Breakfast or "Morgenmad"

I have never been a morning person. Ever. When I was a little kid, I was always the student late for class, or the one with all the absences because I just hated getting up in the morning (I blame my mother). This terrible habit has continued throughout my adult education, and because I was always rushing in the mornings, I never really had the time for breakfast...

...until now.

Breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day. On Mondays and Thursdays I have had to get up at 6am in order to get to my 8:30am classes. However painful the early mornings may be, I always look forward to a big breakfast and the chilly morning bike ride to the train station.

I feel like a completely different person. Texas-Emily would be so ashamed...but new Danish-Emily has realized a whole new side of herself.

Also, having extra time in the mornings let's me experiment with my cooking skills and create delicious dishes like this:

My take on a frittata, but I scrambled it because omelets are hard...

Spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, and cauliflower...mmm

Another fun thing to do in the mornings that I never used to do is workout! Since the weather has increasingly declined in temperature and overall prettiness (no more warmth and Autumn is officially over), my plan on running 4 times a week failed miserably. Who wants to go run outside in the dark with cold, misty rain?? Unless I'm training for a marathon...no thank you. Instead of paying $200 for a 2 month gym membership, I had to improvise. Luckily, I found my Insanity workout videos online and for the past three weeks I've been (literally) busting my butt. And the best part... I don't have to go outside!!

However, the cold might get a little bit more bearable this weekend because it's supposed to SNOW!!!

I think it's safe to say I'm officially engulfed in the Christmas season. Who needs Thanksgiving anyway when you get to make Christmas cookies with your host family and decorate pretty cakes?

This will make writing my finally papers easier...this and hot cocoa

Also, decided on my final travel trip toooooooo.... PARIS!!!

Paris for Christmas, how romantic is that?

Hej hej,

Emily

Let's Go Back in Time... Iceland 2012

So the first weekend of November, I had decided to embark on my first solo travel excursion. I could have gone ANYWHERE in Europe, any place at all... Barcelona, Paris, Rome (basically anywhere warm), but what fantastic country did I decide was worthy enough to test my new-found independence and backpacking expertise?

Iceland.

That's right folks. Iceland in November. This picture might not express how insanely cold this place was because there isn't any snow...but I don't look like a lumber-jacking oompa loompa on a regular basis, I swear. I was greeted by Iceland with a pleasant 55mph wind storm (courtesy of Hurricane Sandy), which was lovely considering my hostel was right on the water. Every time I walked out the front door, at least for the first couple of days, I would literally be blown off of my feet. But hey? I should've expected crazy weather. It is Iceland after all... and at least it wasn't raining, right?

Honestly, the weather was doable (after putting on 8 layers) and despite having no protection from the wind, I don't think I could've picked a better hostel. KEX Hostel was absolutely fantastic. It is everything you expect and want a hostel to be: great people, awesome breakfast, great location, cool/hip atmosphere, and a fun bar and music venue!

Magnetic wall

Concert stage in the hostel

BREAKFAST

View of the hostel at dawn

I'm not quite sure if concerts are a normal occurrence at KEX (which is Icelandic for "biscuit" because it used to be a biscuit factory...), but I happened to be in Reykjavik during the Iceland Airwaves Festival!! There were sooo many indie-rock bands performing from Iceland and all over the world, including the headliner Sigur Ros and Of Monsters and Men (who's from Iceland!!). Most of the bigger name bands you had to have a ticket to see, but there were so many performers that had FREE shows, like the ones at my hostel.

There's a band performing in there...

Concert line-up for the day!!

Basically Reykjavik was invaded by hipsters for the weekend...and I was loving it. I also spent a day doing the Golden Circle Tour where I got to get out of the city and explore the REAL Iceland.

A "small" waterfall to start things off...

Before the Geysir erupted... 

BOOM! Fun fact: "geysir" is the only Icelandic word to contribute to the English language

Gulfoss or "Golden Falls"

Absolutely breathtaking.

Feeding the Icelandic horses! Whatever you do, don't call them ponies...they're just "petite"

The rough, uninhibited inner terrain of Iceland. Looks pretty intimidating...I now understand why Icelanders believe in trolls. There has got to be something magical living out there...

The North American ridge meeting up with the European Plate

A little bit of green and sunshine to end the day

Reykjavik is an amazing city, or rather a quaint seaside town. Iceland only has a population of 350,000 people, so when I say "quaint" I really mean it.

Leif Eriksson...the REAL first man to discover America, about 500 years before Columbus, and he called it Vinland (The land of wine)

Reykjavik as seen from atop the church. So many colorful rooftops

I had to try some Icelandic "delicacies": fermented shark and dried fish. They actually weren't that bad... **gag**

Of course I had to try the sweet delicacies as well: traditional Icelandic caramel cinnamon roll, and a hot chocolate just because :)

My last day in Iceland, I woke up very early to get to the Blue Lagoon. I could get used to waking up to this every day.

The Blue Lagoon is a natural hot springs that has been turned into a spa of sorts. I felt like a relaxing princess gliding through the mineral waters, lounging in saunas, and pasting on mud masks. Ahhh, what a life.

I am being completely serious when I say that I could absolutely, positively, 100% for a fact live in Iceland. The people, the landscape, the culture...everything just oozes wonder, while at the same time, it felt like home.

So maybe I'm not that crazy for going to Iceland...you never know what random place could change your life.

Go to Iceland.

Hej hej,

Emily

Women's Rights in Ireland

Finishing up my third travel break in Dublin, then back to Copenhagen tomorrow. Ireland is a gorgeous country with such a rich history, but there's no avoiding its troubled past, especially when considering issues of Human Rights violations.

Most people know about the Potato Famine back in the late 19th century that happened under British rule and hundreds of thousands of Irish people died of starvation. More recently, in the 1970s, fighting broke out between the Protestant and Catholic populations in the country during a period known as The Troubles. Thousands of people were killed in car bombings and protests due to religious intolerance and political corruption. There were also several accounts of torture being used to gather information on the IRA.

Thinking about Ireland today, tourism is booming (even though the economy is pretty weak), the tensions between Catholics and Protestants have diminished, and the current president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, is a popular leader both nationally and internationally. Ireland appears to be on an upwards slope, but there are still some major legal issues standing in the way.

When I arrived in Ireland earlier this week, I heard on the news a story about a woman who died of blood poisoning in a hospital after coming in a week earlier suffering from a miscarriage. Even though her life was at risk, the hospital did not allow for an abortion since the baby's heart was still beating.

Abortion is a really sensitive topic, especially in a country like Ireland where 95% of the people are Christians, but it's still unbelievable to think that, with all the advances in modern medicine, a woman could lose her life so easily. The real problem is that there are no clear or detailed laws regarding abortion (probably because it's such a sensitive topic that nobody wants to talk about in politics). I'm not going to comment on my personal beliefs on the matter, but it's still interesting to think about the legal systems of two, small European nations like Denmark and Ireland, and see how contrasting they are. In Denmark, abortion was fully legalized in 1973, whereas Ireland's last law regarding abortion was passed in 1992, allowing abortion to be legal if a woman's life was at risk, however it was a very vague law and apparently does not hold much credibility in real cases.

If you want to read more on this story, here's a link to a recent article about it:
March for Women's Rights in Ireland

Also, here's a full list of equality issues and Irish women's rights provided by the European Union:
The EU and Irish Women


Not the most cheerful topic to talk about, but there's so much more to these places I'm visiting than just the "tourist traps" and pretty buildings. Every country is dealing with real conflicts that shouldn't go unnoticed. I am a Human Rights major after all...it's my job to seek out the sad, depressing issues and show them to the world so that, hopefully one day, these injustices will be dealt with and resolved.

Oh the life of an undying optimist (

I Love Ljuuu-bljana

Before I go any further, this is how you pronounce Ljubljana = Looo-bleee-yana

Easy enough, right?

This hidden gem of a capital in the little-known country of Slovenia (not to be confused with Slovakia...) takes you back to a time in Europe before tourists invaded, when the beauty and charm of the Old World comes alive. Ljubljana is one of the last European cities yet to be discovered. So how did I ever come across this unpronounceable place? Well, during my extensive travel research on the blogosphere this past summer, I kept stumbling upon this one picture whenever I typed in "Most Beautiful Places in Europe"

Gorgeous, right? This is Lake Bled, located in the Northern part of Slovenia

After discovering the beauty that is Slovenia, I knew I had to go. Sadly, I did not get to visit Lake Bled, but I did get to do/see tons of other things/places during my stay. With that said...

1. Go to Lake Bled- Take a day trip from Ljubljana on either the bus or train. Spend time on a beautiful day relaxing on the shores and wandering through the village streets. If you can, take a boat to the tiny island cathedral, where legend says the fairies that created Lake Bled still live.

2. Stay at Sax Hostel- This hostel is a small, converted house that has a jazz bar on the first floor. Every room in the hostel is themed as a different jazz musician. My room was Ray Charles...my favorite. Love.

So colorful

Oh hey Marilyn

3. Go to the Old Town Market- Every weekend there's a huge farmer's market in the center of Old Town Ljubljana. They sell all kinds of fresh fruit and veggies, wood carved souvenirs, homemade cheese, and even a huge block dedicated to clothing (basically an outdoor mall). Walking through the market, you get a feel for the people and the culture on a deeper level than just walking in and out of castles and museums. 

Handmade pizza, made right in front of you. Authentic and incredibly delicious

Best strawberries I've ever tasted. No joke.

4. Start a conversation with a Slovenian- Most speak English and they are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. You will start to feel at home very quickly in this city.

5. Check out the Dragon Bridge- The city's mascot is the Ljubljana dragon and it's on everything: flags, bridges (obvi), and even the sewer covers. Apparently the dragon lives on the mountain under the Ljubljana Castle, still acting as guardian of the city.

See! There's the dragon

I am obsessed with dragons. I think I was meant to live here.

6. Visit the Postojna Caves- I had never gone cave exploring before, so I really didn't know what to expect...but this place blew my mind. I don't even have the words to describe how incredible these caves are, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking:

Beautiful rolling hills of Postojna

The cave entrance...

"Spaghetti gallery"

It looks like an ice cream cone!

Well, here I am sitting in Galway, Ireland...and finally finishing my second travel break posts. More to come on my recent travels soon. I didn't forget about Iceland I promise!!

Hej hej,

Emily

Vienna Waits for You...

I've had this Billy Joel song suck in my head for weeks...

First of all, a day and a half in Vienna was definitely not enough time to enjoy and explore this wonderful city. I did not expect to fall in love with Vienna, which is probably why I only planned to be there one full day, and this is one of my biggest regrets of the trip. The music, the food, the architecture, the culture...everything about Austria enthralls me.


1. Eat at Zwolf Apostelkeller- It's an underground restaurant in a cellar built in the 12th century. Traditional Viennese food and a live violinist playing through your meal? This place is everything Vienna.

Lainey being serenaded, so sweet :)

2. Schoenbrunn Palace- Outside of Versailles, if there is any palace worth visiting in Europe, this is it. Marie Antoinette grew up here and it's bright yellow (my favorite color), nuff said. I've never seen anything so beautiful. I think in a past life, this was my home.

Fall in Vienna is gorgeous.

The. View. Oh. My. Lord.

3. Schnitzel and The Original Sacher Torte- Two Viennese staples. Fried meat and chocolate cake...need I say more? Make sure you go to the Sacher Hotel so you can try the original!

I'm not usually a huge fan of cake (brownies and pies are more my thing), but this one is to die for.

4. Ride the Oldest Ferris Wheel in the WORLD- Give in to your inner child. Vienna is the perfect place to be a kid again: chocolate, castles, and amusement parks? Yes please.

So embarrassingly excited for this.

Beautiful Autumn sunset

Up we go!

Me and Mozart (lolz)

5. Go to the Vienna Opera House- If you get to the opera a couple hours before showtime, you can get in line for "Standing Room Only" tickets. For 4 euro, you can get the BEST seats for either an opera or ballet. Just getting to go inside the opera house is worth it!

Outside the opera house. It's huge. Every building in Vienna is grand.

Breathtaking.

The show is about to begin!

Yes. The dancers are dressed up as butterflies. The funniest and most entertaining ballet I've ever seen!

I'm so behind with my posts...but Ljubljana is coming up next!! Then Iceland...and now I'm off to London and Ireland tomorrow...SO MUCH TRAVELING I LOVE IT!!!

Hej Hej,

Emily