Category: Sightseeing

Copenhagen, as it’s meant to be seen

On By Alison HaywoodIn Erasmus Mundus, Sightseeing, Travel1 Comment

Last weekend I saw Copenhagen as it’s meant to be seen: from a bicycle.

Sadly, this is not the bicycle I was on. But I wish it were.
Sadly, this is not the bicycle I was on. But I wish it were.

An excursion to the German embassy to apply for a residence permit turned into a weekend-long trip to Denmark’s capital city. Instead of my usual diary-style narrative, I’m going to write you a “listicle” (list + article) around a topic: Copenhagen on a budget. Continue reading “Copenhagen, as it’s meant to be seen” →

Barcelona y Cadaqués

On By Alison HaywoodIn Night Life, Sightseeing, Travel1 Comment

My first impression of Spain was the warmth. At the end of February it wasn’t hot, just a comfortable 15-16 degrees C (60 F).

I got to go outside with bare arms, got to lay on a beach all day, and got to use F-stop 22 on my camera. No complaints here.
I got to go outside with bare arms, got to lay on a beach all day, and got to use F-stop 22 on my camera. No complaints here.

My second impression was the mopeds. They darted through traffic like a person with a deathwish. They drove on the lines between lanes when traffic was slow, dodging cars and narrowly avoiding rearview mirrors and swerving bumpers.

Mopeds in Spain are like bicycles in Denmark - they're everywhere (though they don't obey the traffic laws half as well as Danish cyclists). I'm told this is true of Italy as well.
Mopeds in Spain are like bicycles in Denmark – they’re everywhere (though they don’t obey the traffic laws half as well as Danish cyclists). I’m told this is true of Italy as well.

My third impression was the palm trees. I’d seen palm trees before in California and Florida, but somehow it didn’t occur to me that they’d grow in Spain as well.

Palm trees were street trees, and cacti instead of shrubs.
Palm trees were street trees, and cacti instead of shrubs.

Continue reading “Barcelona y Cadaqués” →

Berlin in der Nacht (Berlin at Night)

On By Alison HaywoodIn Sightseeing, Travel, WinterLeave a comment

A couple weeks ago I took a weekend trip to Berlin to visit my old friends and enjoy the city I fell so deeply in love with just over two years ago.

The famous Fersehturm (TV tower), visible from nearly everywhere in the center of the city.
The famous Fersehturm (TV tower), visible from nearly everywhere in the center of the city. View from in front of the Rotes Rathaus (red city hall) at Alexanderplatz

Continue reading “Berlin in der Nacht (Berlin at Night)” →

The Old City, the Moesgård Museum and church service at the Cathedral

On By Alison HaywoodIn City Life, Erasmus Mundus, SightseeingLeave a comment

After a Skype conversation with my parents made me realize that I’ve been getting into the habit of drinking and clubbing and not so much experiencing the culture and attractions of Aarhus, I set out one weekend with a newfound determination to enjoy the city. The result? I went to an open-air museum, a traditional museum, and a church service.

Den Gamle By (The Old City)

A part of the canal runs through Den Gamle By. Sometimes there are geese.
A part of the canal runs through Den Gamle By. Sometimes there are geese. The picket fence is the edge of the museum – those buildings to the right and in the background aren’t part of it.

The Old City is a collection of well-preserved historical houses from around Denmark that show you what life was like back in the day. When a building is bought by or donated to the museum, it is painstakingly un-assembled, brick by brick, documented, transported, and re-assembled at its new home. Little signs on the buildings tell you what they were used for, and many also had little gardens where people would grow their own food. Though the gardens weren’t much to look at in the middle of January, the houses were pretty cool Continue reading “The Old City, the Moesgård Museum and church service at the Cathedral” →