In our whole time living here we have had two house guests: Carole Vranizan (my mom) last October and Lee and Sheila Cohen (Craig's dad and his wife) who just left 2days ago. These guests have been big emotional boosts for us and offered us something significant to look forward to. Carole came after we had figured out the basics but the Cohens came after we mastered them.
Lee and Sheila arrived early last Tuesday, after a red-eye flight from NYC. The first day, while the girls were at school, I drove them around our neighborhood, the beach and we had an outdoor smorrebrod frokost (lunch) in Dyrehaven (the Deer Park.
The second day I took them downtown for the Strøget (walking street), Nyhavn Harbor, The Changing of the Guards at the Queens Palace, Town Square and lunch at Peder Oxe.
Thursday and Friday were national holidays so Craig and the girls had time off from work and school. After renting a larger car to fit all 6 of us, we took off for Frediksberg Castle in the town of Hillerod, about 40 minutes away. We had not visited this castle yet, hearing that it is the most impressive castle in all of Scandinavia. Rick Steve's comments that it is the "Danish Versaille" did not let us down. We oohed and aahed our way through the grounds and insides. Later that afternoon Molly, Maya and I saw "Night at the Museum 2" while Craig had a business meeting and then Kirk Nichols joined us all for Itzi Pizti pizza at home.
Friday through Sunday we took a trip to Ærø. Ærø is one island over and one down from Zealand. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive and a 75 minute ferry to the town of Ærøskøbing, on Ærø. If you've ever seen the Rick Steve's travel show about Denmark, he raves about Ærø and has spent a lot of personal time there. We've also heard Ærø is in a book called "The 100 Places to Visit Before you Die". Well, we made it and it was spectacular so I guess we can all go to our graves blissfully fulfilled! Ærø has 3 big towns, numerous villages, 5,000 population and 500,000 visitors a year.
The old village of has been preserved in original 17th century. It takes all of about 45 minutes to walk the entire town, and that's at a slow saunter. We stayed at an Inn that dates to 1830's but our rooms were fortunately newly renovated. From our hotel we could walk to the harbor, through the village, rent bikes and ride the countryside. The countryside is filled with farms for cattle and wheat that spill right into the ocean. Most homes are still working "gaards" or 3 sided-buildings that shelter the wind and elements and include barn, workshop and house. Some homes and one church date back to the 13th century. The air was so fresh and clear and people friendly and charming - they smiled and waved. I think the farther we get away from the big city, the friendlier the Danes seem to be. Either that or a more relaxed lifestyle. Shops are open only a few hours a day, except during peak tourist season, July and August.
As remote as we were, we still managed to book a hotel room across the hall from another CIS family! and down the hall from the director of the school! Not only that, we all made reservations the first night in the same restaurant. Not much of a coincidence actually, when there were only two restaurants to choose from. On Saturday Craig took the gang into Marstal to see a fantastic Maritime museum and to view other villages while I rode 20 miles around the island.
We took an early ferry off the island Sunday morning and then drove north to Odense to the Hans Christian Anderson Museum. Being one of Denmark's 10 most well-known citizens, we owed it to ourselves to learn more about him. H.C. is a big man around these parts. Every detail about his life has been painstakingly documented in this museum, brought ot life in movies and statues and volumes of his in 150 different languages. Did you know that H.C. Anderson is the author with the most translations to other languages? I think he and Ann Frank are competitors.
I realize now why Danes are so intent on their history and proud of their heritage. They have a museum for every aspect of their lives, from post offices to authors to vikings to castles. Folks make outings to these places and absorb everything about being a Dane. One can't help but maintain pride and ownership of their country. and that's perhaps one reason why they would be slow to change their monetary system, let go of their monarchy, or willing to join the EU. But that's my opinion.
The last full day with Lee and Sheila was spend back downtown where we hit the highlights again, and then some: Lagkaghuset, the best bakery in town, where we sampled sweets and breads, over the river to the walking street, shopped in Georg Jensen and Illums Bolighus, walked up to the top of the Round Tower (a real feat for Sheila!) ate a hot dog in Kongen's Nytorv and walked through Rosenborg Castle and gardens before training home. The girls really enjoyed their time with the grandparents, playing the penny game, doing puzzles, teaching Papa Lee how to play Wii, and silly card games. All-in-all it was memorable trip for them all.
I'm feeling a little tired and grateful for a little rain to force me inside and rest. I tried playing tennis yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks but reinjured my achilles. (Just came back from the doctor who said that if I'm not careful I will rupture my achilles tendon and then I'd be facing surgery. So, I have to avoid all weight bearing exercise, don't stretch it at all and wear shoes with a heel. It could take weeks to feel better).
Maya is on the last few days of her Exhibition Project, meeting with her team this weekend to polish their presenation for Tuesday morning. Molly is beginning a Habitats 2 week project and has yet another all day field trip to a nature center next week. Craig is working more and more at his new LaCrosse position, and relinquishing more of his Danish job to locals. He still rides his bike to work at least 3 days a week and on weekends and is the leanest he's been since high school. I posted and sold more than half of our european belongings already and will continue to advertise until they're all gone. Too bad Craig's List is so unused here, or it'd be a snap. Seems as though farewell parties are very popular social occasions for the ex-pat moms and wives leaving. My friend Geeta is throwing a party for our American friend Gail and I on the 16th of June, at her house. There seems to be a party going on somewhere for someone every day for a few weeks.
This weekend we're cleaning out closets (amazing how much you can accumulate in 1 year) and sorting for moving. We'll be gone the following weekend for 4 days in Norway and then Craig will be in Asia the week after. We are moving out on June 23rd, into a hotel apartment for 2 nights while the movers pack the house. I will be sad to leave this Danish sanctuary. It's been a safe, uplifting haven and an incubator of all of our growth this year.
One final note. The pictures you are seeing with this blog entry were DELETED mistakenly on the ferry ride back from Ærø. I had a complete melt down and was beside myself with loathing and disappointment. 2 days later I investigated recovery software and after paying a pretty penny for it, got all the pictures back. I am continuing to learn more about technical stuff than I ever really cared to, but I have to keep up with my kids somehow!
This entry has been way too long, so I'll cut it off, except to say that we need to get our kids back to the USA: Molly completely forgot what the tv sitcom "Seinfeld" was. I brought home DVDs from the library to get her caught up. No member of the Cohen household can go without! And side note to Jill Fitzpatrick - I've go tthe kids watching old episodes of Little House on The Prairie. More to follow
Love and Light,
Mary Jo
comments to thecohen4dk@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Jylland Trip
As the weather gets progressively warmer, we are furiously packing in activities in the out of doors. As promised to the girls when we moved here, we booked a trip to LegoLand in Jutland. Jutland (written Jylland and pronounced "Yoo-lan") is the largest Danish island and lies furthest west. One leaves Copenhagen on the east coast of Sealand, drives over a 20 km bridge span to get to a smaller connecting island, Odense, and then over another bridge to Jutland. Legoland lies about in the center and is about a 2 1/5 hour drive with good traffic.
The girls and I packed up last Friday and left on St. Bededag (National Prayer Day) which is a national holiday. Seems as though there were too many religious holidays over the year so they combined them into one. Most children of age get confirmed in the Lutheran church on this day and there are family celebrations all over the country. We found that driving to Jutland was slow for all the relatives getting home to be with families.
Maya, Molly and I explored our hotel and Legoland the first day, taking it easy. The weather was a little cool and windy. Craig arrived late to the hotel from London (flying into Billund airport, built basically for the Lego and LegoLand's needs). Then Saturday we attacked LegoLand when the gates opened, headed right for the Quick Pass machine and ordered up the rides of our choice, with no waiting lines. The weather was typical: partyly sunny, breezy and mid 50's. After 4 hours we had seen and done everything we wanted and the park was so crowded that we knew it was time to go. This particular park was geared toward the younger age group and while the Lego sculptures were fantastic, and the park was clean and friendly, it was worth doing once and moving on.
That afternoon we drove an hour north to the town of Silkeborg in the "lakes district". We stayed right in downtown in a Youth Hostel (private bunk room with bath) on the river. We walked all around this pretty city, had dinner at a Mongolian Grill and excellent italian ice cream. We played games and read in our private bunk house and woke to brilliant sunshine the next morning. The hostel, like most inns here, served a buffet breakfast of incredibly fresh white and dark grainy breads, muesli, cheeses, meats (pate too, of course), fruits, yogurts and coffee by the urnful.
Not really knowing the youth hostel way, we were surprised that we needed to do our own cleaning and stripping the (rented) sheets before checking out. So after our morning chores, checking out and packing the car we set out on foot to explore Denmark's only forest. We had a lovely walk through rolling hillsides and arborous views. There was a mountain bike race going on that made us long for single track trail in the Oregon woods. Over the 5 km trail, the girls collected sticks, laughed with each other and Craig and I were able to talk undisturbed by cell phone.
Later we drover yet another hour north to the town of Viborg where a Danish work associate of Craig's lives and invited us to join his family for lunch. Jesper and Pia have 2 girls, ages 6 and 9. They served a typical Danish smorbrod lunch of breads, meats, fish (yes, herring too) eggs, cucumbers and tomatoes. Coke and beer to drink. The girls got along tremendously despite the language barrier, playing on the swing set, with dolls and toys and the family dog. After lunch we strolled through their neighborhood, the woods and to the lake nearby. They plied us with dessert and more coffee and wished me a happy mother's day, which all of us had completely forgotten. They don't celebrate Mothers' Day here, so it slipped right back our consciences.
All that was left was a 4 hour drive back home through the pastural countrysides of Jutland. Nothing but farmlands and small towns. Spring is the best time to be in Denmark. We arrived home about 8:30 pm from our 3 day journey. The girls had school the next day and it was very difficult to get to bed. It stays light until 10 at night. The sun actually rises at 5 am, but there is almost an hour of daylight prior to that. The birds start chirping around 3 am. They chirp at night when we go to bed too. It's so weird to go to bed with light and wake with light. Thank goodness for black-out curtains.
The PTA is gearing up for the Spring Fair at school. This is an annual fundraiser event with games, food, auction, prizes and fun for the whole family. Craig will be grilling burgers at the American Table (see that McMenamins training comes in handy!) and I'll be working the 5th grade game. Other than that, Maya is continuing to work on her Exhibition project, Molly is doing her things and we are awaiting the arrival of Lee and Sheila Cohen this Tuesday for a week visit.
Yesterday I rode downtown, bought an organic salad at my favorite shop, and sat and ate on the Gammel Strand and watched the tourist boats on their canal tours. Later, rode to the King's Library and then over to Norrebro for an appointment. The city is pretty awesome. And the tourists have arrived! It's like some one opened the gates and put out a sign that says "We're Open". Everywhere you look there is a tourist with a map, double decker buses and canal boats full of gawkers, packed walking street, museums and shops. And a lot more English being spoken. It always startles me when I hear other Americans!
Well, off to the next adventure,
Love and Light,
comments to thecohen4dk@gmail.com
The girls and I packed up last Friday and left on St. Bededag (National Prayer Day) which is a national holiday. Seems as though there were too many religious holidays over the year so they combined them into one. Most children of age get confirmed in the Lutheran church on this day and there are family celebrations all over the country. We found that driving to Jutland was slow for all the relatives getting home to be with families.
Maya, Molly and I explored our hotel and Legoland the first day, taking it easy. The weather was a little cool and windy. Craig arrived late to the hotel from London (flying into Billund airport, built basically for the Lego and LegoLand's needs). Then Saturday we attacked LegoLand when the gates opened, headed right for the Quick Pass machine and ordered up the rides of our choice, with no waiting lines. The weather was typical: partyly sunny, breezy and mid 50's. After 4 hours we had seen and done everything we wanted and the park was so crowded that we knew it was time to go. This particular park was geared toward the younger age group and while the Lego sculptures were fantastic, and the park was clean and friendly, it was worth doing once and moving on.
That afternoon we drove an hour north to the town of Silkeborg in the "lakes district". We stayed right in downtown in a Youth Hostel (private bunk room with bath) on the river. We walked all around this pretty city, had dinner at a Mongolian Grill and excellent italian ice cream. We played games and read in our private bunk house and woke to brilliant sunshine the next morning. The hostel, like most inns here, served a buffet breakfast of incredibly fresh white and dark grainy breads, muesli, cheeses, meats (pate too, of course), fruits, yogurts and coffee by the urnful.
Not really knowing the youth hostel way, we were surprised that we needed to do our own cleaning and stripping the (rented) sheets before checking out. So after our morning chores, checking out and packing the car we set out on foot to explore Denmark's only forest. We had a lovely walk through rolling hillsides and arborous views. There was a mountain bike race going on that made us long for single track trail in the Oregon woods. Over the 5 km trail, the girls collected sticks, laughed with each other and Craig and I were able to talk undisturbed by cell phone.
Later we drover yet another hour north to the town of Viborg where a Danish work associate of Craig's lives and invited us to join his family for lunch. Jesper and Pia have 2 girls, ages 6 and 9. They served a typical Danish smorbrod lunch of breads, meats, fish (yes, herring too) eggs, cucumbers and tomatoes. Coke and beer to drink. The girls got along tremendously despite the language barrier, playing on the swing set, with dolls and toys and the family dog. After lunch we strolled through their neighborhood, the woods and to the lake nearby. They plied us with dessert and more coffee and wished me a happy mother's day, which all of us had completely forgotten. They don't celebrate Mothers' Day here, so it slipped right back our consciences.
All that was left was a 4 hour drive back home through the pastural countrysides of Jutland. Nothing but farmlands and small towns. Spring is the best time to be in Denmark. We arrived home about 8:30 pm from our 3 day journey. The girls had school the next day and it was very difficult to get to bed. It stays light until 10 at night. The sun actually rises at 5 am, but there is almost an hour of daylight prior to that. The birds start chirping around 3 am. They chirp at night when we go to bed too. It's so weird to go to bed with light and wake with light. Thank goodness for black-out curtains.
The PTA is gearing up for the Spring Fair at school. This is an annual fundraiser event with games, food, auction, prizes and fun for the whole family. Craig will be grilling burgers at the American Table (see that McMenamins training comes in handy!) and I'll be working the 5th grade game. Other than that, Maya is continuing to work on her Exhibition project, Molly is doing her things and we are awaiting the arrival of Lee and Sheila Cohen this Tuesday for a week visit.
Yesterday I rode downtown, bought an organic salad at my favorite shop, and sat and ate on the Gammel Strand and watched the tourist boats on their canal tours. Later, rode to the King's Library and then over to Norrebro for an appointment. The city is pretty awesome. And the tourists have arrived! It's like some one opened the gates and put out a sign that says "We're Open". Everywhere you look there is a tourist with a map, double decker buses and canal boats full of gawkers, packed walking street, museums and shops. And a lot more English being spoken. It always startles me when I hear other Americans!
Well, off to the next adventure,
Love and Light,
comments to thecohen4dk@gmail.com
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