Thanksgiving in Madrid

some of the girls after dinner

me with the yummy dessert

For Thanksgiving, we were determined to find a good alternative to make it seem as if we were still in America. After looking around and checking out websites we found out that Hard Rock Café was having a Thanksgiving menu on Thursday. Immediately we made a reservation for 8 people. We all got dressed up in the formal dresses we brought to Madrid but had yet to wear. To start, we had pumpkin soup, which was actually delicious. I had never tried pumpkin soup before and was pleasantly surprised.  Then for the main course, we were served turkey, stuffing, some gravy on the side, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. How yummy does that sound?!? It was exactly what we wanted. For dessert we had apple tartlet with some vanilla ice cream.  Everything was beautifully displayed and tasted great. Amanda, Anna, Jenna, Melanie, her sister, Lauren, her sister, and me all had a wonderful time sipping on wine and enjoying great Thanksgiving food.  Although it was nothing like Thanksgiving with my family in Potomac, it was a great alternative and one of my favorite nights in Madrid.  

Copenhague

view of Copenhagen from our hotel room

My trip to Copenhagen was so much fun! It was great seeing my mom, even for just a few days.  I got in at about 10 p.m. on Thursday and went to the Radisson hotel to meet my mom. It was a beautiful hotel and our room was on the 23^rd floor. The view from our window was spectacular. We could see the whole city. On Friday morning, we woke up at 9 to start exploring the city. We opened our shades and saw that it was snowing! My mom had forgotten to bring scarves or gloves.  We just were not prepared for snow weather. It was really pretty at first but then turned into rain and it rained on and off the majority of the day. Also, random fun fact, it gets dark in Copenhagen by about 4 p.m.  We decided the best use of our time would be to take a city bus tour.  The tour was around 3 hours long and we had a great guide who was decked out with her red jacket, red gloves, and red hat.  She was definitely a character.  Mom especially loved the bus tour because the bus driver was from Iceland so she got to chat about Iceland for a bit and use her Icelandic.  During the tour we went all around the city and learned about the buildings.  We then stopped at the royal palace and watched the changing of the guard.  It was really funny, lots of stomping.  It looked like a funny dance.  Afterwards, Mom and I got pictures with the guard in his little box, but sadly you have to stay 1.5 meters away so the photos are pretty awkward haha.

Mom and me with the guard

Once the bus tour ended, Mom and I headed to the National Museum where we learned all about Denmark over the years.  It was really interesting.  There was even stuff about Iceland in the museum! My favorite part was the toy section from the 1960s. There was one room full of dollhouses from the time period.  Next, we went to the Glyptotek Museum to see some artwork.  The museum has a lot of impressionist works, which are my mom and my favorite.  After exploring all of the floors, it was about 5 p.m. and Mom and I realized we had not had lunch yet.  We were clearly too preoccupied with the museums.  We grabbed a bite to eat and then met up with Amanda and Dori and walked around the city.  That evening I went to a beer tasting with Dori’s abroad program.  We learned about 6 different beers and then had little glasses to taste them in.  Some were way too fruity, but others were pretty good.  One of the beers we tasted had coffee, raisins, and chocolate in it.  That one was a lot to handle and smelled super funky.  Beer just shouldn’t have those things in it.  Friday night I went to a mid-semester party for DIS (Denmark International Students).  I got to see Langley, which was great!  

Mom and me at Nyhavn

On Saturday morning, my mom and I woke up and went to Christiania.  Christiania is a part of Copenhagen that has actually separated itself from the EU and is its own governing area.  It is full of crazy artwork and kind of looked like a place where carneys would live.  Definitely an interesting part of Copenhagen- my mom and I did not quite fit in with our preppy looks.  Next, we walked around the city and headed for Nyhavn, one of the main canal areas where all the boats tie up.  It was so pretty and the streets were beautifully decorated for Christmas.  Dori and Amanda met us here and we checked out all the little booths in the Christmas market.  Then, we went to Rosenborg Slot, the castle in Copenhagen.  It was really neat to see all of the different rooms and see the decorations.  On the top floor were the king and queen’s thrones from back in the day.  Our favorite room was the basement with the royal jewels.  The crowns were absolutely stunning.

Amanda, me and Dori with the Little Mermaid

After the palace we saw the Little Mermaid.  She is the icon of Copenhagen and loved by all the danes.  Lucky for us, she had just been placed back in her spot earlier that day.  She had been at the World Expo in China since April and after winning 3^rd place was returned to Copenhagen.  When we got there, news crews were still crowding around and the crane was still nearby.  I’m so glad we got to see her!  Our last stop for the day was Tivoli- the amazing amusement park that Disney World was based off of.  Langley, Amanda, my mom and I entered the beautiful winter wonderland and treated ourselves to delicious pastries- seriously, Copenhagen has the absolute best pastries.  I may have gained 10 pounds during this trip, but hey I’m on vacation, right?!?  We walked around and saw the amazing Christmas lights and all rode on the swings- even Mom J It was so much fun! That evening Amanda, Dori, my mom, and I went to a recommended restaurant on Nyhavn right by the water and had an amazing meal.  Afterwards, my Mom went to roam around the city a bit more and my friends and I went back to Dori’s dorm room for a party her dorm was hosting that night.  I met lots of DIS students and a few danes too. 

the entrance to Tivoli

On Sunday morning, my mom and I woke up early and grabbed some delicious pastries for breakfast.  Eating the pastries had become a normal habit for us at this point. We just couldn’t get enough of them.  We then hopped on a canal cruise that took us on a tour of the city and showed us some places that we hadn’t explored yet.  It was really peaceful and a great way to spend the morning.  Then, we got off the boat, walked back to the hotel and I grabbed a taxi to the airport to catch my flight back to Madrid.  All in all, I loved Copenhagen.  It was a really fun trip and was so great to see my Mom for the first time in months.