smell the area well before you reach it, and if you aren't buying, then being there really has no point. So, we left after a short walk through the area. As much as I would like to think Christiania is a 'simpler city', it seemed a bit sketchy for me. 

To cap off our day in Copenhagen we decided to head to a local bakery and enjoy the cheap prices and delicious food. I bought a miniature chocolate cake filled with a chocolate cream and topped with white chocolate which was also drizzled in normal chocolate. That was a bit of a run on sentence, but the important part is that it was the best cake I've ever eaten. Sorry to any family member who have cooked my cake before. I still love your carrot cake, but this cake was amazing. 

Below you can see an assortment of the highlights from Denmark.

Church in Denmark 

Gaurds

Gaurds with band

This picture was taken inside a park that show cased a famous "maze" if you will.

No idea what building that is. It just looked nice. 

These are giant organ pipes. They played really creepy music as we sat in the church. 

Same church as picture above. Wish I remembered the name of it :/

The only thing I would have changed about the trip was the length. We were in Copenhagen for, at most, 7 hours. We headed home that night on the cruise ship again. The trip home was a bit more relaxing if you will. (You could say dancing was beyond all of our capacity after the previous night and day)

To cap off the whole week, I got to go to my first large scale concert ever. (Sorry Hawk Nelson, Fosston MN takes a close second place.) My friend Nils, his girlfriend and I headed out to see famous rap and dj artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It. was. Awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better show! I guess I don't have much experience when it comes to live performances, but either way, I thought it rocked. There was fire, fireworks, confetti, giant balloons, crowd surfing and all that great stuff. It was also really nice to know a lot of the songs instead of listening to a random artist. I honestly had no complaints about the show. I was going to post a video from the concert, but the computer wont let me...

I hope you enjoyed!! I will be heading to Poland in less than 14 days. So, if you've made it to this point than stay tuned for more Adventures of Norway.

I still love saying that.