The best part of Europe to an American is that it’s so small! Compared to my home state of Pennsylvania, the distance between one city to another is nothing. My central location in Maastricht is convenient for weekend trips, and I’m definitely taking advantage of our university’s scheduled three day weekend!
Last weekend I went to Copenhagen. I had never been to Denmark or any Scandinavian country, but I found a train that let me fall asleep in Cologne and wake up in Copenhagen, so I said “why not?” It was such a fun city — museums displaying full sized Viking boats, an amusement park in the middle of town, an autonomous hippy state, and the best bread I’ve ever tasted in my life. Seriously, they don’t process their wheat before they made bread, so it’s chewy and filling and full of fiber.
I took a bike tour to see as much of the city as possible, and I ended up really enjoying the hippy paradise of Christiana. In the 70’s, a group of squatters took over an abandoned military baraks. The police decided to look the other way, and soon the tiny area had turned into a full fledged autonomous state. They’ve built their own houses and buildings in addition to the ones they took over, and it has a booming economy independent of Danish rule. They have hair salons, restaurants, doctors offices, basically every need is met. The town is ruled by direct democracy and all decisions are made by consensus. The coolest part to me is that they have strict policy on development, and are therefore the most biodiverse area of Copenhagen.
I also took a day trip to Sweden, but on my way I visited the castle of a town called Helsingoer. In English, that would be pronounced “Elsinore.” Any literary nerds understand why the castle was so exciting yet? It’s the castle that Shakespeare set “Hamlet” in! I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare and I was an assistant director for that play a couple summers ago, so I geeked out trying to figure out which rooms each scene might have taken place in. I was disappointed to find out that Hamlet was not a real person; rather, he was based on Danish legend. Therefore no Hamlet, Polonius, or Gertrude ever actually occupied the castle. It was still the highlight of my trip though!
This weekend I’m staying in Vienna! I have a good friend from the city and so I’ve heard stories about how beautiful it is. I can now confirm the truth of that statement, and also add that Vienna is one of the best cities to visit in terms of food, art, and culture. I’ve eaten the famous “Sacher torte” which is chocolate cake with apricot jam topped with chocolate ganache, and drunk their cappuccino-esque “melange” at one of the famous Viennese cafes. The town is easy to walk through and the architectural opulence of the Habsburg empire dominates the city. Every building is grand and ornate, even outside of the tourist areas.
I realize I’ve been blogging mostly about my trips rather than the classes I’ve been taking, so my next update will talk more about Maastricht itself and my “Politics of the European Integration” course. I’m going to go continue to enjoy Vienna for now though!
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
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That’s so cool! I went to Copenhagen during my study abroad, too, and I really enjoyed it. I also took a trip out Helsingor, I think my favorite part was the casemates of Kronborg, super creepy but really awesome.
I can’t wait to hear more about your classes for sure! It seems like you’re enjoying the other part of summer more!
The “Sacher torte” sounds delicious! I wonder what “ganache” is. But I’ve never heard of both. I hope I get a chance to try some someday.