So my plans to stay a night or two in Stockholm have been scuttled by the ferry line. I wasn’t able to make an online reservation for my voyage to Helsinki from Stockholm because I wanted to use my Eurail Pass in order to receive a 50 percent discount. So I made my way from Göteburg today thinking that I would be able to get place for tomorrow night. After checking the other line, Viking, and learning that it was booked for tomorrow and the tickets were 550 Skr I decided to find the Silja Line office. I was given good directions to the street but told to take a left and not a right. So after a 1km walk I figured I went the wrong direction. I doubled back and found the office only a short walk from my detour, ooops! It was good exercise with a 45 pound backpack.
My original plan was to stay a night and leave on the 28th for Helsinki but since all the places were taken I took today’s ferry instead. It left me one hour to get to the port and board the ship. So after my discount the ticket on the Silja Symphony was 206 Skr or about $35 USD. The taxi ride to the port was 289 Skr or $42.50 USD. I would think that I had been price gouged but this is Sweden and not Budapest. However I find the ship to be comfortable and look forward to getting some food and perhaps doing some gambling a little later before heading to the club. Can I get some luck of the Irish tonight? I love blackjack so I am going to give myself a small bank to work with and see if I can recoup some of my costs. No worries if I don’t as long as I have a good time I reckon.
Hopefully I will have access to a computer and internet connection in Helsinki so that I can post my pictures soon. I have now been to nine countries and been in Prague, Budapest, Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lund, Gothamburg, Stockholm, Paris, and Helsinki. Not a bad little trip before I start work. I can say with certainty that I hope to move to Europe in the next two years and everything I do will aid me in reaching that goal. Once you have felt the pulse of Europe and all of it’s wonder you never let it go…
Tchao fo now!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
Leaving for Prague
Yesterday I decided to get ready for the next adventure, Prague! Everyone tells me that its one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I think one of the reasons is because it was untouched by the bombing campaigns of World War II. I've seen the Discovery Channel's Samanatha Brown walking the 700 year old town square and walking Charles Bridge so I am brimming with anticipation.
At the same time however I am beginning to feel sad about leaving a place that I have grown to love in six weeks. I am not sure if it's the call of the European lifestyle or the friends that I have met along the way but maybe it's both. It's funny because this time I really was in a state of anti-Copenhagen at the onset of this trip. I was homesick and having trouble with the cultural differences, which often seem small and then snowball. However, those feeling faded as I began to make new friends and financial worries were eased. Now, I wish that I had more time to soak it all in. Movies in Fredericksberg center, Jazz festivals, nights at Holger Danske having dinner with friends, evenings at Halvandet overlooking the canals, etc... I know I can't stay longer but I hope that I get to come back one day. Maybe Deloitte will have an opportunity for me here or somewhere close by so that I can come back and soak it all in again.
Until then I will enjoy the time I do have and perhaps take a few more photos so that I will always remember my time amoung the Vikings.
At the same time however I am beginning to feel sad about leaving a place that I have grown to love in six weeks. I am not sure if it's the call of the European lifestyle or the friends that I have met along the way but maybe it's both. It's funny because this time I really was in a state of anti-Copenhagen at the onset of this trip. I was homesick and having trouble with the cultural differences, which often seem small and then snowball. However, those feeling faded as I began to make new friends and financial worries were eased. Now, I wish that I had more time to soak it all in. Movies in Fredericksberg center, Jazz festivals, nights at Holger Danske having dinner with friends, evenings at Halvandet overlooking the canals, etc... I know I can't stay longer but I hope that I get to come back one day. Maybe Deloitte will have an opportunity for me here or somewhere close by so that I can come back and soak it all in again.
Until then I will enjoy the time I do have and perhaps take a few more photos so that I will always remember my time amoung the Vikings.
Friday, August 01, 2008
København Nightlife
As the saying goes "time flies." It's pretty amazing that we are already entering the six week of our time here at the Copenhagen Business School. It really feels as if only a few days ago I arrived at my first residence covered in sweat and tired from my long train ride from Paris. Having been in a conundrum in Hamburg after getting off at the wrong station and jetting to the train station with a new friend from Paris who also made the mishap.
So today after spending the week with friends and needing to work on my paper I instead decide to pour out the emotions, thoughts, and events of the past weeks into this little portal to my world. I have experienced a range of emotions. Having been happy, sad, ecstatic, angry, annoyed, overjoyed, etc... These last two and a half weeks have been the most rewarding. Having learned to survive while waiting for bank transfers on less than $5 a day and making the most of it. Walking the streets of Copenhagen when money was scarce and hanging out at a residence called Holger Danske with the Poles Karol and Filip, Marianne and Cristina from Norway, Justus and Roman from Germany, Mèlanie from France, David from Amsterdam, and of course the fabulous Tuesday night dinners with Brandon and Vaughan.
It's hard to encapsulate all the memories and friends that I have made in mere words on a webpage but everyone of those people has a special place. For instance on Wednesday night we decided to check out a little bar on the bank of the canal we heard about from David who had visited it with his girlfriend the week prior. Just as we are leaving we realized we were short one bike because the one I had been using had a flat tire. So we grabbed a spare that the Polish guys had left upon their departure but the chain fell off shortly after leaving. In a showing of solidarity everyone waited on me for about 30 minutes as Cristina decided to fix the bike she will be using for the next 2 years while attending the MBA here in Copenhagen. I chipped in on the 100 kroner cost since I get to use the bike until I leave. However, everyone decided to wait until I could make it even though it was getting late.
Finally the bike was fixed and we were on our way. We trekked across the city to Cristiania and beyond. Moving towards an old abandoned set of industrial buildings as we wound towards this place called Halvandet. David knew the way but we were all skeptical as we moved through this urban jungle wondering how this bar even existed. Then as if an Oasis in the desert of abandoned buildings we arrived a beach bar located on an old canal inlet used for shipping docks. We parked our bikes and strolled through the sand and found a packed bar open air bar complete with beds, tables, a volleyball court, sand soccer, and of course a spectacular view of Copenhagen.
We drank beers, lounged, talked about life, played some volleyball and soccer enjoying the new friendships we had created. It was absolutely fabulous. So fabulous in fact that we decided to return the following night for Cristina's Copenhagen birthday. Although it's hard to repeat a fun, rare night of beautiful weather and friends it turned out perfect. We had some dinner, which was expensive but I figured that I had been very frugal all summer long and I could manage one or two nights of R&R. After last night we headed to a farewell party at one of the dorms and even though we are at the final leg of this program I am still meeting new friends and faces.
There are always ups and downs in life and sometimes when you are living abroad they can be magnified. However, the people that I have met exemplify why, with all the problems in the world, there is still hope for humanity. Building lasting friendships across borders and cultures is one of the most amazing experiences. Maybe the world would be a little better if everyone got outside their comfort zone and learned a little bit about the neighbors past the fences. I look forward to seeing Prague, Warsaw, etc... but I must admit that I am already feeling a little sentimental for the great friends I will be saying goodbye to next week.
So today after spending the week with friends and needing to work on my paper I instead decide to pour out the emotions, thoughts, and events of the past weeks into this little portal to my world. I have experienced a range of emotions. Having been happy, sad, ecstatic, angry, annoyed, overjoyed, etc... These last two and a half weeks have been the most rewarding. Having learned to survive while waiting for bank transfers on less than $5 a day and making the most of it. Walking the streets of Copenhagen when money was scarce and hanging out at a residence called Holger Danske with the Poles Karol and Filip, Marianne and Cristina from Norway, Justus and Roman from Germany, Mèlanie from France, David from Amsterdam, and of course the fabulous Tuesday night dinners with Brandon and Vaughan.
It's hard to encapsulate all the memories and friends that I have made in mere words on a webpage but everyone of those people has a special place. For instance on Wednesday night we decided to check out a little bar on the bank of the canal we heard about from David who had visited it with his girlfriend the week prior. Just as we are leaving we realized we were short one bike because the one I had been using had a flat tire. So we grabbed a spare that the Polish guys had left upon their departure but the chain fell off shortly after leaving. In a showing of solidarity everyone waited on me for about 30 minutes as Cristina decided to fix the bike she will be using for the next 2 years while attending the MBA here in Copenhagen. I chipped in on the 100 kroner cost since I get to use the bike until I leave. However, everyone decided to wait until I could make it even though it was getting late.
Finally the bike was fixed and we were on our way. We trekked across the city to Cristiania and beyond. Moving towards an old abandoned set of industrial buildings as we wound towards this place called Halvandet. David knew the way but we were all skeptical as we moved through this urban jungle wondering how this bar even existed. Then as if an Oasis in the desert of abandoned buildings we arrived a beach bar located on an old canal inlet used for shipping docks. We parked our bikes and strolled through the sand and found a packed bar open air bar complete with beds, tables, a volleyball court, sand soccer, and of course a spectacular view of Copenhagen.
We drank beers, lounged, talked about life, played some volleyball and soccer enjoying the new friendships we had created. It was absolutely fabulous. So fabulous in fact that we decided to return the following night for Cristina's Copenhagen birthday. Although it's hard to repeat a fun, rare night of beautiful weather and friends it turned out perfect. We had some dinner, which was expensive but I figured that I had been very frugal all summer long and I could manage one or two nights of R&R. After last night we headed to a farewell party at one of the dorms and even though we are at the final leg of this program I am still meeting new friends and faces.
There are always ups and downs in life and sometimes when you are living abroad they can be magnified. However, the people that I have met exemplify why, with all the problems in the world, there is still hope for humanity. Building lasting friendships across borders and cultures is one of the most amazing experiences. Maybe the world would be a little better if everyone got outside their comfort zone and learned a little bit about the neighbors past the fences. I look forward to seeing Prague, Warsaw, etc... but I must admit that I am already feeling a little sentimental for the great friends I will be saying goodbye to next week.
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