Pre-Christmas Wonder Weekend

What is Christmastime but that 3-week chaotic rush until you're off from work and school, filled with the pressures of finalizing gifts, the semester's projects, and spending family time?  For a student abroad in Copenhagen Hopenhagen for the fall 2009 semester, there's the added tasks of worrying about packing, fully experiencing Danish Christmas culture, and the fastly approaching events surrounding COP15.  Although I remain incredibly optimistic about these final two weeks (*eek!*), the anxiety over my forthcoming demands kind of hit me hard today at the DIS Christmas lunch party.  My host-family had to leave a little early, but I decided to stick around people for a little while longer instead of getting to work. However, my plan was to leave before they started dancing around a tree and singing Christmas carols, which just wasn't an idea I was that into.  As you could probably guess, that plan failed, and I got sucked into the loops of people mumbling to Danish songs, skipping around the giant Christmas tree.

Yes, it was hokey in a way not unlike Christmas in Dr. Seuss' Whoville, but that didn't keep it from working its magic on even the most cynical in the group.  There were probably about 300 people in concentric circles around that tree, and while the dance started out a little forced, we soon became wrapped up in the music (in both Danish and English), the connectedness of us all holding hands, and in the movement to the beat.  I decided not to play by the rules, and three times attempted to create a new circle (by just breaking free on one side and pulling the other side forward with me) whenever I felt the loop I had been slowed by congestion.  This worked the first time, but the second time I had to rejoin the original loop after causing a runaway spiral effect, and someone I didn't even know was laughing at me as she passed-by:  "I think this is happening because of you!!!"  I guess I was kind of experimenting with mob-mentality, but I know I wasn't the only one.  After all, the third time I tried to make a new circle failed because it was simultaneous with the entire group breaking out into conga-lines around the room, speeding up and slowing down the the music and the traffic.  It was insane; it was joyous, and it was the type of Christmas spirit and fellowship that change how your day feels.  Well, that and baking chocolate chip cookies at a friend's apartment right afterwards.

The earlier part of the weekend had also been an adventure and a half.  I spent Friday evening back at Tivoli.  Now, you know I love Halloween and had a complete blast when I went to Tivoli in October, but my experience at Christmas Tivoli surpassed expectations and blew Halloween Tivoli out of the water.  Many factors contribute to this opinion:  it wasn't raining, there were less people, Tivoli has had more experience making a Christmas season, and my friends and I managed to find a part of the park that we had missed before (the lake on the north side of the park).  But most all, the Danes just know how to do Christmas.  I mean, they start the season in late October, remember?  The lights are fantastic, intricate, and glistening (much unlike the hideous, carelessly decorated trees at the Solrød shopping center), the food warmed us in the cold, and the plaza that had once contained a windmill and miniature straw maze now holds a building with a new kids ride and a village of animatronic nisse (gnome-like mythical creatures at Christmas-time). That building alone proves that Christmas Tivoli is, of course, just as kitschy as ever, but the spirit and traditions put into it creates an unforgettable atmosphere.

For the record, I also hopped in the front row of Rutsjebanen/Rutschebanen--the ca. 1914 roller coaster--with my friend Leslye.   The ride is somewhat similar to Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds in that it smells like an old coaster and is contained within a fiberglass "mountain," but that's where the comparison ends, since the track winds around up and down a pretty small space.  It's also operated more like we're in the early 20th century.  There are no recordings of safety warnings (only Danish signs that I couldn't really read) or miniature queues that line riders up for each seat in the train.  Instead, the trains pull in, stopped both by the breakman and the hands of riders getting on, who fight in an unorganized scramble for seats.  I don't remember if anyone even checked that I'd buckled my seatbelt: the next thing I knew, operators were just pushing the car down the track to be picked up by the chain that would take it to the first peak.  From there, it was up to the breakman in the center to control the speed of the car.  I must admit that I had no idea how incredible it would be to ride a machine where the uphills provide a bigger thrill than the downhills.

Finally, I spent all of Saturday on at trip to Lübeck, Germany, a cute and historical little city famous for its Christmas markets.  Teeming with tourists like myself who had come in packs on buses and were undeterred by rain or cold, Lübeck caters directly to their crowd with Santas on motorcycles and in boats and five or six different marketplaces with glühwein, bratwursts, fried goodies, marzipan, German nativity carousels, and some high-quality artisan crafts.  The atmosphere felt a little odd--like a cross between Black Friday and a county fair, except with German cultural items.  But I was also glad just to experience some of the rich German history, which ranged from a restaurant built for the sailors guild in 1401 to the forever resting fallen church bells of a WWII-era bombing.  I obviously don't know what the rest of the country is like, but Lübeck appeared to be a cross between the brick, medieval style of Roskilde (especially the churches) and the central European nature of Prague, which simply exemplifies the gradation of styles across regions. 

In other words, it was one busy weekend, and this week will not be any calmer.  But I'll be sure to keep you updated, alright?  Facebook photos from these two days are here.

And Then There Was One

It's so hard to believe that a few days days ago I crossed the three month point, and now there's only one left.  It's actually just the right amount of time to make a mix of feelings, really.  Travel break is over, so I can loosen up the purse a little bit and buy some more gifts and enjoy the Christmas markets that are popping up.  Then I'm both motivated and anxious about getting all my papers done (one decent-sized paper for each of my 5 classes).  This was an especially weird feeling, because coming back from travel break I had all these papers in mind, so I was motivated to push through them.  But I also found that I was comfortable enough on return to Copenhagen that I was moving into my American routines instead of ones I had created when entering this new environment (i.e. lots of procrastinating and staying up late--which I guess is more of a reaction to a sudden influx in workload--instead of staying more on top of things and going to bed early).  I'm relieved that things are coming to an end and soon everything can be normal-ish again, but I'm sad it's almost over and a little unsure how the month and half until school starts will go.  And THEN I'm excited to use Thanksgiving break and some of the remaining weekends to pick up things I missed in Copenhagen, and enjoy the jul atmosphere! 

This last part has been going pretty well.  Since I had 4 days until classes started when I returned to Denmark, and I had no travel pass to get me into the city, I decided to venture outside of my normal transportation zones into Roskilde.  I went mostly on a personal mission to see more of Denmark than I have been (though this doesn't near complete seeing the entire country), and, considering my recent revelation about churches, I thought it would be important to visit the Roskilde Domkirke (Cathedral).

It was a cold Saturday, but I found a pleasant city of about 55,000 (close in size to my hometown in America), with shops lining the old streets, a placque honoring Denmark's first railroad from Roskilde to København in 1847, and a weekend market with fresh produce, music from political campaigns, and some pretty nifty antiques (I almost bought this really awesome old bottle opener, but instead opted for the pre-WWII Carlsberg soda water bottle). While there were quite a few British and American tourists around, and the municipal signs included English portions, it was nice that the town retained a distinctly Danish feel.  That's one thing I've noticed when visiting smaller Danish towns: there's a distinct look to the older architecture and layout, especially with similar designs for brick churches.  The Domkirke was no exception, although it was on a much grander scale and dramatically changed the skyline.

While I was not nearly as affected by the cathedral in Roskilde as I was by St. Vitus in Prague (which may not be a fair comparison, to be honest), it certainly had its merits.  But then again, no one goes to see the Domkirke for the cathedral itself, but for the chapels surrounding the sanctuary, which are all magnificent tombs for the Danish monarchs.  Some of the tombs were marked not only as "King of Denmark" but also added "Norway and Sweden," which is a fascinating reminder that Denmark was once much more powerful than it is now.  Unfortunately, I missed some of the more important tombs due to reconstruction, but I'm still glad I went.  AND it was weird to see the very back wall behind the altar lined with portraits of bishops instead of holy chapels--as it would be seen in a normal cathedral.

I then walked to the Viking Ship Museum, which houses the remains of 5 viking ships recovered from the harbor.  It wasn't an incredibly extensive museum, but I did get to try on viking clothes, and at least the walk there led me around 3 different natural (although not potable) springs used for healing and water supply in centuries past.  One of them (Maglekilde--the large spring) produces 15,000 liters a day, which is 1/6 of it's former production. (On a side note, I just noticed that "kilde" must mean "spring," which means that "roskilde" is something about a spring.  Unfortunately, "roskilde" isn't in my dictionary, and "ros" means something about praise, so, I have a feeling that MAY not be the meaning. A few websites say the name derives from King Roar.)

Finally (and you may not stop hearing about this for a while), Christmas is really starting to settle in!  Køge and Vesterbro have hung greens across the streets, while Tivoli is alight in white, and Nyhavn by the harbor has a Christmas market set up.  But my favorite thing, by far, is the advent candle crafts that Kirsten (my host-mom), Nanna (my host-sister), and two neighbors made last Sunday.  I had a group project that kept me from joining in for very long, but I got so excited when I saw the table was covered in a craft table cloth!  Not only did we munch on æbleskiver (balls of pancake batter) with jam and powdered sugar, sipping on gløgg (spiced wine--in this case, white wine with white raisins), but, I got to decorate a Christmas candle for my room with a tray, some moss, and pine cones.  Every one else had been making these as an annual tradition for several years, so I just tried to sit back and watch what they were making--from individual candles, to a tray with a large candle you burn down a little bit for each numbered day until Christmas, and a tray with four large white candles for advent.  Nevertheless, I thought mine turned out all right--smiling wooden angels and all. 

J-dag og Fødselsdage

Before I commenced on my travels a few weeks ago, I had a few remaining responsibilities:  plan an itinerary for Spain, pack, and remember to enjoy Denmark.  I crossed two of these off Friday night (30 October), when Nina and I met for planning, drank a cranberry (holiday?) version of Somersby's (a very sweet cider that's popular here), and went out into Køge to celebrate J-dag:  the annual release night of Tuborg's Julebryg (Christmas brew).

When I started seeing ads for J-dag in early October, I was disgusted that the commercial beginning of the Christmas season was the day before Halloween.  But as the clouds became more regular, the sky darkened a little more each day, and I grew accustomed to the lack of Halloween spirit, the idea of celebrating Christmas didn't seem so heinous.  Either way, it's not like J-dag is really about Christmas, anyway; it's about selling some beer.  The marketing behind J-dag rivals the perpetuation of Valentine's Day in the United States.  True, the decorations aren't quite as extensive, nor is it celebrated in schools for children under the age of 16 (and yes, the schools DO host J-dag parties for the 16 and over crowd after school.  No joke).  However, it's still an excuse for a big, national party that includes a song (to the tune of "Jingle Bells") and free rides on the s-train to anyone who's headed to the bars.

Neither Nina or I felt that we were able to feel the true spirit of J-dag (there was somewhat of a cultural barrier in joining the crowd), but it was still an experience to observe the college-aged kids dressed up in blue trousers, dresses, and as a Christmas tree, distributing more Julebryg to the various pubs.  As for the beer?  We thought it was the worst Tuborg we've ever had, which is saying something, because I don't like regular Tuborg in the first place.  But if the celebration surrounding it sells, then keep brewing, Tuborg!

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a family birthday (fødselsdag) party for host-parent's nephew on the next day, as well as a surprise birthday breakfast the day after that.  This is the first time I've done any birthday celebrating in Denmark, but they're pretty much like any other get together, except this time with Danish flags as a key theme of decor.  Bringing food to someone's house and waking them up on their birthday morning isn't all that uncommon (as was done Sunday morning, which I have to admit was a little strange).  There's also a birthday song with too many words for me to remember (and 4 verses, apparently! though they usually sing two).  I've also learned from my host family that for the big birthday parties (and baptism, confrimation, anniversaries, and weddings), friends and family actually write humorous songs about the person to common tunes.  I think that would be a really nice tradition to have in the US, though I'm certainly not the type of person to start doing it on my own!

The birthday party on Halloween was definitely a lot of fun, though, as I had just gotten a Halloween package from my mom and we brought some of the candy over to share.  There were mixed reviews on the candy corn, but Rene seemed to like it, and thought they looked like teeth.  I'd never thought of them that way before, but when my host-mom's sister stuck them in her mouth like fangs, I could definitely see that interpretation.

P.S.  I learned today that there's a cemetery in Edinburgh near the cafe where JK Rowling first started writing Harry Potter.  Apparently, there are headstones for someone named McGonagall, and both a Tom Riddle Jr. and Tom Riddle Sr.  I now feel like a Harry Potter Fan Epic Fail for not finding it.