The beginning of the end

I can't believe that in two days I will be in the Minneapolis airport, attempting to find my luggage at the baggage claim and hoping that my dad will show up on time. My time here has gone by way to fast but I guess that can also be a good thing. Never once was I just sitting around, wishing that I was back home or wanting to leave. I packed a lot into these four months and that trend continued with the past two weeks.

After I got back from Paris I wad one week left of classes and it was a busy one. I had three papers to write, an oral presentation (in Danish!) and a final exam. But I managed to survive and have some fun. My host family and Anne (my mom's friend from when she lived in Denmark) and I went to Louisiana on Sunday. No, not the state famous for Mardi Gras and jazz but the art museum in Humlebæk, a city north of Copenhagen. They had an exhibition called "Color in Art" that was incredible! It showed how the use of color changed over time and had works from Matisse, Kandinsky, Miro and many others. The exhibit also had much more than just art--I learned how we perceive color, how different colors evoke certain emotions and how color sensitive I am (I scored a 4 on a scale from 1 to 100 with 0 being perfect). After the exhibit we wandered around outside where they had many sculptures on display in these beautiful gardens. There was also a big grassy opening right on the sea and Sweden was clearly visible even though it wasn't the clearest of days. It was a really gorgeous place. After Louisiana we went to Dyrehaven which literally means animal garden. It was the hunting grounds of the Danish king before their current queen and is a big open park with lots of deer! There is a castle in the middle of the park that Jan told me is where the king kept all of his mistresses. It's up on a hill so that the king could see if the queen was coming and make his lady caller leave quickly. So scandalous! There is a golf course in the garden now and there were a bunch of deer just chillin' right next to the green. Luckily for the deer, we did not play golf because I most definitely would have hit one of them...

The week following my Sunday out and about in the greater Copenhagen area was finals week. Normally this would mean no fun and a lot of studying but let's be honest, I'm studying in Denmark--the most laid back country I've ever been to. So during that week I had my last soccer game, climbed the steps of Our Savior's Church in Christianshavn, enjoyed my last night at Scottish Pub, went to the championship game for a Danish cup and went to Tivoli. The church gave the most incredible view of Copenhagen I've seen. It was a lot of steps and many twists and turns through what felt like an old dusty attic but by the time you made it to the top it was worth it!My last night at Scottish Pub was very fun but unfortunately I left approximately five minutes before I should have because I missed Third Eye Blind coming into the pub after they finished a concert nearby. Shoot. Maybe next time?
On Thursday my host dad called me and asked me if I wanted to go watch a football game with some of his colleagues. I said yes and was expecting to go a pub and watch a game on TV but before I had time to process what was going on I was in a suite at Parken (Copenhagen's stadium) with a cold Carlsberg in my hand watching the championship of the Ekstra Bladelt Cup. Can you say amazing? The game was one of the best soccer matches I've ever watched--super intense, went into overtime and two beautiful goals were scored. It was a much better way to spend a Thursday afternoon than my original plan of studying for my Complexity of Caner final...

The last thing on my checklist of "Things to do before leaving Copenhagen" was Tivoli Gardens and I checked it off on Friday. Tivoli is the inspiration for Walt Disney world and it definitely shows. It's like every childhood fantasy any kid ever had all rolled into one cozy little park. There were gardens and lights and birds everywhere! It was so picturesque and not to mention fun. We elected to only go on one ride as it cost about $15 but we chose very carefully and I think ended up on then best ride in the park. It's like the tree swings at any amusement park except it goes up really really high. I was able to see Sweden! We also played on a park that was clearly meant for small children and enjoyed a cup of varm chokolade! So now that I've seen it all and experienced everything Copenhagen has to offer I guess it's time for me to go home. My host family is throwing me a goodbye party tonight and we're having our last dinner at Sticks N Sushi tomorrow and then Monday I have to catch a plane and head back to Minneapolis. Crazy!