Study Tours – Dana in Denmark

Hej! This blog post is long overdue, but I had my long study tour to Greece two weeks ago and wanted to share some highlights from the trip. As I’ve mentioned before, my core course is Religious Mythos and Philosophical Logos, and every core course has a week-long study tour to a country (or countries) in Europe that is relevant to the course material. We visited 4 different cities/towns in 6 days, which was tiring but so worthwhile! Here’s a breakdown of what I was up to for those 6 days:

Day 1: Athens

After an early morning flight to Athens, we had lunch and visited some historical sites in the city. Then, we had some free time to explore Athens on our own before being treated to a 12-course dinner (courtesy of DIS) that left us feeling fuller that we’d ever felt before!

Philosophical quotes on a random street corner

Day 2: Athens

Our second day in Athens was one of my favorite on the trip. We visited the Acropolis in the morning, which was packed with tourists but breathtaking nonetheless. Then in the afternoon, we took a 2-hour bus trip to Sounion, which is the southernmost tip of the Attic peninsula. We spent a couple hours at the beach before visiting the Temple of Poseidon. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, and it was incredibly calming to feel so far away from the fast-paced rhythm of the city.

The Parthenon
The beach in Sounion
Temple of Poseidon
Is this place even real?!

Day 3: Athens & Delphi

On our last day in Athens, we visited the ancient ruins of the Agora. It was surreal to see the ruins of the streets that ancient Athenians used to roam and the prison where Socrates was executed. In the afternoon, we took a bus ride to Delphi; along the way, we stopped in a town named Livadeia to see the Cave of Trophonius and hike up a mountain to an old Byzantine church.

Reading Plato in the Agora
Cave of Trophonius
Our professor, Brian, reading a passage from Oedipus Rex
View of Livadeia after a tiring but worthwhile hike

Day 4: Delphi

We spent the morning visiting the Temples of Athena and Apollo. The ruins were up in the mountains and although it was a bit cold, the views were incredible. It was quite peaceful to simply “dwell” (as our professors, Brian and Jakob, like it call it) among nature and the ruins–it served as a nice reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. Afterward, we had lunch and drove a few hours to Olympia.

Day 5: Olympia & Nafplio

We spent the morning in Olympia visiting the Temple of Zeus; a few of us also took a short hike to the top of the Hill of Kronos. After a delicious lunch with what was at least the 5th spanakopita I’d had that week (not complaining!), we departed for Nafplio. According to Brian, Nafplio is the beach town where Athenians go for vacation, and it was the perfect place to spend our last night in Greece. We spent late afternoon and evening hiking, watching the sunset, sharing a final dinner together, and just hanging out with one another. It was a lovely way to end our study tour–I only wish we could’ve had more time there!

*View from the top of the Hill of Kronos*

Day 6: Nafplio

On our final day in Greece, a few of us decided to check out the flea market in Nafplio. There were tons of vendors selling fresh produce, honey, olives, clothing, and many other things. I bought some honey for my parents and host family (and sampled some in the process–it was really good!).

Finally, we drove back to Athens for our flight back to Copenhagen. I was sad to leave Greece, but felt very lucky to have had such a memorable study tour 🙂

*Orange trees outside our hotel in Nafplio*

It’s hard to believe that I only have one more month in Copenhagen before I head back to the states. It’s a bittersweet feeling, but I’ll be sure to make the most of my final month and keep you guys updated along the way 🙂

Vi ses!

Hej everyone! It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, so I wanted to let you all know what I’ve been up to. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been accepted as an official DIS student blogger, crossed a few more sites in Copenhagen off my bucket list, joined the Copenhagen Business School choir, and visited two new countries. Needless to say, it’s been a busy time with plenty of new experiences! I’ve officially been in Copenhagen for one month, which is surreal–in some ways, it feels like I’ve been here for ages and in others, it feels like I just got here yesterday.

Last week was core course week at DIS, meaning all my classes except for my core course were cancelled. I’m in the Religious Mythos & Philosophical Logos core course, which has been really fun and interesting so far. Here’s a recap of how I spent my core course week:

Monday

We had a regular class session in which we discussed Hegel and Heidegger’s views on art. I hadn’t read much of either philosopher’s works prior to this class so it was interesting to explore their philosophies on the function of art. I can’t say I find either of their arguments particularly convincing, but the discussion was valuable nonetheless.

Tuesday

We met for coffee at a cozy café before visiting the Glyptotek, which is an art museum in Copenhagen. The vast majority of works in the museum are sculptures, and it was by far one of the most beautiful museums I’ve visited. Our professor, Jakob, showed us a few of his favorite works before giving us time to explore on our own. We were tasked with thinking about how the artworks we saw fit (or didn’t fit) in Hegel and/or Heidegger’s philosophical frameworks.

“Hope” by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

*The winter garden inside the Glyptotek*

Wednesday

Not much to report from this day–we had an exam in my core course, which wasn’t too bad, and had the rest of the day free. I went home to relax and pack for my study tour before heading to a choir rehearsal in the evening.

Thursday

We left early in the morning for our short study tour to Germany! Every core course goes on a 3-day study tour during core course week, and I was lucky enough to visit two cities in Northern Germany–Hamburg and Lübeck. After a 5-hour bus ride that included an hour on a ferry, we arrived in Lübeck, where we visited a church and museum. At both sites, we were again challenged to think about art within the context of Heidegger’s philosophy.

Interior of the church

Afterward, we checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and explored the city a bit more before getting some well-deserved rest.

Friday

We woke up early for breakfast and boarded the bus again to drive to Hamburg. After dropping our bags off at the hotel in Hamburg, our professor, Brian, led us on a walking tour of public art throughout the city. Here are a few of the sites we visited:

Counter-memorial that was built next to a Nazi memorial
St. Nikolai Church
View from the top of the church

After a tiring day of sightseeing, we had a fancy four-course dinner courtesy of DIS!

Saturday

We spent a couple of hours at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, an art museum in Hamburg. The museum was huge and had artworks ranging from medieval to contemporary.