So now I'm all caught up, and can post about March!
Firstly, something I'm proud of, I've been reading Imperium, a historical thriller by Richard Harris set in Roman times. It's about 460 pages total, and I never would have even tried to read the thing if my German teacher hadn't suggested it, but I did, I am, and it's working!! It's so much fun to read, like a fun challenge and I actually really enjoy the story. So, if you're looking for a book to read, read Imperium. In German.
Second, I went to Denmark!!!!!
Thursday, instead of gym class, Ursula drove me to the airport and I got on a plane to Copenhagen. My friend, Sarah picked me up and took me to her mom's home, where I stayed through Saturday night. Friday morning I woke up to the sound of seagulls, a sound I hadn't heard in a while!! Plus delicious fresh-squeezed orange juice, oatmeal, and a hot cup of coffee :) Sarah and I walked around the city, just to see what there is to see in downtown Copenhagen.
The best part was the harbor. I didn't realize how much I had really missed the ocean. I mean I guess it seems silly, like missing a tree or a hill, but it's just something I like having around, the sea air, the sea gulls, and just the ocean being there! Plus, the Copenhagen harbor is beautiful with its sailing ships and colorful buildings, and it was simply wonderful to see.
In the afternoon, Sarah took me along to her English class, which was really fun, and then after that, we went to Sarah's favorite museum, a sculpture museum, which was really cool, with lots of ancient Egytian, Greek, and Roman statues, as well as some Neo-Classical stuff. Finally we came home to delicious French crepes and then went to sleep.
Saturday was a day packed full of excitement! We started at the Round Tower, a tower built without stairs, rather with one continuous spiral, so that the King could drive his chariot to the top instead of having to walk. From the top of the tower we enjoyed a beautiful view over Copenhagen, and the OCEAN, naturally.
Next we watched the changing of the guards at the royal family's palace (Fact: Denmark has the oldest existing monarchy in the world!). It was fun to watch the marching band, and they all wore the same gigantic fuzzy hats as the English guards!
After that we took a canal tour. It was sunny and beautiful, and it was 360 degrees of water and ocean, and I loved it. Plus, I learned a whole lot about the various building of Copenhagen, mostly built in the 19th century and got to see a lot of the water front.
After that, we went to Sarah's father's house for a traditional Danish meal, smørrebrød, literally "smear-bread", and beer. They had done a heck of a lot of cooking just to show me the traditional Danish meal. The whole family did their best only to speak English at the table, so that I could understand, and Sarah's father took it upon himself to show the correct way to eat smørrebrød." (One must always eat the fish first, the meat second, and end with the cheese.) It was a great evening!
After dinner, Sarah, her boyfriend, and a friend of theirs took me out to a place for the young population of Denmark. It was a really cool place: the ground floor was more organized like a cafe, with tables and chairs, and then down in the cellar were some couches, random chairs, and pool tables, as well as loud music. It was pretty chill, just a place to drink and smoke and play pool. We stayed there until about midnight, and then went home.
Sunday we slept in a bit, and then Sarah's father drove Sarah and I up north about an hour to see the castle from Shakespeare's Hamlet. We drove up the coast so that I could see some of the old Danish fishing towns and a little more of that beautiful, beautiful ocean. It was a beautiful drive, and Sarah's father told me everything he knew about the fishing towns and Denmark's history, which was really interesting. It was extremely sunny until right around the castle, where it became extremely foggy, which I liked. The castle sits right on the coast, and with the castle, coastline, and fog, it was a perfect Shakespearean mood, I found. Unfortunately we couldn't tour the inside of the castle because it had already closed, but it was wonderful just to get to walk around the outside. We then drove home, just in time for me to pack up and take the subway with Sarah to the airport and for me to fly home.
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