American Garden Gnome goes to Denmark: Settling In

It feels like I have been here an eternity in some ways and others its gone by with a blink of an eye. I've been here for two weeks and I think I've come to the reality that I'm living here, not just visiting or traveling. I'm going to be a Danish resident with an actual cph number (like a social security number). I have to commute to school, which I don't think I am a fan of... I don't like busses. I need to get a bike (as soon as the bone chilling cold goes away). I'm not as hardy as the danes. Which I've found out why they are so. They put their kids outside to sleep for naps. Nowhere else in the World is this a custom. The Danish believe that it is good for them. Which I can see how the fresh crisp air could be. I saw this first hand when we went to visit SolHuset, Solar House in english, for my Integrated Sustainability Class. This building is a day care or preschool and one of the rooms they showed us looks like a chicken coop.

This was interesting to see. The building itself was pretty cool.

The building was designed with the environmental elements in mind using the sun to be more sustainable. The way the building is angled is to optimize daylighting and solar energy. The last picture is a screen to tell you how the building is doing energy wise and functioning.
Getting out of the city and going to this was good for me. I need my view of nature and the whole ride out there I got a view of the country side. I think I've realized I'm not much of a city girl. This is the most populated area I have ever lived in. I don't think I went through culture shock, for me it was city shock... All this concrete everyday gets a little depressing for me. Luckily I live in the suburbs and have a pretty nice view out my window to some backyards. I've also found a new gem right around the corner from my kollegium. It's a beautiful park with walking trails around a lake. So now anytime that I need a pick me up from the city blues I just have to walk two blocks and find some nature :).

view from room

park

Literally "wrapped" in nature

On Saturday I went to Kronberg Castle and Helsignør. Kronberg Castle is most famously known from Shakespeare's Hamlet. They still do the play there every year. It dates back as far as the Middle Ages located on the narrowest part of the Øresund. From here the King's men could control who sailed through the sund and make sure that all passing merchants paid there Sound Dues to the King.

Portrait of Shakespeare

The Chapel

This room was gorgeous! It had beautiful carvings.

The Ballroom- was the largest royal hall in Northern Europe

This is a replica of the fountain that used to be in the central courtyard. It was a 10m high bronze fountain which Frederik II ordered from George Labenwold in Nurnberg, Germany in 1576. It was an impressive indication of the king's power with its 36 figures and the god of the sea, Neptune. In 1658-60 Kronborg was occupied and the fountain became Swedish spoils of war along with several other statues. Denmark has tried to get them back recently but Sweden refused.