The Flight

12-12-2023

Step 0: Get the plane ticket

I did this part long before the actual trip, but I rebooked around thanksgiving for a cheaper flight that was around $550. All around a great deal on plane tickets. My friend Ram got his tickets from his mom and he was landing 3 or 4 hours after I was, with his layover in London (only a bit jealous of that).

Step 1: Get to the airport

I woke up at a dismally early 7am for my flight which wasn't scheduled until 12pm, but it was necessary as my ride, my father, only had the morning to take me to the airport, and I had a video meeting at 9:40am I wanted to attend for my job. As we hurtled down the freeway to the airport I had some time to talk with my father about the things that had been on my mind.

I discovered that, while I have been feeling overwhelmed with the closeness of my friends it is not a great idea to have them move out of my room, because I am lucky simply to have friends I can see every day. Although I may need to find some good places out of the house to study when I need some space.

Step 2: Get to Paris?

I arrived at the airport without much issue, although I was a few minutes late to my meeting after going through TSA. I got a breakfast sandwich while I waited for my flight to be ready, and then We were off to Philadelphia for the first leg on the way to Paris.

The flight to Philadelphia had it's landing redone delaying us long enough to make it so I had to run to catch my flight to Paris. Funnily enough they only checked my passport while I was boarding, they never scanned the ticket. While I was boarding a girl from California complimented my eyes, and we were about to strike up conversation, but it was time to find our seats and we were not assigned seats next to each other, so I did not see her or her friend until after the flight.

The plane was quite under booked, with one woman in economy near me having 3 seats all to herself, with which she fully lied down and promptly fell asleep. Still, I had no luck trying to sleep on the flight as I only had a single spare seat between me and the young woman next to me. So I decided to befriend her after she woke up too. She told me she was a student in the US and was going home to Paris to see family. Overall the flight was quite nice and they served us two meals which was a godsend because I ran out of time while packing and had no snacks to eat on the flight.

Roissy-en-France

13-12-2023

Mission: Escape the CDG Airport, and Get To My Hostel

I landed with no clue on how I would be gettng to my hostel room in the small town next to the airport called Roissey-en-France. But that was the fun. Not much else to do while I waited for my friend to land 4 hours after me other than chart out a course to the hostel.

Step 1: Get to the passport checkpoint

While I waited in line to go through customs the girl and her friend who had complimented me when boarding told me that they were actually here for her friends' birthday, after which they promptly tried to rally the other tired travelers to sing happy birthday for her. It was quite awkward to be honest, but it brought some levity to the dreary atmosphere while we waited for the bus, and made me smile just a little. After a while the bus arrived to take us to the passport checkpoint.

Step 2: Get past the passport checkpoint

In the line for the passport checkpoint, I struck up conversation with a young man. We started with the usual, what are you going to see, where are you from, etc… and that was when I learned he was also from Colorado! Such a small world. He was even on the same flight out of Colorado as I was, but I hadn't seen him up until that point, which was quite funny.

Step 3: ???

After the passport checkpoint, I had no clue how the fuck I was going to get to my hostel. I had done a grand total of 50 minutes of research up to this point, so I had no idea what to do. I sat around for around 2 hours google searching how to get out of the airport and to my hotel, Google Maps was no help, it kept telling me to walk to a bus station that I couldn't get to on foot for the life of me. So I bought a sandwich and found an ATM to withdrawal 40 euros cash, because my mom said lots of eruope dosent take card, which is true outside the big cities, and you need a euro coin or two to access most public restrooms, also if you want to ride the bus without a ticket you need to hand over 2.50 euro cash, in France at least.

Step 4: Now it makes sense

Eventually I learned that I needed to be at terminal 3 to access the main bus station. To get there I needed to follow signs for CDGVAL and get on the inter terminal CDGVAL route (for free) to reach the transit terminal with trains and the bus station outside. But I didn't know how to pay for the bus, yes I know, I'm a stupid American, but I had no clue how to pay for the bus, so I went to the bus information desk and asked the lady how to pay for the bus. This was my chance to test the days worth of Duolinguo I had been doing for french. So I asked her if she spoke english because I didn't know the french word for bus or ticket. She told me in as few english words as she could that I would need 2.50 cash, no change, or I could go back into the terminal to search for an automated ticket machine. So I went inside and bought a lemon soda to get some change. It was like I was collecting the items for a quest in a video game. Well it turns out they will give you change after all, which is a little scary when they are rifling around with the change while pulling out of the station. But I got my receipt and I was on my way. One small problem though, I didn't know you needed to signal for a stop on this bus since it had been stopping at all the other stops, so I missed my stop. This meant I had to figure out when the next bus going the other way was coming or take a 40 minute hike back to my stop. So I thought I figured it out, I had the directions pulled up on google maps, but I didn't check the bus name, just the route number, so I ended up headed in the wrong direction again. So I gave up and the bus took me all the way to the end of the line, then wait for the same bus to leave heading the other direction. But while I was standing at the bus station I did catch my first glimpse of the high speed rail as they zoomed past on either side of the bus terminal. After another 15 minuites we were ready to head back in my direction, so I paid the 2.50 euro for the third time, and we were on our way. This time I made sure to signal for my stop, and I got off. From there my hostel the elko was just around the corner. I walked over, paid my room fee, packed my stuff into the locker, and promptly fell straight asleep and didn't wake up again until my friend arrived in the room and woke me up by seaming the door.

Paris Run

14-12-2023

Wake up

I woke up after my friend and took a shower. Afterwards I found him already packed up in the hostel lobby enjoying an espresso. Upon his recommendation I ordered one, and it was pretty good. After that we walked to the bus stop which was just around the corner

Get to Paris

In order to get to Paris we wanted to take the bus to a train station, then take the train into Paris. We didn't want to go back to the airport because we wanted to see something new. But then we got on the wrong bus and went back to the airport bus terminal anyway. So we got off and took the train into Paris. We got off at the first stop in Paris, which was Gare du Nord.

Stash the Bags

From there we walked to the hostel Rams (my friends) mom had recommended. It was totally run down with the buttons in the bathroom falling off and weird smells coming from the toilets. But it was a reasonable price, and it was right next to the metro. So we locked up our bags to more easily walk the city.

Go see what the big deal is

So everyone always talks about how cool Paris is, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, etc… So we decided to go see what the big deal was. We had an online reservation for the Louvre, but that wasn't for a few hours, so we decided to just walk the city and see what was cool. We were headed in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower, so we rented some street bikes with the Tier app.

Disaster

Mine was fine, although the solid tires made the bumpy streets a pain to ride on, but my friends bike refused to let him accelerate and would keep trying to stop him. It was impressive how long he kept up with me when he explained how it was behaving afterwards.

Ikea Too Soon

We decided to walk around after we ditched the bikes before getting to the Eiffel Tower, and we went to an Ikea to charge my phone because it had died. I was thirsty and nobody in Paris will give you tap water, or at least I didn't know how to ask properly, so I ordered a lemon soda on the Ikea digital kiosk, and the kiosk talked me into also trying a soft serve ice cream. The machine gave me a recipt and I awaited my number to be called. One small problem though, I don't know the french numbers. After waiting for my order to show up for a few minuites (it was a simple order you will remmeber, a bottle of soda and an ice cream) I tried to ask the man at the counter about my recipt. "Do you speak english" I said in french. "No" he replied. "Shit" I though (in french). So I just pointed out my recipt number, 49, and he managed to say, "48" with great effort in english. I gave him a thumbs up and waited my turn. He then handed me my bottle and an empty ice cream cone and a coin. He said something I didnt understand. It took me a few minuites to realize that this was not infact a coin, but a token for the ice cream mechine. I put the cone in the icecream machine and hit the button and it dispensed a dissapointingly warm soft serve that dripped a little as it came out. I tasted it and it was an heafty serving of valinna mixed in with a bit of sugar. Not to my liking, but my companion, ever the contrarian, proclaimed his love for it after just two licks. But despite his love of the ice cream he was reluctant to trust ikea to make a good coffee. So after charging my phone enough to use if for a while, we decided to not loiter in the Ikea, lest we spoil our propensity for scandinavia before arriving there.

A striking coincidence

We walked down the block searching for a cafe and saw an enormous building. As we walked up to it we were approached by a strange lady with a clipboard. Through broken english she explained that she was collecting support for the deaf. She asked my friend to fill out a petition style paper. While he did this I asked her what the big building was and she replied, "Oh this is the Louvre". It seemed that fate had brought us here. After my compatriot finished filling out the paper the woman informed us that they were collecting donations and the last part of the form was to give a donation. My friend tried to hand over a 2euro coin, and the woman tried to insist that the minimum donation was 10euro. My compatriot was confused so we simply walked away. (I'm prety sure this was just a scam lol)

The Café

We had a very charismatic waiter at the cafe, he was quite the character. We ordered mochas and they came with a whole mountain of wiped cream. They were so rich that I had to wash it down with water. The waiter told me how to ask for tap water in french. Overall it was quite fun. Afterwards we walked arround to kill some more time then headed towards the front of the Louvre.

The Louvre

We got in with no problems. But once we were past security we ran into a little confusion. You see the Louvre website says that it is free for people under 24, and we were both under 24. However that is only for EU residents, which was not mentioned on the website to my memory. So we walked up to the entrance and the lady asked to see our proof of id. THen she told us that we had to go buy a ticket which was quite embarrassing. We both had to go pay 15euros, and the automated ticket machines were acting up so it took us a while to find a working one. We checked out the Louvre and it was the Louvre so that was that. We got some cool pictures then headed out.

The Eiffel Tower

We decided to head to see the Eifel tower by rending some bikes from the Lime app. Once we got there we saw how busy the underside was, it seemed more trouble than it would be worth to try to get up it wihtout a reservation so we just got creps in the park. They were surprisingly cheap for being right next to the eifel tower, like 3 USD.

The way back

So to get back to the hostel we decide to take the metro instead of the bikes as it seems it will be cheaper. Ram totaly messes up buyinhg the tickets and gets so upset he decides to walk all the way back which will take hime an hour or so. I already have my ticket so I just hop on. But halfway through my phone dies and as such I get off for my transfer a stop early. Confused as to why there is no other train to get on I go above ground and out of despartation decide to go the the restraunt ont he corner of the street. The very kindly let me charge my phone. But this place is expensive, the only thing I can afford here is a crepe, which is 6 euro! And to top it all off they offer me water and then bring a bottle which they charge me an ectra 5euro for! Absolutley rediculous. Well I do manage to get my phone charged and get back on the metro, but it takes me just as long as Ram to get back to the hostel. We got a good laugh out of that before heading to bed.

A break from the city

15-12-2023

The train

We decided to check out more of the countryside after falling in love with the small town asthetic on the first day of the trip. So I scoped out the nearest forest and google mapsed the public transit out there. We didnt know that you needed to buy a diffrent ticket for the trains. After taking the metro using the t-tickets, we assume they work on any transit within france. Somehow the train turnstyle lets us on with just the t-ticket, so we ride it there, but it wount let us out on the other end, and we have to go talk to the help desk. They sell us the return tickets and we head to the bus station to hop over to the edge of town.

We go our separate ways

05-01-2024

The Scam

We arrived at the hostel at arround 1am. Having made the reservation before midnight on the hostel world I was expecting them to be able to find my reservation. Well apparently somewhere between canceling the reservation for the 5th-6th, and booking the new one literary last minute their computer was unable to find my reservation. I was expecting them at this point to offer to sell me the bed I was planing to take without the credit of $3 from hostel world. What happened instead is they offered me a room which cost 4 times as much as the bed and refused to let me purchase the bed from my reservation. The receptionist was a total npc. So we were basically stuck between freezing to death and emptying my bank account, I was basically being shaken down for money at this point. I briefly contemplated going to the police station and explaining my situation, until I remembered, I have a credit card with consumer protections, which would never stand for me being extorted out of my money. So gave them my card and left it in their hands if they wanted to be honest and honor my reservation or try to scam me and face my credit card company in a few days.

The room

The room was fine, a little cold, but nothing to complain about. I slept like shit though, and I didn't even have that long to sleep.

The AVICII Experience

I went to the AVICII experience which my mom recommended. It was pretty fun, and got really emotional at the end when they talk about how his life ended. I would say it is probably worth the $20 student admission. They had reconstructions of his old workspaces including his room, a weird vr karaoke thing, and some cool interactive screens where you could make "your own mix" of the song Levels by changing reverb and effects and stuff.

The Space

I didn't check out the LAN center area because I was exhausted from not sleeping well. It looked cool from what I saw, and the price wasn't too bad $10 for an hour or $26 for the day.

Exploring Copenhagen

06-01-2024

Make A Plan

I woke up at like 1pm feeling much better than I had been for the last week. I decided I should go see the little mermaid statue because my friend from home recommended it. But first I needed some food. Also, I wanted to see the office of Playdead since I am considering applying to work there.

First Stop, The Playdead office

I decided to visit the Playdead office first because it was the closest. I did find the buzzer on the door opened to the stairs I presume lead up to their offices, but seeing as it was a Saturday and I hadn't rehearsed my pitch I decided not to try getting in.

Grocery Store

I stopped at a grocery store and got some bread, meat, and cheese for sandwiches and a bottle of strawberry yogurt drink. A good meal and a day and a half worth of food for just $10 in the city center.

Copenhagen University

I was curious about the university scene, so I tried to find it. What I discovered is that it was spread out all over the city. Later I spoke with a student who was working at the royal library (the stop after next) and she told me that they were all doing exams right now, so classes were not running. From what I had seen they looked prey much closed, but I only went to two of the buildings. I also learned that apparently the Engineering/Technical university was not near the city center and is sort of a different university.

The Little Mermaid Statue

I went and saw the statue, it was kind of boring and cold. It was a nice view, but I think the history is more interesting than the actual thing. I did see several people go down close to it to get a photo next to the statue. I was worried they would slip due to the ice (which you can see in the picture), but luckily none of them did.

The Military Base next to The Little Mermaid

I went here on the recommendation of some girls I met at the hostel on the way up. I didn't really see the appeal. There might have been some building I didn't go into with some displays, but I wasn't going to hang around to find it because their bathroom was closed, and I had to go. So I decided to go to the Royal Library because it had a cool logo on Google Maps and I wanted to seem like an intellectual by visiting it.

The Royal Library

This was probably the highlight of my stay in Copenhagen. The library was beautiful from the outside and, while I did only see the first floor where the café is located, the inside had an atmosphere of cheerful professionalism. I walked up to the cashier in the little merch shop they have next to the entrance, and asked about the signs for the games exhibit. She told me I needed a ticket, but for students it was much cheaper, around $4. Lucky me they also accept international students for that promotion.

The Video Games Exhibit

They had an awesome exhibit on games made in Denmark. Some of which I didnt even know were from Denmark. They of course featured Inside and Limbo by Playdead, but they also had Subway Surfers and Hitman along with some other indie titles which I had no idea were from Denmark, probably because I had never bothered to check. I grabbed a few recommendations from the featured indie titles on the walls and I'm looking forwards to trying them out. A girl who I talked to at the exhibit recommended A Hat In Time (one of the featured titles), and they had a demo running of What The Bat, a quirky joke game in which you have to do everyday tasks, but your hands are baseball bats. Unfortunately for the visitors of the exhibit What The Bat was the only playable game on display. They made the bizarre choice to have all the other games presented with only video clips of a Danish speaking narrator playing the games.

The Photography Exhibit

Little did I know that the ticket also included a fascinating exhibition of portrait photography and its history through a Danish perspective.

The Trip To Amsterdam

07-01-2024

A Late Start

I woke up a little late, and completely unpacked. But hostel beds being what they are, I needed a shower regardless. So I tried to be as fast as possible. But when I got out I only had 10 minutes until the scheduled departure. Then I checked the destination, Hamburg Germany, I was immediately relived as all German trains are always late. I still had to run (with all my gear on my back, in winter boots) all the way to the train station, but I arrived with 5 minutes to spare as the train had been replaced due to issues with the original, just as expected.