“Please, sir, I want some more.”

Little Oliver Twist does a nice job of summing up my feelings after my fabulous weekend trip to London.

But seriously govnuh, may I have some more?

I declare my second weekend adventure a success- minus missing my connecting flight in Frankfurt due to weather and consequently arriving in London five hours after my expected arrival all while being unable to contact my friend, Leigh, who was ever so patiently awaiting my appearance at a café near her flat for FIVE HOURS. She is a true friend. And I think my first gray hair just grew in.

Despite spending nearly half my life in European airports this weekend, I refuse to acknowledge the travel mishaps and allow them to overshadow a wonderful weekend in posh London with Leigh. We made up for the lost time with a jam-packed Saturday, hitting all of the must-see-sights and gorging ourselves with fish n chips and Belgian waffles drizzled with milk chocolate (have you started salivating yet?).

I looooooooooove London. Love. Love. Love. Simply the atmosphere of the city is well, delightful. So what makes it so delightful, you ask? Well let’s see…

1.     A long history- The US is actually an embryo compared to England.

2.     A well-known and proud history- I knew little to nothing before arriving in Prague about Charles IX and Czech history, but when it comes to England, I know allllll about Henry XIII, including all of the skeletons in his closet (and to be sure, there are quite a few)

3.     God save the Queen!- They still have a monarchy, even if the Queen does little more than wave and wear a 20 lb. crown……And on that note....

4.     THE ROYAL WEDDING = sheer madness. I feel like the Brits are going to start auctioning off their first born just to be able to line the streets during the procession.

5.     A bustling business sector- I’ve heard London called the "business center" of Europe and with so many business men and women rushing around the city in their power suits, it was easy to understand that nickname. I could almost feel the multi-million dollar, international deals going down all around me.  

6.     Fish n chips (and other amazing food i.e.- chocolate drizzled waffles)- AMAZING. London is an extremely cosmopolitan city with food from all over the world. I was amazed at the lack of obesity, but then again they have…

7.     Hyde Park- It’s huge and green and beautiful. Runners, bikers, and "mums" with strollers galore. They have to make up for all of those pastries they eat. Another exercise habit (and a rather peculiar one at that)? Running with backpacks. And these backpacks are not camelbaks, or fanny packs, but legitimate backpacks that you see 4th graders wearing at the bus stop (minus the Hannah Montana detail of course). What they have in them, I’m not quite sure but I couldn’t help think these runners were just simply constantly trying to catch the bus… a bus that was 50 blocks away.

8.     Pubs- loud, packed, and full of beer. It’s a jolly atmosphere that can’t be beat.

9.     They sound cool- Hellooooo accents! You know how they say that Brits automatically sound smarter due to their accent? So true. It also ups their attractiveness by a good two points.

10. “Darling”- The smallest everyday details of the city are just simply “darling.” From their “litter” cans to double-decker buses, the black cabs, ornate park benches, and tea time, everything has aesthetic appeal.

And the final attribute of the city that makes it so appealing? It is livable. Walking around the city I kept envisioning myself living in London as a posh 20-something with a die-for career, living in a “darling” little flat that I share with Keira Knightly, and dating a younger version of Daniel Craig. Okay, well maybe not. BUT I could see myself in London again someday and I would be lying if I said I didn’t promptly look up BBC News internships upon my return from London.

Now that I have gone on and on about how “darling” and aesthetically pleasing London is, why don’t I just show you? 

I was amazed to learn that double-deckers were not just for show, but were actually their public bus transportation- so posh.

At the Bloody Tower of the Tower of London. Rather fitting that I was wearing red.

The families that live and work in the Tower of London live in these flats. Can you imagine growing up in the Tower of London? Eeery.

Who would have though a trashcan could be so cute. Say "litter" in a British accent and it's even cuter.

My tour guide diligently working in the Tower

Blue accents everywhere at the Tower

Even on Tower Bridge!

Spice Girls 4-EVER!

I was thinking of booking Westminster on April 29th for a wedding but I heard it was booked already. Weird.

It had to be done

Will do

These Fish n Chips changed my life. So good. But the green mush on the side that they cleverly market as "mushy peas?" Not so much...

Imagine a warm and crispy brown Belgian waffle covered in drizzled milk chocolate. This was the result. I couldn't even stop eating the deliciousness to take a picture before I devoured it....Not one of my prouder moments.

Kensington Palace (aka "My Future Residence") in Hyde Park

I can't thank Leigh enough for giving me such a great weekend in London. Even though I was really only able to experience the city for 36 hours, we made the most of it and I can't wait to visit the city again. And now that I have two weekend adventures under my belt, I will be staying in Prague for the next few weekends preparing for my own turn as "tour guide" for when my mom and sister Kristina visit me in the beautiful "City of 100 Spires." I can't wait!

Tomorrow my program is taking us on a field trip to Lidice, a small town northwest of Prague that was obliterated by Nazis in 1942 after the assassination of Hitler's secondhand man, Reinhard Heydrich- should be interesting!

Na Sheldanou!

Maarja 

Scandinavians rule.

I wish I could say Denmark was more than just a measly eighth of my ‘homeland.’ 

However, considering the other 7/8th of my heritage is Swedish and Norwegian, I would like to think all of Scandinavia is just as cool as their Danish neighbors, so I’m not complaining.

I spent this past weekend in Copenhagen with five friends from my program and had a wonderful, yet extremely cold, trip. I joyfully declare my first weekend adventure a success! And now I’m a jet-setting fiend.

First things, first: the Copenhagen Airport. I would live there if I could. I didn’t think I would ever describe an experience in a transportation terminal in any complimentary sense, but walking off the plane in Copenhagen was almost as if I was walking into a 5-star Mall of America from the year 2050. It was a mall that 'happened' to have an international airport in it as well. From Hermes to Giorgio Armani to my personal favorite, Tiger of Sweden, the Copenhagen Airport was like an indoor Rodeo Drive. My friends and I decided right then and there that would be coming extra early to our 7pm departing flight to shop (and by shop, I most definitely mean window shop…).

But then we got a shock to our systems. I guess we maybe should have gotten a hint from the strictly designer shops in the airport, but no longer in awe of the freakishly clean and posh airport, we were dumbstruck staring down at our metro tickets: 36 Danish Krones for a metro ticket to our hostel. That is more than seven US dollars. Which didn’t seem so bad when we thought it was a 24-hour pass. False. The ticket was for ONE hour. Needless to say we did a lot of walking this weekend.

Copenhagen made me appreciate Prague and its less-than-a-buck beer. The city is expensive. I almost wanted to take a page out of my father’s instructional quote book and tell the Danes, “Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know that, right?” But considering salaries are up to par with the market prices in Denmark, it is not expensive for those living and working in Denmark, it is just expensive for those of us traveling there. While the prices of food and other items looked identical to the prices I see daily in Prague, the exchange rate in Prague is 18:1, while in Copenhagen it is 5:1. We were paying nearly four times as much as we pay in Prague for the same things. It was absurd. My taste buds had no control this weekend. It didn’t matter what I was in the mood for- my wallet was the decision maker. Also, my souvenirs consisted of a key chain and a pin to put on my backpack. Just call me a high-roller.

But other than the freezing cold and damp weather (thank goodness my dad sent me two more pairs of long johns before I left for my weekend adventure, I don’t think I took them off the whole time) the horrible exchange rate is my only complaint of Copenhagen. When I’m a real adult with an actual income, I’ll have to go back to experience the sights that don’t all have ‘FREE’ stamped on the tickets or brochures. Someday….

And I really do want to return to Copenhagen, as well as travel the rest of Scandinavia. The people were so friendly. Not to rag on Prague, but here in the Czech, shopkeepers and clerks could care less if have a question. They honestly don’t seem interested in whether you purchase anything from their store. Waiters as well are paid by the hour and not by tips so customer service rarely involves smiles. But in Copenhagen, they were all so kind and would happily tell us of the must-see sights of Copenhagen and how to navigate the winding alleyways.

Not only were they nice, they were also beautiful. The Danish make me proud to say I'm Scandinavian. 

Considering most of our sight-seeing involved wandering the city until we stumbled upon something interesting (and hopefully free), I have plenty of pictures of the city....

Welcome to Denmark: the land of bicycles and teeny-tiny little smart cars

Sort of jumping for joy in the King's Gardens

The Danes love their bikes

The Little Mermaid statue

I couldn't resist taking this picture: that is in fact a pregnant mannequin displaying a maternity wedding dress. Denmark is progressive.

"Jensen" was everywhere. Countless restaurants and stores shared the name of my brother and mom's family- I felt at home.

Don't let the sunshine fool you, it is still freezing.

The bustling canal

Beautiful colors

I was an eskimo all weekend.

During my solo-adventure to the National Museum, I sat on this bridge and just people-watched- those darn beautiful Danes are a sight to see!

10 students and five bunk beds. Camp Copenhagen 2011!

Path along the water.

View from the running/walking path. No wonder all of the Danes are in such good shape. I'd run everyday too if I had this view.

We also visited Christiania one afternoon, which unfortunately doesn't allow photography. As an anarchist community, Christiania lies within a walled block of Copenhagen and considers itself a separate entity from Denmark and in turn not members of the EU. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen- and most importantly it is free! I heard it compared to San Francisco in the '60s. Graffiti-ed to the max and full of small cafes and huts selling hemp clothing and jewelry, Christiania was culturally shocking and I would highly recommend anyone who travels to Copenhagen to walk through Christiania simply just to see it.

As I conclude this blog about my first weekend adventure, I'm preparing for my second. Tomorrow I fly to London to stay the weekend with one of my besties and roommates from Madison. And I can't wait! Even though it is a little stressful (and it isn't exactly financially sound) to travel two weekends in a row, I'm so excited to see my friend and London and as embarrassed as I am to admit this, I'm looking forward to hearing English consistently and being able to immediately understand what is going on around me...it will be a nice little break from my daily confusion that results from the language barrier. After these two adventures, I plan on lying low a little bit. And by lying low, I mean staying in the beautiful city of Praha to learn every in-and-out of the city.

Na Sheldanou!

Maarja

"revelry and merrymaking"

Imagine a little hamlet in the south of the Czech Republic where orange, ceramic shingles dot the roof-line and a river meanders through the tiny town towards a baroque period castle that lies at the center of the town. And then add some brilliant sunshine, clear blue skies, and 50 degree weather. This describes my time in Český Krumlov this past weekend. It was gorgeous to say the least. But if you really want to make the weekend perfect, top it off with the Packer Superbowl win and you hit absolute euphoria.

Look at that blue sky!

On Sunday, my whole academic program (there are about 80 of us in all) were bused three hours south to Český Krumlov where we stayed for one night for, as our academic advisers described in our itinerary, “revelry and merrymaking.” It was considered our “bonding” trip so other than a private tour of the castle and dinner with a gypsy band that were organized by our program, we had plenty of time to do our own adventuring around the winding cobblestoned alleys to check out all of the quaint cafes and shops.

I don’t usually like using the word “cute” to describe things, but Český Krumlov is the epitome of cute.  I don’t think any sort of verbal description can due it justice, so here are a few pics:

Despite their beauty, cobblestones are a serious hazard for those of us who have trouble walking on flat ground. I have the bruises to prove it.

I had more chocolate bon-bons while in Český than Willy Wonka could have ever dreamed of...

Resembles Grantsburg, WI a little bit, wouldn't you say?

The initials of the three Anderson sisters were chalked on every other door in Český it seemed. I was seriously perplexed until my kind neighbor, Mike Strub, informed me that it is a traditional Epiphany blessing and the initials are in fact of the three kings, not the three Anderson sisters. Same thing, right?

Jumping for joy in Český Krumlov

Usually closed during the winter time due to slow tourism, we got a special tour of the Český Krumlov castle. Apparently the curator of the castle has a soft spot for students so he kindly opened the castle for us and we were taken to see the Masquerade Hall and the oldest original castle theater. 

The Masquerade Hall. The hall was covered with what was supposed to look like real life masquerade goers, but really it just looked like the walls were covered with clowns...

Due to irresponsible use of candles and pyrotechnics, most castle theaters during the time were either burnt down or no longer in their original state due to fire damage. Luckily someone at the Český Krumlov castle went through fire safety. Smokey the Bear would be proud.

I couldn’t help but plan my second wedding at the Český castle (however I will save you the details). If this wedding will be to the same lucky guy as the one I marry at Prague Castle or if I move on to husband #2, I haven’t quite decided yet, but like I said earlier, that is really a minor detail at this point….

Plenty of space for all of my guests.

And what makes this castle better than the one in Prague? They kept/still keep bears in the moat. After my initial reaction of surprise I realized that in northern Wisconsin, we all sort of have a bear moat surrounding our "castles"....No one else on the program could quite understood that.

That night we went to a brewery for dinner where Roma children entertained us with their gypsy dancing. These kids could move their bodies like Shakira. Seriously. 

This little boy couldn't have been more than five but he is most definitely Shakira's protégé.

Moose! Revelry and merrymaking at the the brewery with one of our Czech buddies, Pepa.

Following dinner we danced to a gypsy band and partook in the “revelry and merrymaking” as was directed and then moved onto a pub to catch the 00:30 kick-off of the Superbowl. Those who organize the Superbowl obviously don’t keep in mind any of the international fans. Not only did I stay up until 5am to watch the game to the end, but there were also no Superbowl commercials. NONE. Do you understand that? Instead of commercials, they cut to an aerial shot of the field. That’s it.  Darn those international trade laws! BUT despite the lack of sleep and commercials, it was so worth it! GO PACK GO! How many people can say they watched their team win the Superbowl in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic? This girl can.

Go Pack Go!

Český Krumlov was a sight to see and I highly recommend anyone who ever travels to Prague to make the trek down to Český to get a little small town-Czech in. I’m sure it helped that we hit amazing weather in the usual horrible month of February, but I’m seriously thinking of taking another trip down to the Český during the warmer months. There are many outdoor cafes on the river that we weren’t able to enjoy because of the winter season, and when it's warmer, visitors kayak and canoe down the river. My friend also informed me that there is a 15-mile path along the river for nothing other than rollerblading. Ummmmm, hellllllooooooooo! Done and done.

On another note, I had my first harsh slap of reality this past week while in Prague: classes started. How can they expect me to study when I have all of Prague and Europe at my adventuring fingertips! Studying sort of cramps my style. But no worries parents, I am studying. My classes all relate directly to the Czech Republic so I'm enjoying learning all about the history and politics of Central and Eastern Europe. One of my classes is called Resistance and Dissent: Punk and Alternative Culture from Nazism to Communism in the Czech lands. Pretty legitimate, right? However, my professor assigned two essays on the first day of class which were due today. I wanted to stick it the man and “resist” those essays, but once again parents, not to worry, I turned both in on time. But now on to the next one…..

Friday I leave for Copenhagen for my first weekend adventure and I can't wait to visit an 1/8th of my homeland! But that means it is time to hit the books...

Čau!

Maarja