all killer, no filler

Your voices have been heard. Another update, which will be full of details and pictures! Which is why this entry is called "all killer, no filler"!

So, we were teased the first week we were here because it was comfortably cold- mid to low 30's with barely any wind chill. Then, this past weekend, it was as if someone jumped out at us yelling "fooled you!" and the face numbing coldness took over. That said, it didn't stop us from our weekend plans.

Saturday, we explored Østerbro, which is located just a bit north of the center city of Copenhagen. In warm weather, it's certainly walking or biking distance. It was a very nice area and reminded me of a little town/village with tons of shops and restaurants. Still, with our limited time here, we both decided that we prefer to be in the hustle and bustle of the city, which is where we are now. Here is a picture (Googled) of some housing in Østerbro. There were hundreds of these yellow residences in the area. We weren't sure if they were some sort of commune or project housing. Upon further research (aka when I Googled this picture), I learned that these were built in 1853 as special "healthy" housing for the working class after a cholera outbreak. You can read more info on Wiki: http://wikitravel.org/en/Copenhagen/%C3%98sterbro

 

The Marmorkirken (The Marble Church) - complete with a nice crane

After Østerbro, we ventured over to another popular (as of recently) area of the city- the Meat Packing District known as Vesterbro. This neighborhood is incredibly close to where we are now and we really liked it. It's a little "seedier" than other parts of Copenhagen, but when I use that term, it doesn't mean what it would mean in somewhere like North Philadelphia. This is where you'll find a lot of tattoo shops, dive bars, a few adult toy stores, biker dudes, and hipsters alike. We liked the chill factor there. We ate at one of the most unique restaurants I've ever been to. It was called Bio Mio, a strictly organic place. I had been reading up on it when investigating the vegetarian-friendly places of Copenhagen. Let's put it this way- anyone coming to visit us here is going to eat here! When you go in, the host or hostess gives you a menu book (lots and lots of selections) and a card. Rows of tables line the huge space and you can sit wherever you want- even if it means with other people. The kitchen is right there out in the open and you can watch the chefs preparing the food. When you know what you want to order, you go up to any of the chefs and tell them what you want. They scan your card so that it's properly billed to you. Then, it is brought to your table. There's a separate counter to order beer, wine, cocktails, and dessert. Each item on their menu even has a special icon, so you know what mood your food will serve. For example, there's "energy booster", "macho", "winter ease", and "after shopping relief". It was awesome- and delicious!

Bio Mio dinner- my "EnergiBoost Salat"- a big salad with veggies, fruits, and nuts. I felt awesome afterwards. Meat eaters, I don't wanna hear it :-) On the other side of the table, you can see Jason's chicken stir fry.

Humor of the Bio Mio menu- see the English description!

Best name ever for a Thai restaurant!

Receipt from lunch earlier in the day- Moms are inclusive with your purchase.

I won't go into boring detail about Sunday. We went to a huge shopping store called Bilka. It's sort of like the Danish version of a Super Walmart. Although, the shoppers there aren't really the same. You decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. It was a royal pain in the ass to shop for groceries since everything has a different name, but we did it. I must admit to being a huge grump by the end of it, though.

Last night, we went to as seminar that was hosted by an organization called Expat In Denmark. The seminar was called "Why Are The Danes So Weird?" I found it to be very informative. Basically, it confirmed and explained the things Jason and I have noticed about the culture here. I didn't take a notebook or anything, but I did jot down some fun facts that I knew I wanted to share here:

• Only 10% of Danes and Swedes believe in the existance of Hell.
• The only right way to show you are a Christian in Denmark is NOT to show it at all (reiterating the fact that you do NOT discuss politics, religion, job status, etc. a social gathering! I think we as Americans need to adopt this principle. Agreed?)
• "A disagreement is a discussion that ended prematurely." (This is based on the fact that, mostly in the workplace, Danes choose to discuss something ad nauseum until a decision is made about something. A disagreement or decision made simply out of frustration is not encouraged.)
• 51% of the Danes say they have their "dream job."
• 69% of foreigners say it's hard to form friendships with Danes.

Companies that have either 'Dan' or the Danish flag in their title/logo. Why? Because Danes are proud of their home!

Below: to demonstrate the blunt and very dry Danish sense of humor, we were shown a clip of director Lars Von Trier at a press conference for Cannes Film Festival, where he jokingly admits "sympathy for Hitler", complete with Kirsten Dunst's priceless, uncomfortable reaction. To a Danish person, Von Trier's comments were very obviously meant to be funny. To anyone else, it was controversial and unsettling. 

 

Well, I think that this entry has certainly made up for a few no-news days. We are starting Danish lessons tonight! I'm quite sure I'll have some reporting to do on them, so stay tuned. Also, I'm excited about meeting a new voice instructor who teaches at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. I'm looking forward to getting the pipes warmed up and going again. Until then, farvel (goodbye)!