Case closed, Denmark is the coolest country I have been to in Europe so far. Even better than Ireland. I love Denmark! It's a very cool culture, they are very easy going, and everyone has been ridiculously nice to me. I've met so many awesome people since I've been here, I almost don't wanna return back to Ireland. I think the reason I am really loving my Danish experience is because I am actually living it. I'm not just visiting it. For example, I went to London, and Brussels and Amsterdam. But I only went for 2 days to these places and stayed in hotels, bopped around to the touristy sites, etc. It was great, and we saw a lot, but I didn't experience the culture of the place. Now I am here, in Viborg, a city 4 hours train ride from Copenhagen on the main island, and it's awesome. There isn't a whole lot to do, but I'm emersed in the culture. This is the real experience. No American food for breakfast or dinner, hardly any English on the TV, no bud light on tap. It's amazing. I could definitely live here and have no qualms about it. I guess I'll start updating you on the crazy weekend I had...
Friday- On Friday, I lounged around for the day as Pernille and Ben had to work until 5. It was their last day of work until Spring Break. However, they get an hour to an hour and a half off for lunch so I met them at noon just down the street. From there, I met up with them and a bunch of the guys from the animation workshop and we had pizza at this little pizzeria. Ben and Pernille had to help me read the menu since it was all in Danish, and Ben ended up ordering for me because the guy behind the counter may not understand my accent. The pizzas we ordered were awesome. About the size of a small Dominos pizza, these individual pizzas were flatbread. I ordered a favorite, which was a pizza of tomato sauce, cheese, fresh lettuce, fresh tomatos, kebab meat, sour cream. Although, the sour cream tasted like Ranch dressing. Even though nowhere in Europe do they actually use Ranch. In fact, no one knows what the hell it is. So we sat down and ate our pizza, drank our cokes and talked about random things. Eventually we got on the topic of tattoos and people getting sued for dumb ones. Then the America questions started. Basically I told them you can sue and can get sued for everything and anything in the States. They laughed about it and I told them some stories about ridiculous lawsuits that have arose in the States in previous years. Then we talked about the education system. Basically, they go to school for free. The government automatically gives them money to go to the University, and they don't have to pay it back. However, they pay about 50% in taxes annually to the government. So half of their salary goes back into the state, which is ridiculous. They then asked me how taxes worked in America and I said it's difficult to explain because it differs case by case. I told them that depending on marital status, kids, income and where you live all factor into it.
After lunch I came back to the house and chilled for a bit. Then Pernille got off work and I met her to go grab some ice cream at this new shop that just opened up downtown. It was freaking amazing. Pernille has a good ice cream sense. This ice cream was so creamy, it basically tasted like Yogurt. I got strawberry and Lemon, which combined just made my day. So we ate our ice cream and took a walk around the city, down to the two huge lakes that they have, and then back to the city. We talked about Viborg and caught up. It was a good time.
After our walk, we decided to stop in for a beer at a small bar across the street from the Cathedral gardens. So we walked in, and it was decently crowded. Immediately however, some big dude walks up to me, I feel an arm go around my shoulders, and there is a big kiss planted on my cheek. What the hell is going on? Then there are three guys talking crazy Danish, I'm trying to get Pernille to save me, and finally this guy walks away from me. Then, his old bald friend comes up to me and attempts to hit on me and hook me up with his friend. I was like dude, get away from me, this is weird. Figures this would happen to me at my first bar in Denmark. So the guy finally leaves me alone. However, the one drunken babboon starts talking to Pernille and I, but he didn't know English very well so he had to ask Pernille to translate. However, as we stood there and drank our beers, the guy who kissed me walks over to me again, runs his hand down my beard and says 'Nice beard Santa Claus.' Haha, at this point I'm like Pernille, are we at a gay bar? She laughed and said no. Apparently, there are 3 regulars who come in and get drunk, and two of them try to hit on guys. Soon after my beard was molested, the bald guy bought a drink for some guys my age across the bar from us and then went over and started harrassing them. Eventually, these three were kicked out. It was funny as shit but really awkward. Oh well, shit happens.
So after I was sexually assaulted by two middle aged guys at the bar, we returned home and ate dinner. On Friday night there was a pub or party at school so we were going to be going to that later on. We were planning on having people over before hand, but no one ever showed. Haha, so Ben, Pernille and I just sat in and chilled before we left. We went to the pub around 11. We got there and I immediately felt out of place. A lot of eccentric dressers and stylish looking people. So we had to bartend from 11 to 1. All they were serving was beer and wine. Easy enough. However, as people started crowding the bar and speaking in Danish, I was starting to panic. I then had to explain I was American, got the beer, and then gave it to them. However, the money was the next issue. Their coins are hard to figure out, so I had trouble making change at first. I had to keep asking Pernille how much each coin was. And our change drawer was just a big pile of change, so I didn't even know how many coins they normally use. However, I started getting good. But then, some kid behind the counter with me tried to open a bottle of red wine and splashed it all over my baby blue long sleeve. So, that was a crisis. I wasn't even that mad, it was kinda funny. So Ben and I took it to the kitchen and tried to clean it off best we could, and then decided to save it for the weekend. So I returned and bartended my ass off. Mike was there and was giving me a hard time about not making shots, but he's a cool dude and we were just making fun of each other. Then he told me he loves the show Eastbound and Down and I flipped out. We quoted that show for probably an hour as I served people. It's funny how people across the world end up liking random American TV.
Friday night Mike also taught me about 'Yendalo.' Basically, this is a way for the Danish people to keep people from becoming arrogant assholes. Wish we had it in America. Basically, everyone in Denmark follows it. Basically the jist of it is, if someone is gloating about something, you are to act like you don't care or that they are being an asshole. So for example...
Guy 1- Yeah, so basically I am the man at work and just got a promotion. So yeah, like I'm gonna make 100,000£ a year now.
Guy 2- I don't care how much you make. A lot of people make that much, and even more.
or
Guy 1- Yeah, so I just got a decked out xbox360, so sweet. Ton of games, wireless controllers, the works.
Guy 2- Oh, I got a decked out PS3. Got like 10 games with it, more controllers than I need, and it cost less so.
That's Yendalo. The Danes hate cocky people. So basically, the Danish people would hate most Ivy League students, and everyone who works in Washington DC.
Friday night or Saturday morning I should say, we returned to the apartment at around 4am and then went to bed. I ended up bartending the entire time, which was awesome. It's the best way to meet people. By the end of the night people were toasting with me and what not. It was great.
Saturday- On Saturday we went to Pernille's home town to eat a traditional Danish Easter feast with her family. Her Dad picked us up around noon and we set off to Randers. It took us about 45 minutes to get there. On the way, Pernille's father and I discussed stupid lawsuits in America and other dumb things America does. Usually talking about stupid things we do makes other people laugh, so it's an easy conversation starter. Haha, but we weren't busting on the US. Just busting on the people in the US who try to work the system with dumb lawsuits.
Once we got to Randers we got to walk around the town for a bit. It was a nice small town, not very big. But it was cool nonetheless. Pernille showed me these old buildings that had ancient stories attached to them. This one building was still standing from the days of the Vikings. It's a restaurant now. However there was a story about a Viking, and this building, and the building almost burned down but some window was open so it didn't. It was complicated. Anyway, since this story, for hundreds of years, that building has a window at the top of it that stays open. It's just left open forever. They have put chicken wire up to prevent birds from flyin in, but it's open. The folklore was that if the window is left open, it could never ever burn down. So there you have it.
After that we were picked up by Pernille's Dad again and taken to Pernille's house. There we walked into what was a very awesome and sleek European house. All hardwood floors, modern art on the walls, a black and white marble bathroom with a heated floor! A brand new very sleek steel and black kitchen. It was awesome. I got to see her Dad obviously, her Mom, her brother and his girlfriend. We had a traditional Danish Easter feast. We started at around 2 and ended at around 7. So a 5 hour meal. However, it isn't like America where we make a ton of food, pile it on our plates and then wolf it down in 10 to 15 minutes. These are small portions, served over many hours so you can enjoy conversation and eat the whole meal. The whole meal is served on rye bread, but there are different toppings every course. The first course was raw heron with some kind of pickled sauce. Then there was baked heron and tuna salad. The next course there was more breaded and cooked fish. The next course was basically a chicken pot pie, (the kind that has the covering over it with the vegetables) without the lid on top. Freakin amazing. Then we had Danish meatballs, bacon, liver paste and hard boiled eggs and vegetables. After that, it was crackers, cheese, fruit and chocolate. The entire meal we kept taking shots of schnapps. It was created by the Danes and they are known for their good schnapps so we were taking them throughout the entire meal. Schnapps is awesome. The whole meal was fantastic. Her parents were great. I had long conversations about tons of different things with her Dad and Ben. He even asked Pernille in advance what type of music I liked, she said rap, and so halfway through dinner he put in a Danish rap CD. Just outstandingly nice people. The greatest hosts. It was amazing.
After dinner Pernille's brother dropped us off back at the apartment. We watched the Danish X-Factor finale and then Ben's brother and friend came over. Ben's brother is hilarious, Jakub. We sat around and drank cider and beer for awhile. Then Mike came over and we decided to go out to this bar called Crazy Daisy. Apparently it's a bar for all the younger crowd, like the 18 year olds. But it was really all that Viborg had. So we went. I had a great time. It was your standard European bar/club. There was a huge bar and then a dance floor and different tiers. They just played a ton of techno the whole time and had strobe lights and what not going on. I sat at the bar the entire time and just laughed at the guys dancing. It was comical. These dudes with way too much hair gel and shirts from the baby gap dancing hardcore to techno. Ah, what a site. Oh, they did play two American songs. They played, "Eve's that girl" and "Hey Ya" by Outkast. Hahaha.
I didn't even realize what time it was, but with the clocks springing forward, we didn't get into the apartment until 6am.
Sunday- Sunday was great. Pernille had to go finish up some animation work, so Ben invited Jakub over and we watched half of the fifth season of Scrubs. Never watched it much at home, now I am addicted. Ben made this slammin pizza, so we just chilled, watched Scrubs and ate pizza.
Later on Pernille returned, we ate a little something, and then she went to work at the movie theater. So, Ben and I watched more Scrubs and then went to the movie theater to meet her. Since she works there, the three of us paid for one ticket and we went to see the Green Zone with Matt Damon. It was basically the Bourne series in Iraq. Hope I didn't spoil anything.
After that we went to Jakub's apartment to hang out for a bit. It was me, Pernille, Ben, Jakub, their sisters boyfriend Allan, their house mates and a couple other guys. We just drank some beers and hung out for the night. I ended up talking to this cool dude named Peter for most of the night. This dude was like 7 foot! He was talking to me about America, Denmark, the price of things, etc. It was awesome, he was a cool dude. He's also in the animation school. He's also hilarious because he works part time as a nude model for drawing classes. Furthermore, he is partially my hero. He doesn't have a girlfriend anymore, but he did as of a couple weeks ago. He like sculpture, so he somehow convinced her last year to let him make a mold of her boobs. She let him. He still has the mold. I don't even know what to say about that. Awesome? I don't even think that justifies it.
After we got back, Ben and I attempted to watch two episodes of Scrubs and ate cold pizza. What a night.
Monday- Monday, I kinda forget what happened. I know that Ben went in to work on his animation a little bit, so Pernille and I hit up the city. She showed me around and what not. We got to go into their ridiculously old church and monastery, and then we eventually met up with Ben. Then we went to a bakery and bought a bunch of Danish pastries, came back to the apartment, ate lunch and then ate pastries. In the evening I cannot really remember what we did. OH I remember now! Monday night we watched this movie called Ondskab. It was in Swedish so I had to read the subtitles, but it was really good. Basically a movie about this kid in the 1940s who goes to a boarding school, gets picked on by the upperclassmen, and then beats the shit out of them all. It was awesome. If you can find it, I recommend it. It was nominated for an Oscar the year it was released. After that we decided to watch the Heart Locker. Pretty good flick but didn't really realize why it was nominated for an Oscar in best picture?
Tuesday- Tuesday I was at home by myself for a little bit. Pernille had to work and Ben had to go to the DMV to get stuff taken care of with his license since he was the one driving to Copenhagen on Wednesday. Once they returned we had lunch and then Ben had to leave later that evening to go pick up the car at Pernille's house. So Pernille and I watched Scrubs and she cooked dinner. Then Ben got back, we ate, watched Scrubs and chilled. Then Pernille's friends came over to watch TV so Ben and I went to this bar and watched the Bayern Munich and Manchester United match. Great game. Bayern Munich scored to win in stoppage time in the 2nd half! It was awesome. After that we came back and the girls were still watching TV on the projector. So Ben and I watched Danish TV for a bit until we all decided to go to bed.
Wednesday- Wednesday we got up and left for Copenhagen in the morning. However, we didn't drive straight through. First we stopped off at Pernille's friends house in Arhus, the second largest city in Denmark. It was a cool city. Felt a lot like a cross between Philly and Harrisburg in terms of size. But it was a very busy place. Much busier than Viborg. We walked around and I saw the sites of the city for a bit. Then the girls bought groceries and Ben and I went to the bus station to pick up Jakub. Then we went back to her friends place and had lunch and then left for Copenhagen. I fell asleep on the ride, and when I woke up we were over water. And we stayed on a bridge over water for about 10 minutes. It was the connecting bridge for the main island to the smaller ones. We stopped off at a rest station to get some food. I was surprised to find hardcore porno DVDs amongst the candy section. That was interesting. We all got chocolate milks and then bounced.
We finally arrived at Ben's parents place outside of Copenhagen. It was this awesome apartment in these really cool European block style apartment buildings next to this lake. It was really cool. We just stayed in and chilled for the night then.
Okay, I'm tired so I will update on Copenhagen Thursday and Friday tomorrow.
Goodnight!
Thanks for getting on my ass about this Milan. Shout out.
25 March 2010
Danmark!!!
Velkommen, Velkommen to Danmark! Ahhhh yes, Denmark, and awesome country. I guess I should update you guys about my trip thus far. I'm in night 2 but already so much has happened!
Ok, so my travels started on Wednesday morning at 330am. Sorry for the lack of punctuation by the way, but I'm on a Danish laptop and I can't find a lot of the keys. Haha. Okay, anyway, so I get up at 330 yesterday and took the 4am bus to Dublin. That way I didn't have to sit around in the airport and wait for hours. I got to Dublin around 8 and had 50 minutes to kill before they started checking you in for the flight. So, I went to the cafe upstairs and got a bagel with creamcheese and bacon. It was better than it sounds. After playing on my laptop and eating it was time to check in. I checked in, got through security and finally did not beep! I was pumped. I was basically naked walking through the medal detector because i refused to get beeped. After I passed customs, I went to my gate and just chilled until it boarded.
I flew Norweigen Air which was really nice. Everything was blue and red to symoblise the flags of the Scandonavian countries. I got an eisle seat right behind the exit so I could have leg room, and slept for most of the flight. It was raining in Dublin when we took off so there wasn't a whole lot to see. Everything they were saying over the intercom system was Danish so I couldn't understand a word of it. Even the safety video. The flight was smooth though. Took 2 hours, and I flew into the future so I got there at 230ish. The flight was late so we got in later than expected. Flying over Denmark when we landed was awesome though. You could see how the whole country is seperated into islands. It was really cool. Once I got off the plane I tried to follow all the Danish signs and eventually came to a main holding area. I asked literally 4 people how to get train tickets, where to find an ATM, and how to get to the train boarding area. They were all very nice and helpful though, thank God.
I found the train ticket machines and tried to purchase one to Viborg (veeborg) where Pernille lives. However, I was very taken back when the total price said 336 Kroners. I was like holy shit, this means nothing to me. So I went and exchanged my 20 Euro for some kroners. I got 100 Kroners back. So, I took out 1,000 Kroners which will hopefully last me my stay here. After I bought my ticket, I was told that I just missed the 250 train and I would have to take the 350. So I had an hour to kill, so I decided to grab a Danish sausage and a coke from this little stand in the airport. It cost me 26 kroners, and it was amazing. Apparently one of the most traditional Danish meals is a Danish sausage with everything on it. It was this looooong sausage in this tiny bun. It looked ridiculous, yea, make some sexual jokes.....Okay, good now_ That is where the question mark is on my laptop, but on here it's _ So, sorry about the underscore. Anyway, I got almost the works. I got spicy mustard and ketchup, with fresh onions. However, they also put pickles on it too, but I wasn't in a pickle mood. It was amazing. It was crispy and crunchy on the outside, had like a crust, and the inside was like a hot dog. It was the best phaelic looking food i think I've had. Except for a Pats Cheesesteak of course. But this was awesome. And the Coke, the best I've ever had. It's true, Coke is different in every country. In Ireland it's sweet and less carbonated. In London it was a bit more bitter. In the Netherlands it was a kinda bitter and unfizzy. But here, it Coke, take a Dr. Pepper, pour them in a glass together. That's Coke in Denmark.
After my awesome feast, I went to the platform and waited for my train. It came at 350, right on the dot. However, the train is linked by car, and the train breaks off and goes to different places depending on which car you go to. I had to go to Viborg via Langa. So the train came and I looked at the computer screen that tells you which car to enter. On the platform there are letters every 50 yards. I was to be down in car B, and I was at D. I had to run with all my stuff down to B. In the process I dropped my phone and the back busted open, so my phone, battery and back are laying all over the platform. I had to stop mid sprint and pick those up, but I made it. Then once on I wasn't sure I was right so I asked a young lady if she could help me and she did. She asked where I was from and talked to me about my trip, and then wished me luck in Denmark. The train ride was 4 hours through the Danish countryside, and I got to sit by myself in a booth so that was nice. Denmark looks like PA. Rolling hills, farms, forests. It's gorgeous. Viborg is on the main island part of Denmark. Copenhagen is more toward Sweden, on an island off to the right of Denmark. So I got to cross over the huge bodies of water to get to the mainland. It was really cool. It was like taking a train over an ocean. Water everywhere, really neat. And you felt like you were traveling between islands.
I finally made it to Viborg and was greeted at the train stop by Pernille and her boyfriend Benjamin. It was so great to see her, and to meet Ben! I can't believe I'm actually in Denmark. We always joked about it and now it's a reality. So it's great! Last night we got in and we had some Danish beers and Pernille made us dinner. We had salad and chicken in some type of creamy sauce. It was really good whatever it was. So we caught up and I got to meet Benjamin. He's a great guy. Really down to earth and nice. We talked and talked. Then at 10 Pernille watched this show called Paradise Hotel, a Danish version of temptation island. Ben showed me some animation stuff on the computer. Then we got bored and joined her watching the show. They tried to translate it for me. But it was good even without the translation. There are no censors on Danish tv so on this reality tv show, they are just showing people having sex and boobs here and there. Haha, gotta love Europe. After that Sex and the City came on. In English. Ben and I were making fun of it, and then we ended up watching the entire episode. And here, they swear in the show. Like full out cuss words. It was great. After that the two of them went to bed and I stayed up to talk to Em quick and do my fantasy baseball draft. My team is stacked. My pitching alone is amazing. I got Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay. Golden.
This morning I woke up at 930. Pernille told me Danish cuisine is known for its open faced sandwiches and rhye bread. So she said eat some for breakfast. So I did. I had rhye bread with butter and watched Oprah. Also of note, rhye bread here is 10000 times better. It's very grainy and has a lot more flavor. Almost like pumpernickel. After I ate I got a shower, got ready for the day, and then I watched Dr. Phil until Ben and Pernille returned from class. When they got home Ben made a spread for us. Only, it was an open face sandwich spread. So we each got two pieces of rhye bread, and then we had to choose from liver paste, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, hardboiled eggs, mayo, ketchup and some type of fish in a ketchupy type paste. I'm down for trying anything in the food world so I followed their lead, because although you can mix whatever you want, certain stuff is just gross together, and they will tell you if it is. So on one piece I ate liverpaste with sliced cucumbers. The other piece I split in half. On one side I had a half of a hard boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, onion, mayo salt and pepper. On the other I had the fish, cucumber, onion and mayo. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was willing to try it. AMAZING. Friggin fantastic. I want this food everyday. I mean, Denmark is known for their open faced sandwiches. Ben told me the liver paste and cucumber is the most famous one in all of Denmark, the most traditional. They were so insanely good. But they are messy so you have to eat them with a fork. Damn, this is another Euro food craving I know I'm going to have when I get home.
After lunch they took me to their school just ten minutes walk up the road. Today, it was gorgeous. Probably around 60, and sunny. The first true day of Spring here they said. So I am lucking out weather wise. However, they want it to rain because there is sand everywhere. They spread sand when it snows and it hasn't washed away yet because they haven't had rain in awhile. Anyway, the two go to an animation school here in Viborg. It's the most elite one in Denmark. Currently they are both in their last year and they are working on their final project. There is a group of 8 of them working on a movie called, Bjorn. It originally was going to be called 'Toke' named after a famous viking, but they found out toke means to smoke weed in America and they changed it. Haha. So the movie Bjorn is a short animation film about a great viking who defeats everyone and wants to live with the Viking gods. However, in order to do so, you must be defeated. If you aren't defeated, and you just die, you go to hell, which is really boring. So he goes out in search of someone to defeat him. He runs into many opponents and they always end up killing themselves in very humerous ways. Bjorn grows sad, and then finally one day he encounters a huge monster that finally kills him. He then goes to the afterlife with the Gods and is greeted with spears and axes and a torch etc. However, all of the sudden everything vanishes and he finds that he has wings and a halo. He was sent to heaven, and ends up being bored for eternity. It was really funny, and the animation looks amazing. Pernille is working on backgrounds for the movie, and Ben is one of the 3 animators. It was so cool to actually see animation being done. I was in heaven. Pernille showed me all around her school. So many movies being made constantly, 2d, 3d, cgi. It's insane. And the work they do is amazing as well. The story ideas are also brilliant. One groups final project is a 2d film about a superhero who really has to crap but he can't because things always get in the way, like someone needing rescued etc. I got to meet a ton of Danish people, and they were all very cool and very friendly.
After I got the tour I had to leave so Pernille could actually do work, haha. I returned home and chilled for a little bit. Then at 445 I returned back to the school. I was going to play basketball. Ben and some of the guys usually play on Thursday night, but Ben was hurt but still wanted to know if I wanted to play. I said of course. So me and a bunch of Danish guys went to the gym and played 3 hours of basketball. It was awesome. I was the 'American'. I didn't play too well the last hour but I was tired, and they didnt have water fountains in the building. Haha, so that's my excuse. I think I broke my right pinky though. I jammed it hard going for a rebound on someone else hand as they were swiping down and me up. The pinky itself doesnt hurt but where the finger hits the hand, that bone hurts to the point where I can't close my right hand. Eh, I'll get through it. Also, basketball theory here is way different. I was constantly shooting from outside. However, they all drive low to the baseline. Like kids have wide open shots and just choose to pass to someone open underneath. It was crazy to me, coming from a country where everyone is a ball hog just shooting the deep ball constantly.
After bball I returned with Ben and Pernille had cooked dinner. Pasta with chicken sauce and salad. Again, a great meal. And, we got to drink Thor! Which is Pernilles 'Yuengling' as she said. It's brewed in her hometown of Randers (Anders). After dinner we sat there and got out the laptop and discussed music. We laughed about how bad Danish music was, and how european and technoish it was. Ben said that last year they went into a huge throwback 90s techno stage, and everyones music went retro. They even started listening to Kriss Kross again and turned their clothing backwards. Also, the Rednecks, who sang cotton eyed joe, had 4 other songs and they are exactly the same! Literally the exact same beat. Look it up, you'll laugh your ass off. We talked for a good 4 hours about everything while drinking some kind of Danish Easter beer. It tasted like Heineken. Thor was good though. Tasted like Rolling Rock. They are great hosts. I'm so excited to be here.
I also got to hear stories about Ben's younger brother, who works on the sets of movies as some type of electronics specialist. Basically, he knew what he wanted to do, decided to go right into the profession after high school, and is now 21 and could get a job anywhere if he wanted because he's that good. So because he works on movie sets, from time to time he gets to meet actors and celebs. One night the whole cast went to some bar in London and he ended up hitting on Miley Cyrus the entire night. One day, Daniel Radcliff was brought back to meet the production team, and because he is about the same age as Ben's brother, they said, 'Here Daniel, go with this guy.' Ben's brother said it was kinda awkward cause they didn't know what to talk about. So the first thing Ben's brother said was, 'Soooo, you shoulda brought Hermione.' Haha, and also, my favorite story of Ben's brother is when he met Orlando Bloom. One day Orlando was brought back to see the production crew and the behind the scenes of the movie. They brought him back to introduce him to some of the members of the group. When they brought him over to meet Ben's brother he goes, 'Ohhhhh hi, you must be the new intern! Well I'll be your superviser, hi nice to meet you. Okay, let's get started you're gonna be busy today.' Hahaha everyone was like holy crap, you just basically made fun of Orlando Bloom to his face. Haha.
Tomorrow we are meeting for lunch at a pizza place. Ben told me that here pizza comes in like 50 different varieties. The reason for this is because they don't have many italian citizens, so pizza was introduced through the natives here who learned of it from abroad. And then they just started throwing all kinds of stuff all over it. So getting a plain cheese is unheard of here. So that should be fun. Then tomorrow night we are attending a 'pub' at their school. A pub is a word for party, but it just means not as crazy. At a pub you can't serve hard alcohol and you can't have blaring music and dancing. It's so weird, haha. The theme of the party is Easter, Porn Star, Mexican, because no one could decide on one theme. Haha. I don't think I'll be dressing up. The pub starts at like 9 or something, and from 11 until 12 Pernille and I are the bartenders serving drinks! Hahaha I can't wait. I don't even know the currency so this is gonna be interesting. Hopefully I'll get to update tomorrow night. If not, maybe Sunday, because Saturday we are going to Randers to have a big Easter feast with her parents!
Take care everyone! Goodnight!
Ok, so my travels started on Wednesday morning at 330am. Sorry for the lack of punctuation by the way, but I'm on a Danish laptop and I can't find a lot of the keys. Haha. Okay, anyway, so I get up at 330 yesterday and took the 4am bus to Dublin. That way I didn't have to sit around in the airport and wait for hours. I got to Dublin around 8 and had 50 minutes to kill before they started checking you in for the flight. So, I went to the cafe upstairs and got a bagel with creamcheese and bacon. It was better than it sounds. After playing on my laptop and eating it was time to check in. I checked in, got through security and finally did not beep! I was pumped. I was basically naked walking through the medal detector because i refused to get beeped. After I passed customs, I went to my gate and just chilled until it boarded.
I flew Norweigen Air which was really nice. Everything was blue and red to symoblise the flags of the Scandonavian countries. I got an eisle seat right behind the exit so I could have leg room, and slept for most of the flight. It was raining in Dublin when we took off so there wasn't a whole lot to see. Everything they were saying over the intercom system was Danish so I couldn't understand a word of it. Even the safety video. The flight was smooth though. Took 2 hours, and I flew into the future so I got there at 230ish. The flight was late so we got in later than expected. Flying over Denmark when we landed was awesome though. You could see how the whole country is seperated into islands. It was really cool. Once I got off the plane I tried to follow all the Danish signs and eventually came to a main holding area. I asked literally 4 people how to get train tickets, where to find an ATM, and how to get to the train boarding area. They were all very nice and helpful though, thank God.
I found the train ticket machines and tried to purchase one to Viborg (veeborg) where Pernille lives. However, I was very taken back when the total price said 336 Kroners. I was like holy shit, this means nothing to me. So I went and exchanged my 20 Euro for some kroners. I got 100 Kroners back. So, I took out 1,000 Kroners which will hopefully last me my stay here. After I bought my ticket, I was told that I just missed the 250 train and I would have to take the 350. So I had an hour to kill, so I decided to grab a Danish sausage and a coke from this little stand in the airport. It cost me 26 kroners, and it was amazing. Apparently one of the most traditional Danish meals is a Danish sausage with everything on it. It was this looooong sausage in this tiny bun. It looked ridiculous, yea, make some sexual jokes.....Okay, good now_ That is where the question mark is on my laptop, but on here it's _ So, sorry about the underscore. Anyway, I got almost the works. I got spicy mustard and ketchup, with fresh onions. However, they also put pickles on it too, but I wasn't in a pickle mood. It was amazing. It was crispy and crunchy on the outside, had like a crust, and the inside was like a hot dog. It was the best phaelic looking food i think I've had. Except for a Pats Cheesesteak of course. But this was awesome. And the Coke, the best I've ever had. It's true, Coke is different in every country. In Ireland it's sweet and less carbonated. In London it was a bit more bitter. In the Netherlands it was a kinda bitter and unfizzy. But here, it Coke, take a Dr. Pepper, pour them in a glass together. That's Coke in Denmark.
After my awesome feast, I went to the platform and waited for my train. It came at 350, right on the dot. However, the train is linked by car, and the train breaks off and goes to different places depending on which car you go to. I had to go to Viborg via Langa. So the train came and I looked at the computer screen that tells you which car to enter. On the platform there are letters every 50 yards. I was to be down in car B, and I was at D. I had to run with all my stuff down to B. In the process I dropped my phone and the back busted open, so my phone, battery and back are laying all over the platform. I had to stop mid sprint and pick those up, but I made it. Then once on I wasn't sure I was right so I asked a young lady if she could help me and she did. She asked where I was from and talked to me about my trip, and then wished me luck in Denmark. The train ride was 4 hours through the Danish countryside, and I got to sit by myself in a booth so that was nice. Denmark looks like PA. Rolling hills, farms, forests. It's gorgeous. Viborg is on the main island part of Denmark. Copenhagen is more toward Sweden, on an island off to the right of Denmark. So I got to cross over the huge bodies of water to get to the mainland. It was really cool. It was like taking a train over an ocean. Water everywhere, really neat. And you felt like you were traveling between islands.
I finally made it to Viborg and was greeted at the train stop by Pernille and her boyfriend Benjamin. It was so great to see her, and to meet Ben! I can't believe I'm actually in Denmark. We always joked about it and now it's a reality. So it's great! Last night we got in and we had some Danish beers and Pernille made us dinner. We had salad and chicken in some type of creamy sauce. It was really good whatever it was. So we caught up and I got to meet Benjamin. He's a great guy. Really down to earth and nice. We talked and talked. Then at 10 Pernille watched this show called Paradise Hotel, a Danish version of temptation island. Ben showed me some animation stuff on the computer. Then we got bored and joined her watching the show. They tried to translate it for me. But it was good even without the translation. There are no censors on Danish tv so on this reality tv show, they are just showing people having sex and boobs here and there. Haha, gotta love Europe. After that Sex and the City came on. In English. Ben and I were making fun of it, and then we ended up watching the entire episode. And here, they swear in the show. Like full out cuss words. It was great. After that the two of them went to bed and I stayed up to talk to Em quick and do my fantasy baseball draft. My team is stacked. My pitching alone is amazing. I got Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay. Golden.
This morning I woke up at 930. Pernille told me Danish cuisine is known for its open faced sandwiches and rhye bread. So she said eat some for breakfast. So I did. I had rhye bread with butter and watched Oprah. Also of note, rhye bread here is 10000 times better. It's very grainy and has a lot more flavor. Almost like pumpernickel. After I ate I got a shower, got ready for the day, and then I watched Dr. Phil until Ben and Pernille returned from class. When they got home Ben made a spread for us. Only, it was an open face sandwich spread. So we each got two pieces of rhye bread, and then we had to choose from liver paste, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, hardboiled eggs, mayo, ketchup and some type of fish in a ketchupy type paste. I'm down for trying anything in the food world so I followed their lead, because although you can mix whatever you want, certain stuff is just gross together, and they will tell you if it is. So on one piece I ate liverpaste with sliced cucumbers. The other piece I split in half. On one side I had a half of a hard boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, onion, mayo salt and pepper. On the other I had the fish, cucumber, onion and mayo. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was willing to try it. AMAZING. Friggin fantastic. I want this food everyday. I mean, Denmark is known for their open faced sandwiches. Ben told me the liver paste and cucumber is the most famous one in all of Denmark, the most traditional. They were so insanely good. But they are messy so you have to eat them with a fork. Damn, this is another Euro food craving I know I'm going to have when I get home.
After lunch they took me to their school just ten minutes walk up the road. Today, it was gorgeous. Probably around 60, and sunny. The first true day of Spring here they said. So I am lucking out weather wise. However, they want it to rain because there is sand everywhere. They spread sand when it snows and it hasn't washed away yet because they haven't had rain in awhile. Anyway, the two go to an animation school here in Viborg. It's the most elite one in Denmark. Currently they are both in their last year and they are working on their final project. There is a group of 8 of them working on a movie called, Bjorn. It originally was going to be called 'Toke' named after a famous viking, but they found out toke means to smoke weed in America and they changed it. Haha. So the movie Bjorn is a short animation film about a great viking who defeats everyone and wants to live with the Viking gods. However, in order to do so, you must be defeated. If you aren't defeated, and you just die, you go to hell, which is really boring. So he goes out in search of someone to defeat him. He runs into many opponents and they always end up killing themselves in very humerous ways. Bjorn grows sad, and then finally one day he encounters a huge monster that finally kills him. He then goes to the afterlife with the Gods and is greeted with spears and axes and a torch etc. However, all of the sudden everything vanishes and he finds that he has wings and a halo. He was sent to heaven, and ends up being bored for eternity. It was really funny, and the animation looks amazing. Pernille is working on backgrounds for the movie, and Ben is one of the 3 animators. It was so cool to actually see animation being done. I was in heaven. Pernille showed me all around her school. So many movies being made constantly, 2d, 3d, cgi. It's insane. And the work they do is amazing as well. The story ideas are also brilliant. One groups final project is a 2d film about a superhero who really has to crap but he can't because things always get in the way, like someone needing rescued etc. I got to meet a ton of Danish people, and they were all very cool and very friendly.
After I got the tour I had to leave so Pernille could actually do work, haha. I returned home and chilled for a little bit. Then at 445 I returned back to the school. I was going to play basketball. Ben and some of the guys usually play on Thursday night, but Ben was hurt but still wanted to know if I wanted to play. I said of course. So me and a bunch of Danish guys went to the gym and played 3 hours of basketball. It was awesome. I was the 'American'. I didn't play too well the last hour but I was tired, and they didnt have water fountains in the building. Haha, so that's my excuse. I think I broke my right pinky though. I jammed it hard going for a rebound on someone else hand as they were swiping down and me up. The pinky itself doesnt hurt but where the finger hits the hand, that bone hurts to the point where I can't close my right hand. Eh, I'll get through it. Also, basketball theory here is way different. I was constantly shooting from outside. However, they all drive low to the baseline. Like kids have wide open shots and just choose to pass to someone open underneath. It was crazy to me, coming from a country where everyone is a ball hog just shooting the deep ball constantly.
After bball I returned with Ben and Pernille had cooked dinner. Pasta with chicken sauce and salad. Again, a great meal. And, we got to drink Thor! Which is Pernilles 'Yuengling' as she said. It's brewed in her hometown of Randers (Anders). After dinner we sat there and got out the laptop and discussed music. We laughed about how bad Danish music was, and how european and technoish it was. Ben said that last year they went into a huge throwback 90s techno stage, and everyones music went retro. They even started listening to Kriss Kross again and turned their clothing backwards. Also, the Rednecks, who sang cotton eyed joe, had 4 other songs and they are exactly the same! Literally the exact same beat. Look it up, you'll laugh your ass off. We talked for a good 4 hours about everything while drinking some kind of Danish Easter beer. It tasted like Heineken. Thor was good though. Tasted like Rolling Rock. They are great hosts. I'm so excited to be here.
I also got to hear stories about Ben's younger brother, who works on the sets of movies as some type of electronics specialist. Basically, he knew what he wanted to do, decided to go right into the profession after high school, and is now 21 and could get a job anywhere if he wanted because he's that good. So because he works on movie sets, from time to time he gets to meet actors and celebs. One night the whole cast went to some bar in London and he ended up hitting on Miley Cyrus the entire night. One day, Daniel Radcliff was brought back to meet the production team, and because he is about the same age as Ben's brother, they said, 'Here Daniel, go with this guy.' Ben's brother said it was kinda awkward cause they didn't know what to talk about. So the first thing Ben's brother said was, 'Soooo, you shoulda brought Hermione.' Haha, and also, my favorite story of Ben's brother is when he met Orlando Bloom. One day Orlando was brought back to see the production crew and the behind the scenes of the movie. They brought him back to introduce him to some of the members of the group. When they brought him over to meet Ben's brother he goes, 'Ohhhhh hi, you must be the new intern! Well I'll be your superviser, hi nice to meet you. Okay, let's get started you're gonna be busy today.' Hahaha everyone was like holy crap, you just basically made fun of Orlando Bloom to his face. Haha.
Tomorrow we are meeting for lunch at a pizza place. Ben told me that here pizza comes in like 50 different varieties. The reason for this is because they don't have many italian citizens, so pizza was introduced through the natives here who learned of it from abroad. And then they just started throwing all kinds of stuff all over it. So getting a plain cheese is unheard of here. So that should be fun. Then tomorrow night we are attending a 'pub' at their school. A pub is a word for party, but it just means not as crazy. At a pub you can't serve hard alcohol and you can't have blaring music and dancing. It's so weird, haha. The theme of the party is Easter, Porn Star, Mexican, because no one could decide on one theme. Haha. I don't think I'll be dressing up. The pub starts at like 9 or something, and from 11 until 12 Pernille and I are the bartenders serving drinks! Hahaha I can't wait. I don't even know the currency so this is gonna be interesting. Hopefully I'll get to update tomorrow night. If not, maybe Sunday, because Saturday we are going to Randers to have a big Easter feast with her parents!
Take care everyone! Goodnight!
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