Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

Last night was Kultur Natten ("Culture Night") in Copenhagen, and the whole city was buzzed on the drug of relief that this past week was finally over. And a little alcohol, as well. This week was mid-terms for me, which were just plain hard, and the last week before a week-long break for the students and professionals of Denmark. 

The city made up for the hell that was mid-terms with a massive, Copenhagen-wide celebration of Danish culture. Through the night, the city's cultural institutions flung open their doors for the people of Copenhagen, and threw a party. I met up with a whole group of friends, and went to the top of Round Tower, the private cathedral of the Royal family that connects with Parliament, the ruins of Absalon's castle, and the inner parts of the city hall. 

Round Tower was built as an observatory during Christian IV's reign. To reach the top of the tower, you walk up this really broad, circling path up to the top. It was built so wide so that King Christian could ride up to the top in a horse-drawn carriage. Legend has it that even a car made a trip up in 1912. There was a little bit of a wait to see the observation deck, but the workers handed out chocolate, so all was well. At the top, there was a panoramic view of the city at night. One of my friends is in the Copenhagen history class, and knows all about the city (and her eyesight far surpasses mine), so she could point out all sorts of things, which was a ton of fun. 

The Royal family's cathedral used to be 100% private, but then some idiots who were on the river behind Parliament accidentally threw a firecracker on top of the roof, and it caved in. Taxpayer's money was used to fix the cathedral, and so to be fair the royal family opens it up for the public every now and again, like Culture Night once a year. I was a gorgeous room, and everything was either white marble, gilded with gold, or covered in red velvet. 

After the cathedral, we found our way across a plaza to wait to see the ruins. Bishop Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167, and the ruins were his original seat and castle. Currently, they lie underneath Parliament, and so no one hardly ever gets to see them. It was so cool and dark and creepy because you had to climb down these stairs that wound their way underground. The ruins weren't all that much to see, but hey, they've been there since the 12th century, which made them impressive. Also, there was a group of nuns singing, and we followed them up and out to where there was a group of monks. And all of this was amidst a fairly tipsy crowd. 

In Denmark, there aren't any rule about public intoxication, or drinking in public, and so everyone was roaming the streets holding beer cans and what not. But last night was also fairly family-friendly, and so I didn't really see anyone getting out of hand. On the way to city hall, we tried to go to the old jail, but it closed right before we got there. It was okay though, because outside of the jail I bought a bag of almonds from a street vendor that were still hot from being coated in cinnamon, sugar, and I don't know what else, so life was pretty fantastic at that point. 

The bus ride home was fairly intense. I've never taken a bus that late (the 12:01), and I've never seen so many people on it at the same time! The bus driver actually closed the door on people, and left some stranded at the station because the bus couldn't hold any more. He didn't even stop at the first few stops, because no one had chimed to get off, and so he wouldn't even try to take more on. Usually if the bus is full, I only have to wait a couple of stops, and then there are plenty of places to sit. Last night, there wasn't room until one stop before I get off (so for about 30 minutes), and then of course there was no point. I finally got to go to sleep for a loooong time, and it was beyond amazing. 

And then today was Halloween at Tivoli!

I am a bit of a fool for any type of holiday, but I absolutely love Halloween. Pumpkins are my favorite, and I just love everything about it. And because all of the children of Denmark are off of school this week, Tivoli re-opens for this one week, completely bedecked for Halloween. I met up with four other EPS girls to just hang out in the park. We only payed for admission, and not for the rides, but it was completely worth it. I have never seen so many pumpkins in my entire life! They added a whole little Halloween village, and almost every square-inch of that place was covered. I'm so glad that I went to Tivoli in September because I could really see the difference. I finally got to have hot apple cider (the kid version, not the alcoholic type), and I felt a bit akin to a little kid in the biggest candy shop in the universe. 

For the rest of tonight I have to pack because tomorrow travel break begins! I'll be on a bus all day on my way to Belgium, Brussels. I'm so excited because I'll get to see my friend Kerice from home, because she's studying in Belgium for the semester. The focus of Belgium will be the EU, obviously, the UN, and NATO. I'm SO excited. After about four days in Belgium, we'll head to the Hague, Netherlands, to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Did I mention I'm excited?!?!

Then after a quick regrouping in Copenhagen, I'll be off to Dublin, Ireland, Zurich, Switzerland, and Rome, Italiana for two more weeks of traveling! This is the main event of studying abroad, and I don't think I could be more anxious/excited/slightly scared (ALL in a good way) if I tried! Wish me luck!

P.S. Once again, through multiple attempts, Blogger has failed to load my pictures. I blame slow internet connection. :(