Copen-hanging

An account of one girl's adventures while studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark 

[brewcrew17]

Hej Hej

Hej Hej Danmark (Goodbye Denmark)

Here it is my last blog post from Denmark. How can I sum up all my experiences, travels, and lessons I have learned these past four months in one blog post?? The simple answer is I can’t. I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to come to Copenhagen to study and travel, and this has been a once and a lifetime experience. I think over the coming months(let's face even years) I will still be processing all the amazing things I have done here.  In honor of my last post here is my Top 20 Experiences from My Time Living Danishly 

My Top 20 Experiences from My Time Living Danishly 

20. Tennis: being able to play tennis this semester was one of the best surprises. While it was still warm out being able to play tennis was an incredible bonding experience with Sidse and it also reminded me how fun tennis is. Through playing tennis with my host family, I was able to meet a lot their friends and have a great time playing a sport I love. 

19.Jægersborg Dyrehave: Dyrehave is the old deer park where the King used to hunt. I enjoyed visiting this park to walk around and attempt to fly kites because while you are there you feel like you are in another world because for miles are grasslands and places to hike and ride horses. 

18.Culture Night: Culture night was one of my favorite moments because it was unbelievable to walk all around Copenhagen and see all the different companies and buildings. The other part of culture night that I loved we seeing all the different people and families walking around the city. Throughout the night, the city had such a high energy it was infectious. 

17.Vikings: Before coming to Denmark I did not know much about the Vikings but after my Nordic mythology I feel like I have a better understanding and appreciation for these tough Scandinavian ravagers. As part of my class, I was able to visit many different Viking related areas of the island of Zealand including the Viking ship museum, sailing Viking ship, ruins of a hall thought to have inspired Beowulf and many other cool ruins. The Vikings and Nordic Mythology are significant parts of pop culture and the history of the Danes, and it was so interesting to gain a better understanding of them.

16. Gang Crime: This one might be a strange one to put on my list, but my gang crime in Scandinavia has been one of my favorite classes here. In this class, we talked about why people joined gangs and then looked deeper at our own personal thoughts and beliefs about gangs. I learned so much from this class about myself and gang crime. 

15. Core Course: This class is hard to describe because we talked about a variety of topics from immigration, the refugee crisis, assimilation, Turkey, and minority issues in Turkey. Like my other classes at DIS, I had the opportunity to have some incredible experiences as part of my class like going to Sweden and talking with groups that deal with refugees and then go to Istanbul and talk with various minority rights groups. My trip to Istanbul is one that I will always remember and was such an eye opening experience.

14.Castles: I am a Disney kid and have always loved princes and princesses who lived in a castle in a far away land and during my four months in Denmark I got to visit so many amazing castles. Besides, the fairytale aspect to castles I love the history behind them. The Danish royal family can trace its line back 1000 years, and these castles capture the different areas of Denmark and world history. 

13. Christmas Lights: Christmas is my favorite time of year and being here in the weeks leading up to Christmas have been so much fun. I have learned about Danish Christmas traditions and gotten to try all the different types of Danish Christmas beer, pastries, and food. One of the hardest parts of being in Copenhagen has been dealing with the darkness that sets in around 3:30 in the afternoon but the Christmas lights have brightened the city and made it so beautiful. 

12. Investigating Why the Danes are Happy: Before coming to Denmark, I had heard that the Danes were some of the happiest people in the world. Throughout my time here I have been really curious to why that is. I have read many different books and talked with my host family about what exactly it is that makes the Danes so happy. I am very curious about this whole idea of happiness and Danishness and hope to continue to find out more and maybe come back here to research. 

11. Wandering Around: A lot of my time in Copenhagen has been wandering around exploring the city. From parks to random side streets I have walked probably most of the city. To me wandering around has been a great way to see the city but also a time for me to reflect and think about all my experiences. Throughout my time abroad I have become more comfortable about being myself and finding my way. 

10.Tivoli: Tivoli Gardens the place that inspired the Happiest place on earth (Disney world) has to be one of the most fun places in Copenhagen. From rollercoasters to funny hats, and rides Tivoli always is a fun place. 

9. Pastries Galore: I am Elizabeth, and I have a pastries problem. There are so many delicious pastries all around me, and they are all so wonderful. There is a bakery right by my classes that I love going to with my friends, and they even do a special on Wednesday for Cinnamon Snails( Cinnamon rolls, these are the best). I will potentially go through pastry withdrawal when I get back home. 

8. Selfies with Sidse: If you follow me on social media there is no doubt that you have probably seen a ridiculous selfie that Sidse and I have taken doing something. We have become masters of taking selfies so much so that if one of us calls the others name we are ready with a good face. 

7. Biking: I have biked my whole life but in Copenhagen biking was my primary mode of transportation. Biking is a way of life for Danes. From the time, you can walk little children are on balance bikes. There is something so freeing about biking. I felt like I could go anywhere and see anything especially because of all the different bike lanes. I will miss biking everywhere when I get back home.

6. Travel: Over the past four months I have gotten to travel to some incredible places: Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, England, Istanbul, Italy. Traveling has been wonderful, scary, exciting, stressful, and fun. Traveling and seeing where my friends were studying abroad was fantastic. 

5. Meeting new friends: Coming to DIS meant leaving behind Wooster and meeting new people. The great thing about DIS is that there are 1,200 people from all across the states and all my age.I have met many interesting and people who I hope I can stay in touch with afterward. 

4. Friends and Family visiting: I was so lucky to be able to visit friends while traveling and had, even more, fun when people got to visit me. Having people visit me allowed me to show them around Copenhagen and show them everything I have learned about.  Plus I loved being able to see everyone I love and catch up with them. 

3. Copenhagen: I have fallen in love with this city. From Viking ruins to bike lanes and modern design Copenhagen is a gorgeous and dynamic city. It’s hard for me to describe what I find so compelling about this city. 

2.Hygge: If you hadn't noticed yet Hygge is one of my favorite Danish words. I love all that it means and how it captures it captures contentment and happiness. I love this word so much and can't wait to bring it back and incorporate it into my life back in the states. 

1. Host Family: My top takeaway or experience from the last four months has definitely been my host family. Anne, Thomas, Sidse, and Nina have made such an impact on my time here. They have been so welcoming, kind and generous. 

In Danish the word for Thank you is Tak. I don't think that those three letters (or two words) can truely capture all my feeling of gratitude for my host familt.They have treated me as their american daughter and made me feel like a part of the family and for that I am eternally grateful. 

These past four months are amazing and I feel so blessed to have had these experiences. I have many emotions about leaving but I know i will be back to this amazing country. 

[brewcrew17]

Home and Hygge

This is it. I am down to my last weeks in Copenhagen. Typing that sentence fills me with so many different thoughts and emotions. My first thought is that I don't want to go. Copenhagen has become like home, and this whole experience has been incredible. I have had fantastic adventures, and I have an amazing bond with my host family. However, my second thought is that I miss my family and friends. I am ready to be able to have conversations with people face to face vs. over social media or waiting 6 hours for the US to wake up.  This past week I have been trying to grapple with all these thoughts and prepare myself for having to say goodbye to my host family and one of the things that have been coming back to me is the idea of home. 

For 18 years, my home was Greensboro North Carolina. If I had a pair of ruby slippers and Glinda told me to think “there's no place like home” Greensboro is where I would appear. However after spending two years at the College of Wooster that campus feels like home as well because that is where my tennis family, Theta, and my friends are. It’s become a part of my identity and is a place of comfort to me. And now after four months (really after about two weeks if I'm honest) Copenhagen has become my home too. Websters dictionary defines home “: the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives: a family living together in one building, house, etc.: a place where something normally or naturally lives or is located” To me this definition doesn't encompass all that a home is. Home is a place where you can be yourself, a place of comfort, and a place full of memories. Now I know my definition doesn't necessarily encompass all that a home is but I think that feeling of home is intangible and can't be defined. I think that home defines us because it's where we feel a deep connection and we define ourselves by our experiences at home. 

A term that goes hand in hand with that intangible feeling of home is the Danish term Hygge. I have talked about hygge a little bit before so sorry it this seems repetitive, but I am fascinated by this word. Hygge most often gets translated into English as coziness, but that doesnt capture its full meaning.  The Buzzfeed photo above talks about the absence of annoying things but I don't think that adequately captures hygge either. I define hygge as the feeling of warmth you get drinking tea(or coffee) on a rainy day reading a book. Or the feeling of sitting around with good friends talking about anything. Or sitting around with family watching Netflix together. Hygge is a feeling of contentment a moment of peace and happiness despite it being dark at 3:30 in the afternoon. The Danes use hygge as a noun and an adjective hyggelig. By far my favorite use of the word is the term for comfy socks is Hygge Sokker. 

I have been asking my friends who are abroad what they are bringing back to the states (tangible or intangible from their time) abroad. I am definitely bringing back hygge especially going into the cold Ohio winter. But, I am also bringing back a new understanding of home. Greensboro is where I am from and born and raised( and will always have a special place in my heart), but Wooster and now Copenhagen are now expanded to places that I call home.  

[brewcrew17]

What better way to procrastinate writing papers than shopping at Christmas markets and wandering through Tivoli #copenhanging #disabroad #christmastimeishere (at Tivoli Theme Park, Copenhaguen Denmark)

[brewcrew17]

The Brewingtons in København

Last Saturday, I grabbed my two Danish flags and headed towards the airport to meet the Brewington Entourage as they arrived in Denmark. Entourage being Mom, Dad, Brad and Meme. We spent the rest of the day trying to keep them awake and fighting the jet lag. However, Brad didn't sleep on the plane, so he slept most of the day. After doing some initial walking around Copenhagen, I took them to meet my host family. I was pretty nervous about this first meeting because it was my two worlds colliding. However, I had nothing to worry about, and it was a lot of fun watching everyone get to know each other.

Highlights of their trip would include 

1. Trip to Kronborg also known as Hamlet's Castle 

2. Walking to the top of the Round Tower and getting a 360-degree view of the city 

3. Christmas Markets Galore 

4. On that note, Christmas lights everywhere 

5. Cooking Thanksgiving for my host family 

6. Introducing my family to some of my favorite places in Copenhagen

7. Brad and I riding rides at Tivoli 

When Mom and Dad started planning their trip to Denmark, we choose Thanksgiving week based on when would be easiest for them and Brad to get off work and school and just assumed we would skip Thanksgiving this year since we were in Denmark. However after talking with my host mom Anne we thought it could be fun if my family cooked a traditional Thanksgiving meal to introduce the Danes (Thomas Anne Sidse and Nina) to the holiday. There were many challenges with this plan as we soon discovered. How do you cook Thanksgiving for a vegan, vegetarian, and a person with nut allergies. We had to order a turkey because they are not typically supplied in Danish grocery stores. All our recipes were in cups, Fahrenheit, and the oven, and measuring cups were in Celsius and liters. The final challenge was that some of the instructions were in Danish. I became thankful that day for google translate and converters. The night became a fun blend of Danish and American traditions from watching youtube clips of the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade and drinking gløgg (a mulled wine that is traditional at Christmas in Denmark). We ate Turkey, Cornbread Dressing, and Sweet Potatoes for dinner but dessert we had flødebollen( a traditional Danish sweet picture below) All in all the night was a fantastic blend of my two families.

My week with my family was a wonderful test of everything I have learned while here. Throughout the week, we tested my knowledge: of the transportation systems of Copenhagen, History of the Danes, Random facts about Denmark, and most difficult of all my Danish.(Brad will tell you that he is fluent after one week and that I was no help at all you will have to ask him to say rødgrød med fløde? a Danish tongue twister) It was a great realization about how much I have taken in while here. I only have two weeks left in Copenhagen, and this fact tears me up every time I think about it. I can not wait to see all my friends and family again however I don't feel ready to leave because I feel so at home here. As my host family and I have been saying I just need to come back!

For More reading about the Brewingtons in Copenhagen or another perspective from a different Brewington check out my father's thoughts about the trip: Lights Bikes and No Turnstiles 

http://scottbrewington.tumblr.com/post/134198490253/lights-bikes-and-no-turnstiles

[brewcrew17]

So thankful that I got to spend thanksgiving with my two families!!! Here’s to Thanksgiving in Denmark !! #disabroad #hygge #copenhanging #whenfamiliescollide #turkeytime (at Copenhagen, Denmark)

[brewcrew17]

So thankful that I got to spend thanksgiving with my two families!!! Here's to Thanksgiving in Denmark !! #disabroad #hygge #copenhanging #whenfamiliescollide #turkeytime (at Copenhagen, Denmark)

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Christmas time in Copenhagen/ København #worldtravels #copenhanging #hygge #disabroad (at Nyhavn, Kbh)

[brewcrew17]

Dressing Danish 👞👖👕🇩🇰

Since my parents, brother, and Grandmother are coming to visit me tomorrow, I thought I would post my fashion observations in honor of their packing. One of the challenges that I was worried about studying abroad was trying to fit in with the Danes. Since I am living in Denmark for four months, I didn’t want to look like a tourist the entire time. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed as the weather has gotten colder my wardrobe has gotten consistently darker. To the point that some days the only pop of color I am wearing is my white scarf against my black outfit. Almost all the pieces of clothing I have purchased while here have been Black, Gray, or White. 

Before I start the list of trends, I should point out that all fashion in Copenhagen has to be bike-conducive to biking. I have seen women in heels and dresses biking to work. I have seen men cycling in the rain while holding umbrellas. No matter what the weather Danes clothes are meant to be able to bike in. 

So here are some of the fashion trends I have noticed.

1. The color black is not a statement or a small part of your closet it is your whole wardrobe. This is not to say that the entire country looks like they are in mourning, but everyone looks very chic. 

2. Nike sponsors the Nation of Denmark. Or at least it is hard to walk around the city without seeing people wearing Nike shoes or some Nike workout clothing. From bags to coats to jackets Nike has somehow cornered the market of Danes.

3. Every single individual(or most of the population) owns a pair of black shoes. This is a must. Most likely the black shoes are Nike or New Balance sneakers or short boots. These shoes are worn every day that is because they match absolutely everything. 

6. Jeans are a part of the work dress code. Part of the Danish Jante’s law is that everyone is equal, and that can be seen in fashion as well. It is tough to distinguish people's professions or social class when biking into the city because everyone wears the same clothes. Both my teachers and host parents and waitresses wear jeans to their work.

5. If you are under the age of 30 most Copenhageners own a leather jacket. So basically everyone looks very cool which plays in to the next point.

6. Copenhageners style looks effort less the main thing I have noticed is that everyone walking around seems confident and inherantly cool. I am hoping that is rubbing off on me. Yes at times it can be very annoying to be in a city with an unofficial dress code but I find it another fascinating part of “Danishness.”

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Travel Week 3: London, Perugia, and Rome

This past week was my third and final travel week. I have loved visiting all my friends and seeing new places, but I have to say that I am looking forward to being in Copenhagen for my last few weeks especially since I get to see my family next Saturday. I am apologizing in advance because this is an extremely long post, but I have posted slide shows of my pictures throughout. Also, I would like to thank everyone who reached out to me on Saturday morning after the incident in Paris I appreciated all your thoughts.Anyway, let's begin with last Saturday.  

After sending Madison off Saturday morning, I packed up my bags and headed to the Copenhagen airport to meet up with my Literary London Class. This class as the title suggests focused about the writings surrounding London and how the city has changed throughout time.  We arrived at the Capitol City, Saturday afternoon. After a brief stop at the Hotel, we headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibit we looked at was on fashion through the ages, particularly in Britain. My favorite part of this exhibit was seeing how the style was reflective of the values and norms of the different periods of time.

The next morning we headed to the East End where we did a walking tour where we explored how the East End has developed. We ended at the Spitalfields Market.  Me and two friends took the market by storm and after buying way to many things we headed to platform 9 3/4 to take the obligatory Harry Potter Generation photos. After that, we did Trafalgar Square, Westminister Abbey, Houses of Parliment, Buckingham Palace, and then to Harrods and Zara to shop. After a failed excursion to try to find Kensington Palace that ended with us outside the gate that the Royals use instead of the visitors entrance after hours we found a pub to eat Fish and Chips. What I enjoyed most about this day was the sense of comfort and familiarity I had in London. Walking on Sunday afternoon, I felt like I knew my way around London which was an incredible feeling to have.

Monday Morning bright and early the entire class headed to the Globe Theater where we had a workshop with one of the actors.  We were able to go on stage, backstage and even work on some scenes from Macbeth; it was a dream come true. Standing in the Globe, you immediately feel transported back to the time of Shakespeare. Standing on the stage, it made me realize how much I miss theater. Our next stop after lunch was the Churchill War Rooms. The Churchill War Rooms are fantastic in how they perfectly preserve and capture life in the rooms during World War Two. Also inside the War Rooms is a Winston Churchill museum that covers so much of Churchills life. The whole experience inside these museums was overwhelming because of the amount of history I was walking through. 

After the War Rooms, we walked past Buckingham Palace and towards the Dorchester Hotel where we had high tea. I felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Downton Abbey walking into the ornately decorated hotel. When we reached the table servers appeared to fill continually our plates with incredible sandwiches, scones, cakes, and TEA. The whole atmosphere was serene complete with piano player and delicious food. I somehow managed to leave my seat a couple hours later to walk to the east end to see Billy Elliot. Words can not describe that performance. My breath was taken away, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Tuesday after a couple more museum visits I left London and headed to Perugia Italy to visit the amazing Christina Solazzo.  Perugia is in the Umbria region of Italy which is about  2 hours from Rome. The next two days in Perugia were fantastic. Christina showed me around to all the beautiful views of the city. If I were to sum up my visit, it would be a great friend, amazing food, and beauty everywhere I turn. 

Friday Morning I packed up my bags once again and took the train to Rome. There I met up with Nancy Valverde, and Christina joined us later Friday afternoon. There we took Rome by storm meaning we tried to see all of the city into two days. (And now comes the portion of the blog where Elizabeth name drops everywhere we went) St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum, The Colosseum and the Roman Forum, The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Fontana di Trevi, Campo de Fiori. In addition to all the walking (around 25 miles in two days), we ate a TON of excellent food. 

Being in Rome was a dream come true. So much of my school/ 7 1/2 years of Latin class has been focused on Rome and Romans. Being there in the eternal city was overwhelming because I was finally able to walk in the city where so much history is preserved. I am still in a sense of disbelief that I was able to visit Rome and see everything I did. 

This past week was so fantastic, and I am incredibly lucky to have had all the experiences I did. A huge thank you to Christina for hosting me in Perugia and being my guide in Rome. Also a shout out to Nancy for being an excellent partner in crime when it came to sightseeing our first day in Rome.    

[brewcrew17]

Having an AMAZING time exploring Italy with the lovely @crinababina #worldtravels #scotsabroad #livingtheitalianlife (at Centro Di Perugia)

[brewcrew17]

A Luxemburger and a Scot come to Copenhagen 🇩🇰

Last week was a crazy and amazing week; I had two of my friends come and visit me. Madison arrived from Luxembourg on Saturday night. Sunday morning we got up and made pancakes with Sidse and one of her friends and then headed off to do the Elizabeth bike tour of Copenhagen. First we biked to DIS and then headed down the main walking street Støget. We were able to hit all the main sights of Copenhagen (Nyhavn, Opera House, Playhouse, Amaliabourg, Spiral Church, Paper Island)  in a few hours which is impressive and was quite exhausting.  Then we piled into the car and headed out to Dyrehaven, which is a deer park that used to be used as the Kings hunting grounds. There we met Thomas’s friend and his family, and we attempted to fly kites. When I say attempted I mean that we spent the majority of the time running around trying to get the kites up in the air and only succeeding once or twice. Thankfully there was good company and lots of hot chocolate and coffee to go around. Then we headed back home to have a fun family dinner complete with mustaches(see picture below)

Monday morning I headed to class and sent Madison out exploring on her own. We then met up again and headed out to the iconic little mermaid statute. Tuesday, I unfortunately had class all day so I sent Madison off to see Louisanna. The contemporary art museum north of copenhagen. Then on Wednesday, she was off to stockholm. However I was not alone for long becuase Thursday night Rachel came in to town. 

Rachel is studying abroad in Aberdeen, Scotland which we later found out is almost on the same latitude as Copenhagen. So she was used to the sun going down really early. Friday morning we headed out to do the mini walking tour of Copenhagen. Visiting Nyhavn for pictures then went to the train station to pick Madison up. 

Having both of them in Copenhagen was amazing for many reasons. First of all I loved seeing both of them and catching up on our various adventures abraod. Secondly it made me realize how at home I feel in Copenhagen and how much I know the city. I felt like I could really play tour guide and was impressed with how many facts I have learned through out my time here. I can not wait for my family to come in two weeks so I can show off to them as well. My time in Copenhagen is flying by and I can’t believe it will be over so soon.

[brewcrew17]

[brewcrew17]

Sidse and Elizabeth’s guide to Tivoli 🎃🎃

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen. It is a must visit to anyone coming to Copenhagen. Tivoli Gardens was founded in 1843 and is open through out the summer, halloween, and christmas. Tivoli is known for its rides, gardens, music , and decorations. Sidse and I went a couple weeks ago with one of my friends from DIS Colleen and her host sister to see it decorated for Halloween. Now this was my second time going to Tivoli with Sidse(she has a season pass so is an expert) and based on these visits I have come up with.....

Sidse and Elizabeths Guide/Rules to Tivoli 

1. Before going to Tivoli decide your level of commitment for example are you going to Tivoli to walk around and enjoy the ambiance or are you going to ride all the rides. If you have decided this before hand it will make your trip a lot easier once you get there. 

2. Go for the multi-ride pass if you are going to ride all the rides because a) it will be worth it. b) you will want to ride some rides multiple times. 

3.  Make sure to pay attention to where the camera is so you can get some awesome photos. Sidse and I highly encourage planning what poses you are going to do ahead of time/ while you are waiting in line. See examples below 

4.If you are riding Snurretoppen you must always keep your hands in the air. NO HOLDING ON TO THE BAR IN FRONT OF YOU THAT IS CHEATING!! Snurretoppen is a ride where you are strapped in to a car that spins around like the tea cups at Disney World but in addition to spinning in circles you are rotating around the other cars for the ultimate spinning experience (Photo below courtesy of Tivoli website).

5. Other Rides I recommend are:  The Old Mt. Rollercoaster, The Swings (they give you an amazing view of Copenhagen but are very cold),  the demon rollercoaster, the golden tower(this is one of Sidse’s favorites but it scared me to death but was really fun) and The Hans Christian Andersen flying Trunk ride (this one isn’t a rollercoaster but is similar to its a small world or the peter pan rides at Disney world and is a cool way to hear some of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales.

6. In addition to riding all the rides make sure to grab some food as well. The churros with ice cream are a must!! Also Highly recommend the Hot Chocolate for a colder day. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and Hope this helps with any future planning of visits to Tivoli.

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Slideshow of some of my photos from Istanbul (not Constantinople) 

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1 City ; 2 Continents ; Home to 3 Empires 🇹🇷

Time is really flying by.... This week was the second travel week, which means the long anticipated trip to Istanbul. This is the trip that my Sociology of Global Culture and Social Capitol (a mouthful I know) has been working towards. Over the past few weeks we have focused on Minority rights in Turkey and some of the history of the different political parties in the government so that when we arrived we would be prepared to talk with different organizations and understand the world they are living in.

Early Saturday morning I met up with my class at the Copenhagen airport and after so rushing and scrambling (its pretty difficult to get 27 through airport security together) we got on the plane. It’s a 3 hour plane ride to Istanbul from Copenhagen which to mean didn’t seem that long for as far as we traveled. Once we got off the plane we made our way to the hotel. From the hotel we went to the major walking street, which is called Istiklal Street. On an average 3 million people visit Istiklal Street everyday. Our dinner was off the main street. I probably could devoted another whole post to the amazing and wonderful food we ate, saw, and smelled in Istanbul but for the sake of space and my hunger level I will not go in to all of that now.

The next morning was CULTURE, HISTORY, and MORE CULTURE!! We took the tram and our first stop was the Blue Mosque. In order to go in all the girls had to wear headscarves and we all had to take our shoes off in order to go inside. Once inside the building was amazing full of tiles and intricate designs. Our guide was able to give us so much history and perspective on Islamic religious practices. Being in the Blue Mosque was an amazing experience because I have learned so much about different faiths (in particular Islam) but seeing it in practice and hearing the call to worship are moments I will never forget.

After the Blue Mosque we walked across the square to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia has always been an interest of mine because of its amazing history, art, and symbolism of being the head of two different religions. Walking in to Hagia Sophia my breath was taken away but then I started think about how the building has stood for over 1,500 years and all the history it has seen. Next stop on the day of culture was the Topkapi Palace Museum and Harem home of the sultans during the Ottoman Empire. This palace complex was massive and covered in amazing tiles and stained glass window. We had a good bit of time to wander around before we joined back up with the group and headed over to a ceramics shop. We got to see how they make these tiles that are in the mosques and palace.

After that we headed to dinner which was on the rooftop of a hotel and it gave us an amazing view of the sun setting over the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and we could even hear the call to worship for evening prayers. Are you tired yet for reading this because I am tired again recounting all of this? Anyways next we went to a dance show that showed all the different traditions of Turkish dance including both male and female belly dancers. That was Sunday.

Monday we had a meeting with some university students where we discussed minority rights and the refugee crisis. I think this was my favorite of the talks we had because we got to have discussions with students are own age and here their opinions on these big topics. After that it was time for the Grand Bazar. Now I consider myself an expert in shopping but 4,000 shops and hundreds of thousands of shoppers and people yelling at you to buy different things was a bit of an overload for me. After loading up on scarves, soaps, and other goodies we headed to dinner then to the Turkish bath. Another one of my favorite moments of the trip, the Turkish bath has also been around for centuries and I was relaxed in to a zombie state which was good because all we had to do was head back and go to bed.

Tuesday we went and visited the patriarchy or the center of the Orthodox Church. Surprisingly it is tucked away in the small corner of this old neighborhood but once inside it glitters with stain glass, relics, and lamps. After that we wandered around the neighborhood and befriended two girls who ended up stealing my camera and taking photos. In addition they showed us all around the neighborhood. That night we headed to the spice market which is a sensory overload experiences with free tastes, amazing smells, and lots of colors everywhere. I ended up loading up on tons of tea, spice, Turkish coffee, and Turkish delight.

Wednesday, I can now say I have been to 3 continents. Istanbul the city is located on two different continents and you can take a short ferry ride across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of the city. We spent most of the day exploring and then headed back to the European side for dinner. This dinner was amazing because we were right on the water but we also had live dinner and belly dancing.

My trip to Istanbul was amazing and I loved seeing this famous city, which has seen so much history. What I found most interesting about the city is how all of the old parts like the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are still very much a part of the metropolitan area. There is a symbiotic relationship of history and modernity that is different to any other city I have been to. I am glad to be back in Copenhagen and have a little down time before classes next week and can’t wait till my next adventure in 2 weeks.

P.S. I will post a slideshow of photos in a bit. There were too many to pick just a couple to add to this post 

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Hagia Sophia by Night! One of the things I love about this city is how much history it has seen. The Hagia Sophia has been standing for 1,500 years and been the center of 2 major world religions. It is an amazing piece of history. #worldtravels #studytour #studyabroad #disabroad #istan-beautiful

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Just your average field trip to Istanbul..... Hi from the Blue Mosque #disabroad #travelweek #worldtravels