Berlin

We've spent the past 3 days in Berlin and gotten our Euro worth. Between memorials, plazas, museums, etc... I have to say it's the veal sausage and schnitzel that won my heart. These people know how to eat and drink. Here are just a few moments with us.

Flag of Germany

Jaime and Matt at Reichstag

Daniel and Kristina at Monument to Murdered Jews

Silent Void - Jewish Museum installation

Jaime at Monument to Murdered Jews

New National Gallery

Off to Berlin

Everyone's here. We are are off to Berlin. Eine Zwei Drei!

NEWS

This is our last weekend of school here in Denmark. Our studio project is due at 22:00 Sunday. After that we have one exam this coming friday and then we are off. The places we will visit (in order)

• Berlin
• Prague
• Munich
• Venice
• Rome
• Milan
• Zurich
• Lausanne
• Paris
• Hamburg

We fly back May 31. YAY!

Grab Your Hammer and Sickle - It's a party!!!

So our time here is rapidly coming to its conclusion. That doesn't mean we have stopped stumbling upon new adventures. For example, yesterday, Daniel and I attended a communist rally/music festival. It was held in the park about 2 minutes from our apartment. While we missed the speeches and march - all in Danish I'm sure - we managed to make it to the music festival part, which ended up being a huge party. The music was widespread, ranging from reggae to techno. Everyone was in good spirits. The entire Danish police force was out in full fatigues... all 75 of them. Andy got a half meter sausage. That's 19.48 inches for those using the imperial system of measurement. Needless to say, it was a big frank.

Please note this is not Andy, nor anyone we know. 

I merely pulled this off the internet for a better representation

 of what a half meter hotdog looks like.

Other news, two weeks left! Then we are making a small detour around Europe on our way home to the states, barring any catastrophic Icelandic volcano eruptions.

In the words of Karl Marx, "Stay classy Workers of the world."

No, but really. Hope all is well with everyone!

p.s. - Daniel is really enjoying being the Communist Party's newest Youth Member!!

Crazy Day

This morning when I woke up it was raining. 2 hours later is was snowing heavily. I went to get my hair cut and it started hailing. Now the sun is shining behind a blue sky. What a crazy day of weather.

Feed your computer so it doesn't grow a mouth and try to eat your hand like this.

You like my hair cut?

Spring Break 2010

I'm sorry it has been so long - to the handful of people who actually read this blog.

I will try to make a really quick brief of what happened over spring break in Switzerland and this past week in CPH. I had an amazing time in Switzerland. Daniel's family hosted and they couldn't have been nicer. David, Patti, and Matthew: if you are reading this I just want to say thank you again for everything.

• FRIDAY - Daniel and I were up at 5:15 am to get to our 8:30 flight. I don't know if everyone is aware, but I hate flying. Part of this is a fear of flying and part of this is the whole process - getting to the airport 2 hours before a 1.5 hour flight, being filed through security like a herd of cows and losing all rights as a human being until cleared, waiting until the flight boards while awkwardly profiling who else is on your flight (don't want to sit next to that baby, etc), boarding a general admission style seating arrangement - move to the back people, honestly, then the whole flying thing and the reverse process out of the plane. I will say that EasyJet is awesome though. They have new aircrafts and don't mess around when it comes to being on time. On the way there Daniel grabbed a seat up front and I went to the back where I had 3 seats all to myself. I took a nap and woke up when we were descending. Daniel's uncle, David, and his cousin, Matthew, were waiting when we got our luggage and exited the airport. The rest of the day we spent walking around Lausanne with everyone. 

Lake Geneva and the Alps

• SATURDAY - The guys got up early Saturday and drove to Bern. It was about an hour drive and the scenery is amazing. We walked around the city, went to a market, saw the main cathedral, and then went to see the Bear Pit. Bern is known for its bears. They house a few of them on the edge of the river bank right in the middle of the city. Einstein's house is actually in bern. There is a window with him in it (it's black and white cardboard cut out). After that we drove on to Interlaken, which is quite literally a piece of land that is interlocked between two lakes. There were paragliders up on the mountain ridges. This town was pretty touristy and we were pretty tired from the day of walking so we hopped back in the car for the night. On the way back Daniel spotted the Paul Klee Museum design by Renzo Piano that we had intended on seeing but forgot. It was about to rain, but we pulled over and got some shots. Unfortunately it had just closed for the day.

Paul Klee Museum - Renzo Piano

• SUNDAY - was Easter. We went to Easter Mass at the Heering's local church. When we got back they had Easter baskets for all of us, which Matthew proceeded to finish that day. After a little while we had been talking about skiing on Monday and Tuesday, so we went to check out some of the slopes to make sure there would be optimal conditions. 
• MONDAY - we to Zermatt. It was awesome. I was snowboarding while Daniel and David were skiing. We had a view of the Matterhorn all day long. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I only fell a couple hundred times, but that was to be expected for I haven't been on a snowboard since high school. I didn't kill anyone or myself, but my tail bone is still quite sore. We ate lunch practically on the Matterhorn itself. The picture will have to suffice. I am the one sporting the throwback outfit. It was really warm.

Yummy - Goulash

What's that Cyclops? No, you can't use your powers to get in front of the lift line!

About 13000 ft. You can see Italy.

Watching kids do front flips.

• TUESDAY - recovery day. We were suppose to go skiing again but I couldn't take that abuse again. Instead we went to Chateau du Chillon. It's a castle in Montreux, about 20 minutes from the Heering's apartment. It was beautiful. 

Looking out a window

• WEDNESDAY - to put it simply - Daniel and I got lost. We started in Lausanne... 10km later of walking up hill both ways we found the train station home. It was a nice day full of exercise. Funny thing, Switzerland has public drinking fountains much like Rome. I would stop at everyone we passed and fill up my water bottle. Daniel still thinks I was drinking bird poop water. 

NO BOOMBOX!!!!!

• THURSDAY - we went to Luzern. Very nice place with delicious food. Within 5 minutes of the city center you could see the Chapel Bridge, the Modern Art Museum, a Calatrava designed train station, and eat delicious veal sausage with onion sauce and hash brown potatoes. That sums up what we did. We also went to the old wall and lookout towers that protected the city. Before we went home Matthew and I got a tradition Geman Pretzel (Bretzel). It made the ride home only that much more enjoyable. 

Chapel Bridge - one of the oldest wooden bridges in Europe

• FRIDAY - David and Matthew went skiing. Daniel worked on his portfolio, and I watched movies all day long. It was nice
• SATURDAY - we went to Basel. This was one of my favorite cities. Daniel and I have been wanting to see one building in particular - the Signal Box, designed by Herzog and de Meuron. The rest of the city was equally as impressive. We had lunch on the river and watched a barge squeeze through a historic bridge by just meters. This city was too big for just one day, but we got to see a lot.

Signal Box - Herzog + de Meuron

• SUNDAY - relax day
• MONDAY - we flew home.

Well, that very quickly sums up what we did over spring break. I have to go finish my project now...

80s Themed Spring Break

Alright folks, this spring break the music on the blog will be nothing but 80s music. You are welcome. So now you can quietly take your guilty pleasure with all of these classics. If there are any songs that you simply must have on here just comment and I'll put them on. 


Daniel and I are going to Switzerland and you know what that means!!! Fun fact time.


Switzerland

• The CHF1,000 bill is the highest denomination note in the world.
• The average Swiss eats 23 lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7 lbs consumed by each American annually.
• Most homes have bunkers, a result of Cold War concerns about nuclear war.
• James Bond's mother is Swiss.
• The popular typeface "Helvetica" was created in Switzerland and is named after the country's Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica.
• Some 60% of Switzerland's electricity is produced by hydroelectric power.
• The song "Smoke on the Water" is about the smoke from a casino fire when Frank Zappa burned down a casino in Montreux.
• Swiss army knives are red so they can be seen i the snow.
• There are no Mosques in Switerland.
• Holes in Swiss cheese are caused by carbon dioxide gas given off by the bacteria and also provide flavor and fermentation. Fondue was originally a peasant meal that used up old bread and cheese.

A Day in the Park

Okay, well it wasn't the entire day because we woke up about 10:30 and then watched movies and worked on studio until about 2:30. Then we went to the park for a few hours. It is less than two blocks away. It was very busy with kids playing soccer, mothers walking their babies, and evidently some dog meet and greet. We particularly liked the overweight pug with a houndstooth sweater on. It looked like a pig in a houndstooth blanket. It was an instigator as all the other dogs seemed to want to chase it.
We took a lap around the park and found a nice quiet niche with picnic tables. Also, there was this oddly decorated tree. It had a tremendous amount of pacifiers in it. It was actually a little bit creepy. We didn't know if it was a memorial or a celebration. The only thing we put in trees are macaroni strings, ornaments, and sometimes underwear i guess. We decided not to sit right underneath regardless.

What is this?

I water colored and Daniel worked on his studio project for about an hour and then we played frisbee!!! Productive day.

"It Might as Well Be Spring"

One week until spring break starts! Only three days of class really, and it seems intolerable. I really don't know what will happen when I get back to UT. I think I can make a case for having studio only twice a week - you don't go brain dead by continuous over-development of the project. Instead, here, we work, we break, we work, we break. There is always more to do of course, but when is there not. It is nice to able to clear your head - take a step back - and then come back to the project. This is in fact exactly how Daniel and I worked on our competition. We went to the site and brainstormed for about two hours that night and then didn't touch it for a week. We let the thoughts steep. Well now it is all over and we get the results this Friday.

Here's a little preview of our competition design for an outdoor smoker's lounge area

Daniel's exploded axon is sexy, isn't it?

Other news includes two weeks of beautiful weather. It has been in the low 50's to upper 40's all week. Our window has been open four days in a row. It's nice, except on Saturday night when all the crazies sing in the street at 4 a.m. I am really looking forward to spring. Already people are coming out of hibernation. In our neighborhood old people go shopping from noon to three. The street is full of octogenarians which really slows the pace, but it's good to see some life on the street. Actually, I think it is amazing how many older people ride bikes here. I know bikes are everywhere, but I've never seen so many grandparents on bikes. It just seems dangerous. 

The kids studying in Switzerland came to visit. Daniel and I met up with them a few times and they are already back to Riva. Four days.... FOUR DAYS.....

Also, I hope everyone is enjoying the music we have been putting up, especially Michael McDonald....

Green Day... not the band

   detail of Danish inscribed on floor

Today we went all around CPH suburbia. It was a sustainable by design field study day. We started off at Rockwool Forskningscenter - a lab for insulation products and other building materials, then moved on to Munkesøgård - a sustainable cohouse commune. This place was a little weird. Housing was divided by age and family status. Everyone works in the garden and are given special jobs, for instance - the snow plowing team. Daniel and I decided that even during a winter like this where two feet of snow can drop over night it still beats the poo job anyday. The poo job is shoveling horse droppings into the gardens and crops. Don't get me wrong, this is not manure, these were straight up horse patties. Also, these 100 families shared 8 cars. We were told that in Copenhagen it is actually cheaper to take a taxi to and from work everyday than to purchase and maintain a car...

Daniel likes the church

After that experience we travelled to Jyllinge Hellig Kors Kirke. This was a stunning church design using a very ecologically friendly super material. The material has incredible strength and flexibility and is 100% post consumer products. This has been one of my favorite churches in Denmark.

view of the pulpit                  view of facade

After that we went to another eco-village in Torup, and finally to a Crowne Plaza in Ørestad. Neither of these were jaw dropping. What is jaw dropping is that I was able to write most of my case study paper between stops. All in all, it was an exhausting St. Patty's Day, but at least we were studying different ways of being GREEN.

Moments of Memory

I made it, and I only lost my towel! That is actually not too bad considering about three people lost their wallets and a few lost their cameras. What happens on the Viking Line stays on the Viking Line apparently. The trip was amazing though. It completely wore me out. I don't want to go over the exact same stuff the Daniel already has, so I will share a few particular photos and favorite moments. 

Favorite Church I visited - Myyrm aki Church in Finland

Architect: Juha Leiviska and Pekka Kiviaslo

Best Religious Moment - Woodland Cemetery 

Architect: Erik Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz

When I realized Alvar Aalto is a God of Architecture - Jyvaskyla Masterplan

Architect: Alvar Aalto 

This is the auditorium, just beautiful

Best skyline - Stockholm 

Walking home from the modern museum of art designed by Rafael Moneo

When I missed home most - Crushin' through some ice on the infamous Viking Line. It's really too bad there is no way to understand the scale of these pieces of ice, but suffice it to say that I could walk across them without too much trouble.

Best Friend I made

Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden and Finland

Hi Everybody. Matt and I both have returned from our Sweden/Finland study tour. Matt got back last night and I got back Friday due to our cruise being cancelled. We both had a blast and got to see two amazing countries with plenty of architecture to offer. Matt's charger for his computer was K.I.A friday night before our departure, so he is a little out of commission. My tour started in Sweden where we first stopped at St. Petri by Lewerentz, which to me was worth the trip entirely. It was a powerful building with a unique construction in that no brick used was allowed to be cut. Hopefully some of the pictures will do it justice. My camera battery died right before we got to the church so I had to resort to solely sketches. However, Matt took some great photos to show you guys.

We then traveled to Stockholm, ahich again is another beautiful city. We were able to walk around and explore the city on our own, which was nice. That night we enjoyed some Swedish Meatballs and mashed potatoes and capped it off with a few beers at an underground bar. The bar was one large barrel vault and it had a soccer game playing, so I was set. We then visited Woodland Cemetery in the snow. It is a place that is definitely more powerful when visited. We could probably write a novel about this whole trip so we will spare some of the details and try to give most of the highlights. Although the weather was cold, I think we all still had a great time.

Our next chapter included an overnight Viking Cruise to Finland with a Swedish Buffet. I am not sure how I feel about Swedish cuisine, but I did try most of it nonetheless. The cruise ended with a wake-up call at 5:30 A.M., which is never a good idea with 40 some kids. The coffee, or coffee flavored water, did help a little. After we docked, we got to the Aalto experience. We started out with Villa Mirea, then Saynatsalo, Muuratsalo, and Jyvaskyla University.

Between all the Aalto, we had the unique Finnish Sauna experience. Basically you sit in a confined room with 8 other dudes and sweat it out for about 10 minutes, then you sprint to the lake outside the sauna and jump in a hole in the ice, and sprint back to get back in the sauna to warm up a little. The guys I feel talk in a higher octive temporarily after the water, as a little inversion took place. It is an exhilerating experience and one that I would encourage all to do. I jumped in the water twice and did a cannonball into the eight ft high snow pile outside the sauna. It was refreshing although the spill on the run down to the lake wasn't my highlight. To top all of that we then cooked our dinner over an open flame and had a couple beers with everyone. I wasn't as man enough as Matt, however. I found out after he got back that he did the lake dip in his birthday suit. Luckily he did'nt have to worry about too much bouncing around on the return trip to the sauna.


Helsinki was the next stop on our week long travel, and luckily we got to see quite a few chapels and churches. We began with Myyrmaki church and then continued to Chapel of the Holy Cross, and Chapel of the Resurrection. My trip was then cut slightly short due to the Viking Line being stuck in ice. Therefore, we were all booked flights from Helsinki to Copenhagen, and I got back on Friday night. Although it was shorter than Matt's trip, I do not feel I was short changed in the least. I got to see architecture to my hearts content and did not have to worry about any of the logistics of the whole trip.

Helsinki

Hi Everyone,
I am in Helsinki for today and tomorrow. Then I will take the ferry back to Stockholm and stay there for a couple of days. My computer charger is broken, but other than that all is well.

2 Down, 1 to Go

Today was the last day of critiques. Daniel presented, and of course they loved it. It was quite interesting because he was one of two 4th year students. The other four presentations were made by pre-architecture/ architectural foundations studios. It is really amazing to see how far we have come, and also to be able to sit in front of a project and know exactly how to make it better, when to stop, when the proportions are fitting for certain scales, etc. I am actually looking forward to our next project, where we are to tackle thermal baths in the canals from what I've been hearing. 

Tomorrow morning we are going on another school sponsored study tour to Sweden and Finland. Everyone seems pretty excited. It will be a chance for me to break out of my shell maybe - I don't know anyone in the group I was put in. I'm excited for my own reasons. I have never been to a Steven Holl building, and now I get to. I am not sure of the internet availability over there, but I will try to post if at all possible. Of course you know by now I love useless information, and more importantly I like to spread the knowledge. So, here some interesting facts about Sweden and Finland.

Sweden

• the 21st most visited country in the world
• official name - "The Kingdom of Sweden"
• All the Tsars of Russia until the last one, Nicholas II, were of Swedish Viking descent
• Sweden has the highest number of McDonald's per capita in Europe
• Swedish Inventions: astronomical lens, zipper, marine propellor, refrigerator, computer mouse and the pace-maker.
• ABBA
• IKEA

Finalnd

• 25% of land mass lies above arctic circle
• 180,000 islands in Finalnd
• Home of Santa Claus (Debated)
• Last regions of Europe to adopt Christianity
• home of Nokia
• Donald Duck comics were banned because Donald is pantless
• 1.8 million saunas in Finland

Until then, Hej, Hej.

Studio + Brewery

So it's been a while since I last posted something on the blog, and since Matt has become addicted to World of War Craft, I decided to go ahead and catch those that care up with our status. We just completed assignment two of three in studio and are now in the review process. Matt had his today and mine is scheduled for Friday morning. (Matt's went well by the way) It is a different review process than we are used to but nonetheless it works well without keeping everybody at school all day. We experienced some different projects, and as we have stated before, UT has taught us well. Unlike UT, fellow students are encouraged to give critique and ask questions. We saw our share of blobitechtecture as well as some solid projects. It was an experience to say the least.

Matts Project

Daniel's Project

Anyways, enough about architecture and on to something more interesting, The Brewery. We visited the Carlsberg brewery this past weekend and had a blast. The tour was self-guided and very informative to say the least. We discovered the defintion of alcoholic after reading about beer consumption during the Renaissance, up to 10 liters a day due to the salty foods. After being reassured in our personal consumption we continued finding several interesting labels that have developed over the years. I am not sure that we should post some of them due to the anit-semitic associations after WWII. The tour ended with two beers included in your ticket price. We were allowed to taste their base line beer as well as their "gourmet" beer. I think our favorite was the Jacobsen Brown Ale, but the regular Carlsberg was no better than last years left over Christmas party beer.

The weather has gotten a little warmer too,which means rain instead of snow but nonetheless it is warmer. We have also discovered what could be the demise of America if implemented in our grocery stores. The automatic money counter/change dispenser. Basically, the cashier does't have to think much and simply puts the bills in a machine that does all the math for him/ her and even spits out the correct change for the customer. We did not even want to know what caliber of employee this would result in. The Chik-fil-a cult might spread, or better yet UT dining.

Thus far the trip has been amazing, and it's hard to believe that we have been here over a month. From the classes to the train, it is unique and enjoyable experience for the both of us I think. We are preparing to go to Sweden and Finland this weekend for a week long study tour in which we get to experience some more Scandinavian architecture. Matt has been working on the best way to gel his hair so that he fits in with the natives a little better. Although him being 9 feet tall and blonde makes him practically to that point, but hey its his life. Anyways, I'm sure our six viewers are tired of listening to me ramble on so I will stop for the night, but thank you guys for the support and we will post some more when we return from our tour.

Oh, Here is a shout out to Wina. Stick with it and can't wait to see you in the spring.

GreenLight House

It has been just over a month since Daniel and I arrived to Copenhagen. Already we have explored almost all of Denmark - the major cities anyway. I am looking forward to the weather warming up... in late April I guess. I checked the 30 day forecast and nothing is changing anytime soon. We are leaving some places to explore for the warmer weather such as: Nyhavn, the parks, the little mermaid, and more items of interest particularly close to the sea. In just a couple of weeks we will embark on our long study trip to Sweden and Finland. I am really looking forward to it. This is basically Alvar Aalto's playground. Also, it should be slightly cheaper, heh. 

In our Sustainability by Design course we go on site visits just about every class. This week we went to the GreenLight House. I don't really know if it is the GreenLight-House, Green-Lighthouse, or Green-Light-House. Either way, it's not a house. It's an educational facility for students to meet with their advisors. It is carbon neutral and a lot of techniques we learn about it our classes back in the states. Needless to say, Dick Kelso would have gone bonkers. It was nice and simple, with a very pure, white interior - which our 35 pair of snowy feet immediately ruined. I hate traveling in groups. My only complaint is a sculpture hanging from the center. It is an eight armed contraption with tiny mirrors all over it. Two days out of every year the sun ( yeah right) hits it spreading spectacular light all over the building. The only problem is nobody knows what dates, not even the sculptor. Can you say BS. Also, a minor side note, this building was $7 million US. *cough* *cough*

On another note, Congratulations to the Polish study abroad kids for finally getting over to the land of the ice and snow. Have fun guys, and again, this is no joke, watch out for the horse meat.

Updates from CPH

It's not that DIS is harder than UT, but I think the muscle memory of working non-stop has begun. Nonetheless, Daniel and I are in full motion with a project due in about 10 days. I've had little time to do anything, but Sweden and Finland are fast approaching, and this weekend we are going to the Carlsberg Brewery. Maybe Daniel and I can find the problem with their beer (and by that I mean it's not that good). Even though I haven't had much to write about, it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about stuff to write. For example, I have been making a list in my head:

• What We Should Always Appreciate in the States
• Peanut Butter
• Sunshine
• Dishwashers
• Ziplock Bags
• 120V (although not as efficient)
• Firehouse Subs
• Bananas from Central America
• Movies that are not two months behind
• College Basketball

I will add to the list as I begin to realize more. These are just off the top of my head. That's all for now folks. Hope there's more soon. 

Spring Break = Switzerland

So Daniel and I booked a sweet deal for spring break. We are flying to Geneva, then heading around Geneva Lake about 62 km to Lausanne, Switzerland. Some interesting facts about Lausanne:

• Lausanne is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (I don't know if you'll read this Maxi, but thought you might like to know that.)
• It lies in the middle of a wine region
• The founder of IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad) resides here
• Population: 126,800

Who's Excited?

Western Denmark

Thursday morning to Saturday night Daniel and I were traveling all throughout Western Denmark. It was an experience to say the least... I guess I will list the highlight in chronological order.

• Trapholt Museum of Art - Kolding Denmark

• This museum was one of the best museums we visited. It was full of modern furniture from the likes of Wegner, Rasmussen, Volther, and of course Jacobsen. It was a beautiful museum overlooking a fjord. We only had about an hour and a half here, but there were several other exhibits that were interesting, including a paper cutting exhibit. 
• Koldinghus - Castle Restoraing - Kolding Denmark

• The second stop was a castle from the 13th century that has been renovated from 1978-88. Honestly, it looked funky on the exterior facades where wood shingles were used as the renovated exterior rather than brick. The interior, however, was very cool - as the architects didn't touch the existing ruins. Clearly a difficult thing to do.
• Børnekulturhuset St. Nicolai - Kolding Denmark

• This children's cultural center was really colorful and cool, consisting of an auditorium, gym, art rooms, and a sunken floor filled with plastic balls. This entire complex included a college for art & design and some other schools. Most of it was cladded in cor-ten steel. From here we headed north for Aalborg.
• Aalborg Universitet Cave
• For dinner that night we went to an adaptive re-use building, named NordKraft. Italian food. Yummy
• The next morning we went to the University. I am not going to say it was a complete waste of time, but it was definitely not a good use of time. We could have been at an Alvar Aalto designed museum, but instead we went to a department in a university that specializes in virtual reality... I am still not clear why. 
• Utzon Center - Aalborg

• After wasting the morning at the University we went to the Utzon center. He is mostly known for designing the Sydney Opera House. This was a beautiful cultural center full of nice details and inspiring spaces. "The center is a place where architecture, design and art is combined with exhibitions, teaching, conferences and culinary pleasures."
• Haverslev Kirke

• The last stop for the second day was Haserslev Kirke that was built c.1200. That's about 500 years before the States were formed. It was very quaint and nice. There is a Nordic tradition of painting a hull of a ship on the ceiling of the chapel. We found one here. The chapel could fit about 40 people probably. I particularly enjoyed the deep set windows.
• Åarhus Krematorium Kapel

• This was perhaps the most beautiful chapel I have ever been in. The lighting conditions, the shadows, the clean lines and symbolism in every piece of furniture, door handle, floor patterning, etc. It was spectacular. I would have liked to have stayed there much longer, but it was on to a Gehry building, I know, a Gehry building.
• Hejmdal Cancer Center

• So I really wanted to dislike this building, but the longer I was in it, the more I liked it. The building is a center for cancer patients to escape - work out, paint, talk to councilors, and just hang out. While the interior was somewhat spectacular, it was completely unsustainable. It used huge logs of Douglas Fir from Canada. It would have been fine with me if this building was in Canada, but the fact that they transported them to Germany, had them cut, some hollowed out for mechanical systems, and then driven to Åarhus. 
• Åarhus Rådhus

• Next we went to the city hall designed by Arne Jacobsen. It was a logistical design but extremely outdated as the same curtains were on the walls. The real highlight here was the modern clock tower that we unknowingly were about to climb. Something Daniel and I both have in common - we don't like heights. I think he is a little worse off than me, but at 60m ( ~ 200 ft) up with the wind swirling, the floor covered in a sheet of ice, and the noon bells about to wail, we were both more than ready to descend back down. 
• ARoS Art Museum

• Our final stop on the trip was the ARoS Art Museum. This was a very neat museum with a large collection of modern art. The exterior is a large brick cube with a pedestrian way that is always open to the public. The interior is completely white concrete. The design is incredibly simple and organized. There was a huge architectural exhibit with very awesome models. My favorite thing I saw here was the James Turrell light sculpture here. It was unlike anything I have ever seen.

So we saw a lot of different things all over Western Denmark. We are still tired.