Jacqueline Scott: Halfway Mark – More Museums, Music, and Meals!

Name: Jacqueline Scott
Home University: Vanderbilt University
Summer 2014 Courses at DIS: The Enemy Within: Spies, Espionage, and the Cold War, Roskilde Festival: Community, Culture, and Creativity, The World of Vikings: Facts, Fiction, and Fantasy

In the world of DIS, we have moved onto another season: Session 2! My course on the Roskilde Festival has been intense and interesting as we explore volunteerism, organizational structures, communication, social theories, and much more in relation to the Roskilde Festival – Northern Europe’s largest music festival. Roskilde is unique in that it is non-profit and utilizes an incredible large volunteer force (34,000 people!) to make the festival happen for the 80,000 attendees. My classmates are a unique mixture of majors and interests yet we all have a creative flair and are incredibly excited for the festival where we will be camping and volunteering for our ‘study tour’ during the last week of June.

More on Roskilde later though – As my time in Copenhagen almost reaches a halfway mark, I’ve realize how many things I have yet to see/do! Here is my short(ish) list:

In Copenhagen:

• The Danish Jewish Museum – After visiting Berlin a week ago, I’ve grown interested in the history of Jewish communities in Europe, particularly in relation to World War II.
• Designmuseum Danmark
- Danes are known for their thoughtful and renowned industrial and artistic design, which I’ve noticed since living here, so I figured this would be a good place to explore and learn more.
• Thorvaldsens Museum – Bertel Thorvaldsen was a renowned Danish artist and sculptor and this quaint museum showcases his work. I figured this is something that the average ‘tourist’ wouldn’t do!
• Never eating at the same place twice – I’d like to explore more of the fantastic international food options in Copenhagen, and also eat more Smørrebrød – a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich!
• As summer is in full swing now, swimming in the harbor at Islands Brygge is something I must do! After harbor cleanup initiatives, the city has created a unique ‘outdoor swimming pool’ and the place is a popular hangout for Danes.

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Outside of the City:

I’d like to go to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, a beautiful museum on the coast north of Copenhagen and Kronborg Castle, believed to have inspired Elsinore Castle – the setting of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

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I’ve included a few photos from Berlin (it was great to see a city so different than Copenhagen), recent Danish meals (which are just so good), and sights in Copenhagen. I’m glad that DIS doesn’t allow me to fall into mundane routine. Each day is different in terms of what I learn, where I go, and whom I hang out with. It’s exciting and open and I can already sense some of the “reverse culture shock” I’ll experience going back. Life here is pretty special.