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DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen
  • Holly Jespersen
  • Melissa Farrell
  • Holly Jespersen
  • Melissa Farrell

DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen

A 8-day adventure by Holly & Melissa Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 22, 2025
  • DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen

    First day

    June 23, 2025 in Denmark ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    First day here we powered through. We had a luncheon at Vestergade 7 (original DIS building). When we did Denmark’s International Study Program (DIS) there were 400 kids in our program and now 1400 kids come each semester. They have a ton of buildings. So yesterday we played some trivia and had a smorebrod lunch. We found Rob from our class and made friends with a darling couple, Sarah and Chase, from ‘17 and Anna from
    ‘15. We are the CHARMS. We ended up playing a board game at a board game cafe. We then went down to Nyhavn to see a Sankt Hans bonfire. “It's a cherished tradition with a long history and various activities centered around bonfires and singing the "Midsommervisen".
    The Eve of Sankt Hans is tied to the feast of Saint John the Baptist (Sankt Hans in Danish, “Hans” being the diminutive for Johannes), who was born on June 24th, but Danes celebrate on the eve before. This celebration has though existed a long time before Denmark became christianized in the 10th century. Originally, it was the summer solstice being celebrated, a fertility festival with several customs and rituals connected with nature, the wish for good fortune, and the hope for a fertile harvest in the autumn. From the 1920s, there would be a straw witch on the Danish Sankt Hans bonfires—some say to remember the Church’s witch burnings in the 16th and 17th century, but it is a fact that the tradition with a witch on the bonfire came to Denmark with German workers. The witch is linked to the belief that this evening has evil spirits very present, that witches were flying in the sky on their brooms. The bonfires would be an efficient way of sending the witches off to Bloksbjerg (the mountain Brocken) in northern Germany, often associated with legends about witches and devils.” It’s light out very late here. They did not lit the fires till 10 p.m. We were freezing so we had delicious hot cocoa and also ice cream. Yum! Then walked down the Stroget back to our hotel (Hotel Bella Grande) where I did my first nightly diary reading for Wockley. It is hilarious- it’s my diary from our semester in ‘95. Then showered and bed. Very long day.    Read more

  • DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen

    Beatriders

    June 24, 2025 in Denmark ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    You know me — love my fitness classes so got a trial Class Pass membership and took myself to a spin class at Beatriders this morning. I took my metro pass, used Google maps and found my way here. It was a 45 min class at a studio I read about while researching “hot” fitness studios in Copenhagen. Found it on vogue.dk. Cami taught a great class. I love how she liberally used the f word in class 🤣 Enjoying a smoothie now. p.s. thirty years ago when I studied abroad I got my parents to pay for me to go to this fancy gym here called Scala and I would go there and do the machines and take step
    Aerobics in Danish 🤣    Read more

  • DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen
    21

    Tuesday highlights

    June 24, 2025 in Denmark ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    Slept well. Got up at 6 and went downstairs to get coffee. Then I took the metro to beatriders studio. After spin class I took metro back to hotel and had the complimentary breakfast. It was delicious. Wockley joined me. Then we went to DIS for a tour of the facilities which have quadrupled since ‘95. I then took a nap and forgot that I was supposed to meet my danish host parents for lunch at 12:45 bc I thought it was the wrong day—anyway it worked out and I got to see them. I was so happy to see Lisbeth & Jan. Afterwards we did a canal tour in the rain and then Tivoli. Very windy and cold. Had mussels from the harbor for dinner and ice cream of course. Time for bed. I read Wocks a very entertaining ‘95 journal entry from our trip to Salzburg for Thanksgiving- we were crying laughing. Fun little tradition.Read more

  • DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen

    Wednesday

    June 25, 2025 in Denmark ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Started the day with a jump into the canal. The Copenhagen Canal is so clean and many Danes swim daily. Afterwards I walked back to my hotel passing all the commuters riding their bikes to work. Melissa had gotten up early and gotten in line for the Onsdagssnegle pastry which is available on Wednesday mornings. It’s simply delicious and a treasured memory of my time at DIS. We had a relaxing morning and then met the DIS group for our train to Louisiana Art Museum at 12:30 from
    Central Station. Wockley lived by the museum -about a 40 minute train ride. DIS provided biggie & hummus sandwiches for the train. We then had a tour of Louisiana. I left a bit early to take the train back to go to a much needed meeting. Unfortunately the app was not up to date and after a metro ride and walk and using a code from the app to get into the meeting there was no meeting to be found at this Jesuit high school. A staff member called the Parish priest and he told us the room, but no luck. Oh well. Came back to our hotel and changed for dinner. We had our class of ‘95 dinner at Madklubben. It was Rob, Wockley, Bob (who came down from Aarhus where he teaches architecture), Pouline (who worked the front desk when we went to DIS) and Anne who was in our class and now teaches at DIS in the summer. We had the Copenhagen tasting menu which was lovely. Salad, filet, potatoes and strawberries and ice cream dessert. Afterwards Rob showed us his 25 minute video of our semester and the past 27 years of reunions. It was pretty surreal to see ourselves from the past. Kinda crazy for me to see myself drunk on film and also there was a NYC reunion that we did at Bella Cucina restaurant and my apartment for the after party- so weird to see my old apartment, etc. Bob, Rob, Wocks and I hit up the Scottish pub in Rådhusstræde and I did not go home till after midnight 🤣 So much fun dancing and singing along with the guitar player. It’s so light out that midnight does not seem so late! Ha.    Read more

  • DIS 30th Reunion Copenhagen

    Thursday

    June 26, 2025 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Today was breakfast at a cute cafe outside. Then smorbrod class at a place called Lemon with the head of DIS culinary program. We made fish, tomato and also potato smorbrod. I then got on a Zoom
    meeting with my ladies back home which was so helpful and necessary. I then hit up Matas, Normal, Flying Tiger and Zara for some “essentials” and the beauty products I had a list of to buy. Was able to get them all. Had DIS closing reception at Green Island Copenhagen and said goodbye to the CHARMS and got a final photo. Then train to Rugsted Kyst to meet Melissa’s host mor and soster. The train is about 45 minutes and then they picked us up. It was raining and we went to a restaurant on the water and sat outside under the awnings overlooking the harbor. Salmon for dinner - only non fried option. Then back to Lykke’s home for kage & kaffe. 10:21 train home and then metro to Radhusplasen. They checked our metro tickets for the first time ever on our last ride ever. lol. After some strategic thinking (Wockley) not me we talked to the front desk and figured out getting our luggage held there the next morning and then sent via cab Sunday morning to meet us. I was relieved. Luggage storage at CPH is under construction. Back to hotel to pack and bed after midnight and then up at 4:30 am for 5 am cab to CPH to fly to BNN.    Read more

    Trip end
    June 29, 2025
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