http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/elisabethampthor/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from elisabethampthor en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:51:18 +0000 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:51:18 +0000 I feel like I've fallen off the face of the Earth...which is what may very well happen to countries like the Maldives Kiribati and Bangladesh if the governments represented at COP15 can't get their heads out of the ground and their hands out of their pockets...if the politicians don't start listening to the people instead of the corporations...if the USA doesn't stop acting as an impediment to t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-459178.html The year has 16 monthsby Henrik NordbrandtThe year has 16 months NovemberDecember January February March AprilMay June July August SeptemberOctober November November November November.I was going to go for a run today with my aunt in order to justify all the fatty fat fat food we consumed yesterday for our humble Danish version of Thanksgiving however as soon as she got home from wo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-456502.html EDUCATION For the majority of the semester it seemed like I was just abroad without much studying which was fine by me but now all of a sudden all my final projects are creeping up on me and I actually have to DO WORK. Which is part of why I haven't found time to update lately. My paper topics include the United States' military and nuclear history as it pertains to Greenland and the Inuit http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-454348.html I'm sure it seems like all I do is travel outside of Denmark to exotic locations like Amsterdam Brussels and Kangerlussuaq but that is not the case. This weekend I am staying in Denmark. Granted I am traveling from Copenhagen to Jutland the main peninsula but at least I'm not leaving the country. And it's not all fun and games I have research papers to do. I mean I won't work on them this http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-452512.html Even though I only spent three and a half days in Greenland I am in love. I arrived at the airport early Monday morning groggy but excited only to find out that our 0915 flight to Kangerlussuaq has been delayed six hours. An ominous start to the trip yes but I spent that time productively befriending some classmates and spending the meal vouchers the airport gave us. Long story short our fl http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Greenland/West-Greenland/Kangerlussuaq/blog-451399.html This weekend I traveled to Amsterdam to meet my best friend Amanda who you may remember from the Swedish cycling holiday adventure for two days of boots maps music and friendship. And it certainly was.Picture this an enthusiastic reunion between two childhood friends near the luggage carousel in AmsterdamSchipol full of hugs and jumps and giggles and inside jokes. They immediately start sc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-449022.html My plan for this evening was to start on one of the many papers I have due in the next couple weeks. What have I done with my time instead Watched Whale Wars on Animal Planet of course. And an interview on BBC's Hard Talk with the Hungarian Foreign Minister. So it was still a totally educational academic evening.Today my Women Art and Identity class took a field trip to two museums. The first http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-447049.html They warned us that the long study tour would be exhausting and they weren't kidding. All the academic visits that we did are like a blur so I'll just highlight the parts of the trip that I like bestremember best. Day 1 is nothing but driving. Really. I wake up at the crack of dawn and a bus full of my classmates departs Copenhagen at 0845. We drive south cross to Germany on a ferry turn west http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-443765.html A quick recap of October 2 The Olympic committee met in Copenhagen on Friday to decide which candidate city would be the host in 2016. The candidates were Tokyo Chicago Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. This is why Obamas and Oprah were in town. The Danes really like Pres. Obama. His arrival was the only thing on the news Friday morning and my cousins were almost late for school because they wanted http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-443750.html First I was busy then I was unproductive but now I'm back. But still fairly unproductive.Saturday September 26 2009 The climate is a hot issue in Denmark. Unlike the United States their available resources and land have always been limited read no manifest destiny so the Danes have developed an acute and sophisticated sense of awareness when it comes to reducing reusing and recycling e http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-441274.html I don't mean to disappoint but this week has been kind of slow. I know I know studying abroad is supposed to be glamorous and full of crazy adventures and miscommunications. But I'm the dull exception to that rule for now. I finally started Danish lessons twice a week for three hours each day I'm studying at Studieskolen which is downtown. The other students are from Brazil Portugal Spai http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-439447.html I would now like to introduce a new section of the blog called TINADAD Things I've Noticed about Denmark and Danes. You should pronounce the acronym like Trinidad but without the r.TINADAD 1 Gas here costs about 971 krliter. After some simple arithmetic I've discovered that gas costs about 7.25 USDgallon. Apparently though the cars are much more fuelefficient. The other day I read an art http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-438187.html I woke up in Lubeck at 730. This is actually sleeping in as most days I wake up around 7 o'clock to breakfast with my family before they go to workschool. My class embarks on a walking tour with a very mustached man we meet by the river don't worry it's on purpose. He shows us some sights and tells us some facts but I'm pretty sure everyone will only remember the mustache. And the marzipan s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Hamburg/Hamburg/blog-437021.html I meant to update this blog before I took off on my short study tour with my peers and program adviser but I was a little preoccupied what with all the packing and homeworking. As is I will introduce you to my German adventure now just to give you a little taste before I go to bed.So Thursday morning I meet my peers bright and early at Frue Plads a square near school in Copenhagen. We board t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Schleswig-Holstein/L-beck/blog-436549.html Let me tell you why I'm having a great dayI woke up and went for a 4.59 km run. My aunt has signed the two of us up for a 5 km race on SundayI had leftover banana pancakes and coffee for breakfastIt is very windy today. It must mean autumn is right around the corner. That's my favorite seasonWhen I got to Nrreport Station I went to the ticket office to inquire about the price of a train to Am http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-433814.html Today was my aunt's th birthday fdslelsdag so we celebrated naturally.Birthday breakfast seems to be a tradition in Danish life it certainly is in my family. So at 830 my uncle cousins and I had breakfast and gifts for my aunt ready on the table. Cute family togetherness ensued. Then I started some homework because yikes I'm in school how I miss Cinci's schedule. My aunt and I w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-432465.html Yesterday it was overcast and today I experienced a flash hail storm yet my disposition is remarkably sunny. Here are just some of the reasons why.1. Thursday night I was able to talk with the magic of Skype to one of my favorite people in the world having finally coordinated schedules that are 6 hours apart.2. I love my bicycle. It gets me where I need to go as well as where I don't need to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Birker-d/blog-432157.html Today I attended an orientation session that was a crashintro to Danish life. Topics addressed includedsexdrinkinghumorsocial interactiondrugspunctualityenvironmentalismAccording to the presenter Danesare more bluntdirect in their communication like to make fun of people they include i.e. minoritiesare more like an extended family than a nationare de facto alcoholics from the age http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-431149.html New Danish beginningsThough I have been in Denmark a fair few weeks now I have only just gotten around to updating this blog for the first time since last year when I left Chile. The story is now unfolding in Denmark's capital Copenhagen where I will be studying for the next year. My aunt and uncle who live just north of the city have graciously welcomed me into their home which will be my h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Sjaelland/Helsingor/blog-430298.html O my goodness. So the past three days have been extremely exhausting but totally fun. We arrived here in Pucn on Sunday morning at about 830 having taken an 11 hour bus ride overnight from Santiago. We didnrsquot have anything to do and the weather was rainy and miserable. We consulted the guidebook pages that we had ripped out and brought along and decided to make our way to a vegetarian r http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Araucania/Pucon/blog-310162.html