Experiencing a New City, a New Country, a New Continent!

When Maria picked me up at the airport, I was so excited to see a familiar face. I hadn't seen her since she graduated from RMU in May! Maria had already bought our tickets for the Metro, so we rode the subway to her apartment. I couldn't stop looking out the window at everything that was new to me- the buildings, the architecture, everything about this place was so different but unique! The Metro station was only about 2 blocks from her apartment- but with all my luggage, it seemed further than two blocks! We passed a small grocery store along the walk. Then we had to climb four flights of stairs to her apartment- she told me that she lives on the third floor, but it is really the fourth floor, because in Europe, they count the ground floor as "zero floor." It doesn't really make sense to me, but it's something that I will probably get used to- I'm crossing my fingers that my apartment in Rome will be on the ground floor!!!

When we arrived at Maria's apartment, I was pretty tired. I let my mom and several other friends know that I arrived safely in Copenhagen. Then I took a nap! I knew that I needed to catch up on my sleep that I missed out on while flying and I would be suffering from jet lag along with lack of sleep. It was also refreshing to take a shower after such a long journey. We decided to order Chinese take-out for dinner; there was a place right across the street from her apartment and we ordered fried rice with chicken. It was really good- I didn't think I would be eating Chinese food while I was in Denmark, but they have the same kinds of food that we have in America- anything from Thai to Mexican to Italian to Japanese sushi to Indian food to American cheeseburgers. You could even buy a bacon cheeseburger at this Chinese place! After dinner, we decided to go to Tivoli Gardens. It's a place where lots of young people go and it's a small amusement park along with beautiful gardens. A Danish pop band was playing that night- we took the bus to Tivoli and realized it was too crowded- they weren't even letting people inside the gates anymore. We just walked around and I saw the hustle and bustle of the city alive at night. We grabbed some ice cream cones and walked past the famous Royal Theater in Copenhagen. It was nice to finally fall asleep- I didn't wake up until 12:30 PM on Saturday afternoon!!

Maria had an important physics exam to take on Monday, so she spent most of Saturday studying. I went to the grocery store- it was named "Netto"- and I found some healthy food there for my lunch- some fruit, cereal, and "minimaelk". They even had Frosted Flakes in Denmark- they were called "Frosties."

On Saturday night, we went over to the apartment of Maria's friend. It was her birthday the next day, so we were celebrating with a dinner party and going out to a night club afterwards. Maria's dad, Henning, drove us in his car to the apartment because it would take us over an hour to get to the apartment using public transportation. Maria told me that cars are very expensive to buy because the Danish government has lots of high taxes that you must pay when you buy a car along with the petrol that you use to fuel the car. I saw a sign at a gas station that said "10 kroner." That sounded like a pretty good deal to me- 10 kroner equals about 2 US dollars; but then I realized that it was $2/liter- which meant it was about $8 for one gallon of gas!! I understand now why Maria's parents own only one car for both of them.

The dinner party was really nice- her friend cooked salmon lasagna and some spring rolls. The meal was delicious. And before I knew it, it was midnight and we were only leaving for the dance club! They go out to the bars and clubs much later here in Europe and they have a very relaxed atmosphere here. No one is ever in a rush to go anywhere, and I think I will like it! Usually, I need to be on time or ten minutes early to an event or party, but I will enjoy not rushing around. I think Europeans enjoy life and its pleasures much more over here! And the Danish people are all very nice. Most Americans are nice people too, but they are always in a hurry and sometimes need to stop and smell the roses along the way.

More about going to "touristy" spots in Copenhagen and Denmark in my next post- ciao!

Up, Up, and Away!

So I am officially "hooked on flying"- I think my Uncle Jimmy would be proud to hear that. After getting over the confusion of how to check-in at the United Airlines desk at the Pittsburgh International Airport, I had some time to spend with my family before I entered security and they couldn't be with me anymore. I also found out that I wouldn't have to re-check my baggage at the Chicago O'Hare Airport- what a big relief! I only shed a couple tears before saying good-bye to my family, but I now realize that I have my web cam, e-mail, and this blog to stay connected with them and everyone else at home.

I arrived at the terminal for my flight to Chicago, C53. I didn't have any trouble finding it, and I had about 45 minutes until I needed to board the plane. So I decided to call my friend, Elista, to talk to her before my flight took off. I had been talking to her for only about five minutes when I had to put our conversation on hold- the airport employee was making an announcement that the terminal for the Chicago flight had been moved to C55, so I needed to grab my carry-on bags and move to that terminal. Sooner than I realized, I was ending my phone convo and boarding the plane! I had a window seat right by the right wing, so I could see what was going on as we were taking off and landing. I loved seeing the cities of Pittsburgh and Chicago from the air- the cars and buildings look so small! I read one of my magazines, but I kept looking out my window every so often to see if anything was changing. The landing was a little bumpy and we had some turbulence during the flight, but I knew that I had overcome my fear of flying!

I was warned by one of my mom's friends that the Chicago airport is big, but I didn't realize how BIG she really meant. My flight from Pittsburgh put me at terminal C33 and I had to go all the way to terminal M15! This consisted of asking several airport employees how to get to the international terminal. I had to take the tram just like I did in the Pittsburgh airport, but this tram took me outside. I walked probably over 1 mile just to get to the terminal. Then, I had to show my passport and boarding pass again. Going through security again was no big deal- this is something I will need to get used to now that I will be traveling all the time across Europe. Because it was an international flight, I had to check-in again with my passport and boarding pass once I reached terminal M15. Now I had about an hour of waiting ahead of me until I boarded the big SAS Airbus plane that would take me to Copenhagen!

On my first international flight ever, I had an aisle seat. They had a small pillow and a blanket on my seat. I watched the movie He's Just Not That Into You as I ate my first airplane meal- it was chicken with some tomato and mushroom sauce, potatoes, salad, steamed zucchini, and cheesecake. Then, I tried to get some sleep because it was almost 12:30 AM when the movie was over. I had a hard time falling asleep because the woman in front of me decided to keep her reading light on- I need to invest in a sleeping mask for my next flight! I probably only slept about 2 or 3 hours before they woke us up for breakfast, which was half a ham and cheese sandwich, orange juice, yogurt, and coffee. Our landing in Copenhagen was much smoother than my first landing- we were on the ground and I didn't even realize it! In total, the flight was about 14 hours!

I easily went through customs and my passport now has a stamp from Copenhagen! It took me a while to retrieve my bags at the airport and then I forgot to get a luggage cart, so I had to go back to grab one of those. My Danish friend, Maria, had been waiting a little over 40 minutes for me, but I finally exited the airport and found her waiting for me! If there's one thing I learned from my first two airplane rides, it's being flexible and asking for directions! I know that being flexible is needed for any travel situation, but in flying and traveling internationally, it's most important!

More about my experiences in Copenhagen to come in my next post...Ciao!

What to Pack?!

Overpacking is something I've always done- I always always always take more than I need on any trip. Even when I spent this summer in Washington, DC for an internship, I probably didn't wear half the clothes that I packed. So you can imagine how difficult it was for me to pack enough clothes and other stuff to last me an entire semester while studying in another country!

But somehow, I've done it! I'm flying with Scandinavian Airlines to Denmark, and I'm restricted to two checked bags that have to be 50 pounds or less. And so far, with the help of some plastic bags, I've fit most of my clothes into two bigs suitcases with lots of room to bring back gifts and souvenirs with me. I have a backpack and my laptop bag as carry-on bags for the plane ride. I'm ready to go!

This semester will have so many firsts for me- my first plane ride (first I fly to Chicago, then I have my first flight over the Atlantic to Copenhagen), my first time visiting Europe, my first time writing a blog, and my first time traveling the world! I'm so excited for everything that is to come in the next several months, and I can't wait to write about it. I'm crossing my fingers that there's not too much turbulence on my plane ride and I can sleep during some of the flight. I'm looking forward to spending time with my friend Maria in Copenhagen!

Until next time, ciao!

P.S. I tried to add a picture of my luggage, but couldn't find the picture that I wanted to use, so pictures will come in my next entry, I promise!