MizGadabout

Within the last 36 hours I've stabbed myself in the palm with a sharp pencil, sat on a still plane for 5 hours, spent the night in Heathrow, received 2 (maybe a little less) hours of sleep, released frustration and anger through my tear ducts and have come close to missing Christmas.

Fog has consumed Heathrow airport, so that many flights have been canceled. Yesterday, my flight out of Copenhagen was 5 hours delayed, but we got the joy of spending those 5 hours on the plane while it sat at the gate. Upon arrival in Heathrow, I had to stand in line for 4 hours only for the gal to tell me that they could give me a hotel reservation for a place somewhere in the center of London. I opted for food vouchers and staked my claim to one of the not-so-comfortable lounge charis. I made several calls to British Airways to re-book myself for today (Thursday).

This morning, after a cold, uncomfortable and sleepless night, I made my way up to the counter to check-in only to find an hour long line with one person behind the counter. After standing around for a while, I got a little miffed. I decided to go to the line for first class passengers. While I'm not sitting in first class, I slept on a lounge chair with my scarf covering my face, so I think I deserve first class treatment for my patience. I explained that I only needed a boarding pass, and that I wasn't leaving until I got one.

Here's to hoping that the flight isn't canceled altogether...otherwise, I might be the leading lady for the movie Terminal Part II.

It's Sunday morning, and I have 9.5 days left. Last night I walked home from Radhusplasen. It wasn't too cold, and Stroget was the place to be seen! The streets were packed with merry shoppers and strollers alike. Many Danes ice skated around in circles at Kongens Nytorv, and one could smell glogg while passing in front of cafes. On my way home I had a small temper tantrum and, fortunately, I kept it to myself. It went something like this: "I don't want to leave! I don't! I don't! I don't want to leave!!"

While I initially confessed that I didn't really love Copenhagen like I love other cities, I have grown quite fond of and attached to this little capital city. So, here's a list of things I'm going to miss about Copenhagen.

First and foremost, I am going to miss feeling completely safe, both in my person and in my belongings. Here, you can be in a bar, leave your purse on your seat and wander off, as you're likely to do. When you return it and all of its contents will still be there. I've even left my wallet on the bartop without worrying.

Second, I am going to miss the public transportation system. At every bus stop there is a list of each and every stop along with the times the buses are to be at that stop, and drivers keep to that timetable. The latest a bus has been, in my experience, is 4 minutes. I am also going to miss how the buses are clean and don't smell. I also enjoy riding on the S-tog, which is the fast, efficient, clean and punctual regional train.

Third, (and this is a tricky one) I am going to miss bartending. In some ways I'm glad that I'll no longer be doing it. Every Friday and Saturday night I have spent in Copenhagen, I have also spent behind the bar, which means I haven't had as much party-fun as most. It's also redundant and can be fairly tedious. However, I am going to miss it, probably because of the people I get to work with, namely Dawn, Bartek and Natasha. I always seem to have fun, and there's never a dull moment when I'm working with any of them. When you get all four of us together, like on Wednesday night for the FCK v. Cel game, patrons better watch out! I am also going to miss it, because I've met a lot of people there. As Dawn says, it's funny when you don't know someone's name but you know what they drink.

Fourth, I am going to miss how clean it is here. The air always feels fresh and is clean. I didn't realize how much so until I went to Istanbul. Along these lines, I am also going to miss not seeing people sleeping on the streets. It's not that I don't like to see homeless people; instead, I like knowing that there aren't any, because the state makes provisions for people who are unemployed, mentally ill, have drug addictions or other socially stigmatizing problems.

Fifth, I am going to miss (I know this is going to sound crazy) how most everything is closed on Sundays. There have been a couple of times where it's annoying, such as last Sunday when I really needed post-it notes to help prepare for my exam. Overall though I like it. Sunday really is the day of rest. It's my movie and stroll through and around town day. There are a couple of grocery stores open, so you have a small window of opportunity to procure consumables. Otherwise, it's take-it-easy day.

Sixth, I am really going to miss how easy school is here. I am getting 12 units when I probably really only deserve 1. I know that once I return, it's going to be difficult to get back into the swing of things. And by "swing" I am referring to job hunting, doing vast amounts of reading, attending classes and having to actually think and concentrate and worrying about the upcoming Bar exam.

Seventh, I am going to miss glogg. Glogg is delicious and warming.

Eighth, I am going to miss the danishes. They're yummy.

(now I'm veering off of things I'm going to miss about Copenhagen specifically into things I'm going to miss about being abroad)

Ninth, I am going to miss how excited people sound when I call them. My calls are much more important when made from Denmark instead of little old San Francisco. Along these lines, I am also going to miss posting to my "travel blog." Back to everyday blog it is. I am also going to miss uploading pictures to my Flickr account after some great stay in some great city.

Tenth, I am REALLY GOING TO MISS taking a week off and having all of Europe before me. From here, it feels as though the world really is my oyster! (I'm still not exactly sure what that phrase means)

Things that I'm not going to miss include the temperature (which is warmer than it was last year) and the lack of daylight hours. I am also not going to miss having to watch Grey's Anatomy on my laptop. Oh, and I'm not going to miss only having a washer with no dryer. Sometimes, you just want your towels to be fluffy.

Copenhagen in December is enough to ignite the Christmas spirit in anyone. There are all kinds of details that make it special. It all started with the glogg, which is pronounced gluck - at least to this untrained ear. It's mulled wine with raisins and almond slivers floating around. There's also Christmas coffee and Christmas tea. Then, there's all kinds of foodstuffs that make their appearance only at Christmas time. There are balls of marzipan covered in chocolate which are then covered in this hardened powdered sugar. They make my teeth hurt. There also these ginger snap-like cookies that are super thin and delicious. There's also orange sticks covered in chocolate and many more delightful treats. December is definitely the month to eat one's way through Copenhagen.

One of the main squares, Radhusplasen, is decked out with a Christmas tree and lights. Even more impressive is the other square Kongens Nytorv where they have made an ice skating area. Trees are decorated with white lights. The Hotel D'Angleterre is superbly decorated with thousands of white lights as well. Christmas music can be heard in stores.

Christmas time is here!

Because I am a sucker, I am still working. My boss reassured me I'd get paid before I leave, and with that I won't feel guilty if I end up having to take the money from the safe, if she tries to screw me over.

She put me on the schedule for last (Wednesday) night. There was a soccer match across the street - FCK v. Cel. The pre-game madness was primarily made up of lots of fun Scotsmen drinking it up. There were FCK fans as well, but I sided with the Scots. They are a fun group of drunks; they sang, cheered, laughed, slapped each other on the backs, and drank the evening away. Many were excited that there was a "yank" in the joint, while others held out their hands full of money and told me to take what I needed to pay for their drinks. They were lucky that I'm an honest bartender. After an hour we ran out of glasses, so I went to the other side of the bar to see what I could collect. Unfortunately, the place was so packed that I couldn't get back for some time (there's only one door).

When the game started the joint cleared out, and we rushed around collecting glasses and re-stocking the counter with clean ones; we re-stocked the beer; we fetched more ice from a nearby restaurant; we wiped down tables and gathered some composure. We did all of this to the inspiring tunes of the Scissor Sisters. At the thought that the post-game madness would be half as bad as the pre-game madness, we decided that if you can't beat em, join em. And, with that the drinking began. My shift ended and I stayed an hour drinking and chatting. Not good! By the time I got home I realized how not-sober I was. I fell asleep but woke up at 3:30 still feeling drunk. Because I can't remember anything when I'm drunk, I couldn't remember anything about competition law, which caused large amounts of anxiety. I couldn't fall back asleep and I laid there for four hours waiting to feel sober, but I ended up feeling hungover.

I attended my exam. When I sat down, I took my coat off and became distracted when I saw the following on my arm:

3-K 3 D Vo 2G 1 Cog.+ ton
1-G 1 G&T 3K 2 D Vo 1 Lem
2J 8 Tub
1 Cl 1 Tub 2 G 1 Jul

For some reason, patrons are more patient when they have given their orders. So, I took to writing down multiple orders on my arm.

At least I passed my exam...not with flying colors, but an 8 looks the same on my transcript as a 10, so I am not going to worry about it. I've moved past that whole "personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment." Law school beat it out of me.

I should be furiously studying for my exam on Thursday. Motivation and ambition are nowhere to be found, so I decided to look up airfare for another voyage to Europe during Spring Break. This will be my last "spring break," so why not make it the first one I actually enjoy. I have never done anything or gone anywhere special for that wonderful week off in March. I always make well-intentioned plans to start preparing for exams, but I have difficulty on the follow through. I know it may seem strange, since I'm currently here, but one can never start planning too early. That, and I only have 2 weeks left, and I'm already sad about that fact. According to my calculations, I can spend 9 days some place, and I'm thinking what better place to do that than PORTUGAL. I am well aware that 9 days is too short a time to see any one country, but Portugal seems like a semi-manageable option for such a short amount of time. At least more manageable than, say, France.

Another option I am considering is spending 9 days in my favorite places in Italy. When I think about doing that I get excited to return, but I also feel a wee bit guilty for not exploring and (probably) falling in love with another corner of the world. Plus, I've always wanted to go to Portugal ever since my grandma went when I was young and brought me back nifty things, like a doll that had a 20-layer skirt. I loved that thing, but I have no idea what happened to it.

I know this is a ridiculous thing to be bothered about, but that's me...ridiculous. I am bummed that my passport didn't get stamped when I went to the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden. When they just ushered me through, I wanted to ask if they could look at my passport and stamp it, but I was too embarrassed. My passport is getting full, and I love that fact! But, I also want it to be accurate.

One down. Two to go. This morning was my crime and justice exam, and I spent all day yesterday studying. Well, almost all day, because I too a journal writing break, a grocery shopping break, and then finally a tv break. I was nervous going into the exam, because it's an oral exam. It's more difficult, because if you don't know the answer, you have to fess up. You can't sit there and ponder it for a while. I was the very first person, and my nervousness was obvious. I was bright red, and I could feel my hands shaking. I spoke way too quickly; I was inarticulate and far from succinct.

The grading system is strange. It's a scale of 0 to 13. You get a 3 for showing up. You need a 6 to pass, which is the equivalent of a C-. Basically no one gets a 13, and if an instructor does give one, he has to explain it to his higher ups. There is no 12 for some unknown reason. So, basically the scale is 6 to 11 (apparently it's impossible to get less than a 6). My instructor came out and whispered my grade to me: 10. I looked at him and responded, "really???" I then wanted to ask, "are you sure?" but thought better of it.

This surprisingly decent grade makes the next two exams seem a little less scary. I say "a little," because I am aware that this exam was not as difficult as my next 2 will be. Having to study kills most of the joy I get from being in Europe.

T minus 16 days until I come home...

Yes, I am in front of a computer while I am in Istanbul! Why? Because I need to give my tired legs, ears, eyes and nose a rest. I am sure you can understand the legs part. As for the other three, Istanbul puts me on sensory overload after a couple of days, since all of the sounds, sights and smells are new.

So far I have seen the Blue Mosque, Ayasofya, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Book Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, Archeological Museums, Yeni Camii (New Mosque), Suleymaniye Mosque, Beyazit Mosque and the Train Station. I have stopped for Turkish tea and Turkish Delight or Baklava breaks here and there (perhaps more frequently) and am enjoying getting cups of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Sometimes I mix it up and get 3/4 pomegranate and 1/4 grapefruit. However, only chumps have to pay for their Turkish tea. All I have to do is pause in front of a store, and the guy comes out, asks if I would like some tea and voila! If I pop into a place for a piece of baklava, I usually get a cup of tea as well. Turkish baklava, by the way, kicks Greek baklava's butt. It is way better, and it literally drips of honey. I have yet to find hummus as good as Tariq's though.

Yesterday's highlight was the Treasury of Topkapi Palace. There I saw an 84 carat diamond and multiple emeralds the size of my fist. There was a throne that was adorned with over 1000 rubies and 25,000 pearls. Also in the Treasury were things like teacup holders with each holder containing over 300 diamonds, water pitchers and plates made from gold and decorated with diamonds and mother of pearl, daggers, swords and their sheaths decorated with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and pearls. I cannot imagine the Palace in all of its splendor, and after my visit I really wished I had been a sultan!

My guidebook says that the thing to not miss is a Hamam or Turkish Bath. I have been reluctant to go, since there are 2 unappealing things about it. First, a woman bathes you...kind of weird. Second, it sounds like it hurts, and I have sensitive skin. I don't want to spend my remaining days in Istanbul in pain. But, after some persuasion I am going to the hamam and, in fact, I am going to one that is over 400 years old!