then and now

Well, it's hard to believe that I am here at the Copenhagen airport waiting to board my return flight to Seattle. These past 5 months have gone so fast that it really doesn't feel right to be leaving already. I do plan to write several more posts in the future on some topics I haven't covered yet when I return, on some of my observations about places I traveled, about urban planning, and about the experience on a personal level. 

For now I will just say that it has been a truly incredible experience and I never could have hoped for everything to work out so well - I had amazing roommates (and a huge room!), an extremely fun project group that I really grew close to and shared so many laughs with, and many other classmates and friends along the way, as well as the chance to visit Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Czech Rep, and Germany, to show Aalborg and Copenhagen to my family, and so much more. I have had so much amazing fortune in all of my life so far, and this experience has been one more piece of the puzzle that has helped to shaped me as a (hopefully continually) growing person.

I'm sorry I don't have a better version of this link, but it's a scene from Paris je t'aime that my mom  sent me a while ago. I felt that I had one of these moments on my recent trip, sitting in a cozy cafe in Berlin, a huge city in a country I'd never been to, all by myself. Outside were snow-covered bicycles and the bustle of a big city. I truly felt the sentiment she describes here (though I hope I could do it with a better french accent...) of feeling very alone, but also more alive than ever; a feeling and confidence that I hope will remain with me for a long time.

I feel like now I have to deal with a lot of change yet again - I remember crying the entire flight from Seattle to Iceland in August, and the return journey won't be much easier. It is always hard to leave people and places that you love, especially when you know that though the people will always be in your life, it will never be the same as it was when you left. I'm always reminded of the day I left pomona and I saw that Jordan M-Z had written a quote from the grateful dead on the whiteboard of his room: "Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there". Though it was short, I'm so so glad that I came.

At least I can be thankful that I have really great friends wherever I go to welcome me back when I come home, and new friends that will welcome me to their homes wherever I go next.

Thanks to all of you that have been following along on this adventure!

Leaving seattle in August.

 Departing from Copenhagen... today

back to bree

Thanks to the lovells for the guest post!

I have a lot to update on in the time since then - taking and passing our final exam, filling the remaining days with last minute shopping, last aalborg tourism moments, last group activities, and of course some (actually a lot....) of celebrating. Mixed in with the fun, unfortunately, were also some hard goodbyes.

Now I am on a short short trip from Aalborg to Prague, Prague to Berlin, Berlin to Hamburg, and then back to Aalborg before my flight on the 6th. So far it has been really incredible, but of course because of the time constraints much much too short. I'm looking at more as a "scoping" trip to see how long I'll need to come back and really see more of Czech Rep and Germany. Since my train to Hamburg leaves in an hour, I will sign off for now. But if it has wireless, I hope to post some pictures!

And by the way Europe is having a "cold freeze" right now - no better way to see a city than in 20 degree weather! At least no better way to see a city's cafés...

<3 bree

Guest Post: Seven Days in Denmark

I'm so happy to introduce a guest post from the Lovells on their recent trip! Hope you like it and feel free to leave a comment!


With just seven days to enjoy Denmark with our “Lovell-y” daughters in the thick of winter, we kept it moving.  It was a joyful moment when Briana realized that the girl she noticed walking by in the baggage claim area of the Aalborg airport not only looked a lot like Myra, but was Myra!   Yes, it’s fine with us to imagine that her vision of what a  week together would bring was instantly elevated to a higher level.  Palling around with the “rents” and Myzee – looking good!  Our corner room at the somewhat dated Park Hotel was everything we needed – including a view down the quaint street to Briana’s corner room just a couple of blocks away.  Bree hosted a warm and welcoming happy hour in her sweet room which we followed up with a delicious meal in town – the first of many truly outstanding meals in Denmark.  Aalborg was a delightful small town full of beautiful old buildings, nice parks, huge fjord, pedestrian streets, great cafes and last but not least, a lot of nice local brew!  Though cold outside, the Danish “hygge” (like coziness) was forever present inside – think warm, tasteful Danish design and LOTS of candles that burned not only at night, but all day, every day, everywhere.  Yep, I’m going to candle up for sure.  Seeing Aalborg, seeing the life Briana had created for herself there in Aalborg, walking on the beach at the most northern tip of Denmark, enjoying the local scene ... all highlights of the first few days. 

We took the train to Copenhagen and spent the last few days there.  What a beautiful city FULL of people on bikes!!!!!   Whoa ... bikes everywhere!  Even more than I remember seeing in Amsterdam.  Not like here, where people are clad in rain wear, helmets, neon etc.  Just ordinary people dressed in mostly black outfits (along with some fancy boots and high heels) getting to and from home, work, shopping etc. on very ordinary bikes.  Certainly makes me realize that though Portland may be a “biking” city by U.S. standards,  we are not even on the charts compared to Copenhagen.  We joined the fray of cyclists and rode out of the city center to the Bella Sky hotel – part of a redevelopment zone.  By redevelopment zone, we’re talking about some of the most wild and contemporary architecture you can imagine.  Unbelievable!  Check it out if you want:http://inhabitat.com/denmarks-new-bella-sky-hotel-boasts-a-stunning-green-interior/ We also had the pleasure of two evenings with “cousin Ida” (mentioned in Briana’s earlier posts) - a thoroughly delightful cousin of our friend Ingrid.  She was most welcoming and made visiting Copenhagen feel really special.

It’s hard to summarize a fun-filled week in just a few paragraphs.  I’ve never written on a blog before, so I hope it isn’t too long or boring!  We had a fantastic visit in Denmark with Bree and Myra.  The outside temp was pretty cold, but the warmth of our time together more than made up for it.  We loved it.  We totally loved it.

Surprise!

Well as some of you may know, there was a special surprise about my parent's visit this past week - it also included my sister! It was a very well-executed surprise and certainly made the visit even more special. It's been quite a while since our whole family has taken a trip anywhere all together, and it turns out that it's really a lot of fun. I had just been emailing with Myra about what she was doing for the three day weekend and so on, and was under the impression that she didn't have enough vacation at her new job to make the trip. When I went to the airport to meet my parents, I waved hello and waiting for the bags to arrive after entering the baggage claim area (not the strictest security at AAL lufthaven...) While I was standing there, a girl who looked a lot like Myra walked by, but I couldn't really get a good glimpse of her. I was kind of in disbelief, trying to get another look and looking back at mom to see what was going on. And there was Myra!!

Anyway, we had a really really great week together which you will hear more about in an upcoming guest post (!!) and maybe a later post from me as well. Just wanted to touch down on the blog space briefly since it's been a little while. 

Our final exam is today, which will conclude the academics for the semester. That leaves me with about a week in Aalborg, a week travelling, and then two weeks from today I will be back in Seattle. It's really only now starting to hit me that the time is near an end. I will definitely be emotional when I leave, but I also have a lot to look forward to when I return, in Seattle and then in Sun Valley where I will get to see many of my best college buddies, witness the marriage of two friends, and of course do some boppin on the slopes.

Timeline

One week: parents here!
Two weeks: final exam, project finished!
Three weeks: ski trip and traveling in Germany/Italy/Prague
Four weeks: back in the US

As you can imagine, the next month is going to fly by. I really can't believe that in four weeks I'll be boarding (and, thanks to the time difference, deboarding) a plane to the US. I'll be doing my best to up the frequency of posts as it begins.

In the meantime, here is the previously mentioned notes from childhood, though I was a bit confused as the tiger is clearly a separate message from the "it snowd"

Storm brewing...

The weather in Aalborg has been pretty crappy for a while now - windy, rainy, stormy - with no major incidents, warnings or fear. So when a classmate warned that we should go home early before the storm tonight, I took immediate interest.

I usually keep up to speed on this website - http://www.dmi.dk/dmi/index/danmark/byvejr_danmark.htm?by=9000 which is predicting some pretty knarly winds tonight. According to the google translation of one article, western and northern Jutland can expect wind gusts of hurricane force! And in England, the same storm has already taken two lives. (Also, who knew the Seattle times provided up-to-the-minute coverage of windstorms in England!)

It is pret-tay, pret-tay stormy out now, and getting worse later tonight from what I've heard.