Sunday, November 17, 2013
New Blog, or Continuation of This Blog in a New Platform
Hello all! I know, I've let you all down by not posting in 4 months. Man, even I hate myself... Anywayyyyyy, finally getting back to this blog due to projects this semester. I am moving my blog to wordpress. They have features that make it easier to do what I want to do with this blog in the future. It explains it in the first post over there. But if you want to continue following (and have the patience), head on over to architorturedmind.wordpress.com. Do it! you won't regret it! You can even sort my posts by category! Ooo, fancy!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Beginning of the End
As my last week in Copenhagen begins, I'm starting to think about the memories I have made and what I will take home with me. I have decided the following things will forever remind me of Copenhagen:
-The smell of waffle cones
-"Blurred Lines"
-"Lucky"
-Bikes (obvious)
-Shawarma (not so obvious)
-Cigarette smoke (everybody smokes)
-Ice Cream and Sorbet
-Church Bells
-The high pitched whine of the S-train taking off every 10 minutes outside my room
Whenever I am missing Copenhagen, I know I can simply turn to one of these things to bring back floods of memories.
-The smell of waffle cones
-"Blurred Lines"
-"Lucky"
-Bikes (obvious)
-Shawarma (not so obvious)
-Cigarette smoke (everybody smokes)
-Ice Cream and Sorbet
-Church Bells
-The high pitched whine of the S-train taking off every 10 minutes outside my room
Whenever I am missing Copenhagen, I know I can simply turn to one of these things to bring back floods of memories.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Catalog
I'm failing at blogging as things happen. So I'm going to start a catalog of the things, thoughts, things said each day as I remember them; then I will (hopefully) return to expand on them. This post will be constantly evolving.
7/6
Returned from Study Trip
7/7
7/8
7/9
7/10
Windowbox review
7/11
7/12
Column and Folly presentations
7/13
Went to Tivoli Gardens with a PULS Pass, covered entry, rides, and one meal at certain restaurants
Rode rides, enjoyed the gardens, ate fish and chips with beer, and watched a Sting concert
Went out to a club called Club Christopher, great dance floor and music, lasers and fog
7/14
7/15
Studio in the morning
Biked to Sluseholmen, a housing development south of the city on the harbor that we learned about in class, also the site of a harbor bath, canal streets and courtyards were gorgeous, facades each designed by different architects
7/16
7/17
Studio in the morning
Climbed to the top of the Marble Church, kinda like the dome tour at the KS Statehouse
Harbor Baths, first time jumping off the 4.9m platform into the harbor water, saltier than i expected but very clean.
Pizza at Nova, packing for the study tour
7/18
Study Tour
7/19
Study Tour
7/20
Got home from study tour around 6pm
Laundry
Ghetto Netto run
Back into town for a night out at the Meat Packing District in Vesterbro
7/21
Harbor Baths
Biking down Amager to see some projects by BIG and the Figure 8 by Bjorke Ingles
Snacks in Fields
Sunglasses- I CAN SEE AGAIN
Studio
7/22
Studio in the morning
Lunch at the glass market
Canal tour, where we baked in the sun, still fun seeing the city from a different angle, going under low bridges, and listening to the very loud Asian man behind us
Studio, nutella crepes for dinner from the French Festival in Gameltorv
When biking home, got my shoelace caught in my peddle, I had to stop because I couldn't peddle forward (there was no more lace to wrap) but I couldn't pull my foot off the handle. Had quite a time unwrapping that, luckily it was late enough that very few Danes saw me.
When biking home, got my shoelace caught in my peddle, I had to stop because I couldn't peddle forward (there was no more lace to wrap) but I couldn't pull my foot off the handle. Had quite a time unwrapping that, luckily it was late enough that very few Danes saw me.
7/23
Took a train to Malmo, Sweden.
Ate at Albatross on the beach
Saw the Turning Torso by Calatrava
Walked through the old town and snacked at a bath house in the ocean
Went to a Design Museum/Shop
Met an English woman on the train when she heard my accent and asked what part of the states I was from, had a good half hour conversation with her, was very friendly, thought my accent was lovely
Pizza for dinner and studio
7/24
Studio in the morning, small group crits (ma favorite...)
Roomie bike ride with Lindsey May up to the Little Mermaid. Ate in the shade, got as close to the mermaid as we could stand (there were swarms of tourists) and walked through the Fortress.
Biked back to the city center, stopped inside the Marble Church again, walked into Christiansborg Palace, then stopped at a cute souvenir shop.
Walked through Frue Kirke (The Cathedral of Copenhagen) and all we could say is "wow"
ICE CREAM, at Frue Plads
Studio til 2am
7/25
NO CLASS
Slept til 10, in studio by 12 (I really know how to live it up)
Took a break for lunch, and for a hot dog.
10 hours later, biked home.
7/26
Studio morning
More studio
Lunch break (in studio)
Took a break to bike down to some ice cream shop in Amager (the island Lindsey lives on), BEST ICE CREAM I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME... it was exciting
9pm, met some friends to drink in King's Garden. Champagne and Wine and Flødeboller (chocolate covered marshmallow Danish deserts that are little pieces of heaven)
Back to studio for a bit before sleep
7/27
Brunch at the Laundromat Cafe (actually has washers and driers in the restaurant) with the one and only Lindsey May
Shopping in Norrebro (not very successful)
Studio, studio, studio.
Night out
7/28
Slept in (til 10)
Documented my bike route in, gracefully taking pictures as I rode (the pictures aren't so graceful)
7/24
Studio in the morning, small group crits (ma favorite...)
Roomie bike ride with Lindsey May up to the Little Mermaid. Ate in the shade, got as close to the mermaid as we could stand (there were swarms of tourists) and walked through the Fortress.
Biked back to the city center, stopped inside the Marble Church again, walked into Christiansborg Palace, then stopped at a cute souvenir shop.
Walked through Frue Kirke (The Cathedral of Copenhagen) and all we could say is "wow"
ICE CREAM, at Frue Plads
Studio til 2am
7/25
NO CLASS
Slept til 10, in studio by 12 (I really know how to live it up)
Took a break for lunch, and for a hot dog.
10 hours later, biked home.
7/26
Studio morning
More studio
Lunch break (in studio)
Took a break to bike down to some ice cream shop in Amager (the island Lindsey lives on), BEST ICE CREAM I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME... it was exciting
9pm, met some friends to drink in King's Garden. Champagne and Wine and Flødeboller (chocolate covered marshmallow Danish deserts that are little pieces of heaven)
Back to studio for a bit before sleep
7/27
Brunch at the Laundromat Cafe (actually has washers and driers in the restaurant) with the one and only Lindsey May
Shopping in Norrebro (not very successful)
Studio, studio, studio.
Night out
7/28
Slept in (til 10)
Documented my bike route in, gracefully taking pictures as I rode (the pictures aren't so graceful)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Hello Oslo
We began our study trip with an overnight ferry ride from Copenhagen to Oslo. I saw ferry ride, but you should think of cruise. This ship had everything: pool, hot tub, buffet, night clubs, shopping, everything! After spending the first hour or so on the top deck, watching the church spires of Copenhagen fade into the distance, it was time to explore the ship, and that can only mean one thing... DUTY FREE SHOPPING. Samir (the arch intern in charge of our trip) was super nice, and bought us all chips (on DIS's dime) because dinner wasn't until 9pm. So late. A group of us all got different things, invaded a bench in front of a window, and treated ourselves to a chip and peanut buffet while watching the Sweden pass us by. It was a great start to the cruise.
After this, there was more exploring. The night club, the other stores, the pool (which cost 50dkk to get into. No way I'm paying $10 to swim), and all the decks. Finally a we settled on the top deck with a bottle of wine. Now we were on the open ocean between Denmark and Norway and the wind was blowing quite terrifyingly hard. We only lasted about half an hour because some people were never able to get their hair out of their faces. My friend Morgan was having a particularly difficult time and I'm fairly certain she had a mouthfull of hair for the full half hour. Protein.
Back inside we were getting tired. So the quickest way to speed up time is to nap. That hour and half flew by and it was time for the buffet. First gourmet meal of many on the trip and it was delicious. It even included a glass of wine. One glass... (The other study tours got endless glasses of wine. But at least we remember all of our tour.)
After dinner it was time to find something to do. After much walking and looking and discussing and deciding, a friend and I finally settled on building LEGO cities in the kid's lounge before going off to bed in our cabins. The ship was rocking so much by now that no two footsteps were in the same direction. Needless to say, we didn't need anyone to rock us to sleep.
Morning came and with it, beautiful views of the Fjord we were sailing up and another bodacious buffet. And I mean it was one curvy buffet line. Most of the morning was spent on deck, watching the scenery and waiting for Oslo to come into view.
Finally, around 9 or 10 (can't remember) we rounded a corner and the city came into sights. The closer we got, the more details we could see and after passing the fortress, we approached the ferry terminal. Across this harbor from the terminal was one of the most exciting buildings we were to see on this trip, the Oslo Opera House. It rose above the water like a gleaming iceberg, threatening to slide off a glacier and sink us like the Titanic (I'll never let go). After fighting through a mob of people rushing to go to the same place, we were on the bus on our way to our hotel. Oslo was now under seige by American architecture students. Would the city survive? To be continued...
Oslo Opera House
This structure was enormous. It is covered in Italian Carrara Marble, creating a new public space within the city on its roof. It appears as a large glacier rising out of the harbor. The large glass facade presents a preview of the interior, covered in oak panels. The entry sequence into the hall is like walking through the branches of a tree. This is a very Scandinavian design characteristic: the use of natural materials and the flooding of interior space with natural light. After an extensive tour, we had time to sketch and back to the hotel (which was literally 2 blocks from the Opera House. We could see it from the rooftop terrace).
After that, we went to the Norway National Museum of Architecture, where we had DIS bought lunch of salad with chicken. Desert was the most delicious carrot cake. I won't even get into the problems that delayed dessert by over 45 minutes... We were very hungry, it was a big deal.
Then, we took a stroll down the main pedestrian street of Oslo, passed by the City Hall, then were set free for the evening. We ended up finding a restaurant that served reindeer, but also cost too much. After much debating, we ended across the street eating burgers.
We lost ourselves in the city and just walked. I believe this is truly the best way to see a city, even if you have no idea where you are.
In the interest of time...
I'll give some of the highlights as well as the names of the sites we visited.
Hedmarkmuseet- Hamar, Norway
This is a museum on the grounds of a former bishop's fortress from the 13th century as well as a farm from the 18th century. Highlights include a large glass structure soaring over the ruins of a cathedral. Hamar is locted on Norway's largest lake, 2 hours north of Oslo.
Holmenkollen- Olso
This is the site of a large ski-jump constructed for the 1952 winter games. We rode an elevator to the top of the newly constructed jump for breathtaking views of Olso from above.
Dinner was at the restaurant with the reindeer. We decided it was worth it because YOOO (You Only Oslo Once). It was much better than I expected, and we even splurged on desert because we deserved it. Sketching is hard work!
Our last day in Olso consisted of the Olso School of Architecture and DogA, the Norsk Design Center. Lunch was on our own, which means sandwhiches stached from the hotel breakfast and, what else, McDonald's fries and McFlurry's.
After a metro ride to the burbs, we visited Villa Stenersen, which was the building my group researched and built a model of. To put it plainly, it was utterly underwhelming. It hadn't been very well maintained, it seemed a lot smaller than I expected, and I just didn't feel like it was a very welcoming or domestic structure at all. Disappointed.
After that, we followed our Arch Intern, Samir, to this Vigeland Sculpture Park. While it was a beautiful park, the sculptures were strange. They were the life's work of Gustav Vigeland, who must've had a lot of time on his hands, and were all nude human figures. Nothing wrong with that, right? Except that they were doing the weirdest things, like being eaten by snakes or kicking babies. The central feature of the park was a giant column of bodies, morphed together.
Street Car ride. So Fun.
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art- Oslo
This structure sits on the harbor. The ceiling arcs over the entire building, acting like a sail. The art inside was really amazing as well.
Dinner... Oh my gosh, dinner. We had the most amazing fish and WINE!!! For dessert, creme brule. yum.
That night, we decided to go over to the opera house to just see the city lit up as well as the opera house itself lit up.
Bid farewell to Oslo but not before one more sight.
Mortensrud Kirke- Olso
This is a brand new church for a brand new parish. The interior is stunning, with an elevated mass of slate stacked in a way so that light shines through the openings, making it appear there were stars or sparkles surrounding you. I loved this site.
Back onto the bus for 3 hours, and onto Sweden...
After this, there was more exploring. The night club, the other stores, the pool (which cost 50dkk to get into. No way I'm paying $10 to swim), and all the decks. Finally a we settled on the top deck with a bottle of wine. Now we were on the open ocean between Denmark and Norway and the wind was blowing quite terrifyingly hard. We only lasted about half an hour because some people were never able to get their hair out of their faces. My friend Morgan was having a particularly difficult time and I'm fairly certain she had a mouthfull of hair for the full half hour. Protein.
Back inside we were getting tired. So the quickest way to speed up time is to nap. That hour and half flew by and it was time for the buffet. First gourmet meal of many on the trip and it was delicious. It even included a glass of wine. One glass... (The other study tours got endless glasses of wine. But at least we remember all of our tour.)
After dinner it was time to find something to do. After much walking and looking and discussing and deciding, a friend and I finally settled on building LEGO cities in the kid's lounge before going off to bed in our cabins. The ship was rocking so much by now that no two footsteps were in the same direction. Needless to say, we didn't need anyone to rock us to sleep.
Morning came and with it, beautiful views of the Fjord we were sailing up and another bodacious buffet. And I mean it was one curvy buffet line. Most of the morning was spent on deck, watching the scenery and waiting for Oslo to come into view.
Finally, around 9 or 10 (can't remember) we rounded a corner and the city came into sights. The closer we got, the more details we could see and after passing the fortress, we approached the ferry terminal. Across this harbor from the terminal was one of the most exciting buildings we were to see on this trip, the Oslo Opera House. It rose above the water like a gleaming iceberg, threatening to slide off a glacier and sink us like the Titanic (I'll never let go). After fighting through a mob of people rushing to go to the same place, we were on the bus on our way to our hotel. Oslo was now under seige by American architecture students. Would the city survive? To be continued...
Oslo Opera House
This structure was enormous. It is covered in Italian Carrara Marble, creating a new public space within the city on its roof. It appears as a large glacier rising out of the harbor. The large glass facade presents a preview of the interior, covered in oak panels. The entry sequence into the hall is like walking through the branches of a tree. This is a very Scandinavian design characteristic: the use of natural materials and the flooding of interior space with natural light. After an extensive tour, we had time to sketch and back to the hotel (which was literally 2 blocks from the Opera House. We could see it from the rooftop terrace).
After that, we went to the Norway National Museum of Architecture, where we had DIS bought lunch of salad with chicken. Desert was the most delicious carrot cake. I won't even get into the problems that delayed dessert by over 45 minutes... We were very hungry, it was a big deal.
Then, we took a stroll down the main pedestrian street of Oslo, passed by the City Hall, then were set free for the evening. We ended up finding a restaurant that served reindeer, but also cost too much. After much debating, we ended across the street eating burgers.
We lost ourselves in the city and just walked. I believe this is truly the best way to see a city, even if you have no idea where you are.
In the interest of time...
I'll give some of the highlights as well as the names of the sites we visited.
Hedmarkmuseet- Hamar, Norway
This is a museum on the grounds of a former bishop's fortress from the 13th century as well as a farm from the 18th century. Highlights include a large glass structure soaring over the ruins of a cathedral. Hamar is locted on Norway's largest lake, 2 hours north of Oslo.
Holmenkollen- Olso
This is the site of a large ski-jump constructed for the 1952 winter games. We rode an elevator to the top of the newly constructed jump for breathtaking views of Olso from above.
Dinner was at the restaurant with the reindeer. We decided it was worth it because YOOO (You Only Oslo Once). It was much better than I expected, and we even splurged on desert because we deserved it. Sketching is hard work!
Our last day in Olso consisted of the Olso School of Architecture and DogA, the Norsk Design Center. Lunch was on our own, which means sandwhiches stached from the hotel breakfast and, what else, McDonald's fries and McFlurry's.
After a metro ride to the burbs, we visited Villa Stenersen, which was the building my group researched and built a model of. To put it plainly, it was utterly underwhelming. It hadn't been very well maintained, it seemed a lot smaller than I expected, and I just didn't feel like it was a very welcoming or domestic structure at all. Disappointed.
After that, we followed our Arch Intern, Samir, to this Vigeland Sculpture Park. While it was a beautiful park, the sculptures were strange. They were the life's work of Gustav Vigeland, who must've had a lot of time on his hands, and were all nude human figures. Nothing wrong with that, right? Except that they were doing the weirdest things, like being eaten by snakes or kicking babies. The central feature of the park was a giant column of bodies, morphed together.
Street Car ride. So Fun.
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art- Oslo
This structure sits on the harbor. The ceiling arcs over the entire building, acting like a sail. The art inside was really amazing as well.
Dinner... Oh my gosh, dinner. We had the most amazing fish and WINE!!! For dessert, creme brule. yum.
That night, we decided to go over to the opera house to just see the city lit up as well as the opera house itself lit up.
Bid farewell to Oslo but not before one more sight.
Mortensrud Kirke- Olso
This is a brand new church for a brand new parish. The interior is stunning, with an elevated mass of slate stacked in a way so that light shines through the openings, making it appear there were stars or sparkles surrounding you. I loved this site.
Back onto the bus for 3 hours, and onto Sweden...
Catch-Up
So, I've been really bad at blogging, as usual, and the study trip didn't help. I did post some pictures, but WiFi in Sweden was terrible, so I didn't even get all of those uploaded. I have a lot of ground to cover, so I'm going to give some quick glimpses into what has happened.
Tusedat, June 25 was my first day biking into the city on Nørrebrogade (Europe's busiest biking street). It was magical. I felt so free, so independent, and so Danish. That is until I rode up on a street sweeper taking up the entire bike lane. All the other bikers were going around on the street or sidewalk, so I decided to join them. The curbs in Copenhagen are unforgiving. I didn't get my front tire high enough and next thing I knew, I was running next to my bike. With some audible Danish giggles passing me by, I hopped back on my bike and finished my ride in unscathed.
After a full day of classes, Andrew, Lindsey May, and I went to the market. We bought pork chops and veggies for dinner. I was still sick, so I fell asleep in the kitchen in the chair leaning on the wall... I awoke to a delicious meal, courtesy of my very kind friends. Even my coughing couldn't scare these two away.
Wednesday, we received out next project in studio. As a student in architecture foundations, I am considered a "pre" architecture student, even though I am going to start my senior year in architecture school in the fall... Oh well, easier grading. Each of the 12 students in studio was given a different neighborhood on the harbor front and told to explore. Through a series of 12 sketches, we were to communicate our experience of the area. I received the neighborhood furthest from DIS, Holmen. It is the area containing the Operaen (opera house) and completely on an island. It is also home to the Danish Design School, the Theatre School, the Film School, Music Conservatory, and the School of Modern Dance. Needless to say it is a fascinating neighborhood.
After several hours there, I rode the harbour bus back to the main city. On the bike ride home, I discovered an amazing wonderland of goodness, Føtex. It is like a Target, only smaller. It has almost everything I could ever want and more! I was looking for a pan, but was not about to spend 100dkk ($20) on one.
Because of that, dinner was everything I had cooked in the one pan I have. This included asparagus, bacon, and hot dogs all fried in sunflower oil with mozzerella cheese. Sounds interesting, tasted amazing! Finally, a good dinner cooked for myself with my limited kitchen facilities.
Thursday we had a (surprisingly) good lecture series on biking and sustainable urbanism in Copenhagen. Some people didn't like the lecturer (Bianca) because they thought she was being condescending to the US. Newsflash, she was telling the truth. That's how far we are behind the world in getting our cities back from the cars to people.
More site sketching and exploring the island. The more I discover the more charmed I am by Holmen.
The biggest news of Thursday was that my parents figured out how to get Skype to work! I'm so proud of them! They are growing up so fast. Now if only I could get them to switch off of Juno so I can send them more than one pic per email... Baby steps. They were doing great and were as goofy as ever. I swear sometimes I miss them ;) It was seriously great to talk to them.
Friday was a long day. I'll spare the details of class and studio. The worst part of the day was exchanging money and packing. Exchanging money was difficult because one exchange rate (USD>DKK) is bad enought. But for this trip I had to think through USD>DKK>NOK (Norwegian Kroner) and USD>DKK>SEK (Swedish Kroner). Not to mention, Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world... The other difficult part was packing. It is so hard to fit a week of my life into one duffel bag. I can barely fit a day, let alone a week. I cried a bit as I left most of my clothes in my suitcase. I brought my luggage in with me so I could stay at friends' apartment who live much closer to the departure site. I did forget one semi-important item in my room: my passport. Biked home Saturday morning to get that.
2:30pm, Frue Plads, pouring rain. This is how the Norway/Sweden study tour began. 25 wet students, an intern, and a professor. Thus began my week away from home away from home. To be continued...
Tusedat, June 25 was my first day biking into the city on Nørrebrogade (Europe's busiest biking street). It was magical. I felt so free, so independent, and so Danish. That is until I rode up on a street sweeper taking up the entire bike lane. All the other bikers were going around on the street or sidewalk, so I decided to join them. The curbs in Copenhagen are unforgiving. I didn't get my front tire high enough and next thing I knew, I was running next to my bike. With some audible Danish giggles passing me by, I hopped back on my bike and finished my ride in unscathed.
After a full day of classes, Andrew, Lindsey May, and I went to the market. We bought pork chops and veggies for dinner. I was still sick, so I fell asleep in the kitchen in the chair leaning on the wall... I awoke to a delicious meal, courtesy of my very kind friends. Even my coughing couldn't scare these two away.
Wednesday, we received out next project in studio. As a student in architecture foundations, I am considered a "pre" architecture student, even though I am going to start my senior year in architecture school in the fall... Oh well, easier grading. Each of the 12 students in studio was given a different neighborhood on the harbor front and told to explore. Through a series of 12 sketches, we were to communicate our experience of the area. I received the neighborhood furthest from DIS, Holmen. It is the area containing the Operaen (opera house) and completely on an island. It is also home to the Danish Design School, the Theatre School, the Film School, Music Conservatory, and the School of Modern Dance. Needless to say it is a fascinating neighborhood.
After several hours there, I rode the harbour bus back to the main city. On the bike ride home, I discovered an amazing wonderland of goodness, Føtex. It is like a Target, only smaller. It has almost everything I could ever want and more! I was looking for a pan, but was not about to spend 100dkk ($20) on one.
Because of that, dinner was everything I had cooked in the one pan I have. This included asparagus, bacon, and hot dogs all fried in sunflower oil with mozzerella cheese. Sounds interesting, tasted amazing! Finally, a good dinner cooked for myself with my limited kitchen facilities.
Thursday we had a (surprisingly) good lecture series on biking and sustainable urbanism in Copenhagen. Some people didn't like the lecturer (Bianca) because they thought she was being condescending to the US. Newsflash, she was telling the truth. That's how far we are behind the world in getting our cities back from the cars to people.
More site sketching and exploring the island. The more I discover the more charmed I am by Holmen.
The biggest news of Thursday was that my parents figured out how to get Skype to work! I'm so proud of them! They are growing up so fast. Now if only I could get them to switch off of Juno so I can send them more than one pic per email... Baby steps. They were doing great and were as goofy as ever. I swear sometimes I miss them ;) It was seriously great to talk to them.
Friday was a long day. I'll spare the details of class and studio. The worst part of the day was exchanging money and packing. Exchanging money was difficult because one exchange rate (USD>DKK) is bad enought. But for this trip I had to think through USD>DKK>NOK (Norwegian Kroner) and USD>DKK>SEK (Swedish Kroner). Not to mention, Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world... The other difficult part was packing. It is so hard to fit a week of my life into one duffel bag. I can barely fit a day, let alone a week. I cried a bit as I left most of my clothes in my suitcase. I brought my luggage in with me so I could stay at friends' apartment who live much closer to the departure site. I did forget one semi-important item in my room: my passport. Biked home Saturday morning to get that.
2:30pm, Frue Plads, pouring rain. This is how the Norway/Sweden study tour began. 25 wet students, an intern, and a professor. Thus began my week away from home away from home. To be continued...
Monday, July 1, 2013
Fjords and Such
So I didn't bring a laptop on my study trip; I'm posting this with my phone. This week, I am in Norway and Sweden. I'll add pictures as I go. Keep in mind that they may not be the best quality and I cannot add captions, but I will explain everything when I return home to Copenhagen. But for now, here are my Nordic adventures. Enjoy!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Recovery Period for my Recovery Period
What a weekend/Monday. Between finishing our model, spending my first weekend in Copenhagen, and presenting our model, it has been all a blur. One that has me ready for a recovery period. Which will probably need a recovery period of its own. But I'll let you be the judge of that. I decided to continue with the day format because it will help me ensure I don't leave anything out and, when looking back at this 10 years from now, I will know exactly what I did each day.
Day 6 (Friday, June 21)
Friday was studio at 8:30am. Stopped my Saint Peter's bakery (the one we found yesterday) and got the most amazing chocolate croissant for only 15dkk (less than $3). Best way to start an early studio morning!
Studio, studio, studio
Lunch was eaten at Illum, a large department store very similar to Macy's. I had packed a lunch, so I just had another ham and cheese on flatbread. But my friends Andrew, Morgan, Tessa, and Abby as got something.
Then after lunch, ran my bike to the shop and got my tires filled up. He told me if they were flat again by the next day, I would need them patched. I'm become a valued customer at this shop...
After a quick run home to pick up a change of clothes for later, it was back to studio to continue working on the model. Despite the fact that we have been stuck in studio for a lot of the time here, my group and the others in our studio have been really fun to get to hang out with. They've only made me cry a few times...
Walked to Netto with my Robert and Alli to grab supplies for dinner before heading over to Kennikastraed 13 (their apartment) to cook shrimp alfredo. Andrew came over as well. Lots of fun cooking and eating. The apartment next door was having a get together, so we went downstairs to meet the neighbors. After a boisterous time, we were off to experience more Copenhagen nightlife. Several places into the night, I got a text from Alli telling me she wanted to tell me a story. It had not been the best night, and I was looking for any excuse to leave the tension in the group I was in.
We decided to walk and watch the sun rise after the shorted night of the year. We headed for the harbor across from the Opera House. Unfortunately it was cloudy, so all we could do was watch the clouds get brighter. Sometimes, a good friend and a 5am walk are just what you need.
Day 7 (Saturday, June 22)
Slept in. Til 11am. (For Copenhagen that's late)
Finally got out of bed and headed into town. Lots of plans were made and lots of people were scattered, but finally rounded up a group of 4 and headed to the Opera House to watch the Red Bull Cliff Diving Challenge. The roof of the Opera House reaches out over the harbor and they build a platform to allow the divers to get even further into the water. Then, contestant (this is like a pro circuit that travels world wide) dive 28 meters (92 feet) into the harbor below. It is a pretty intense competition. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that despite the thousands crowding the harbor, you could hear a pin drop whenever a diver was preparing to jump. The other thing that struck me was how chill the crowd was. Everyone was having a great time just hanging out. Nobody was being rowdy and everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather. I LOVE the Danes!
We walked back through Amalienborg to see if we could go inside the Marble Church. It was closed for a wedding, but as we were about the leave, the bells began to ring. What a beautiful sound we rarely hear in America anymore.We listened for a bit then began back to studio.
WE FINISHED OUR MODEL!!! After a lot of hard work, we finally completed the model (it isn't due for 2 days). Earliest I've finished a model in a long time. These hours in studio only involved one instance of crying, although this one did end up with me in the fetal position under the table. But that's another story...
One more trip home to exchange clothes then back to Kennikastraede for dinner. This time it was hamburgers with fries. Yum.
Then out again. This time was a bit calmer. Only stopped at two places and three of us left early. I stayed on the couch and got a decent amount of sleep, a first since getting off the plane!
Day 8 (Sunday, June 23)
The only problem about sleeping in the city on a Saturday was waking up on Sunday morning to a chorus of church bells. While it was melodious, it was extrememly loud in the morning. Also, they have to sweep the streets in the morning because Danes tend to make a mess of the streets overnight... Thus, what could have been a few more hours of sleep turned into up at 10am. This was okay, as I needed a to get some sketching done.
I sketched a few squared (Frue Plads and the square around the Rudentaard [Round Tower]) and then headed home. I was so tired. So I napped. But I couldn't stay in this night. It was a huge holiday for the Scandinavian countries, Mid Summer's Night Eve. I don't know all the details of the tradition, but I do know they build bonfires all over the country (the beach we went to had 5 in sight) and burn them. Traditionally, they burned witches, but a witch hasn't been burned since the late 1600s.
We met a bunch of DIS people on Amager Beach, south of the city. Everything, and I mean everything, came together for this night. The rain held off. The clouds opened, allowing the most beautiful sunset. A giant rainbow stretching to Sweden made an appearance. Plus, we were on the beach! A great way to end the weekend, chilling with friend and the Danes. This was my first Metro (subway) experience in Copenhagen and I must say I was impressed. Smooth ride, no drivers, and a mesmerizing view down the tunnel out the front of the train.
Day 9 (Monday, June 24)
Review Day. My group met in studio at 8, then moved our models a block over to the review site. To spare you the details and to spare myself from reliving it, it was 4 hours or presenting, listening to presentation, and utter chaos. But overall, our presentations went excellent and everyone liked our model and analysis. Check! Also, everyone else's work was astounding as well. Quick reference, there are approx 200 students in teh AD (Arch and Desing) program.
When we went to put our models away, we noticed the studio we were in had a door out to a balcony. A bit of exploring and we discovered we were 5 stories above the Strøget, feeling like VIPs in a penthouse. Pictures and plans for future endeavors in that space ensued.
Lunch at McDonald's (I know, I'm disappointed in myself)
Then, took the bike to the shop to get it fixed.
Quick run home to change into shorts, then back to sketch more on the squares.
5pm rolled around and my bike was good as new. Finally got to ride more than 3 blocks and joined my friends from K13 for a ride to the Church of our Saviour (I will refer to it as the Spiral Tower). This is a church with a 290 foot tall spire that you can climb to the top of. The top of the spire has an exterior spiral staircase, which gives it the spiral shape. Don't do it if you hate heights, have vertigo, are claustrophobic, or hate fun. It offers unrivaled views of the city and a unique climbing experience.
As we climbing back down, the bells started to ring. Three of my friends were approaching on of the bells (separated by a barricade) to see if it was going to ring. It did, loudly. I've never seen three people so synchronized while scrambling back, wide eyed. Basically the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Anyway...
After that we ventured into Christiania. I won't go into too much detail, I'll let you look up what that area is... I can say that it was a fascinating trip and I got to eat this roasted beef stuff called shwarma. So good.
The perfect ending to this amazing day was achived when I was finally able to bike home along Nørrebrogade, the main biking street in my neighborhood. It is a 4km ride (around 2.5 miles) and words cannot even describe the feeling biking along the wide bike lanes gave me. This street is Denmarks most used bike street with over 25,000 daily bicyclists utilizing it to reach the center city. There is a counter on the bridge over the lakes into the city that counts the number of daily bikers and total number of bikers who have passed that point. I think I was in the 29,000s for the day. Finally seeing all my neighborhood has to offer, the shops, restaurants, parks, and the Danes gave me a renewed enthusiasm for this city that I didn't think was possible. I have never been more proud of being able to call myself a resident of Copenhagen, even if it is just for 7 weeks. Hopefully, that continues to grow.
Time for bed. Goodnight, and adeu, adeu, to you and you and you...
Day 6 (Friday, June 21)
Friday was studio at 8:30am. Stopped my Saint Peter's bakery (the one we found yesterday) and got the most amazing chocolate croissant for only 15dkk (less than $3). Best way to start an early studio morning!
Studio, studio, studio
Lunch was eaten at Illum, a large department store very similar to Macy's. I had packed a lunch, so I just had another ham and cheese on flatbread. But my friends Andrew, Morgan, Tessa, and Abby as got something.
Then after lunch, ran my bike to the shop and got my tires filled up. He told me if they were flat again by the next day, I would need them patched. I'm become a valued customer at this shop...
After a quick run home to pick up a change of clothes for later, it was back to studio to continue working on the model. Despite the fact that we have been stuck in studio for a lot of the time here, my group and the others in our studio have been really fun to get to hang out with. They've only made me cry a few times...
Walked to Netto with my Robert and Alli to grab supplies for dinner before heading over to Kennikastraed 13 (their apartment) to cook shrimp alfredo. Andrew came over as well. Lots of fun cooking and eating. The apartment next door was having a get together, so we went downstairs to meet the neighbors. After a boisterous time, we were off to experience more Copenhagen nightlife. Several places into the night, I got a text from Alli telling me she wanted to tell me a story. It had not been the best night, and I was looking for any excuse to leave the tension in the group I was in.
We decided to walk and watch the sun rise after the shorted night of the year. We headed for the harbor across from the Opera House. Unfortunately it was cloudy, so all we could do was watch the clouds get brighter. Sometimes, a good friend and a 5am walk are just what you need.
Day 7 (Saturday, June 22)
Slept in. Til 11am. (For Copenhagen that's late)
Finally got out of bed and headed into town. Lots of plans were made and lots of people were scattered, but finally rounded up a group of 4 and headed to the Opera House to watch the Red Bull Cliff Diving Challenge. The roof of the Opera House reaches out over the harbor and they build a platform to allow the divers to get even further into the water. Then, contestant (this is like a pro circuit that travels world wide) dive 28 meters (92 feet) into the harbor below. It is a pretty intense competition. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that despite the thousands crowding the harbor, you could hear a pin drop whenever a diver was preparing to jump. The other thing that struck me was how chill the crowd was. Everyone was having a great time just hanging out. Nobody was being rowdy and everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather. I LOVE the Danes!
We walked back through Amalienborg to see if we could go inside the Marble Church. It was closed for a wedding, but as we were about the leave, the bells began to ring. What a beautiful sound we rarely hear in America anymore.We listened for a bit then began back to studio.
WE FINISHED OUR MODEL!!! After a lot of hard work, we finally completed the model (it isn't due for 2 days). Earliest I've finished a model in a long time. These hours in studio only involved one instance of crying, although this one did end up with me in the fetal position under the table. But that's another story...
One more trip home to exchange clothes then back to Kennikastraede for dinner. This time it was hamburgers with fries. Yum.
Then out again. This time was a bit calmer. Only stopped at two places and three of us left early. I stayed on the couch and got a decent amount of sleep, a first since getting off the plane!
Day 8 (Sunday, June 23)
The only problem about sleeping in the city on a Saturday was waking up on Sunday morning to a chorus of church bells. While it was melodious, it was extrememly loud in the morning. Also, they have to sweep the streets in the morning because Danes tend to make a mess of the streets overnight... Thus, what could have been a few more hours of sleep turned into up at 10am. This was okay, as I needed a to get some sketching done.
I sketched a few squared (Frue Plads and the square around the Rudentaard [Round Tower]) and then headed home. I was so tired. So I napped. But I couldn't stay in this night. It was a huge holiday for the Scandinavian countries, Mid Summer's Night Eve. I don't know all the details of the tradition, but I do know they build bonfires all over the country (the beach we went to had 5 in sight) and burn them. Traditionally, they burned witches, but a witch hasn't been burned since the late 1600s.
We met a bunch of DIS people on Amager Beach, south of the city. Everything, and I mean everything, came together for this night. The rain held off. The clouds opened, allowing the most beautiful sunset. A giant rainbow stretching to Sweden made an appearance. Plus, we were on the beach! A great way to end the weekend, chilling with friend and the Danes. This was my first Metro (subway) experience in Copenhagen and I must say I was impressed. Smooth ride, no drivers, and a mesmerizing view down the tunnel out the front of the train.
Day 9 (Monday, June 24)
Review Day. My group met in studio at 8, then moved our models a block over to the review site. To spare you the details and to spare myself from reliving it, it was 4 hours or presenting, listening to presentation, and utter chaos. But overall, our presentations went excellent and everyone liked our model and analysis. Check! Also, everyone else's work was astounding as well. Quick reference, there are approx 200 students in teh AD (Arch and Desing) program.
When we went to put our models away, we noticed the studio we were in had a door out to a balcony. A bit of exploring and we discovered we were 5 stories above the Strøget, feeling like VIPs in a penthouse. Pictures and plans for future endeavors in that space ensued.
Lunch at McDonald's (I know, I'm disappointed in myself)
Then, took the bike to the shop to get it fixed.
Quick run home to change into shorts, then back to sketch more on the squares.
5pm rolled around and my bike was good as new. Finally got to ride more than 3 blocks and joined my friends from K13 for a ride to the Church of our Saviour (I will refer to it as the Spiral Tower). This is a church with a 290 foot tall spire that you can climb to the top of. The top of the spire has an exterior spiral staircase, which gives it the spiral shape. Don't do it if you hate heights, have vertigo, are claustrophobic, or hate fun. It offers unrivaled views of the city and a unique climbing experience.
As we climbing back down, the bells started to ring. Three of my friends were approaching on of the bells (separated by a barricade) to see if it was going to ring. It did, loudly. I've never seen three people so synchronized while scrambling back, wide eyed. Basically the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Anyway...
After that we ventured into Christiania. I won't go into too much detail, I'll let you look up what that area is... I can say that it was a fascinating trip and I got to eat this roasted beef stuff called shwarma. So good.
The perfect ending to this amazing day was achived when I was finally able to bike home along Nørrebrogade, the main biking street in my neighborhood. It is a 4km ride (around 2.5 miles) and words cannot even describe the feeling biking along the wide bike lanes gave me. This street is Denmarks most used bike street with over 25,000 daily bicyclists utilizing it to reach the center city. There is a counter on the bridge over the lakes into the city that counts the number of daily bikers and total number of bikers who have passed that point. I think I was in the 29,000s for the day. Finally seeing all my neighborhood has to offer, the shops, restaurants, parks, and the Danes gave me a renewed enthusiasm for this city that I didn't think was possible. I have never been more proud of being able to call myself a resident of Copenhagen, even if it is just for 7 weeks. Hopefully, that continues to grow.
Time for bed. Goodnight, and adeu, adeu, to you and you and you...
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