Sunday, July 27, 2013

On Saturday we spent our last full day in Malmo before having to depart to Copenhagen on Sunday morning. Prior to leaving Malmo, the class was able to spend one final day together on Friday at the Western Harbour which is dubbed the "Miami of Sweden". The weather was beautiful and very appropriate for the visit of the western harbour that was very remisnicent of California beaches today. The interesting thing about the western harbour is the industrial background that it has prior to its current development. All of the commercial and residential development is relatively new and is intended to accommodate the increasing Swedish population. The diversity of Malmo was very apparent in comparison to Stockholm and it created a different perspective of Sweden not noticeable before.

Saturday was our last chance to enjoy the town of Malmo and due to the nice sunny weather, it was very easy to enjoy the city as it was intended. Many students returned back to the Western Harbour for the beach-like feel that it projected. Students were able to have their bicycles for the final day in Malmo which allowed easier navigation throughout the city. The city is not huge in scale but the differences in biking and walking are visible and having a bike in a city like Malmo makes it easier to get around in.





On Sunday morning we left Malmo and headed to Copenhagen in Denmark, which is located right across the water from Malmo. It was a short trip, about a 40 minute train ride, and arrived at Copenhagen's central station around 12:30. Copenhagen's central station was built in 1847, and is the largest railway station in Denmark, it is also very unique because it was originally built out of wood, and has interesting architectural design.

From the train station we began our walk to the hostel, and got a brief tour on the way. During the walk  we saw the Tivoli gardens, which is a famous amusement park and garden in Denmark. Apparently it is the  most visited theme park in Scandinavia, and the second oldest amusement park in the world. Eventually we arrived at our hostel, Danhostel, which is located right next to the water, and got settled in. After about 30 minutes of getting situated we went on a brief walking tour through Copenhagen's city center, and ate some lunch.

Once we all reorganized we walked around the city center for a while longer, then some of us split up to go on a canal tour on a boat through Copenhagen's waterways. This was a really interesting experience, because we able to see parts of Copenhagen you wouldn't be able to see on foot, and learned a lot about the historical aspects of the city, such as how Copenhagen used to have a very large Navy, which was eventually taken over by the English. We also saw many historical as well as modern buildings with extraordinary architecture, such as Copenhagen's Opera House, which was designed by the architect Henning Larsen. Another fun fact we learned is that the Denmark flag, called the "Dannebrog," is considered to be the oldest flag in the world!

Finally, after the boat trip we headed back to the hostel, and everyone went their separate ways to enjoy  the Sunday evening that we had off.