Arriving in Denmark

First view of the Øresund bridge and Copenhagen from the plane. Photo: Riccardo Rossi

Coming after finishing a very intensive period of exams back in Bologna, I actually arrived in Copenhagen on the same day as my last exam.

First, I cannot forget the view from the plane’s window where many wind turbines and the big Øresund bridge are very visible. Second, the warm welcome at the CPH Airport, Terminal 3, by some CBS students – ISUP volunteers – ready to welcome and give us all the first (and most important) logistic information.

Nimbus Collegiate

Then, they brought us to the dorm, and the first impression exceeded my expectations: very modern and nice facilities, furniture… all the necessary ingredients for a good start. Indeed, everything took off from this point. A journey of almost 2 months.

Finally, the bike being the icon of Copenhagen (and Denmark as well), a very big garage located in the basement of the dorm was there to welcome all our bikes.

Solbjerg Plads campus

What impressed me the most regarding the university is a very nice and open mentality expressed through the interactions with the teachers, the offices’ staff, and the other students… I talked with several people belonging to the CBS organization and everyone was willing to help and give me the needed answers.

All the lectures, as well as most of my studying time, have been at the main CBS venue, Solbjerg Plads (later in the days, my second home), where I discovered the beauty of its glass-made external walls and the very big open-spaces inside. It’s a place that is open to everyone, with not only lectures rooms and the library, but many university offices such as the Career Gate, CBS Students, Student Hub, the canteen, Café Nexus, and the supporters of my article (CBS WIRE)

Notably, the presence of the group study rooms is very original as far as my study experience goes. Then, history itself, the CBS library: one of the coziest and calmest places I have ever seen, with a chance to stay and sit at whatever time, 24/7, as well as thousands of books on whatever subject, ready to be taken out.

The blue bracelet

The events arranged for the ISUP Social Package (the so-called blue bracelet) gave us the chance to go on a “historical” day-trip to the famous town of Roskilde and to the Møns Klint area.

It is one of the memorable days across my experience. The first stop-over was in the Roskilde Vikings museum, very pretty and well-managed in order to bring our thoughts to the past as much as possible: Old vessels docked in the small harbour, a possibility to wear the clothes typically worn by the warriors during the cold boat journeys, various infographics where we could learn more about their story, the chance to enter and sit in some of these old ships, to become familiar with how to work the wood and eventually the real reproduction of the ships made by an expert.

The same day-trip brought me to visit another famous part of Denmark, Møns Klint! Once we got off from the buses, a very long sequence of steps was waiting for us. Once passed, very easily due to a slow pace and many cool landscapes where we stopped to take pictures, we arrived at the beach area where the stone wall seemed like the Normandy area. Nice wind and sun allowed for a very peaceful walk together with the other ISUP mates, with whom I enjoyed the natural beauty of this area and of all the small rocks of which the beach surface is made of.

Dancing with the Danes

At one point we had a Danish dance night. During this occasion, every participant (and myself included) had literally a lot of fun!!! Some professional instructors were brought to CBS’ Porcelænshaven venue to show us some simple Danish dances after which … yeah, I am not kidding, we had the chance to be coupled and grouped for different dances with the presence of a professional musical band playing for us in order to offer the best musical rhythm.

tour of the city

Last but not least, during my second day being in Denmark, the Social Package gave me the chance go sightseeing across the downtown area and then a boat tour along the most famous canals of the city center.

That was fundamental in order to orientate myself a bit, given that we touched many different famous touristic points: Nyhavn (the most famous street in Copenhagen), the Queen’s residence, the Little Mermaid, the Rundetårn (Round Tower), and the famous King’s/Rosenborg gardens and its castle … were just some of the famous things we saw.

Biking in malmö

The bike itself was also at the center of my day trip to Malmö. The unique time when an Indian friend of mine (Rachit) and I left Denmark during my stay to go see Sweden. In fact, we decided to carry the bikes with us on the train! Attracted by the fact that this small town is located very close to Copenhagen, and curious about the famous (and long) Øresund Bridge, we decided to visit this pretty town.

Biking there allowed us to discover many nice areas such as the Turning Torso building, the modern housing design, the town centre, some huge parks, and the Russian World Cup football match between Sweden and England from a park maxi-screen (where it was really interesting to see how the Swedish people approach such an important national sports event)… Finally, the castle (and its real animals’ presence – reptiles, fishes), the modern bridges and the brand-new squares close to the train central station were the other nice attractions we went through.

Jogging in Frederiksberg Have

Frederiksberg Have and the gardens have been my preferred destination when I was looking for some quietness, for running, or eventually to feed the ducks, herons and swans with expired food that was left at the dorm, or just seeing the zoo’s elephants chilling.

Located within walking distance from my residence, I enjoyed this area on several different occasions (both alone or with other friends) and the way through which it is made: the bridges, the animal presence, the artificial lakes/rivers inside, the proximity to the zoo, and the grass where we could have a picnic… all make it a really warm place to stay, enjoy the nature, and give the mind a break from anxiety. That is the reason I will always have a good memory of it!

Foodtastic bananza

Being Italian, I honestly say that the interaction with the food had been a bit difficult at the very beginning. However, thanks to the well-stocked grocery stores, I had the chance to maintain my eating habits. Last, the kitchen sharing has been a fundamental vehicle for tasting the food of other nationalities while seeing how it is prepared. I did not miss the opportunity to cook the best of my cuisine: I mean the pizza (for takeaway), made with a very tasty receipt (from an Italian pizzeria, of course), which did not leave me with any “regrets” linked to my culinary habits: the pasta, several vegetables/salads … and everything connected to my Mediterranean diet.

the end

My dear reader, these were the best captions from my Summer School program in Copenhagen! Now, as I was saying at the beginning, you can understand why this Summer School does not only stand for the 4 words in “ISUP,” but for a very big circle of opportunities and new energy from which you could be positively hit.

Riccardo Rossi