Beautiful, Sunshine-y Denmark

Right now, I am sitting outside, in the wonderful Danish sunshine- life is good. I'm behind in blogging still (obviously)- but what's new? I'll pick up where I left off, after the Czech Republic. And then I promise, not more long, boring, let-me-tell-you-everything I did posts. This one is necessary though.

When I got home from the Czech Republic on Good Friday, a mere 5 days after I left, Denmark was a

sunshineeee.. hello, henrik

 COMPLETELY different place. It was GREEN, SUNNY, and HOT! I barely even recognized the country I had left! It was a welcome change though; I don't miss the clouds, darkness, and cold even a little. There were leaves on the trees, and it was about 20-22º C all weekend- read (68-72º F), which was significantly hotter than at home in CT or PA. :)

Easter lunch :)

Henrik, my awesome host dad, picked me up from the bus, and we headed back home. Henrik's brother, his wife Camille, their two kids, and their dog were all staying with us for Easter weekend, so it was definitely a full house. When you add in Kristina and Pernille, who spent some of the weekend with us, and Kristina's little dog,

Søs and I  

all the dogs!

Bella, there were 10 people and 3 dogs, all under one roof! It was a wonderful weekend, though, full of good food, friends and family, hygge, and lot's of sunshine. We spent almost all of our time outside, whether it was eating big Easter lunches on Saturday and Sunday, lying on cushions in

Mads and cousins

the grass, soaking up the sun, playing a makeshift game of volleyball over a row of small trees and bushes in the backyard, kicking around a soccer ball, going for a walk with the dogs (gå en tur), or just hanging out together. I love being able to spend time with my host family, and to get an inside look at Danish family life, and how they celebrate. It was the perfect weekend.

Tivoli!

But in Denmark, Easter isn't just the weekend. Danes generally get 5 days off for Easter, from Thursday until Monday, so we all had the day off Monday. We

beautiful Tivoli gardens

 woke up, said goodbye to our guests, cleaned up around the house, and headed off to the much awaited TIVOLI! In case you don't know, Tivoli is Denmark's most famous amusement park and gardens, located right in the heart of Copenhagen. It's closed from the end of summer until Christmastime, and then from after Christmas until April, so the gates, which I walk by every day going from Copenhagen Central Station to classes, had been closed for the entirety of my stay in Denmark.

Søs, Pernille, and I

However, over spring break,

HIGH swings!

Tivoli had opened for the season, so Henrik, Søs, Mads, Pernille, and I all headed there on a beautiful Easter Monday, still warm and sunny. We got wristbands to go on all the rides, and set right to it. I definitely experienced the best of Tivoli. It was crowded, but lines (for the most part, I'll get back to this point) weren't too long, and we were able to go on all the rides we wanted to. Roller coasters, bumper cars, a swing ride that was RIDICULOUSLY high up (with a great view of the city!), a small ferris wheel, a ride through H.C. Anderson's stories, a spinning ride- we pretty much did it all, with the exception of the really tall ride that drops you down (but I was more than okay to have missed it- not crazy about the feeling of leaving my stomach on top of the ride), and we got ice cream, too- yum!

line for Vertigo

We got there around 3pm and stayed until it got dark (and chilly). When Pernille went back to listen to the end of an all-day gospel concert, and Søs and Henrik went to get jackets from the car, Mads and I decided to wait in the EXTREMELY slow-moving line (only 4 people went at a time, so it took forever) for a ride called "Vertigo", which might have been one of the craziest rides I have

Vertigo

 ever been on. It's hard to explain, but basically you are in an airplane that spins around sideways, so you are turning upside down. At the same time, the airplane is also spinning you in huge circles, either forwards or backwards. During the "turbo" period of the ride, you feel a force of 5.2 Gs, and it goes up to a speed of 100 kmph, or over 60 mph, according to a site I found. It was crazy, very disorienting since you are going so fast and spinning so many different ways- I couldn't really tell what was up and what was down, which was good in keeping me from getting dizzy or feeling sick. It was definitely worth the wait (at least once)!

hello there :)

Then we went over to the concert area and heard the last group while eating our sandwiches. Denmark is such a small community, compared to the US- my host mom casually told me that she used to babysit for one of the performers on stage! The person who won X-Factor (their version of American Idol) 3 years ago went to their church. In the US, usually knowing someone famous is a little more disconnected, for the most part, I think. Then we walked around to see all of the lights. By that time, it was less crowded, so we went on a few more rides, including the aforementioned ferris wheel, which offered a modest (it was a small ride), but beautiful, view of the Copenhagen sky line and setting sun. It was chilly by this time, so naturally the ride operator gave us fleece blankets to stay warm- ONLY IN DENMARK :) ! Finally we left and went home, capping off a great night at the end of a great weekend.