Skagen, Santa and Study

Ok, there have been some interesting and more 'cultural' experiences over the past few weeks, for those of you who have been worried that I spend my life partying and drinking!!

- at one stage, my life story was going to be called 'Lost somewhere in Denmark with Italians', as I spent 2 days of last weekend (Friday and Monday) in a hired car with my lovely Italian friends, driving around the coast of Jutland, the island of Denmark where Aarhus is situated. On the Friday, we were planning to get to Skagen, which is the point at the top where the North and the Baltic Sea meet, but after driving to the West Coast to find amber, we realised that we would not make Skagen by sunset (around 4pm here!!), so we stopped at the nearest beach to enjoy the atmosphere, We then drove to Aalborg, the 3rd largest city in Denmark, and renowned for its party atmosphere, but we only stopped for an hour, before driving home!!







- On Monday, then, we hired a car again, and set out for Skagen, stopping along the way at historic Randers, Lokken, the Danish Ibiza (although not so much at the moment, it being winter and all!!), the Moving Dune, which supposedly moves 50 metres per year, and then finally to Skagen, again at dark, so we didn't see it in its glory, but it was still nice!! I realised that beaches don't excite me as much, perhaps because I've grown up with them, but it was good to see the Danish countryside and coastline, and watching 3 Italian guys headbanging to AC/DC while driving through Denmark is definitely a memorable experience!!




Our travelling crew - me, Fabrizio, and our trusty driver, Andrea.


- Friday night was an exciting Christmas experience - the Santa parade!! Santa arrived on a boat in the harbour, then paraded through the town with marching bands, fire engines and helpers giving out lollies and icecream - it was great!! They lit the starry Christmas lights in the main street, and had fireworks (although no OH & S in this country - we were across from the building with the fireworks, and kept seeing bits of flame land on people!!) I'm really looking forward to all the cold Christmassy things here - ice skating, Christmas markets - Europe really goes all out with Christmas lights and decorations, which is nice when it's so cold and dark so early!!






- I have finally started studying in earnest, as I have my first oral exam in a week - basically, we know the questions, then we pick one out of a hat when we arrive, and speak for 15 minutes on that!! So I'm busily learning International Copyright in preparation for this, and limiting my partying somewhat to only one weekend night of dancing in the city! I am becoming so dedicated (and also last minute!) that I didn't go to Latvia as planned this weekend, staying home to study and see Santa!!

So that will be my next few weeks, studying, as I have an exam on the 18th and the 21st also. Dad and Odette will be coming to visit in a couple of weeks, which will be really nice, and then I will spend Christmas in Leeds, England, with Charlotte and her family, and New Year's Eve back here in Aarhus!