Can’t believe I’m already saying this, but I am leaving Copenhagen in just FOUR days. Knowing that I’ll soon be at home with my family, friends and dog warms my heart, but it will be strange to say goodbye to the city I’ve gotten to know so well over the past semester, along with the people in it. I feel grateful that I’ve been able to see and do so much during my last week here despite it being finals week. Namely, I crossed off two big items from my study abroad bucket list: Tivoli Amusement Park and Legoland!
Last Thursday, Michael Ann and I spent the evening at Tivoli which is right in the city center of Copenhagen. Tivoli is the second oldest amusement park in the world and takes up only about four square blocks of space. There’s a lot of hype about the park to tourists, and personally, I was not disappointed. It’s a small venue, but it has a lot of charm. There are beautiful flowers everywhere (people also refer to the park as Tivoli Gardens), restaurants and food vendors, an aquarium, and a lot more! For this reason, many tourists and Danes alike come to the park each year just to people-watch and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere instead of riding rides. Seeing Tivoli was one of my favorite memories from this semester!
Last weekend, my host family and I traveled to Billund, Denmark on the island of Jutland to visit Legoland! Legos were invented by a Dane so naturally the first Legoland was built in Denmark. The fact that Legos originated here is one of my favorite tidbits I’d learned because it seems perfectly fitting with all of the unique Danish design/architecture I’ve seen this semester. Also, Denmark is one of the most gender-equal societies in the world and Legos are a gender-neutral toy. There were some larger rides for kids throughout the park but my favorite part was looking at actual Lego Brick models because they are crazy-impressive. Here are some snapshots of my favorites:
Amsterdam replica
Copenhagen’s Amalienborg Palace
Copenhagen’s Nyhavn
My final story from the past weekend is about how my host brother Marius (age 4) is going to be quite the ladies man. When I was getting ready to leave for Legoland on Friday morning, Marius had been outside picking flowers from our backyard to give to me! Hearing him say (in Danish) “Liza, I picked you these flowers” was one of the sweetest moments I’ve had. He is a great kid. Living with my host family has undoubtedly been one of the most rewarding experiences during my time here and I will miss them greatly!
The Denmark Diaries 