Pittsburgh_Patrika_October_2015

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 21, No. 1, October 2015
My Short and Sweet Vacation in Europe
By Cindy Koller
e-mail: ckoller@andrew.cmu.edu
Note: In the last issue of the magazine, you would have observed a few typos and other
errors. That is because Cindy Koller, our copyeditor, was vacationing in Europe with her
daughter. Here she shares with readers her travel experience and observations.
went on a great adventure early June to Europe. My daughter Allison,
I a research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department
of Emergency Medicine, was presenting a paper in a symposium at the
Skane University Hospital in beautiful Lund, Sweden. And she needed
a traveling companion! We took advantage
of this travel opportunity and
sandwiched the conference between
our visits to Copenhagen, Denmark
and Paris, France.
Since we were working on a budget,
Allison spent hours finalizing
flights, hotels, and sightseeing. Fortuitously,
WOW Air, an Icelandic budget
airline, had begun trans-Atlantic
flights from Baltimore to Europe just
in time for us. The airline flies to several
European and US destinations.
Through their hub in Reykjavik, we
reached Copenhagen.
Copenhagen, Denmark was our
first ‘adventure.’ Our hotel, the
The Horned Helmets
Copenhagen Star, was centrally located, a short walk from the Copenhagen
Central Station and Tivoli Gardens, the famous amusement park.
Summer arrives in Copenhagen only in July. So, the weather was cold,
and somewhat rainy, but the people were warm and friendly.
Copenhagen is incredibly easy to see on foot and we used every minute
to see all the sites. In travel across Europe, people speak of ‘ABC’s —
another blasted church, another blasted castle — exactly what we were
looking for.
While in Copenhagen we toured the incredible Rosenborg Castle, which
houses the Danish Crown Jewels and Danish Crown Regalia; Amalienborg
Palace, the winter home of the Danish Royal family; and Christiansborg
Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament; many churches and parks; the
National Museum, home of the Huldremose bog woman, Danish horned
helmets and the Dr. Seuss-like lur horns. And of course, the statue of the
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