Enormous. If you asked me to describe Moscow in one word, that would be it: enormous. Not because of the area size (which is somewhat smaller than NYC, according to Wiki stats) or the number of people living here (around 12 million or so) but because of the buildings.
The city is filled with giant, towering structures peppered throughout the city, quite a few left over from Stalin's era. Even coming from DC – where the size of the memorials and museums still sometimes leave me in awe – I was first struck by the incredible size of the structures here. I don't mean to say that all of Moscow's buildings tower high over the pedestrians. (For instance, in New York, I sometimes feel as if I'm wandering through a maze of skyscrapers; this isn't the case here.) Rather, the most gigantic structures are interspersed among smaller buildings, the wild web of Moscow roads, and the city's many green parks.
Moscow is surprisingly green – one of our tour guides said that parks make up nearly a third of the city's space. (Hopefully I didn't hear her incorrectly, but there are so many beautiful parks around, I easily believe it!) Between the greenery, elaborately-designed buildings, and onion-domed churches, the city is a joy to walk around. Even if your final destination is relatively unremarkable, you're still almost guaranteed to enjoy the journey.
On one of our first days in the city, a group of us students decided to explore a specific pedestrian zone and sculpture garden that were recommended by a guidebook. Surprisingly, both turned out to be generally unimpressive. (The sculpture garden was particularly odd; it was a giant, unkempt plot of land filled with overgrown grass, outdated Soviet statues, and – perhaps most oddly – outdoor hanging disco balls. Very strange. So I took my picture between Soviet-era concrete busts of Stalin & Lenin.) However, the walk to these locations was incredible. We meandered through the Red Square, popped into St. Basil's cathedral, awed at the Kremlin from a bridge over the Moskva River, and gawked at a gargantuan statue of Peter the Great. (I have no idea how many stories high this statue is. The thing is massive.)
So really, it didn't matter that our final destination – the sculpture garden – seemed to be the quirky brainchild of some doped-up nostalgic Soviet Comrad; the evening was still incredible!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Delightful Detour
A couple of months ago, a friend's long-term boyfriend shot me an email; he'd heard that I would be crossing the Atlantic and wondered if I could make a stop-over in Copenhagen to surprise my friend who would be moving there. So, one week ago, I landed in the Copenhagen airport and stepped into the Arrivals section to meet up with Thomas and a very happy – and rather shocked – Sara. Thomas had proposed to her only two days previously in Tallinn, Estonia, and I was thrilled to be part of the ongoing surprises he had in store for her!
The first day is all a bit of a blur. (I did arrive around 3:00 am EST or some such time, after all.) We had quite the frivolous brunch upon my arrival in Copenhagen, and then went straight to the harbor for a boat-tour of the city. I'm sure the boat tour was all lovely, but truthfully I remember very little as I was half-asleep through a hefty portion of it! I do remember dozens of tourists crowded around a small statue of the little mermaid, however...
Anyway, I've spent the past week enjoying Danish hospitality, food, history and – most of all – the company of these wonderful friends. We've spent most nights out at his family's home in the countryside, filling ourselves up on home-cooked multi-course meals (with veggies fresh from the neighbor's farm!) and talking late into the evening on a terraced patio, watching the sun set at 11:00. But of course, a trip to Denmark wouldn't be complete without a bit of sight-seeing too. There's too much to tell, but I'll try and get in some entertaining stories in the following posts. Enjoy!
The first day is all a bit of a blur. (I did arrive around 3:00 am EST or some such time, after all.) We had quite the frivolous brunch upon my arrival in Copenhagen, and then went straight to the harbor for a boat-tour of the city. I'm sure the boat tour was all lovely, but truthfully I remember very little as I was half-asleep through a hefty portion of it! I do remember dozens of tourists crowded around a small statue of the little mermaid, however...
Anyway, I've spent the past week enjoying Danish hospitality, food, history and – most of all – the company of these wonderful friends. We've spent most nights out at his family's home in the countryside, filling ourselves up on home-cooked multi-course meals (with veggies fresh from the neighbor's farm!) and talking late into the evening on a terraced patio, watching the sun set at 11:00. But of course, a trip to Denmark wouldn't be complete without a bit of sight-seeing too. There's too much to tell, but I'll try and get in some entertaining stories in the following posts. Enjoy!
Hamlet's Castle & a King turned Pirate
Erin, my lovely roommate from oh-so-long-ago, is currently in Brussels interning for NATO (pretty cool, huh?) and decided pop over to Copenhagen for the weekend. (We seem to be quite the little globe-trotters over here!) Our major goal for the weekend: visit Hamlet's castle in Helsingor/Elsinore, a sleepy little town about a 45 minute train ride from the capital. The castle is actually called Kronborg, but it's also supposedly the castle described in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The castle boasts really quite an intriguing history, and played a rather significant role in solidifying Danish regional power back in the day. (Denmark as a major power – who knew?) Denmark was able to really increase its wealth and power in the late 1300s/early 1400s once it gained control over the maritime traffic coming from the Baltic Sea. (I'd like to just also mention that it was a woman, Danish Queen Maragaret, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway thereby allowing later kings to enjoy the spoils.) As proud as I am of dear Queen M, it's Erik of Pomerania who really won me over. For one, he rather impressively managed to increase Denmark's power and clout in the region thanks to a tax levied on every ship that sailed their waters. Even more incredibly when King Erik was eventually forced to abdicate – instead of ending up decapitated like so many other sovereigns in history – he went into the pirating business! (Not that I support pirating, but you've got to give credit to the guy for being so darn creative!)
Oddly, it seems as if pirating wasn't seen as a completely ignoble profession, either. Apparently, you could obtain royal permission to become a pirate and sack ships – just so long as you didn't sack ships flying the flag of your patron country or their allies. For a realist world focused on expansion and glory from war, this must have seemed like a rather cost effective means of poking at adversaries. So you'd like to invade and claim your neighbor's territory? ...Why not find yourself a maritime guerrilla mercenary to cause problems for them too??
Another character who intrigued me was King Frederick (insert Roman numeral of your choice here. I can't remember the number, and doubt you would either!). The man decided he that he needed more support for the crown, that a little propaganda was in order. To show everyone the power of the crown, he ordered the creation of 43 tapestries depicting Danish kings in all their glory. Clearly, the world had not yet refined the art of lying to the public yet because a) 43 tapestries likely weren't going to do much other than ensure that the castle stayed a little warmer in the winters, and b) almost all tapestries failed to be overly praising and some were not even remotely flattering.** For example, one tapestry included a poem of a king that brought the country to financial ruin; another showed a snake slithering past the king's image – reminding the observer that this king had gained the throne by killing his relative. Let's just say these men weren't exactly the “poster children” for kingship. All in all, Hamlet's castle and its history were completely delightful, albeit somewhat confusing at times.
--
*At that time, Denmark also held control of what is today's Sweden. Take a look at a map; any ship traveling from or to the Baltic Sea couldn't avoid passing through Danish waters. To keep other countries and shipping companies from getting too fussy about this arrangement, Denmark also eventually put up light houses along the route to help ships on their way.
**I really hope all you readers realize that a lot of this post is tongue-and-cheek. I know I've been in Russia a full 10 hours now, but no, I have not suddenly become a classic realist bent on expansion and a proponent of political propaganda to quiet local dissent.
The castle boasts really quite an intriguing history, and played a rather significant role in solidifying Danish regional power back in the day. (Denmark as a major power – who knew?) Denmark was able to really increase its wealth and power in the late 1300s/early 1400s once it gained control over the maritime traffic coming from the Baltic Sea. (I'd like to just also mention that it was a woman, Danish Queen Maragaret, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway thereby allowing later kings to enjoy the spoils.) As proud as I am of dear Queen M, it's Erik of Pomerania who really won me over. For one, he rather impressively managed to increase Denmark's power and clout in the region thanks to a tax levied on every ship that sailed their waters. Even more incredibly when King Erik was eventually forced to abdicate – instead of ending up decapitated like so many other sovereigns in history – he went into the pirating business! (Not that I support pirating, but you've got to give credit to the guy for being so darn creative!)
Oddly, it seems as if pirating wasn't seen as a completely ignoble profession, either. Apparently, you could obtain royal permission to become a pirate and sack ships – just so long as you didn't sack ships flying the flag of your patron country or their allies. For a realist world focused on expansion and glory from war, this must have seemed like a rather cost effective means of poking at adversaries. So you'd like to invade and claim your neighbor's territory? ...Why not find yourself a maritime guerrilla mercenary to cause problems for them too??
Another character who intrigued me was King Frederick (insert Roman numeral of your choice here. I can't remember the number, and doubt you would either!). The man decided he that he needed more support for the crown, that a little propaganda was in order. To show everyone the power of the crown, he ordered the creation of 43 tapestries depicting Danish kings in all their glory. Clearly, the world had not yet refined the art of lying to the public yet because a) 43 tapestries likely weren't going to do much other than ensure that the castle stayed a little warmer in the winters, and b) almost all tapestries failed to be overly praising and some were not even remotely flattering.** For example, one tapestry included a poem of a king that brought the country to financial ruin; another showed a snake slithering past the king's image – reminding the observer that this king had gained the throne by killing his relative. Let's just say these men weren't exactly the “poster children” for kingship. All in all, Hamlet's castle and its history were completely delightful, albeit somewhat confusing at times.
--
*At that time, Denmark also held control of what is today's Sweden. Take a look at a map; any ship traveling from or to the Baltic Sea couldn't avoid passing through Danish waters. To keep other countries and shipping companies from getting too fussy about this arrangement, Denmark also eventually put up light houses along the route to help ships on their way.
**I really hope all you readers realize that a lot of this post is tongue-and-cheek. I know I've been in Russia a full 10 hours now, but no, I have not suddenly become a classic realist bent on expansion and a proponent of political propaganda to quiet local dissent.
Hans Christian Andersen's House
Remember the little mermaid? Remember how she left her family at the age of 16 to woo a prince? And then married him? Well, it's all false! She turns into a Daughter of the Air or some such business the day after he marries another. Disney, how many other lies have you told us? Is there nothing we can trust?
Anyway, the fellow who wrote the original captivating tale of the Little Mermaid was Hans Christian Andersen, a poor little Danish boy who grew up to be the world renowned writer we all know. He was noted for his rather awkward figure – tall and lanky with a giant nose and other prominent features – but also his incredible spirit, charm, and way with children. It's rather telling that the inspiration for the tale of the Ugly Duckling was actually from his own life. The man was wildly creative and adored traveling; in fact, he traveled so much that no one place was truly home. He often stayed with friends, popping from city to city, and never had a family of his own despite his love for children and a desire for marriage.
I say all this because we were able to visit his childhood home! It's been completely renovated, and is quite charming to walk through today. (I imagine the impoverished family wasn't able to keep it wasn't half as nice then as it is now.) It was just a delight to learn more about the man behind so many childhood tales that have made their way into homes and hearts throughout the world.
With their boundless creativity, love for life and heart for children, I imagine that had HC Andersen and Walt Disney lived at the same time, they would have been good friends – yes, even despite the Disney company's creative license with the Little Mermaid. ;-)
Anyway, the fellow who wrote the original captivating tale of the Little Mermaid was Hans Christian Andersen, a poor little Danish boy who grew up to be the world renowned writer we all know. He was noted for his rather awkward figure – tall and lanky with a giant nose and other prominent features – but also his incredible spirit, charm, and way with children. It's rather telling that the inspiration for the tale of the Ugly Duckling was actually from his own life. The man was wildly creative and adored traveling; in fact, he traveled so much that no one place was truly home. He often stayed with friends, popping from city to city, and never had a family of his own despite his love for children and a desire for marriage.
I say all this because we were able to visit his childhood home! It's been completely renovated, and is quite charming to walk through today. (I imagine the impoverished family wasn't able to keep it wasn't half as nice then as it is now.) It was just a delight to learn more about the man behind so many childhood tales that have made their way into homes and hearts throughout the world.
With their boundless creativity, love for life and heart for children, I imagine that had HC Andersen and Walt Disney lived at the same time, they would have been good friends – yes, even despite the Disney company's creative license with the Little Mermaid. ;-)
Wedding Bells!
It's unstoppable. It's unpredictable. It's usually pink.
It's that force that pushes us to paint our toenails even when we're running late. It's why we squeal when we're surprised by a friend or see a little puppy. It's what makes us tear up at cheesy chick flicks and want to describe every detail of our date to our closest friends. It's the reason we buy purses to match all of our outfits and cute pumps that are too painful to actually wear dancing.
It's that force that brings out our girly side. And it has hold of me.
I'm in a completely new country with wonderful historical sites to see. I love to travel! I love to experience cultures! And I'm loving Denmark! But try as I may, try as I might, I can't help it – the girl has come out, and I really just want to spend hours helping Sara with wedding plans.
Fortunately, Sara wanted to wedding-plan, too. :-) After spending a morning meandering around the Rosenborg castle grounds (yes! a castle!), Sara and I found it: a bridal shop. I was so excited that I forgot my manners and went bounding in, ahead of the bride-to-be. The store manager later informed us that I looked so enthusiastic (speed?) walking into the shop, that she had naturally assumed that I was the bride!
I'd love to tell you the details of our favorite dress, I really would. But I can't; that's Top Secret Information, given out only on a need-to-know basis. Otherwise the groom might find out. Shhhh....
It's that force that pushes us to paint our toenails even when we're running late. It's why we squeal when we're surprised by a friend or see a little puppy. It's what makes us tear up at cheesy chick flicks and want to describe every detail of our date to our closest friends. It's the reason we buy purses to match all of our outfits and cute pumps that are too painful to actually wear dancing.
It's that force that brings out our girly side. And it has hold of me.
I'm in a completely new country with wonderful historical sites to see. I love to travel! I love to experience cultures! And I'm loving Denmark! But try as I may, try as I might, I can't help it – the girl has come out, and I really just want to spend hours helping Sara with wedding plans.
Fortunately, Sara wanted to wedding-plan, too. :-) After spending a morning meandering around the Rosenborg castle grounds (yes! a castle!), Sara and I found it: a bridal shop. I was so excited that I forgot my manners and went bounding in, ahead of the bride-to-be. The store manager later informed us that I looked so enthusiastic (speed?) walking into the shop, that she had naturally assumed that I was the bride!
I'd love to tell you the details of our favorite dress, I really would. But I can't; that's Top Secret Information, given out only on a need-to-know basis. Otherwise the groom might find out. Shhhh....
Let's Play a Game
Let's play the “I paid more for Starbucks than you” game. London? Paris? Moscow? I've bet you've got nothing on little ole Copenhagen. Give me your best shot.
Copenhagen Airport Starbucks medium latte: $9. (Just as much as the little prepackaged sandwich that I bought with it.) And you might think, “but oh! These are airport prices!” Well, it's a small price to pay above the normal $6-$7 you'll spend per cup for tragically all-too-often inedible coffee most elsewhere. (Yes, as wonderful and brilliant as Danish food is, it's surprisingly difficult to find a decent cup o' Joe. My advice: stick to home-brew and higher-end coffee chains, like Starbucks and European Baresso.)
You'd never expect it, right? If that's how much a cup of coffee is worth, just imagine how much everything else costs! I suppose they're not going to advertise the country as Denmark: Land of Unreasonable Prices but you'd think there would be travelers tales.... tales of people selling off rings, watches, jewelry, loved ones, etc, all to gain safe passage back to a Land of Affordability.
That said, I'd like to send out a HUGE shout out and major THANK YOU to the wonderful folks who hosted and home-fed me throughout the week. Thank you, wonderful Thomasen family! (And I feel that includes you, too, Sara!) And thank you Andreas! Without such incredible hosts, this trip would never have been possible! (Honestly.)
Copenhagen Airport Starbucks medium latte: $9. (Just as much as the little prepackaged sandwich that I bought with it.) And you might think, “but oh! These are airport prices!” Well, it's a small price to pay above the normal $6-$7 you'll spend per cup for tragically all-too-often inedible coffee most elsewhere. (Yes, as wonderful and brilliant as Danish food is, it's surprisingly difficult to find a decent cup o' Joe. My advice: stick to home-brew and higher-end coffee chains, like Starbucks and European Baresso.)
You'd never expect it, right? If that's how much a cup of coffee is worth, just imagine how much everything else costs! I suppose they're not going to advertise the country as Denmark: Land of Unreasonable Prices but you'd think there would be travelers tales.... tales of people selling off rings, watches, jewelry, loved ones, etc, all to gain safe passage back to a Land of Affordability.
That said, I'd like to send out a HUGE shout out and major THANK YOU to the wonderful folks who hosted and home-fed me throughout the week. Thank you, wonderful Thomasen family! (And I feel that includes you, too, Sara!) And thank you Andreas! Without such incredible hosts, this trip would never have been possible! (Honestly.)
Texans & Danes: just alike, Really!
Proud and friendly, that's how I describe most Texans. And most Danes, apparently. Thomas's father's birthday fell on the Friday before I left. Following a long-standing Danish tradition, Thomas, Sara & I managed to roll out of bed early in the morning to wake him up with a loud birthday song and a waving Danish flag. I was surprised to hear that the Danish flag makes an appearance at all birthdays, and is commonly on the wrapping paper, cards, etc. Actually, considering how proud we Texans are of our heritage, I'm not sure why we don't have a similar tradition. To be fair, we've come up with a lot to showcase our pride — why, we even have waffle-makers in the shape of Texas! — but we may be a tad behind the curve here. Clearly, the question we should be asking ourselves is, why aren't we flying the Texas flag for birthdays?? Hmm...I bet if I started it up, it'd catch on...
Secondly, Danish folk are incredibly friendly, helpful & hospitable. Texans treat others similarly, at least so long as you're not a Democrat. Anyway, the Danish people are so sweet that you simply can't get mad. Ever. Let's use the Danish prices as an example here. I was incredibly surprised to find that everything in Copenhagen is absurdly pricey.
As I mentioned before, Denmark is unbelievably expensive. Alternate universe type of expensive. You'll go to a regular little restaurant, and spend $26 dollars on an average burger and fries – plus another $4 for water with a lemon in it. You want to be frustrated. You want to say to the waiter indignantly, “Hey, why did you charge me the dinner instead of lunch price? And does this water have gold flecks floating around in it? Cuz I'm pretty sure I ordered regular tap water.”
But then... the waiter smiles so sweetly, and asks if he can help direct you anywhere in the city, and you have a little epiphany. It's not their fault that the exchange rate is so unfavorable or, really, that the prices don't match with just about anywhere else in the world. And it was 3:00 anyway, so maybe dinner prices are appropriate for this hour and perhaps that was Evian water. Plus, these people clearly live in “Alternate Price Universe.” They can't help it! So you say thank you with your biggest smile, and pray that you'll be able to afford the next 24 hours in the country without having to barter off your left arm or first-born child.
--
Note: Texans are also similarly in an alternate-price universe, but where everything is cheap. My roommate Debbie is moving to Waco, where the cost of living there is reportedly around 20-something percent less than the national average. This may also be due to the fact that no one actually wants to move to Waco.
Secondly, Danish folk are incredibly friendly, helpful & hospitable. Texans treat others similarly, at least so long as you're not a Democrat. Anyway, the Danish people are so sweet that you simply can't get mad. Ever. Let's use the Danish prices as an example here. I was incredibly surprised to find that everything in Copenhagen is absurdly pricey.
As I mentioned before, Denmark is unbelievably expensive. Alternate universe type of expensive. You'll go to a regular little restaurant, and spend $26 dollars on an average burger and fries – plus another $4 for water with a lemon in it. You want to be frustrated. You want to say to the waiter indignantly, “Hey, why did you charge me the dinner instead of lunch price? And does this water have gold flecks floating around in it? Cuz I'm pretty sure I ordered regular tap water.”
But then... the waiter smiles so sweetly, and asks if he can help direct you anywhere in the city, and you have a little epiphany. It's not their fault that the exchange rate is so unfavorable or, really, that the prices don't match with just about anywhere else in the world. And it was 3:00 anyway, so maybe dinner prices are appropriate for this hour and perhaps that was Evian water. Plus, these people clearly live in “Alternate Price Universe.” They can't help it! So you say thank you with your biggest smile, and pray that you'll be able to afford the next 24 hours in the country without having to barter off your left arm or first-born child.
--
Note: Texans are also similarly in an alternate-price universe, but where everything is cheap. My roommate Debbie is moving to Waco, where the cost of living there is reportedly around 20-something percent less than the national average. This may also be due to the fact that no one actually wants to move to Waco.
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