copenAIDAN

Just when you thought my semester was winding down and I was done traveling, I made it to three new countries this week!

On Friday evening, Hope and I traveled to Geneva, Switzerland. Bright and early the next morning, we hopped on a bus and crossed the border into France (I guess that means I was in four countries besides Denmark this week!). There, we began our hike to the top of Mont Salève. It was a bit difficult to find the start of the trail at first, but we ran into some travelers from London and found it together (teamwork makes the dream work). However, the Londoners were better hikers than us and took off as soon as we made it onto the trail. Hope and I struggled our way to the top (it was exceptionally steep and we were exceptionally out of shape), but two hours later, we finally made it! The top was covered in snow and gave us an absolutely beautiful view of Lake Geneva and the surrounding city. We enjoyed lunch at L’Observatoire, a cosy Swiss-chalet style restaurant at the top of Mont Salève. A steaming mug of delicious hot chocolate and a croque monsieur warmed me up before we were on our way down (which was much easier, I can tell you that). It was fun to use my French along the way as all the other hikers greeted us with a friendly “Bonjour!”

That evening, Hope and I explored the city that we had viewed from above that day. Geneva is famous for watch-making – it has a flower clock (l’horloge fleurie) in the center of the city. For some reason, we didn’t run into Roger Federer – I’m pretty sure he forgot about our plans. Next time, Roger.

That evening, Hope and I decided to take the metro to dinner. However, when we got to the M1 line, we couldn’t find it at first and wondered why Google Maps had taken us to a harbor port. It was then that we realized Geneva’s metro system is made of boats! Nothing says bougie Switzerland more than a public transport system of metro boats and Mercedes busses. We enjoyed Swiss fondue for dinner at a place called Le Boel, where we had chocolate fondue for dessert, of course. We had definitely earned it after our 14 miles of hiking that day. We learned that fondue is the Swiss national dish and that it’s seen as a symbol of Swiss unity after it was consumed by soldiers in the war. We also learned that its popularity was part of a marketing ploy by the Swiss Cheese Union to increase the consumption of cheese. It sure worked on us! That night, we met up with Hope’s friends from college who were studying abroad in Geneva. It was fun to hear about their experiences in Switzerland!

On Sunday, Hope and I explored the rest of Geneva. We saw the United Nations building and went to the Red Cross Museum, a very interactive and educational experience (I’d highly recommend it!). There, we saw the oldest Red Cross flag in existence as well as lots of Red Cross posters (including Danish ones!). We next visited the Jet d’Eau (“Water Jet”), a 295-foot high stream of water that shoots up out of Lake Geneva. It was originally installed in 1886 as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network, but the people of Geneva loved it so much that it was moved to a more noticeable location so that everyone could marvel at its splendor.

It was raining all day Sunday as we walked around Geneva, so eventually, Hope and I called it a day and enjoyed lunch at Chez Ma Cousine, a cosy spot that kept us warm and dry with some Swiss hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup. That evening, we flew back home to Copenhagen.

On Monday, I studied in the medical school again, which I hadn’t done in a while. I really enjoy being surrounded by the Danish medical students! We had a “clinical hands-on” lecture in Medical Practice & Policy that day, in which we learned how to perform a general physical examination, check for broken bones, and examine ears/nose/throat. We also completed an interactive patient case in which our professor pretended to be an emergent patient. We asked him questions, ordered lab tests, and properly diagnosed him (I came up with the correct diagnosis of cholecystitis!).

That evening, I went to my host uncle’s house, where all of the family came over to watch the Danish national soccer game. I even got to meet my host grandparents, which gave me a little taste of home. I had so much fun! Everyone spoke Danish most of the night, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could pick up on some of what they were saying. I guess living in a country for four months can help with that, even if I’m not directly learning the language in the classroom. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and cheered on the Danish team, whose tying score with Ireland allowed them to advance to the next round. That night was one of my favorite nights of the entire semester. Sitting on the couch with my extended host family, being surrounded by the Danish language, cheering on the team together, and enjoying the Christmas flavors of coffee, pebbernodder, sugar-roasted candied almonds, and fried klejner made it the perfect evening. Driving to the metro station with my host family and singing all the words to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys is a moment that I’ll cherish forever. When I biked home that night, the Industriens Hus (“industry house”) in the city center was lit up with the Danish flag to celebrate the team’s performance. The Danes love rallying around a common cause.

On Tuesday, I did some Christmas shopping on Strøget and at the Christmas markets on Nytorv. I finally made it to La Glace, one of the last places on my list, where I enjoyed a delicious piece of chocolate efterårskage (although I can still say that I enjoy more local Danish kaffebarer the most).

That evening, Lauren & Claire came over for dinner, after which we all went to Tivoli! It was so beautiful to see the gardens decorated for Christmas – snow and twinkle lights adorned the Christmas shops and rides, and the scents of gløgg, æbleskiver, and varm chocolade filled the air. We discovered that in Denmark, Santa is skinny and very Danish-looking, unlike our traditional American Santa. I’m a fan.

On Wednesday, I left bright and early on a 7am flight to visit Kathleen, one of my best friends from high school, who is studying abroad in Florence! I had never been to Italy before and was really excited to go. When she picked me up from the tram station, we enjoyed a yummy Italian panini and some gelato (the best stracciatella I’ve ever had). After that, we climbed up lots of steps to the top of the duomo of Santa Maria Novella, the magnificent cathedral in the center of Florence, for an incredible view of the surrounding area.

We finished out the afternoon by walking to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo (even more steps – and my legs were still sore from my 14 miles on Saturday!) for a gorgeous view of the city as the sun set and the lights twinkled on. It was so peaceful up there, and it was really nice to catch up with Kathleen and hear about all of her adventures abroad. That evening, we had some authentic Italian pasta for dinner (it was AMAZING) and then walked around to see the Christmas lights throughout the city as we enjoyed some Italian gelato (yes, gelato for the second time that day). Florence was absolutely beautiful – I’m so glad I got to visit!

Thursday morning, Kathleen and I stopped by Michelangelo’s David at Galleria Academia (an amazing sight and truly a work of art!). After that, we enjoyed a croissant and a coffee at a local cafe. Unfortunately, I think the Danes have ruined pastries for me, because now nothing tastes nearly as good as a Danish kanelsnegl. I had to let Kathleen eat the whole croissant.

That afternoon, I left Florence for Madrid, where I met up with my other high school best friend, Jenna! As soon as I arrived in Spain, Jenna and I caught up over some fast-food churros con chocolate (a traditional Spanish breakfast – if you know anything about me, you know that I found it DELICIOUS). After that, we window shopped around the streets of Madrid. There was lots of cool shopping, but it made me miss Strøget.

That evening, we met Jenna’s parents for a tapas & wine tour. It was so much fun, and we were the only family on the tour! We went to three different spots, including a 100-year-old local bar, a specialty wine bar, and a delicious dinner place where we had ox-tail with hollandaise sauce (it sounds strange, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten). After that, we all went to a rooftop bar overlooking the beautiful night skyline of Madrid. Jenna and I were exhausted and went back to the AirBnB to watch one of our favorite rom-coms together, Life as We Know It (we were so excited that it’s on Netflix here in Europe, because it’s not back home). We ended up regaining some energy, so the two of us went to a couple of discotecas that night that were really fun!

On Friday, Jenna and I walked around Parque del Buen Retiro, a giant (and gorgeous) park in the middle of the city. Jenna said it reminded her of Central Park in the middle of New York. The fall colors were beautiful, and it was so nice to walk and talk with Jenna. After that, it started raining, so we headed over to Chocolateria San Ginés, where we sat in the cosy basement for some homemade churros con chocolate (yes, we had them again). This is one of the oldest and most authentic spots in the city to find this quintessential Spanish dish – Chocolateria San Ginés has been serving it since 1894. Once we warmed up, we headed over to see the Royal Palace and the cathedral. They were huge and beautiful – I especially liked the mosaic art I saw in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the cathedral. I think it was my favorite art I’ve seen in all my travels, but we couldn’t take pictures there. Finally, we met up with Stephanie, a high school classmate who is studying abroad in Madrid – it was so fun to see her and catch up! We hadn’t seen her since high school. Finally, I traveled to the airport to fly back home to Copenhagen.

All in all, I had a lot of fun traveling and visiting new countries this semester. Now, I’m ready to soak up every last minute of my last two weeks in Copenhagen. In 18 days, I’ll be boarding a plane out of the Copenhagen airport for the first time in four months without a return ticket. That really makes me sad, but it also makes me more determined than ever to appreciate every last moment I have here – every kaffebar, kanelsnegl, host family visit, bike ride, and hyggelig evening. I have to remind myself that just because I leave Copenhagen, it doesn’t mean I have to leave behind the Danish approach to life that I’ve grown to appreciate so much. Stay tuned for my last two weeks in Copenhagen – au revoir, ciao, and adios for now!