Fredericksborg Castle

Last Sunday, I went on a DIS trip to Fredericksborg Castle in Hillerød, Denmark. This castle was built by Christian IV as a hunting castle. In 1859 much of the castle was burned in a fire. The people of Denmark were so upset by this fire that they raised money to restore it. The restorations were mainly funded by J. C. Jacobsen of the Carlsberg brewery. It was then decided that the Fredericksborg Castle would house the Museum of National History which follows Danish history from 1500 to the present.

The castle was beautiful. The ceilings were unbelievable. They were intricately carved. I do not think there was a plain surface in the entire castle. At the time when this castle was built people actually hated bare walls so any surface that wasn't elaborately carved were covered by tapestries.

Our guide also told us something interesting. At royal banquets and parties no guest was allowed to leave under any circumstance while the king was still seated, not even to use the bathroom. The only way you could leave the room is if you were so drunk that someone else had to carry you out. They guide also told us that the rules have to changes much and no one is allowed to leave the royal table until the Queen leaves.

The day we went to the castle was a beautiful day. It was freezing cold but the sun actually made an appearance in the sky for a few hours which was exactly what we all needed after about 2 weeks of dreary gray skies.

Shopping in Denmark

So, in regards to shopping, we could not have arrived in Denmark at a more perfect time. In Europe it is common for sales to take place only twice a year and when they do they are in every store for about a month. We were lucky enough to arrive at the beginning of the Danish sales. EVERYTHING is on sale and it is fabulous.

DIS and our classes are conveniently located 1 block away from the Strøget, the main pedestrian walking street and the main shopping street. We actually discovered a wonderful store called Ginatricot. More than half of the store was discounted to 25 kroner ($5)! It was the best! Also, i have solved the mystery of how European girls wear such skinny jeans... they are leggings that look like jeans! I bought a pair and they are the greatest piece of clothing that I have found in a while.

Also, keeping with the theme of shopping, there are 7-11's on almost every corner here in Copenhagen! They are so popular! They are much different than the ones at home though. They are much more legitimate, they sell real food (hot dogs and pizza but they are delicious) and they even sell alcohol. So different than home.

Another American store that has infiltrated Denmark is Blockbuster. Who knew? A danish friend of mine told me that Danes love Blockbuster. I mean who wouldn't?

The one thing I am still in the market for is a fur scarf. I have seen these over and over on stylish Danish girls all over the city. I have just recently learned that Denmark is one of the largest exporters of fur. Almost half of the women on the streets are wearing either a fun coat, scarf or hat. I have also seen a ton of fur stores. So, my problem will not be finding the scarf, it will be finding it for a good price, but I am a seasoned shopper so I think I will manage.

A week of fairy tales

The Little Mermaid

On Wednesday, Jan. 28th Megan, Caroline and I went on a DIS sponsored bus tour of Copenhagen. Some of the sites we visited were repeats from the orientation scavenger hunt like the Royal Palace and the Rosenborg Slot but our tour guide told us a lot about them so it was still interesting. We also visited the Black Diamond. That is the new wing of the Royal Library here in Copenhagen. As you can see it looks like... what else, a Black Diamond. It has beautiful architecture inside as well. Inside the lines of the building are all curved and seem to continue the movement of the water which can be seen through the window. (BTW I just discovered that you could add pictures to this blog so get ready!)

After this we went to one of the most famous sites in Copenhagen, The Little Mermaid statue. On our way there our tour guide told us the original story of the Little Mermaid which is much sadder than the Disney version. In Hans Christian Anderson's story, the Little Mermaid did fall in love with a human but he had a girlfriend. She had made a deal with the sea witch who told her that she had to return to the surface and kill the man. Of course she could not do it because she loved him. So, because she broke her agreement with the sea witch, she was transformed into the foam on the sea.

Some people are often disappointed with this statue because she is fairly small and you could actually miss her if you were not paying attention. I on the other hand thought she was beautiful and I was so happy to see this landmark of Copenhagen. 

Our tour guide also told us that China has asked to have this statue as a representation of Denmark a the next World's Fair (apparently to be held in China). This is still under a great deal of debate. Personally, I think that is crazy and I think they should never move her. but we will see what is decided.

In keeping with my theme of fairy tales, I will tell you about my trip to the ballet. This Friday was my first field study with my history of ballet class. We went to see Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Theatre at Kogens Nytorv (one of Copenhagen's many squares). This performance was held at the old Royal Theatre (a new one was recently built but both are used for performances of all kinds). The theatre was beautiful! And I loved the ballet. It was wonderful. It was choreographer by John Neumier, an American dancer/choreographer who spent a lot of his career in Copenhagen. He had a very unique style, using motion and particular steps to differentiate between the characters which was really interesting.

One very funny thing that I did notice though was at the end of the performance, during the curtain calls when the audience was clapping, everyone clapped at the same time, and I mean everyone. It was cool but a little weird. Maybe the Danes just have more rhythm than Americans? :)