Twice upon a time in Kobenhavn

So, where was I? Oh right! Wednesday.

Wednesday, Anastassia had a phone interview with IBM, so she wanted to sleep in, then mentally prepare for it. Apparently I was too much of a distraction so she sent me away both to get lunch and to go for a walk while she was interviewing at 4 pm. Her restaurant of choice? McDonald's.

**The most fascinating thing about Iceland isn't the powerful glacier rivers or the rising sun, it's the 13,000km of roads that take you into its uncharted wilderness**

After the interview, we went out to get Anastassia some fresh air. We decided to go back to her apartment to cook our second homemade dinner for the week. We went shopping at the Lidl first, for some supplies.

After the delicious dinner of zucchini, eggplant, chicken, pasta, and pretty much everything Anastassia had in her pantry/refrigerator/freezer, I did the dishes, and Anastassia fell asleep.
No joke. I figured I'd take the opportunity to check my e-mail, while waiting for Anastassia to wake up so we could go back to the hotel. Except that didn't happen.

The next morning, we made breakfast (a delicious omelette being the main component) then slowly made our way back to the hotel, but not before organizing a party for that night. Note that this was Thursday, the day before I left Copenhagen. Not the type of day yours truly usually plans to go out drinking until 4 am. However, I was pretty excited and I knew it would be a lot of fun.

And was it ever!

**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the fact that there are only 3 people per square kilometre, it's that every year, 10 new Icelandic rock bands set out to conquer the world.**

We first ate dinner in the hotel before getting dressed up and heading out to the clubbing district of Copenhagen. While looking for the bar we would eventually end up at, we found the Wall Street, a small bar with lots of customers and cheap beer (possible correlation). While hanging out there, I met Ana's friend Anna, who is also Russian. We waited a while, drinking Tuborg (Tuborgs are better than one, ha ha ha), before finally making our way to KulorBar.

KulorBar had previously been closed due to an electrical failure of some kind, but re-opened at midnight. Standing in line outside the KulorBar, I met Carole, Anastassia's other friend, from France. We spoke about how much Canadian French sucks compared to proper Académie Française French, made fun of stupid people, and eventually actually made it into the bar. The KulorBar is not unlike the Vogue in Reims, or Le Palace in Rouen. It's a pretty big place, with a reasonable dance floor, good loud music, and a sweet light show. The 4 of us hung out there til about 3, 3:30. We all left to go our separate ways, and Anastassia and I slowly walked home, stopping at Burger King along the way (don't ask. I have no idea).

We got to the hotel around 4, and I packed to make sure everything was ready to go for the next morning. I fell asleep around 5, regretting having booked a return flight.

I woke up at 8:30, having a hard time seeing and moving my legs. I managed to make my way to the shower, then get dressed, and even eat some breakfast. We took the train to the airport, and I said goodbye to Anastassia, who was heading off to Oslo, Norway that afternoon. I boarded an Icelandair flight 2 hours later, and was greeted by the easy listening Icelandic music I'd come to love the week before. (Read: it sucks that they don't allow guns on planes)

**Fun fact: The coolest thing about Iceland isn't that their airport was voted Best in Europe in 2009, or that 99% of their energy is from renewable sources. It's the fact that every New Year, Icelanders set off over 600 tonnes of fireworks**

I made it to Toronto, ate dinner, then flew to Ottawa, arriving at home, in my bed, around 12:30 am. Technically Saturday. My total aller-retour flight time was around 20 hours, 30 minutes. I went through 12 time zones. I watched Toy Story 3, Jumpers, My Cousin Vinny, and A Good Year, and that's only counting what I saw on a plane. My entire in-flight meal was half a bag of M&Ms, an apple, and some mini Twix/Snickers bars. And I loved every minute of that week.

Of course, Canada welcomed me back with 0-degree temperature and snow.

F**k you, Canada.


Pictures will be posted eventually, but I need to write some papers, study for an exam, then drive Dad to the airport. Check Facebook, since they're already there. If you don't have Facebook, I apologize in advance for the wait.

Once Upon a Time in Kobenhavn, Pt. 1

Good Evening,

I am sitting in Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) waiting for my flight to Ottawa. I have just returned to Canada from a trip to a far superior country. 3 of them, actually, if you count my brief trips to Reykjavik and Malmo. I will try to remember as best I can the important parts of the first half of my trip.

Friday (Oct. 22), I spent the day in Toronto with my Grandparents and friend Theresa. I told them all about school and the trip I was about to take. I was dropped off at Pearson 3 hours before my flight, so I had plenty of time to check in and go through security. That whole process took all of 10 minutes. With 3 hours to kill, I plugged in my laptop and watched the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire.

*sidenote*: Sopranos lovers, this show is sweet. 1 episode in, and I'm hooked. That's faster than Gossip Girl, in case you were wondering.

Anyway, I boarded my Icelandair flight to CPH via Keflavik (Reykjavik) around 21h00. The flight was long; I watched Toy Story on the first half of the flight, to Reykjavik. Leaving Reykjavik an hour after arriving, I got to witness an incredible sunrise over the coast and the mountains. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up 1/2 hour later, I watched "Jumper". It was boring enough to put me back to sleep after about an hour.

*sidenote 2*: Icelandair tought me a lot about Iceland. Example: the most amazing thing about Iceland isn't its 120-some volcanoes, or its many hot springs, but the fact that the Prime Minister is listed in the phonebook (more fun facts to come later **)

I arrived in Copenhagen, not knowing what time or day it was. I could not see or walk. I just existed in a semi-conscious state. I got off the plane, went through customs, then wandered into the vast expanse of CPH airport. It was then that I saw her. And I woke up instantly.

We (Anastassia and I) went to our hotel in the city, dropped off my stuff, then went for a long walk along the shores of Nyhavn. It was a nice but cold night, so we made our way back to the hotel to plan the next day.

**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the 24 hours of sunlight in the summer, or the fact that 30% of the population has a university degree, but rather the fact that over 50% of the population believes in elves**

Sunday (yes, there is a day missing, due to flight time and time zones), after a filling breakfast, we went and, um, actually I don't remember want happened Sunday, and there are no pictures from that day. Did I sleep through it? I'll update this later.

Monday we went to Malmo, Sweden. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We walked through the town, then through a park, then through 2 different H&M's, then into a coffee shop. It was a very pleasant day, and I enjoyed my brief time in Sweden. Interesting sidenote #3: neither Malmo nor Copenhagen has ever heard of a thing called a "hockey jersey". WTF?!

Back from Malmo, we decided to watch a movie from my laptop and relax.

Tuesday, Anastassia had class, so she left early. I felt lazy so I stayed at the hotel and had a late breakfast, then made my way to the CBS campus. It's a nice campus. I'll leave it at that, so as to not go on a rant about how much I don't like uOttawa.

After her class, we went for a walk through the Frederiksberg (pronounced "fry-rick's-bear") neighbourhood of Copenhagen. We found a place to have lunch (a bagel sandwich, apparently a CPH specialty), then, surprisingly, went to H&M for some more shopping (it was raining, so really, it was the best way to spend the time). After H&M, it stopped raining, and we found another gorgeous park to walk through. This one had a zoo :D

I will continue with Part 2 (Wednesday to Friday) this weekend, and I hope to have photos up by Monday. They will definitely be on Facebook by then for those of you who can see them there.

Talk to you soon!

Battling the Evil Midterms, Saving the Princess

Good Evening folks,

Many weeks have passed since I took the time to write, and I have to say, I'm very glad for this opportunity.

Last weekend was a nice 4-day long weekend for Thanksgiving, which was greatly enjoyable, what with lots of food, family and friends around to share the fun.

Class has been going relatively well, though I'm realizing now that I should probably get to work on a few of my term papers. As I realize this, I am also supposed to study for midterms which began on the 16th and will continue through Thursday the 21st. To add to the fun, I started work this past Tuesday, so, I'm in just a little over my head.

The good thing is (or maybe it's not good, depending on how you look at it) is that this Friday, I get to drive to Toronto to visit my grandparents. That same night, I board a plane to Copenhagen. :D

I am very much looking forward to my trip, and to seeing Anastassia for the first time in over 2 months. I started packing today, and I will pick up some DKKroners on Wednesday so I can actually eat while I'm there.

Hope you all have a good week. Good luck to those of you writing midterms! I'll report back around Hallowe'en with another entry on travel :D