Only in Europe can they not only play Backstreet Boys at a club, but everyone knows the words and sings along.

True story.

We had a meeting yesterday to start volunteering at the Student house here, then over to Mads' house for dinner. Soon enough everyone joined us, and after a bit of merrymaking we headed to "Social Club" where we got in free, but had to pay 20 kr (~$4) to check our coats, but then it was FREE BEER from 11-midnight! Had a couple of free beers, then just danced the night away.

I love dancing here. Its completely ridiculous and you just dont give an F. Everyone dances to every song, no one is really worried about how cool they look, and EVERYONE has a great time :)

After BSB, Alphabeat, the FRIENDS theme song, and yes, even Paul Simon, we called it a night around 430. I was sweaty and exhausted, and looked down to see some sort of pink substance all over my boots and everyone else's shoes as well. Such a mystery..

We decided to just sleep at Mads' house in the center, and catch a bus in the morning, but Adelija passed out on the couch before me so I was left with a sleeping back that didnt zip on the cold wood floor. At that point I just wanted to sleep, but in the morning I definitely regretted that decision.

Either way, it was really fun and we met some really cool people. Being out in the center of Aarhus was also a good change, even if it means sleeping uncomfortably and having a bad hangover :)

Kindness of strangers

So, my second day in Denmark we made it to the bike auction, where we had about an hour to look through over 200 bikes that had basically been confiscated by the police, looking for things like flat tires, bad breaks, loose pedals- anything. Anywho, the auction starts, all in DANISH, of course, and the guy offers to do it in English knowing all the international students that are there, and said to just raise your hand and ask. Ok, they wheel a bike out, he starts at 50 kroner (about $10 US) and it goes up in increments of 50 until the last one is standing. Since there is a 25% "auctioneers fee," we all decided our limit would be about 500 DKK, just to keep it from being too expensive.

But, you could never tell because he went so fast! You're at 50 one minute, 750 the next! Utter craziness for my feeble mind. One French guy attempted to ask for English, but the auctioneer basically laughed at him, then held up his fingers instead of saying the numbers, all the while laughing at him like he asked some sort of absurd question. Anyway, there weren't many girls bikes so we had to jump on them. Eliza was first, but was actually going against Jena, although neither could see each other, which ended up driving the price WAYYYY up. Either way, she got a good bike...for about 750 DKK :( The guy that took us there got one next for about 200 DKK, and then it was me!

I saw a purple bike, it looked ok, so I held up my card. And kept it there for 10 seconds before it was MINE! For only 100 DKK, 125 with the fee. YAY me! Only $25 for a nice looking bike. There was a crazy old hippie man outside we paid to cut the locks off (for mine he actually figured out the "code" that you sort of punch in, so I got a free lock too! woo!) Anywho, it ended up having a completely FLAT tire, and I attempted to repair it, but basically Emiel did most of the work, which in my mind is how it should be because he is DUTCH! All they do is fix bikes all the time, right?

Happily ever after...until we actually looked at them.

Well, we patched it but then I found out it has this really NOT COOL pump mechanism that doesn't work with most pumps. How the hell should I know that?? Grr. So my bike has been sitting around completely useless for 3 weeks while I pay 11 DKK for a 2 hour bus ticket (yea, about $2. RIP.) So today, after shopping and a bit of happiness that ensued, I was like "Yo Sar, get your act together and fix that shivvy!" So naturally, I asked my roomie's boyfriend to help me. (AMERICAN IN DISTRESS!)

Most.awkward.situation.ever. First off, this guy is Danish, and after knowing my Dane guy friends, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't know chivalry if it hit them in the face.

True story. We cook all the time, but he just watches TV, and never even OFFERS to do the dishes. At least make a verbal effort buddy, come on. Its like 3 words! Ugh. Anyway, he claimed he would have "no idea" how to help me get the tire back on, and then his girlfriend, my roomie AND friend totally backs him up. Come on, he's 1. a DUDE. 2. my friend 3. my friends boyfriend and 4. sitting there doing NOTHING.

I was beyond irritated, but went out and tried by myself, in the dark, for about 20 minutes to no avail. Thank god bwalt was online so I could ask him some important Q's! Unfortunately, he is a dingbat and only wanted to video chat to make things better which was totally impossible. But cool idea. So I watched some youtube video of a nimrod showing how to replace a bike tire, but knew I had already messed up.

Then, facebook got the best of me. I noticed my downstairs neighbor from Slovenia was on, and asked him for advice. Not only did he offer to come HELP me do it, but was super nice about it. Even though it was 830 at night, freezing, dark, we had no tools, and I messed everything up.

Either way, I think that was just plain old cool. I guess when you can't count on friends, you turn to perfect strangers.

Music that describes the UK trip...

Iglu & Hartly- In This City


Kings of Leon- Sex on Fire


Queen- Don't Stop Me Now

The rest of the UK Extravaganza..

We got to Manchester around 7pm, went right to our hostel and actually just bumped into the girls! It must have been fate... but either way, we were there, together, and ready to party. 

We got our things settled, then went to explore and find food, which ended up being Wagamama! It was soo great to see them, and we were so excited we couldn't stop talking. We went to a couple bars in the area, but there was not much happening, and bars close at MIDNIGHT on sundays. How lame. 

But we got a tip for a cool bar/club and headed over there, got in free, and danced to good music all night.

Ok, its been too long and I forgot to finish posting about this. Contrary to what Bwalt (jerkface) says about him falling asleep when I write, he can go read cool things elsewhere. PS, you look like a blueberry.

Anywho, Manchester was grimy and all the men spoke with that dirty accent you hear rugby players in movies talk like. The holidays are kind of a crappy time to travel in Europe, because everything is CLOSED! But whatever, we made the best of it. Our hostel was rad, in the center area and super huge. We shared a room with some 18 year old Canadians, and met a ton of cool people in the lobby downstairs. We became good friends with the guys who worked there (What up magic! and Scottish nightclubbing) and so Ash made up her (intoxicated-sorry M.M.!) mind at 2 am that she would go to Edinburgh to get her passport dealio worked out. In the end, it took her almost 24 hours, but she got a temp passport and money, just in time for NYE!

On NYE, we got on the train with 37,045,798,094 other people and their bags, and made our way to Glasgow. Our reserved seats were by the most annoying child ever and crowded, so then we moved to the car behind us that was akin to Siberia.  Anywho, we powered through the cold, took tons of pictures and pretended we were Geishas, and finally ended up in GLASGOW!

We took a cab at the speed of light from the train station to our hostel, got hooked up, then got gussied up, and went out to find HOGMANAY! We ran around every corner of the stupid square looking for the box office that we never found, but were eventually escorted in by a burly security guard. At that time, it was too cold to be *completely* sober, so we headed to the bar and met some Scots who bought us drinks, even though they were terrible.. and we looked like an American flag:

We made it outside just in time for the countdown, and it was perfect! Fireworks and people screaming and happy, and I was with 3 of my best friends :)



The Scots are a nice bunch, even if they don't wear undergarments beneath their kilts, which was a definitely a possibility with these guys.


Like Manny, most stuff in GGow was closed on New Years Day and the following days, so we mostly wandered hoping to find something open. We met a cool kid in our hostel, James, who you could tell was constantly bored, and some Swedish guys that we met up with at a club called the Garage, apparently the biggest in Glasgow. Whateva, we went on "cowboy" night so everyone looked silly, but we had a really good time. And now I have friends in Sweden and Scotland!



Alright, so by this time its been a lot of laziness and wandering due to lazy Europeans and their bloody holidays! But Edinburgh was obviously the BEST place. EVER! I love love LOVED it, and was so happy to be there. Right when we got off the train we walked out to a Winterfest Carnival overtaking the city, blasting music and rides and games and ice skating. It obviously wasn't classically beautiful like Edinburgh is, but it was a nice contrast to see it all beneath the huge castle looking over everything.


But I must say, we thought it would be a rip-roaring good time to go on the big ferris wheel...of DEATH! I don't think I let go of the pole in the middle the entire time, and was busy saying prayers and keeping my eyes shut. Four girls, 21 years of age, scared shitless. It was so embarrassing, when the little kids around us were having the time of their lives. Either way, mental note to never do that again. And to grow a pair.

Our hostel was huge, but we were in a room with just the 4 of us so didn't have as much of an opportunity to meet people. We wandered most of the city the first night, and attempted to go on a ghost tour but got there too late. We did get to hear a story about the "suicide bridge" (Waverley bridge) in the middle of the city though, which connects the 'new' and 'old' parts (even thought its allll old, let me tell you) but the first person to cross it was a woman in a coffin that was being pulled by a horse who got scared...or something. I can't remember, but it was a good story in theory. Either way, people commit suicide here frequently as it lies over the main railroad tracks, and is ideal in the most morbid way. Because it is illegal to stop someone from committing suicide, people have been known to encourage the jumpers in order to clear traffic and get to work. Where is that hardworking spirit around the holidays, huh Scotland?!

We found a bar/club called the Three Sisters, in an old underground lair or sorts, and it was a cool place that we really loved. The second night we made it on a tour of the Underground City Total waste of money, but cool history lesson until I nearly peed myself in fright. These vaults housed hundreds of people, who were plagued by... well, a plague of sorts, but also living in dark, moist areas without proper nutrition or sanitation. Most of them were Irish immigrants who came to Scotland after the potato famine, and couldn't afford to live elsewhere. The vaults are no bigger than my room now, with 10 or more people "living" in them. Needless to say, many didn't live for long, and they are now believed to be haunted. There have been countless reports of paranormal activity, so of course Vanessa was stoked. We were in a big group, and the guide took us through, explaining everything (in the middle of the night, mind you.) and then played this really FUN game of blowing out his candle, the only source of light. Not once, not twice, but THREE times. And then BAM!! Some freak in a halloween costume jumps out of nowhere, we all scream bloody murder and possibly leak bodily substances, and he runs away (laughing, I presume) and we have to pay for this. I say I love Edinburgh, but God knows why...

Either way, it was cool to know and we got it out of our systems and ready for our next day of sightseeing. We did the bus tourist thing, but it was well worth it. The highlights were the castle, in the daytime and at night, being able to overlook everything, and Arthur's Seat, a giant mountain you can walk/hike/climb/crawl/huff and puff your way up to get a different view.




We attempted to make it up, but based on our diets of wine, beer, and pasta...we didn't get too far. But what we did see was well worth it! We also saw the school/monumental edifice that Hogwarts (What up Harry Potter!) is said to be based on:



And Bobby the dog, who stayed with his owner everyday until his death, then followed his funeral procession to the cemetery, and continued his allegiance there. He obviously deserved his own statue:


Alas, the trip had to come to an end, and the Verg (Vanessa and Sarah Bergner) left at 4 in the morning, while Ash and I slept a bit and then ran around trying to send my package, get breakfast, and get me back to the bus station for my NINE hour bus ride to London. Boy I sure love public transport. WOO! From London Victoria, I had to wait for another bus in the middle of the night to Stansted airport, an hour north of the city center, and from there wait until 7 am for my flight. Thats the thing with these cheap airlines though, ungodly hours in order to ease the pain on your wallet. But there were tons of people also spending the night there, so I curled up on my jacket like a true homeless person, used my scarves as blankets, and plugged in my laptop to watch a movie. Only hours later, I landed in Århus and thought "Holy guacamole, what am I DOING here??" It was smaller than probably the San Martin airport, but after another 45 minute bus ride, I was in the central train station with friends. And another hectic bus ride and stop to buy rations and linens, and I was in bed. Dead to the world.

And then the story goes on...

A UK event to remember

Although amazing, stressful, exhausting, confusing, and great.... the time we spent in the UK over winter break will forever be remembered :)

It started out with an ELEVEN HOUR BUS RIDE from Amsterdam to London. I had my own seat for most of the time, but it didn't matter with all the ruckus going on around me. We left at 10 pm and not only were there a bunch of high school kids behind me talking up a storm, but then there was the infamous French man. He was justifiably INSANE. He kept talking about his kids and life in general, 12 decibels louder than anyone else, and when everyone was trying to sleep. Then, he thought it would be really swell to turn on the overhead light so he could read, but the dingbat girls got angry with them, so he got up to try to sit elsewhere. Mind you, people are dozing off, there are children present, mostly women on the bus, and no one wants to be there in the first place. 

He starts talking so loud about how he has no where to sit, then yells at a man sitting by himself that he should be allowed to sit next to him. After using very expletive he can think of on the man, he starts questioning his sexuality, and claims to have known him from the bus ride days ago when they came to amsterdam, and that he let the man stay in his room. Obviously crazy, but the guy never denied anything either...so who knows. Anyway, some kid in the back tries to get him to come back and sit next to him, but he doesnt want to listen so he holds up in the toilet, trying to "read." After a while, he came back up and started yelling again, trying to punch the man in the face. No one knew what to do, but eventually the bus driver pulled over at a gas station, which are hard to come by, so we were lucky to find one. 

We thought he had cooled off, and everyone had moved around to let him have 2 seats to himself, right across from ME! You can imagine the joy in my heart. ITs about 2am, and he won't settle down, and started rustling around with foil, and asked a woman for a pen.  I thought to myself, "hey, this is kinda fishy..." but was so disoriented and discombobulated that I couldn't think too much into it. Until he leaned down under the seat and actually STARTED SMOKING CRACK. On the bus, not giving a f***. The woman sitting next to me started to yell for the driver, who had to again pull over, but had to wait for a place to do so. 

By this time the whole bus is going crazy, and the bus driver and 2 other guys had to pull him off the bus. The driver wanted to leave him there, in the middle of nowhere, somewhere between Belgium and France, but the guy was so crazed he stood in FRONT of the bus, refusing to move. We couldn't go anywhere, and the Belgian police didn't seem to care. So the driver lets him back on to sit next to him in the front, but you can hear him yelling at the French guy to stop bugging him, sit still, etc. Especially frightening when he is attempting to steer a giant bus through fog that you can't see 5 feet in front of. SCARY.

Nevertheless, we got to the French/UK customs area by the port, and he was taken into custody, and we waited to board the ferry. I was so exhausted, I found a place to sleep for about an hour, and when I woke up everyone was GONE, and I had to run down to get to the bus where almost everyone had boarded. 

It was about an hour until we got into London at 730am, then I found a cafe to sit at and waited to meet up with Ash around 10. Of course, why would that be easy? No money on my Dutch phone, no way to call her phone when the payphones didn't accept my phone card. After about an hour of the worst phone-tag and confusion, I walked outside and saw little Ash sitting on her suitcase, surrounded by people. Reunited!

From there we saw a sign for Wicked, bought tickets for about 20 pounds, then headed to our hostel to get cleaned up and rest for a bit. Then it was time to explore London! We wandered, had a few beers, made it to the show (soo amazing...much greater than I expected) and went back to sleep. 

The next day was Christmas eve, and one of the longest days of my life! We went on the London Eye, found Abbey road, took countless photos in the ubiquitous red phone booths, wandered around Big Benny Boo Boo, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar square, and attempting to woo the stern faced guards with our good looks and immature humor...to no avail. We had some dinner...with wine...then wandered back to the hostel. We hung out for a bit, then went to the only bar we saw open, which was a gay bar, so we felt right at home :) From there we walked around some more, and went to a center area with a small carnival and people everywhere.

 

We ran into 2 Italian guys (the kind your mother warns you about) who instantly duped Ashley into believing "They always wanted to meet a Californian girl!" Nevertheless, we decided it would be fun to go have a drink with them (if they're buying, who cares right? The dollar to pound conversion is not healthy.) But, because our lack of luck never fails, they turned out to be creepers. We went downstairs to use the toilet and hope for an escape route..when one guy followed us! He stood by the door to the women's bathroom, "twirling his hair" and basically waiting for us. On impulse, Ash freaked out and started running up the stairs and out the door at full speed! He was in hot pursuit, and when she turned and stopped outside the bar, he yelled "BOO!" and she took off again, further from me! He eventually gave up, and I caught up, and we got the hell out of there. Weird times, good stories. Sometime in the midst of all the craziness, we ended up in front of Buckingham Palace for almost an hour, talking and laughing and drinking.

We headed to Trafalgar square, bought some wine, and sat in the paws of a huge iron lion for hours, talking and reminiscing. One of the best times of my life, something I'll remember forever. We met tons of people just wandering along, and an Algerian guy that told us his life story, starting with "When I was one year old.." making sure we didn't miss anything, I suppose. After awhile, he got obnoxious, so we escaped back to the hostel, then left 20 minutes later to a bar around the corner, where we snuck the rest of our wine in and searched through every pocket and crevice to come up with money to afford one beer. The lengths we go to...

The next day was Christmas, and virtually only Chinatown was open. We waited for awhile and finally got a seat at one place, and had a deliciously tasty and fulfilling meal for a reasonable price. Hung out at the hostel for awhile, and were invited to a bar by the hostel workers, and basically everyone staying there went. It was sketchy as all hell, a couple of blocks away but we had to pay 5 pounds to get in, and were led downstairs to a filthy bar that "couldn't be cleaned because they had a party the night before, and no one works on Christmas." There were flies around the bar, all the toilets were out of order, and the bouncer was also the DJ and the bartender. Either way, we stayed and made friends with a Spanish gay guy and a guy from Penn State named Everardo. All was jolly until... Ash noticed her wallet was gone. 

The contents of her wallet included all forms of id, cash, credit cards, passport, birth certificate, and social security card. If its going to be gone, might as well all be at once, right? It was basically the worst thing to happen, and at the worst time. Ever. It was the middle of the night on Christmas, the next day was Boxing Day (Which is the worst 'holiday' known to man. Lazy Brits.) and everything was closed, then it was the weekend. We reported it stolen to the local police, but had to head back to Cardiff later on Friday, so it didn't matter. We took the bus to Cardiff, then hung out around town and with her roomie, thankful for a free place to stay! 

The next day she made it to the bank, who agreed to give her advances of 200 pounds without id, which was much needed. Then Sunday...it was time to head to Manchester to meet Sarah b. and Vanessa, friends from home :)

MARMALUND!!

After an exhausting week working on an article about "green lifestyles" in Denmark, an exploring to an eco-village (basically a compound with a punch of people living on it in almost completely organic ways) it was time to CELEBRATE last night! Delish tacos and a box (yes, BOX) of wine later, we were settled in to watch the intensely popular Denmark-Norway handball semi-finals.

Now, when I think handball, I vaguely recall boys in high school itching for the bell to ring so they could run out and throw some stupid little ball against a giant green wall, or the side of a classroom if they were all taken up. They would play the entire brunch or lunch period. Such dedication... So when they asked if iI wanted to watch handball, I wasn't too thrilled. But no no no, this is some sick twisted version of both soccer and basketball. Played on an indoor court, you can only take 3 steps with the ball (like a small volleyball) without dribbling, or passing it on. There's a goalie in front of soccer goal posts, hoping to catch the ball before it goes in. 2 halves of 30 minutes each, one point every time you score. Simple.

Guri (our very own Norwegian Viking) was rooting for her team who needed to win to make it through, thought we would be seeing our Danish male counterparts crying at some point during the night, and used this to lure us over to actually watch. But no, not even Marmalund could help Norway play better. Denmark won 32-28, and then it was all over. Virtually the least painful sports experience of my life.

Because I'm obsessed right now...

MGMT: Kids


Trolle Siebenhaar: Numbed

Hush: If You Go Breaking My Heart

A visit with mama...

She came to visit!! And I definitely needed it, if not only for the hotel rooms and eating meals out, but just for the hugs :)

The first weekend we dillydallied in Amsterdam, took a horse and carriage ride, a canal boat tour, went to the Van Gosh museum, typical tourist things!


Then we spent some time in Utrecht, climbed the hellish Dom tower (a 2nd time for me!! my thighs felt it, too...) and did some shopping and relaxing..


Then it was on the Hague, which was beautiful in its own right, but we went on a Wednesday when there wasn't much to do. Went to the "largest' outdoor market in Europe, basically all Turkish/Middle Eastern, ate some yummy food, and saw Twilight!

On Friday we went to BRUGGE! Easily one of the most beautiful places I've been, ever. We arrived after dark, but the lights around the main plaza glimmered off the still wet cobblestone streets. I loved it! The next day we took another horse and carriage ride and explored all the beauty the small city has to offer.



After that, it was on to Brussels. A big city with not much quaintness to offer, but we enjoyed ourselves. In the Grand Place market, we scored a table at a little restaurant and watched the whole plaza light up, with a drummer pounding into the night, and ballet and other dancers on the second floor of the main building.
Of course, we wandered to find Manneken Pis, the 2 foot tall statue of a little boy peeing that apparently saved the town by peeing out a fire!












It was a great trip, and I love my mama more than ever :)

UPDATE!

So sorry it has been FAR too long since I've written. And basically, sooo much has happened! My last post I was still in school in Utrecht, slaving over stupid assignments that I feel I never did well at. It was so sad to end the semester. I had SUCH an amazing time, and just fell in love with the city in general. More than anything, I will miss that the most :(

Since then, my mom came to visit and we went to Den Haag, Brugge (BEAUTIFUL!), and Brussels, then back to Utrecht to pack my shit before leaving to the UK. On the 22nd, I took a BUS to London, met up with Ashley and then partied for Christmas. We went to Cardiff for a couple of day, then up to meet Vanessa and Sarah B. in Manchester, then on to Glasgow and AMAZING Edinburgh!

Such a great trip, and details and photos will come soon :)

LOVE TO ALL!!
Happy holidays :)