First week in Denmark.

After 23 hours on a plane and 4.5 hours on a train, I am in my new home for the next six months; Aalborg.


Aalborg is a very industrial town; there are signs of it everywhere. Big smoke stacks in factories; cheap housing for the workers and efficient public transport. I have made it sound like it a very ugly town, but is actually very pretty. There are lots of old houses in the CBD that have that Nordic charm about them, the all all brightly painted and nicely decorated.

 Of course the first thing that has struck me is the cold! In February, there is not much snow on the ground, but it is still slushy and icy so you have to be very careful where you walk. Gumboots are a fashion item and a necessity! It is very windy too. So that is probably within 3 days of arriving I got sick! I had a really bad cough and a little bit of an achy fever!
I went to the chemist, and because I can't speak danish very well, I just sort of coughed at the assistant, and hopped she caught my drift.

I arrived late on Sunday night, so I just stayed the night in a hostel and on Monday I went to the student house to register and pick up my key for my house. I met some of the other international students there as well. So far I am the only Australian - which made me feel a bit special!

I have a nice big room with a single bed, and a bathroom and kitchen that I share with two others. There are seven in the house in total, but perhaps there will be a couple more once semester starts because there are still three rooms that are empty. It is a very international house; there are three Turkish girls, one hungarian, an italian and a french girl and then me. The house is split into two halves with two kitchens and two bathrooms and the laundry in the middle. It is quite comfortable and about 20 minutes by bus from the city, and about 35 to the university.

I will take some photos.... once I have made my bed!