A night under the stars

On August 17th, Cx, Js and I went salsa dancing at Roskilde harbor. The day before all of us were in the DHL 5 k relay (Cx ran where Js and I walked) and we had some left over food from the event. So we decided to eat the left over food with a few bottles of wine picnic style at the harbor before the dancing started. Cx lives in Roskilde so we walked to her place packed up some extra food, utensils, wine glasses and two bottles of wine.

At the harbor we found a picnic table and laid out our spread and opened out first bottle of wine. As we started eating some of Cx sailing friends came and joined us in out little picnic.  I knew a few Cx friends and I was introduced to many more throughout the night.

At 7pm the lesson started and many in our picnic group went to join in. I over extended my knee during the 5 k walk the day before and I thought it was best not to aggravate it. So I sat out the lesson and just watched. I have been going to a few salsa dancing events during the summer and I learning a little each time.

Some of you might wonder "What is the fun of sitting there watching every one else dance while you sit there with your bum knee?" I think sitting outside enjoying the good weather while it lasts and being with good company is much better than sitting alone in my apartment. I really did not mind sitting at the  picnic table watching every one else dance. Plus there were so many people in our picnic group that most of the time someone was sitting there next to me.

At 8pm the live band started playing and everyone went onto the dance floor and started dancing. I really enjoyed the entire atmosphere: the sky was clear with a few clouds, the weather was perfect and the sun was setting over the water. As the sun started to fade they turned on the strings of white lights around the dance floor and they lit the candles on each picnic table. The atmosphere was so relaxing and fun; I really was enjoying myself even if I was just watching. Plus it was not that bright with the lights and candles I could still look up and see the stars.

There were a few times when the music was just so good I just had to get and dance a bit. I know my mom (who's a nurse) would rather I stay off my knew but I just could not help myself.  And when the live band was not playing the DJ was playing music so the music kept coming.

Throughout the night people in our group had to make trip to their nearby apartment or house to get more wine. With what seemed like an endless flow of music and wine we were all having an awesome time.

At around 10:30 pm the live played their last song of the night and the DJ played a few more songs. Around 11 pm the DJ stopped playing but there was still plenty of people dancing and they wanted more. The DJ played one more song and then he started to pack his equipment.

Our picnic party which started out as 3 people (Cx, Js, and I) grew to 8, were still working on wine bottle #6 so it was decided that we were going to meet Otto. Otto is a wooden sailing boat, which Cx and her sailing friends take out onto the water during sailing season. Otto is a replica of a type of a Viking sailing boat and it was quite large. There was enough room for me and many others in the group to lie on the deck of the boat and watching the sky looking for shooting stars. (Yes, I did see one!) It was just a great relaxing time talking and laughing the others.

But every great night has to end and around midnight people started to head home and Cx, Js and I walked back to Cx's apartment to crash for the night.

Throughout this whole night I tried to take a few pictures but with so little light none of my pictures turned out. This night was one of those nights you just have to remember.

UPDATE: My pictures did not turn out but Js pictures did!

Typical Weather in Denmark

Today at work while I was working in the green house I saw some dark clouds roll in.  With the lush green grass and trees and the white windmills spinning in the distance it was a great view.  I took a short break and went outside to enjoy the view and the cool breeze.  I even saw a few lighting strikes. 

After my break outside I went back to work and that is when the heavy rain and sleet started falling down. The rain and sleet hitting the glass with the lighting and thunder made for an interesting show.  My co-work was a little anxious about all the lighting and thunder but I was loving it.

Just as quick as the storm came it was gone and the sun came back out.  This is typical weather in Denmark, sunny one minute, raining the next and then back to sunny.

Pulled myself up by the boot straps

I first want to say "Sorry" for not writing on my blog for over 7 months. I have personally gone through a lot and it just took some time for me to even feel like writing. Not long after the New Year my family lost an important family member. We all knew this day would come and yet when it did, we were not ready.

I was crying on Skype while talking to my mother and she said "You knew this could happen while you were in Denmark." But that was not why I was crying, I was crying because of guilt. I was back in the States for Christmas and New Year; if I pressed my boss for more time off; if I spent more money; I could of seen him before he died. It was because of this guilt that I spent $2000 on a flight home. I might not have been there to say "Hi" but I was going to be there to say "Goodbye".

 I think this is about the time when reality (and a bit of depression) of how far away and how much I am missing my family set in. I have always lived a fair distance from my family but never on the other side of ocean. True, I can Skype with my family every day but I have to go a full year before I get a hug.  After the funeral I really missed those hugs and just the company my family gives me.

 After the funeral things at work here in Denmark got really busy and by the time I got back to my apartment I was so exhausted I went straight to sleep. This process of continuously being busy continued for months when I finished one project I would have to go to the other.

 In the spring a few people back in the States who I am very close to were going through a difficult time. Here they are crying or upset during the Skype call and all I can say is "Imaginary hug".  I felt so useless,  I can send cards, I can email them, I can talk to them but I can't truly be there for them, I can not give them a hug and tell them in person that it will ok.  It was so frustrating for me. I was seriously considering just quitting and coming home.

"What would that accomplish?" he said. "Yes, having you here would make everything so much easier for me. But then I would feel guilty that I made you quit. And you will feel regret for leaving your PhD. Stay there. Finish."  Sometimes it is a good thing to have someone snap some sense into you.

When summer started other people began asking if I want to go out on trip with them. In June, R and I had a great time at Egeskov Castle. We actually had our own little adventure just getting to this castle.

Egeskov Castle in Fyn.

This fun trip with R reminded me exactly why I am here in Denmark. I am not just here to work and then leave with my PhD. I am here to live and I here to see and experience things that others can only imagine.  After that trip with R, I started to pull myself out of this little funk. I started to actually leave my apartment more, instead of locking myself inside.

 And with the better weather and my better attitude some of my girl friends and I had relaxing outings in Copenhagen. And with the continued good weather I plan to do more sightseeing but mostly around Denmark right now.  Of course, I am still really busy and sometimes I can not take a whole day off and go sightseeing. On those days were the weather is great but I had to work, I would work hard, leave work around 4pm, go the local cafe, order a drink, maybe a snack and sit in the sun while reading my kindle.

 I have successfully pulled myself up by the boot straps and back out there enjoying life here in Denmark. So with this I will restart posting my adventures and sometimes my daily life in Denmark.

I love you all.

Kilkenny, Ireland - Thursday September 8th & Friday September 9th

After catching a train from Dublin to Kilkenny, Thursday evening, St, his wife and I went out for a nice dinner and just relaxed for the night. On Friday, St offered to take me around Kilkenny area to see a few interesting and historical sites.

Kilkenny itself was a unique town and when I was there Kilkenny was having a city wide party because the town's handball team won the national tournament just a few days ago. Through out the entire town there were these dark blue and yellow flags, and I mean every where. There were flags hanging out the windows, hanging from the trees and somethings string of flags stung from building to building across the street.

Tourist Train with the Town Flag

Beautiful Church in Kilkenny

On Friday the first place we went to was the Brownshill Portal Tomb. To many people this place has a lot of history and mystery. When you first see this area, it really looks like a regular field, with a walking path. Once you get to the end of the walking path you see a huge pile of rocks that looks completely out of place. There are no similar rocks around the area at all and many historians wondering how did the rocks get to this area. 

A portal tomb is so called because the entrance to the burial chamber is marked by a pair of tall portal stones and covered with a single massive capstone which rests on the portals and slopes downwards towards the rear. The capstone at Brownshill weights about 150 tons and is probably the heaviest of its kind in Europe. Most portal tombs were surrounded by a mound or cairn of smaller stones. Though no trace of this mound survives here. the artist's impression gives some idea of what the tomb might have looked like about 5,000 years ago.

Next in Kilkenny we went to Kilkenny Castle, which is a castle next to the river and a great tourist spot in Kilkenny. When you look at the castle it really has a great medieval time look to it.

Again the castle did not allow for me to take pictures. But there were many different rooms, in many different colors. The best place was the long room which has the name implies was a long room with a gorgeous white marble fireplace in the middle of one wall with very detailed carvings on it. All long the walls were many different portrait paintings of the pst people who once lived in the castle. It was amazing to see all the history.  And the view from the castle was great.



Behind the castle there was a large garden and park, where many people were playing and having picnics. There was also a beautiful water fountain and flower garden.

After a nice relaxing time in Kilkenny (St) drove me to the local train station so that I could get on the train to Galway, which is a beautiful town on the west side of the country.  (St) helped me get my luggage on the train and then I was off to the three hour train ride to Galway.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

Ok, now back to my adventures.  I have been doing a lot of traveling, working and writing. I am hoping to have my first scientific publication out in 2012. =) 

On the afternoon of September 8th, I made my way back to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Earlier that week I had tried to enter the church but it was after 5 pm and everything was closed. That adventure was posted on the blog titled "September 5th: Dublin, Ireland".  But this time I was there at 1pm so I had plenty of time.  This Thursday was a beautiful day with the sun shining and few clouds in the sky.  The gardens around the church and the church itself looked amazing.

I made my way around the church to the front entrance. Now some of you may not know but in some Churches like this one during viewing hours you have to pay an entrance fee usually about 5 euros or about $7. Honestly I do not mind because I believe a good portion of the money collected from the entrance fee is used to maintain the building.  Once inside the church I was aw struck by how large it was. There was even a small gift shop in the back corner of the church.


When you think about a huge cathedral you invasion beautiful cathedral ceilings, decorative walls and huge stain glass windows and that is exactly what I saw once inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

As I started to walk around the cathedral I started to notice the large amount of history on display in the cathedral. I have always had an interest in history and that is one of the many things I love about Europe, the unique history that the USA does not have.

IMAGE 1

These two granite stone was located in the vicinity of the church that was here before the Cathedral was built in 1192. When it was unearthed in 1901, the stone on the left [IMAGE 1]  covered the remains of an ancient well. It may have been the well where St. Patrick baptized converts in the fifth century.

IMAGE 2

The  second stone [IMAGE 2] probably marked the grave of an early Christian. Scholars believe the stones were carved some time between 800 and 1100. Where the stone was quarried remains a mystery. only 32 stones of this type have been found in Dublin; six are located in St. Patrick's Cathedral.





Through out the Cathedral I saw many statues many were of past Archbishops of Dublin.

 
Even the floor of the Cathedral was a decorative tile and there were decorative arches throughout the Cathedral. 

In the Cathedral there were many different historical artifacts one was a Carved Oak Chest created in the 14th Century. 

This chest was used to protect the Cathedral's vestments, silver and important legal documents from loss, theft, or being eaten by rodents. It is decorated with four carved panels depicting mythical beats on top, a stallion in the lower left and a goat in the bottom right.

In the front of the Cathedral there was a magnificent alter and choir area, it was amazing to see the unique architecture and beautiful stain glass.

On each side of the main alter are a small chapel area, each one had a unique name and style.

  

In St. Patrick's the Lady Chapel has played a unique role in welcoming believers of other denominations. Having the persecution in France in 1666 Huguenot refugees were grant used of the Lady Chapel for their services by the Dean and Chapter. The Huguenot exercised a very important influence on the cultural and commercial lid of the country. Services in French continues in the Lady Chapel until 1816.  For a few years, the Lady Chapel was used as a Chapter House. In 1845, Dean Henry Pakenham undertook restoration of the Lady Chapel which was conducted under the supervision of architect Richard C. Carpenter.

It was great to see such history and beautiful architecture. I really enjoyed learning all the history and took so many pictures and videos. After spending about 2 hours in the Cathedral, it was time for me to head back to the hotel and get ready to leave with my co-supervisor (St) to Kilkenny, Ireland.

It is hard to believe that ..

It is hard to believe that I have lived in Denmark for a whole year.  Looking back at the past blog posts, pictures and videos I have done many things.  I wanted to make a list of all the things I have been able to do while living in Denmark this year. 

I have walked many times in the town market, buying fresh fruit and veggies. 
I have found unique food stores in town. 
I have found a cute small bead store in town where I can make necklaces and earrings.
I have learned a lot about the food and culture in Denmark. 
I have learned to read and speak a bit of Danish. 
I have learned about Danish holidays. 
I have learned Danish Christmas holiday traditions.
I have learned to wait for the bus to work when it is pitch black outside during the winter.
I have learned to sleep while the sun in still up during the summer.
I have walked around Copenhagen. 
I have enjoyed the flowers that bloomed during the spring. 
I have enjoyed the fall colors during the fall.
I have seen the many castles in Denmark, Ireland, Holland, and Russia.
I have seen many beautiful churches in Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Finland, and Russia.
I have seen many beaches in Denmark and Ireland.
I have learned the unique history of Denmark.
I have made many new friends at work from around the world.
I have had some great nights out with friends.
I have learned how to make unique food from around the world.
I have seen the sun set while standing on a beach in Denmark.
I have swam in the sea while watching the sun set in Denmark.
I have traveled to Ireland and had a great time.
I had my first Guinness in Ireland.
I saw the 'Book of Kells', an ancient bible written by monk ca 800 AD. 
I had 'fish and chips' in Ireland.
I have seen 3000 old fort in Ireland.
I saw a rainbow while in Ireland.
I have been surprised by the man I love who visited me unexpectedly. 
I have traveled to Holland and had a great vacation.
I walked around Amsterdam and found a farmer's market.
I celebrated Halloween in Denmark and carved a big pumpkin.
I have traveled to Helsinki, Finland and walked around the town.
I have traveled on a ferry cruise to St. Petersburg.
I have traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia and saw so many things and learned so many things. 
I have seen the sun set in Helsinki, Finland.
I have seen the sun rise in St. Petersburg.

Also personally it is hard being so far away from C my boyfriend. But I really think that our appreciation and love for each other has grown during this time. I do miss him very much and even though we get to talk to each other every day,  I miss his presence.  So another thing to add to my list above. 

I have learned to love and appreciate C more then I did before I moved to Denmark.

 It is amazing to look back at all my blog post, pictures and videos and to realize that I have done all these things in one year. 

September 8th: St. Ann's Church and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

On September 8th, I was not interested in any of the talks for that day so I decided that I would rather look around Dublin.  Since the hotel I was staying at was near Trinity College, I decided to go there first. As I was walking towards Trinity College, I found something interesting.

I really liked how you can see such a unique and historic place in such a modern area.

St. Ann's Church in Dublin, Ireland

The architecture of the church was amazing to look at.

Before I could enter the church I actually had to cross quite a busy road. Once I entered the church I could no longer hear the sound of the cars passing by on the road. I was greeted by a really nice man, looking at him I thought his was the Father of the church. He said in a very thick Irish accent "No, I am just the caretaker." He asked me where I was from and told to go ahead a look around and take a few pictures and please put at least 2 euros in the offering box.

 

 Inside St. Ann's was a very beautiful church, I was impressed by the baptism fountain it looked as if it was made from one piece of marble.

The stain glass windows in St. Ann's were amazing. I tried to take a few pictures of the glass but many of the pictures did not turn out. I think I need to get photography lessons from my sister.  Some of the pictures of the stain glass did turn out and I was quite happy about that.

 What I thought was really interesting was that all along the walls there were many different plagues that stated the name, birth and death of the person that was buried there.  Some of these burials were quite odd and the plagues were unique.

 Upon making my way out of the church I found many different postcards. I asked the caretaker how much were the postcards, he kindly asked to just place more money in the offering box. I took four postcards and placed 5 euros in the offering box. The caretaker wished me well on my travels through Ireland. And I was off to find Trinity College again.

The reason why I wanted to go Trinity College was to see the Book of Kells and the Library.

The Book of Kells (sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure. 

 

Now once I entered the Trinity College Library I was sad to see a big sign that said NO pictures or video. Sigh...so I put my camera away and just read all the information and looked at all the cool pictures.  I was able to see in person the Book of Kells, under thick glass.  When you actually see the Book of Kells itself it is truly beautiful and colorful.  Of course I could not take pictures but I found some pictures on the internet for you to get an idea of what I saw.

Can you imagine in ca. 800 a monk might of spent days or months making this?

The color and the writing were amazing to see. I was glad to see the Book was in really good shape.

 After viewing the Book of Kells there were stairs leading up to the Library.  I was thinking 'Well it is just a library so there is nothing spectacular about it'.  WOW... was I wrong! When I got up to the Library my jaw hit the floor, the Library was absolutely amazing.  I really wanted to take a picture but sigh.. no pictures allowed.  But even if I could take a picture .. no picture I took would do the Library justice.  I could only imagine the amount of history and knowledge in all the books in the Library. For a while I sat on a small bench and just took in the awesomeness of this place because once I get to the other side of Library I will have to walk out the exit. 

While in this Library I was so happy to be able to see a place like this. To be able to say to others in the world that I have been to place that holds so much knowledge, history and just unparalleled awesomeness.  Other people in the Library might of thought I was crazy because I just sat there with a huge smile on my face and my eyes as big as saucers; just looking at the high ceilings, the shelves of books, the unique staircases, the relics in the glass displays, and the busts of statues. I really did not want to leave but sigh... I left after being in the Library for about an hour.

Once out of the Library, I was so happy to find postcards of the Library. The postcards were professional pictures and I could easily scan these postcards to have my own digital copy of these pictures.

I am really glad I was able to see St. Anne's Church, Book of Kells and the Library. Each place was just as grand and beautiful as the next. But there still was one more place I had to go, St. Patrick's Cathedral. After having a relaxing lunch at a cafe in Dublin I made my way to the the Cathedral.