Friday, November 25, 2011
Back in Germany
I'm writing this from band rehearsal :)
The Christmas market is open since we came back from Sweden and we've been eating from the cute little shacks all week. It can't be healthy :p baked potatoes with quark, bratwurst, hunters sandwich, grilled mushrooms, battered cauliflower, and etc :) it's a really fun time to be here!
And our friend Eric is visiting from Sweden! :) pretty busy week.
Ps Rene's flat is right on the main street, so the Christmas market is right outside out door!
Denmark and Sweden!!
I have to say I really really love the Scandinavian countries! They are usually quite nice and friendly, the sign are usually also in English, and it's possible to understand the public transportation system! All great things for me.
We were in Lund to visit our friends Basti and Janina from Friday till Monday, and from Thursday till late Friday we were in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen was really neat, with beautiful architecture and some great bars. The best and most interesting part, by far, was Christiania. This section of the city has a special status (self declared) of being out side of denmark and the EU. The people who live their have essentially taken over an old military base and turned it into the ultimate hippie commune. The community takes care of each other, builds a house for each person, runs businesses to make money to support the community. The citizens who live there don't use Danish crowns, they have their own currency, but the need to have some to pay for water, electric, and buy groceries they can't grow or make themselves.
There seem to be three main industries, theres a boutique style bike shop with really interesting, hand build, super expensive bikes. There is the drug trade, with is just super open, and not as sketchy as say in holland. We stayed away but everything seemed really chill, and according to Christiania law you cant sell hard drugs anyway. The next way to raise money were the bars and restaurants. They bars are just pretty classic dirty hippie bars, and there's a pretty simple vegitarian restaurant. On the top floor of a third floor walkup, the whole building covered in graffitti, hides the best restaurant I've seen on the trip so far. Beautiful wood panelling, candle light, it's actually makes everyone giggle when they first open the door. They servers were from Christiania and were just wearing whatever, but they spoke English perfectly, and were super wonderful and friendly, and I can't even describe how amazing the food was. It ended up being the equivalent of 50 euros a person (Rene, Basti, and I) plus wine, but really worth. There were just 8 choices, 4 meat (venison, wild boar, veal, and duck), a fish entree, and 3 vegetarian choices. The menu changes every week, but to hear people talk about it, it must be consitently great.
So in Sweden, Basti and Janina were throwing a huge party. Mostly for their departments (chemistry) and their friends from their phd work. It was awesome :) someone brought liquid nitrogen and we made the alcoholic equivalent of dip n dots with wine, rum, whiskey, and gluhwein. Just reminded me of a Clarkson party, I felt so at home. Lund itself was a really cute little city, and the university itself, well.. How would you like to go to class in a palace :p lol. The science campus wasn't quite as beautiful, but nice old brick buildings and the beginnings of Europe's second biggest particle excelerator.
We were in Lund to visit our friends Basti and Janina from Friday till Monday, and from Thursday till late Friday we were in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen was really neat, with beautiful architecture and some great bars. The best and most interesting part, by far, was Christiania. This section of the city has a special status (self declared) of being out side of denmark and the EU. The people who live their have essentially taken over an old military base and turned it into the ultimate hippie commune. The community takes care of each other, builds a house for each person, runs businesses to make money to support the community. The citizens who live there don't use Danish crowns, they have their own currency, but the need to have some to pay for water, electric, and buy groceries they can't grow or make themselves.
There seem to be three main industries, theres a boutique style bike shop with really interesting, hand build, super expensive bikes. There is the drug trade, with is just super open, and not as sketchy as say in holland. We stayed away but everything seemed really chill, and according to Christiania law you cant sell hard drugs anyway. The next way to raise money were the bars and restaurants. They bars are just pretty classic dirty hippie bars, and there's a pretty simple vegitarian restaurant. On the top floor of a third floor walkup, the whole building covered in graffitti, hides the best restaurant I've seen on the trip so far. Beautiful wood panelling, candle light, it's actually makes everyone giggle when they first open the door. They servers were from Christiania and were just wearing whatever, but they spoke English perfectly, and were super wonderful and friendly, and I can't even describe how amazing the food was. It ended up being the equivalent of 50 euros a person (Rene, Basti, and I) plus wine, but really worth. There were just 8 choices, 4 meat (venison, wild boar, veal, and duck), a fish entree, and 3 vegetarian choices. The menu changes every week, but to hear people talk about it, it must be consitently great.
So in Sweden, Basti and Janina were throwing a huge party. Mostly for their departments (chemistry) and their friends from their phd work. It was awesome :) someone brought liquid nitrogen and we made the alcoholic equivalent of dip n dots with wine, rum, whiskey, and gluhwein. Just reminded me of a Clarkson party, I felt so at home. Lund itself was a really cute little city, and the university itself, well.. How would you like to go to class in a palace :p lol. The science campus wasn't quite as beautiful, but nice old brick buildings and the beginnings of Europe's second biggest particle excelerator.
Rock weekend number 2
On November 12th (Saturday) Rene's band played at his guitar player(Nicco)'s dads 60 birthday party. It was a traditional German birthday party, with about 150 people, amazing classic German food ( so meat, potatoes in 10 different ways, and lots of gravy... Aka Jane's food heaven), and hilarious situations. So after dinner the dj started playing pretty tradition folk music from Germany, Russia, even Greece and I got to see some pretty hilarious dances, and even joined in a few with Nicco :)
They also did some Fashing type skits, which were pretty hilarious, like a human percussion sketch (blue man group style) and a pop song lip synch (complete with outfits)... I was pretty hilariously strange. The band played from about midnight till 4 and we all had a pretty relaxin Sunday :)
They also did some Fashing type skits, which were pretty hilarious, like a human percussion sketch (blue man group style) and a pop song lip synch (complete with outfits)... I was pretty hilariously strange. The band played from about midnight till 4 and we all had a pretty relaxin Sunday :)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Helsinki is hell
It's not really, it was pretty fun. Helsinki is hell is just so catchy :p
Rene's sister lives in Helsinki so we went to visit her last weekend. We were pretty sick all week so the flight kind of sucked, but once we got there we had some fun.
It's not a beautiful city really. It was mostly soviet run till the 70s so there's a lot of block buildings and concrete. The port area is really pretty though, it reminded me of Boston, with the markets and brick.
The first night we went to a lug called garbage which was really neat bc it was all recycled stuff, like redone tram seats as booths and graffiti all over the walls. We figured out pretty quickly no one was drinking beer, which was a change. Everyone drank hard cider (in all sorts of flavors) or something called long drink with was like a gin lemonade thing the was on tap. Even at the house party we wenv to the next night or the grocery store everyone had long drink or cider.
While we were in the city m favorite stop was the Finnish chocolate shop called Fazer. They had all sorts of chocolates and pastries and the best lactose free hot chocolate I've ever had :) yum yum yum
The bad parts were it was super cold, the sun set around 4pm and nothing was written in English, although everyone spoke it :p
This week we are relaxing bc we still feel a little under the weather.
Xoxo
Rene's sister lives in Helsinki so we went to visit her last weekend. We were pretty sick all week so the flight kind of sucked, but once we got there we had some fun.
It's not a beautiful city really. It was mostly soviet run till the 70s so there's a lot of block buildings and concrete. The port area is really pretty though, it reminded me of Boston, with the markets and brick.
The first night we went to a lug called garbage which was really neat bc it was all recycled stuff, like redone tram seats as booths and graffiti all over the walls. We figured out pretty quickly no one was drinking beer, which was a change. Everyone drank hard cider (in all sorts of flavors) or something called long drink with was like a gin lemonade thing the was on tap. Even at the house party we wenv to the next night or the grocery store everyone had long drink or cider.
While we were in the city m favorite stop was the Finnish chocolate shop called Fazer. They had all sorts of chocolates and pastries and the best lactose free hot chocolate I've ever had :) yum yum yum
The bad parts were it was super cold, the sun set around 4pm and nothing was written in English, although everyone spoke it :p
This week we are relaxing bc we still feel a little under the weather.
Xoxo
Halloween weekend! Or not :p
So the Germans don't really celebrate halloween, but don't worry, we made up for it!
Basti and janina (Rene's friends from sweden) came to visit. They speak great English, are super nice, and fun, and both are doing advanced biology research! We had so much to talk about :) the first night we all went to the Kuze, my new favorite bar here, it's homey and fun and super cheap. Rene and Steffen are friends with the bartenders so we stayed until 330 and had way too much fun and shot and played the most ridiculous music.
Friday we all got tickets to a concert by a local legend band called Pothead. They came to Germany from the us about 25 years ago an just never left. They're sort of cult famous here and were hilarious to watch. They're about 50 now, and wear suits while they play, a drummer, a bassist, and drums. They didn't talk the whole time except to say danke and thanks. Lol. They just smiled and sort of giggled with each other like, really? They still like us this much? Lol. And then after we got donne, which is the only German late night food and I end up with it a lot.
Saturday was Benito's going away party, which was just a really big flat party and Benito's band played. Theyre pretty fun to dance to so it ended up being a really good time, tons of people, and some one brought red paint and we all ended up with it on our faces (see pictures).
Unfortunately someone also brought a bug and we all were sick by Monday. Yuck.
Unfortunately
Basti and janina (Rene's friends from sweden) came to visit. They speak great English, are super nice, and fun, and both are doing advanced biology research! We had so much to talk about :) the first night we all went to the Kuze, my new favorite bar here, it's homey and fun and super cheap. Rene and Steffen are friends with the bartenders so we stayed until 330 and had way too much fun and shot and played the most ridiculous music.
Friday we all got tickets to a concert by a local legend band called Pothead. They came to Germany from the us about 25 years ago an just never left. They're sort of cult famous here and were hilarious to watch. They're about 50 now, and wear suits while they play, a drummer, a bassist, and drums. They didn't talk the whole time except to say danke and thanks. Lol. They just smiled and sort of giggled with each other like, really? They still like us this much? Lol. And then after we got donne, which is the only German late night food and I end up with it a lot.
Saturday was Benito's going away party, which was just a really big flat party and Benito's band played. Theyre pretty fun to dance to so it ended up being a really good time, tons of people, and some one brought red paint and we all ended up with it on our faces (see pictures).
Unfortunately someone also brought a bug and we all were sick by Monday. Yuck.
Unfortunately
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