Core Course Week

This week was dedicated to traveling throughout southern Denmark and northern Germany with my fellow classmates and professor from my core academic course.  We began the whirlwind tour bright and early on Monday with the day focused on Denmark's military presence both historically and in today's society.  We went to the Danish military headquarters as well as toured the site of the battle of Dybbol where Denmark lost the region of Schleswig-Holstein to Germany in 1864.  The night ended with a social beer (or wine, for me) tasting where we were able to casually interact with each other and our professor.  On Tuesday, we explored the dynamic between Germany and Denmark, especially those who consider themselves to be a part of the "Danish minority" in Germany.  We visited The University of Southern Denmark as well as a high school that caters specifically to the Danish minority living in Germany.  In the evening, we crossed into the German town of Lubeck and ended the night with a delicious Italian dinner and pub conversations.  Wednesday was our last day traveling before returning to Copenhagen and was simply dedicated to exploring the beautiful city of Lubeck! After a comical guided tour (the guide was quite the character), marzipan tasting, and a delicious lunch, we drove our bus onto a ferry and (finally) arrived back in Copenhagen! Although an informative trip, I was very happy to be back to my home-away-from-home. On Thursday and Friday, we had more core course activities; however, they occurred locally around the city.  Thursday was filled with a visit to Parliament where we listened to a presentation from the former Minister for Foreign Affairs followed by a traditional lecture from my professor.  Friday began with a discussion led by the director of the European Policy Centre in Brussels (where I'll be visiting for my long study tour), then we watched a movie, and concluded the core course week extravaganza with a social wrap up filled with good food and wine! Although some moments from this getaway dragged a bit, I met some really great girls who I can't wait to travel with during the long study tour! (Two of the girls are even coming over tonight for a movie night!)