A Boat Tour, A Smørrbrød Party and Park Jobs

The international student group put on a Danish Culture Day on Sunday. We started at the National Museum which was a nice museum (with free admission!) except that I was all museumed-out by this time. One day when I have more patience, I may go back and read all of the interesting tidbits. Next up we got treated to a lunch of the classic Danish cuisine of smørrbrød – the open-faced sandwich. I had seen signs on the streets advertising smørrbrød pretty much everywhere but this was my first time tasting it.

I LOVE IT.

There are so many different options you can put in and I love that the open-faced structure makes the sandwiches so much prettier! There is so much more visual appeal to a sandwich where you can see everything except the bread! Don’t get me wrong, bread is a necessity and I love it too but it really isn’t much to look at. Instead look at the colors and shapes! What’s not to love right?!

Me and J Fern got invites to a smørrbrød dinner party later in the week with the North American crowd and it was pretty awesome. There was smoked salmon, little shrimps, cheese, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, pesto and tomato tapenades and pate all on rye bread. It feels so healthy and yet so tasty! Check out the spread:

Anyway, after the smørrbrød lunch, we skipped out on the Danish culture quiz and instead took the canal boat ride since it was the perfect sunny day out. The guide on the boat was great and smoothly transitioned through 4 different languages while telling us about all the important buildings.

 The Canal

 The Boat and Nyhavn where we started

 The New Opera House



 The new extension of the Royal Library called The Black Diamond

And after the boat tour we sat on a patio in Nyhavn enjoying the sun a bit more. The place we went to had a herring festival! Check it out!

I should also mention that following the boat tour day was the celebration of the 40th birthday of Christiania. There was a big party for a week celebrating this including outdoor concerts, food amongst other things. And that's all I have to say about that. 

The stand where we got our banana nutella crepes. Mmmm!

More biking woes. How does one park properly? And what are the rules on parking? The other day I knocked over 5 different bikes, not including my own, while trying to park Max before heading into a store. I ended up in such a predicament (imagine me hanging onto 3 bicycles that have fallen sideways on a crowded street of pedestrians, cyclists and other moving vehicles) that two different Danes had to stop and help me while they tried to muffle their laughter. It was quite embarrassing.

Over in good old North America where most people drive as opposed to cycle, parking a bike is really a non-issue. But where there are gazillions of bikes everywhere, it is a serious issue how to maximize your bicycle park job.

First of all, there are no lines. It’s not like cars where the parking spots are clearly delineated for you. Yes there are bicycle racks, but when those spots are full, it is customary to start making up park spots wherever you see fit. As you can see, I have been failing miserably at this technique.

Secondly, even if you can get your bike easily into a sweet park spot, there’s no guarantee that you can get it out just as easily. After you come out from class or from a day out on the town, the parking climate could have changed completely. Several other bikes may have made up some park spots next to you and you come out to find Max and 3 other bikes in a bit of a bicycle love tangle, if you will. Then, upon trying to untangle your bike from this love nest, you knock over the 3 other bikes and you’re like, oh god now I have to pick all those up and re-park them. This has ALSO happened to me and trust me, it sucks.

Aside from parking, I have had to get used to bringing my bicycle lights with me everywhere. It is illegal here in Denmark to cycle without lights at anytime 1 hour before dusk and beyond. In classic Jen-style, I forgot my bike lights for the first 10 times I biked after dark and thought for sure I would get arrested or at least stuck with a hefty fine each time. I have since learned and now I take my lights with me regardless of when I leave home or when I plan to be home.

Finally on the blogging agenda is the fact that I now have a plan. Yes. That’s right. I finally got my act together and have booked the majority of my travels for the next month and a half: Sweden, Germany, Russia, The Netherlands and England here I come!