You sound like you're from London...

Saturday I flew to London. Yeah I did! And I only just made the weight limit (for my luggage, thankfully they don't have a weight limit for the guests as I'm sure I will be carrying well over what I came with).

This part part of my blog should really be Kri in London but I cant be arsed making a new one so I'll just stick to this URL.

You sound like you're from London (what movie? go on, what movie? Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Yeah).

So I arrived in London and took a train to Katie's place in ballam hill. During the journey I had a little luggage blowout. Tash, so this is awkward, you know that suitcase you let me borrow? Apparently it wasn't built for 30kg. The wheels literally melted off. There were just these little stubs of plastic by the time I got to Katie's.  I had to drag it off the train and it was making this 'rrrrrrriiiiiiieeeeeeeerrrrrrrkkkkkkkk' noise like nails in a chalk board... Embarrassed was an understatement. So, shying away from the judgmental eyes I hopped a cab for the rest of the way. I got to Katie's, ditched my luggage and decided that it was clearly a problem for 'future Kristine' and then proceeded to marks and spencer for some sandwiches and roadies for the evenings events. We got the tube to  beams' house where we boozed and bantered for a few hours and then set off to see a DJ set at a bar called XOYO. Memory from here is vague but recall the music being ah-mazing. It was rnb and dance and all things in between.  These photos might help to tell the rest of the story...

This photo pretty much sums up my form throughout the night

Monday I caught a train to Scotland to see two of my two favorite people, Sadie and Simon Storey. Scotland was great. Sadie is very (very) pregnant but was powering around the city like a trooper, very impressive! We hit all of the major spots in Glasgow then on Tuesday we headed to Edinburgh to see the city and check out the castle etc. As always the Storeys were great fun, the banter was of the best quality and many laughs all around.  Here are some pics:

 Ok so as we were coming back from the castle, we saw Noel Gallagher warming up for that evenings concert... Celebrity Spotting!!

I really liked Scotland, it was so green and the people were very friendly. Definitely a great vibe, albeit continually raining.

Wednesday I traveled back to London on the train, which by the way is only a 4 hour journey with a great view. I caught up on a heap of uni reading while I was on the train and got to watch all of the specimens who boarded the train. There were some special people aboard. I thoroughly enjoyed it...

Back in London now, I found my way to Oxford St and decided that I would try and buy another suitcase as I needed to get my stuff back to Oz, and also replace the one that I had reduced to stubs as it belonged to Natasha. So I found this suitcase. It is the Grandaddy of all suitcases. Apparently it can carry up to 50kg (I guess it would be handy if you needed to transport a body. I don't know why I thought of that.) So I bought it without giving much thought to how I would get it home.  As I rolled it along Oxford st it occurred to me that it was peak hour on the tube. What this meant was that as I tried to take the journey down the stairs it was literally impossible. Noone would make way for me to get to the stairs to start with, it's basically like cattle walking through gates, there is just no opportunity to move. I stood and tried to push my way into the stairs only to be met with glaring looks and judgement (again!). This clearly wasn't going to work.  Time to catch a cab.  I had to travel from Oxford st to Balham Hill where Katie lives. Again, it's peak hour so it took over 45 minutes of sitting and traffic and 60 pound. ARghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!  Anyway, suitcase problem solved. 

Thursday I discovered that I had an assignment due on Monday. I don't know why I didn't know this, for some reason it did not make my diary. Upon this shocking revelation I locked myself in Katie's house for a solid 13 hours or so and smashed it out. It felt a little sacrilegious being locked inside for a whole day while in London, but I knew that if I didn't it wouldn't get done and I can't afford to fall behind in my marks. Not now.  The subject is corporate governance so (naturally) I chose the case of Rupert Murdoch and News of the World. I can now tell you everything you need to know about Uncle Rupie, and ironically just after I'd handed my assignment in he announced that he is standing down from his London operations. What a coincidence.

Anyway, Friday I hit the sightseeing route. I put myself on a bus and ventured around the city. Like a loner. But I didn't care it was nice. That took up most of the day, then in the afternoon I met Katie at the tube and we headed to the ZSL London Zoo for Zoo Lates.

Every Friday night in Summer, London Zoo open its doors after hours.  There were all sorts of things to do such as the Silent Disco, a street food festival and acoustic musicians in a carnival atmosphere. There was facepainting, animal masks, silly furry hats and animal costumes and of course, the animals. It was such a great vibe, people were wandering around, getting boozed and just generally having a great time.  

Saturday was my last day in London. We headed down to Hackney for the Hackney Festival where they were celebrating the arrival of the Olympic torch.  Very colourful and exciting!

And that was the end of London. 

As I was flying out on my journey to Dubai, something occurred to me.

I really don't like London.  There. I said it. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and the sights and festivals were amazing (and of course Katie Glasgow makes any situation hilarious and fun!) but I didn't like the tube, the rudeness of most of the service people, the traffic, the streets.... it was fun to visit but I really do appreciate Australia more.  I didn't love it as much as what everyone said I would.  But I don't know. Maybe I am just tired and at the end of my travels.  I loved Denmark so much that I think I'm comparing everything to that.

Now Dubai... THAT is a different story. One that I will tell another time. Now it's time for sleep.

xoxo Kri.

Final week in KBV

I have a lot to cover as I've been quite slack in updating, I'm sorry for that. The last few days in Copenhagen... I got out to see the city food hall that came highly recommended (thanks Bretty and natty!). It was bursting with fresh breads, meats, fruit and veg as well as various specialty things like sweets and wines. Perhaps the most intriguing thing was I found a paleo cafe. Darren and Tash if you're reading this you would have been in food heaven. Everything was cooked to Paleolithic standard, I.e. no grains, dairy or legumes etc. I ordered the paleo pizza which was on a bed of minced beef and had tomatoes, pesto and heaps of other veggies. As you guessed, it was the best thing I've eaten so far. This bar just keeps on getting higher. During the week I received a surprise visit from my beautiful cousin Kady. She works for emirates and was put on a last minute flight to Copenhagen. I met up with her at the Marriott where she was staying and we wandered down to stroget for some window shopping and lunch. I haven't seen Kady in years so it was fantastic to catch up and talk about family (dysfunction) stuff ha ha ha. She convinced me to stop over in Dubai on the way home from London for a few nights to take me around the city. My holiday just keeps getting longer, sorry M Ham. Friday night Aisling had promised to take me to the tivoli as they put in a show on Friday nights and usually have a band and they keep the amusements running all night and serve beer. We got the pleasure of seeing a friend in London, which is a band that was Denmark's entrance in the Eurovision. They were kind of like green day meets Justin bieber meets techno Viking, I don't really know how to explain it. I took a video, I will post it when I upload my camera. My next post will be about London, I need my photos for that so I'll wait till I fire up my laptop and download the pics. Kri xoxo

So Samsø...

I said I would post this earlier in the week but I have been (believe it or not) doing my assignment. I discovered that I had to physically hand in a hard copy which has brought the due date forward by 3 weeks as I will not physically be here to hand it in.

Anyway, what you all came for... Samsø...

In short, the weekend was one of the best times I’ve had so far. Samsø is everything that I have ever pictured in my mind that Europe would be. Rolling hills, water, thatched roofs on the houses and bikes. Samsø is a place where many Danes go for the Summer. I was fortunate to be asked along by my kitchen mates from Teitgen. The house at Samsø belongs to Anne's family, and from what I understand it belonged to her grandfather. Each generation have added something to the house, her grandfather built the kitchen which was attached to a gypsy van then her parents removed the van and added a new wing which includes a living area and a mezzanine sleeping deck. Anne thinks she might like to add a raised out-house so you can go to the bathroom with a view of the ocean. I like this.

It is very quaint; very ‘Danish’. There are neighbors but you'd be pressed seeing or hearing them. Over the course of the weekend there were seven of us; Anne (new), Camilla, Jakob, Anne, Kasper, Aisling and I. I arrived on Saturday evening around 7pm and was met with a delicious BBQ with beef and potatoes and corn from the local farmers and all more.

After dinner the girls decided that we were going to paint our faces, nails and bodies with shiny stuff. Why? Because it is fun silly! Anne painted everyone's face with 'fairy' dust and we all adorned fairy names. I can't remember mine but I know it had a unicorn in it.





We then created glitter tattoos... again because it's fun!







Then I met this guy, and did my very best Steve Irwin impersonation for the Danes. It is apparently the closest thing you would find to a snake in Denmark - it is in fact, a snail. Now don't get too close...



By this time the Pilsner's were flowing so we headed to the headland (ha ha) to watch the sunset and try and create an 'album cover' similar to that of Dawson's Creek. I think we did ok.

Then Friends...





Then they pulled out a game called 'Klubb', which is apparently very Danish - you will soon learn that everything is Danish. Sunsets are Danish. Green fields are Danish. Humour is Danish. They claim everything, but I think we should let them have it because they certainly have got a nice philosophy on life and how to go about it. So back to Klubb. You line up wooden blocks and you have to knock down the opponents wooden blocks with the throwing blocks. As you all know I'm a sore loser but I'm an even sorer winner, but we won so we proceeded to give the other team a well-deserved barraging.



Not long after the sun was down so we headed inside to do shots (ugh!) as we were to venture out to see some local night life - which was a local restaurant-turned-night club that has a Danish name but everyone calls 'The Butt Cheek' because that is how it translates in English. Little shady from this point on (because of aforementioned shots) but there was lots of dancing and laughing at locals.

The next day.... it was a morning from heaven. The sun was shining, birds singing, bees buzzing...

But some very shady inhabitants in the house at Samsø.

Thankfully they all made buns - possibly one of the best hangover remedies I've ever had. Home made buns with butter and home made rhubarb (rubaba) jam.



Followed by a dip in the ocean.



A 14 degree dip... holy moly it was cold. The type of cold that burns your skin and seizes your muscles. But it surely sorted out my headache.



Next, it was time to go for a ride. Of course, that's what you do in Denmark when you're heavily hung-over and the sun is shining. There are no excuses. I'm glad though, this was my favorite part. We headed off on our deadly-treadlies in search of more fresh produce and the other side of the island. This is Anne, Camilla, Myself and Aisling, the bike bandits:



First stop was food. The farmers leave their produce on the side of the road, there is an honesty system where you leave the money in a little cash box at the stall.



And off again!



After about an hour and a half we got to the other side of the island, found a little table and ate the peas that we bought from the stalls. We contemplated doing the 4hour walk to the top of the island, but as it was already late in the day we thought it best not to.



So back on our bikes for the long journey home...





...to prepare the food we bought! Tonight we had another BBQ with veggies and pork and after dinner Kasper made us all Danish pancakes (which are actually crepes, but he doesn't believe me).



YUM.



I was so tired that I think I passed out not long after this. Then the following morning I took a ferry, train, bus, train, bus and finally a train to get home. It was fun though because I had the company of Camilla who had to leave also as she is flying to Australia for her exchange.

So that was Samsø, there are of course heaps more, but it's late. Before I finish though I would like to thank the two Anne's, Jakob, Kasper, Camilla and Aisling for firstly inviting a foreigner along (moreover, an Aussie) and for sharing the weekend. It is one that I will look back with the fondest of memories. Not only for the location and beautiful surroundings but the all-round top shelf company and world-class banter.

Tak!

A brief encounter with seventeen-hundred-and-something

As you know, I left on Friday morning for tour Denmark. It began with a 2 hour bus journey to Odense, which is the home of Hans Christian Andersen (writer of my all-time favorite story The Little Mermaid and many other Disney-inspired fairy tales). We got to venture through the house he was born in and the museum of his works and life. It was interesting for the most part; we stayed a bit too long in my opinion. I lost interest. Following this we visited St. Canute's Cathedral. It took approximately two hundred years to build and was finally dedicated in 1499. While we were in the church the organ player was practicing and it was one of those ‘is this real?’ moments. I took some video but blogger won't let me upload it because it's too big I think. I'll post it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IRQ2TN1QJQ&feature=youtu.be

One of the most fascinating things inside the church (apart from the majestic organ) is the altarpiece. It is almost 4m high carved out of oak and depicts the traditional themes of the crucifixion, the passion and the crowning of Mary. I have pasted a picture below because I know there are some of you who will find this appealing. Our tour guide took us through each of the sculptures but I can’t remember what each of them represents off the top of my head. Luckily Wikipedia can fill in the blanks:



The central section shows the crucified Jesus on the tree of life surrounded by apostles, Biblical and historical figures, with Francis of Assisi at his feet. Above, Mary is crowned queen of heaven surrounded by sparkling angels. Below, Saint Anne is shown with the infant Jesus and his mother Mary. The side wings present the Passion, from the Last Supper to the Ascension with the apostles at Pentecost at the bottom right. The base shows members of the royal family including King Christian II, King Hans and his wife Queen Christine, now dressed as a widow.

Following this we got back in the bus (another 2 hours) to reach the town of Aarhus (pronounced ar-hoos). I have a funny little story at this point. For those of you who are familiar with my little obsessive-oddities I think you will find this amusing. We arrived at the hotel and rooms were distributed. I was in a room with one other girl... until... an American girl approached me and asked if I could swap.

Kri: ‘No problem’.
American girl: ‘Oh by the way, it’s in a room of four’.
Kri: ‘Are you f**king serious? No-f**king-way!’ (is what I should have said)
Kri: ‘oh... ok.’ (actual response)

So I met with the other three girls and we embarked on our room. This is what we were met with:



At this point... I’m done. Those beds are so close you could practically spoon each other. And bunk beds?! But worst of all, the bathroom is approximately 1 square metre. So just to re-cap: 4 girls, or rather 4 strangers, have to shower, blow-dry their hair, do their make-up and use the toilet in 1 square metre. While you’re still contemplating this I’ve already hauled my stuff down to reception to check availability for a single room. Result! Only 450 kr ($70 AUD) and I now have my own room which faces the canal. The other students are quite surprised by my actions but I know that the rest of you who are reading this are not.

Next bit. Back in the bus, we are now visiting Den Gamle By (The Old Town) which is an open-air town museum with heaps of historical buildings collected from different townships in all parts of the country. In 1914 the museum opened as the world's first open-air museum of its kind. The museum buildings are organized into a small town of half-timbered structures originally erected between 1550 and the late 19th century in various parts of the country and later moved to Aarhus during the 20th century. The town itself is the main attraction but most buildings are open for visitors; rooms are decorated in the original historical style. There are a few grocery stores, diners and workshops spread throughout the town and museum staff work in the roles of town figures i.e. merchant, blacksmith etc. adding to the illusion of a "living" town. It was cool. Here’s a montage:











In the evenin’ I joined up with a few girls from the tour, (a few of which were in my original room of 4, turns out they were good value, so another missed opportunity...) we hit a local French/Danish restaurant that featured a 3-course meal for 165kr ($35 AUD). We had this blue cheese kind of thing, melted on rye bread in a salad, then a rib eye in this outrageous sauce and for dessert rhubarb with fresh cream. In short it was three of the best dishes so far. Trumps that sausage. What sausage? ...Exactly. Photo break:



We then moseyed on down to the canals where we met the rest of the students who were sitting drinking beer (this is not illegal in Europe). We sat for a while and watched the night unfold around the canals before retiring. It was here that I made the decision that I would definitely be leaving the tour at this point (missing out on Lego land) in order to travel with Kasper (fellow kitchen-mate) to Samsø Island the following day. I could not handle another 2 hour bus trip, an amusement park and another 4 hour bus ride. I discovered today that I hate tours. When I think back over all of the tours I have ever had they were terrible. I hate being told what to look at and when. I have a much better time getting lost in a place and finding my way out.

The following day...

I awoke, I had some breakfast, I did some yoga (in my teeny tiny room) and then I set off to spend the day exploring Aarhus. I was meeting Kasper in the afternoon to take the færge (Ferry) to Samsøe so I had the day to myself. I really enjoyed this town. There was heaps to see and do as it is very old and the buildings are magnificent. There were markets on so I pottered around the markets, did a bit of shopping (found a G-Star store, they had 2x for 1000kr or $160 – so Matt and I got a pair of jeans. Bargain.) And then met with Kasper and his Dad, who drove us to the færge.

It is here that I am going to halt this post as what I am about to tell you deserves its own post. Everything else so far has seemed mediocre compared to what happened next. Samsø is how I have always pictured Europe in my head. Rolling hills, houses with thatched roofs, bicycles, farms and deer. It was all of that and more. I even saw deer. So stay tuned.

Love Kri xoxo