Snow Day

 The lake by my house has finally frozen over! 

"Sciopero" (Italian word for strike)

I mentioned this before but I thought I would share some more.  As I was walking around town with a few people from my hostel a few days ago, one of the guys said there was going to be a transportation strike on Friday.  I got a bit nervous because Friday was my busy travel day but I was hoping for the best.  I did some research when I got home and quickly realized that strikes are a common occurrence here in Italy.  One Italian blog writer wrote “Strikes are so common in fact, that one of the first words I learned after moving to Italy was sciopero, the word for strike. After I'd lived there a few months, I got used to them as the Italians do, and learned another useful Italian word: arrangiarsi, to figure it out. Yes, strikes are inconvenient and disruptive, but you can't do anything about them.”  This week was a week filled with countless strikes.  On Monday, truckers and taxi drivers decided to protest the government on their plan to issue more driver’s licenses in order to increase competition amongst drivers.  The protest consisted of drivers parking their big rigs & taxi cabs across all major highways preventing any traffic from passing through. 

Pharmacists decided to strike this week as well and government lawyers will be on strike next week, but those are stories for another day so I can get back to the transportation issue.  The Italian train company (Trenitalia) decided to hold their monthly strike for 24 hours beginning 26 January at 9pm and continuing until 27 January at 9pm.  All regional train service was cancelled which meant that the only trains running were fast trains between the major cities in Italy.  That was good news for me since my morning train from Florence to Rome was still on, although delays were to be expected.  I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked into an empty train station this morning.  There were only two trains in the station, when usually all twenty tracks are filled.  The picture I took of the daily train schedule turned out a bit blurry but it is covered with the word cancelled.   My train was running thirty minutes behind schedule but I was so relieved to be on a train headed to Rome that I didn’t mind the late start.

I also had good luck at the airport since my flight made it off the ground just as the strike was beginning.  No one was sure whether our 13:30 flight would be delayed but I am now on the plane flying over Austria as I type.  FYI- Fly Norwegian Air because they offer free wifi on board all flights! 

Oh, and the bus, metro and tram systems in all major Italian cities also went on strike today but that didn’t affect me. 

Lesson for the day---If you are headed to Italy, do some research.  There are countless websites that allow travelers to read about scheduled strikes so they can plan their days around them.      

Pisa

Had the BEST time in Pisa today!  Hopped on an early train to Pisa so I could be a tourist for a few hours and still make it back to Florence before the train strike started this evening.  My new friend from Danish class, Gulia, picked me up from the station and showed me around town.  She has lived in Pisa for six years but had never climbed the 294 stairs to the top of the tower, well, until today!  Later in the day we met up with her brother & two friends for lunch, limoncello and dessert.  Definitely going to miss eating like this when I get back to Copenhagen, but it's about time I go back to being healthy! 

Florence

Woke up early for a 1.5 hour train ride to Florence, a city that came highly recommended by all.  I joined a free walking tour through my hostel this morning and then spent the rest of my day wandering the city.  Heard earlier that trains are supposed to strike on Friday which is exactly when I have a train ticket booked to get back to Rome in time for my flight from Rome to Copenhagen.  Looked up online and "Thursday 26 January 2012 Italian 24 hour train strike.  Are you on a strike proof train?  Friday 27 January All out general transportation strike for 24 hours (taxi, bus, train, plane). " Seriously!?  I could honestly spend forever here in Florence, but I have to find a way out of Italy!

Day Two

After arriving in Rome yesterday, I was able to check a few things off my list. 

•         Coliseum
•        Roman Forum
•       Spanish Steps
•       Fontana di Trevi
•        Italian pizza
•        Italian pasta
•       Bowl of gelato

This afternoon I was also a bit busy.

•       Pantheon
•       Piazza Navona
•       Upscale shopping district in northern Rome
•       Italian wine
•       Tea & a cannoli

Although I have seen plenty of incredible attractions and monuments these past two days, I can easily tell you my favorite memory thus far.  I woke up before anyone else in the hostel this morning and was out the door and on the metro by seven o’clock.  My plan was to head to Vatican City and I was hoping to arrive before every other tourist in Rome.  You enter Vatican City through St. Peter's Square.  St. Peter’s Basilica sits at the back side of the square and is one of the largest churches in the world.  After spending a few hours in the Basilica today, I can honestly say that the church was one of the most awe-inspiring and moving places I have ever visited.  Walking into the Basilica took my breath away and I honestly had to fight back tears the entire time I was there.  Lindsay recommended a trip to the top of the church’s dome and the 320 steps were definitely worth the view!   

Small World

Shortly after booking my flight to Rome, I found out Lindsay Fukui (a Folsom family friend) would be in Rome as well.  Lindsay is in college at St. Marys and was on a trip to Italy through her university.  I spent the day wandering the City and then met up with Lindsay for dinner.  So nice to see a familiar face 6,000 miles away from home!

Health Care in Denmark

It is 3am right now and I am finally home!  I will try to make this short & sweet.  Denmark provides "free" health care to all residents, funded through taxes.  Good thing, because I have already taken advantage of the system during a trip to the emergency room just now!  The picture below shows what happens after a little biking accident in the middle of the night.  We were laughing at this picture for hours because it looks awful but I'm really not as bad as the picture makes it seem!  

I had spent the evening with my friend Angie and her host family Bodil and Hans.  Unfortunately I hit a patch of ice on a dark rode during my ride home and fell pretty hard.  A taxi driver was kind enough to get out of his car and help me up out of the street but I was definitely in excruciating pain.  Bodil and Hans arrived just shortly after I called them because they thought I should get to the hospital right away.  The other great picture from the night is below.  

Hans figured we would be at the ER for a while so he was thoughtful enough to pack some warm tea and cake before he came to pick me up!  They x-rayed just about every bone in my body and things looked good.  I am black and blue all over, can't move my left arm or stand on my left leg, but nothing was fractured!  Now I am crossing my fingers I can walk by Monday because I have a vacation to go on! 

Sunny California

Definitely jealous of sunny California!  

 Just rode my bike home from crossfit in the SNOW!  Not the best picture but I am definitely covered in snow!  

Five Days In.......

Any guesses on where I am flying to next week??  

The picture should give it away.  It's the flag of Italy! 

Headed to Rome, Italy next Monday with a friend I met in my Danish Language class.  She has to go home for two weeks so I am going to fly down with her, stay a few days and then head back to Copenhagen just in time my first day of law school!  Can't wait! 

Bodil

So Bodil, my friend’s old host mom, picked me up this morning in a CAR!  As much as I am loving public transportation, it was nice not to have to wait around in the cold for the train or bus to come!  We drove up Osterbrogale, a street along the eastern coast of Denmark, took a walk in the forest where we stopped at an outdoor café for a cup of hot chocolate and then went to her house for lunch and some Danish dessert!  Bodil and Hens also gave me bags of things to borrow during my time in Copenhagen.  I now have a blender (I live off of smoothies- breakfast, snack, dinner, dessert…), two lamps (I no longer need to carry my one lamp around the apartment in order to have light), blankets, towels, Tupperware, candles, warm socks, a few jackets and a map of the city.  Oh, and she is in the process of finding me a toaster.  Words cannot even express how thankful I am for Bodil!  She also told me that I am going to be “ill” on Friday February 10 because I am going to learn how to ski during their family trip to Norway!   She is a pretty incredible woman!  One word to describe her would definitely be free-spirited.  I will never forget the first story I heard about Bodil.  There is a part of Copenhagen called Christiania/ Free Town, which is an area of former military barracks that was taken over by the homeless many years ago.  Christiania residents created their own hippie-ish community that the city of Copenhagen just let be but there was a time when Copenhagen wanted to “normalize” Christiania.  Bodil completely disagreed with the city and believed that Christiania should remain its own unique commune.  The symbol of Copenhagen is a statue of the Little Mermaid that sits on the beach at the edge of the sea.  Since Copenhagen wanted to “normalize” Christiania, Bodil thought that they should then also “normalize” the Little Mermaid.  I mean, what person walks around town with fins instead of feet!?  Bodil went out one summer afternoon when every tour bus in town had stopped to visit the statue and put a pair of legs on the Little Mermaid.  She said she could hear a million cameras clicking because no one could believe what she was doing.  Bodil wanted to prove a point that there is no such thing as “normal” and we should all be able to live as we please.  I have come to realize how important the Little Mermaid is to the city and I can’t imagine seeing someone add legs to her!  That’s Bodil!      

Malmo, Sweden

The Oresund Bridge connects Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden so I hopped on the train this morning in Copenhagen, rode across the bridge and landed in the center of Malmo in less than 30 minutes.  I asked a woman for directions after getting off the train and instead of pointing me to the right street, she rode her bike with me to exactly where I was going!  She also provided me with a list of things to do and places to eat while in town.  Started my weekend getaway with a workout at Crossfit Malmo.  The guy I met on the street walking into the building, my partner during the Team WOD and the coach were beyond incredible!  I have already told Crossfit Malmo that they are going to have to help me find someone that will rent a room, a couch or a tiny spot on the floor to me on the weekends because I will definitely be going back for more!  After my workout, I got on my bike and rode around to all the tourist attractions in Malmo.  I visited Stortorget (City Square), Lilla Torg (restaurants and shopping), Malmo City Hall, St Peter’s Church, Malmohus Castle, the Turning Torso (tallest building in Scandinavia) and Kungsparken (park).  Pictures below.      

Crossfit Malmo (Coach Phillip 3rd from left)

 Turning Torso

Kunsparken

 Malmohus Castle