Denmark: Friends, Food, and Fun!

As usual when we travel, our adventures to Denmark started early in the a.m. and with some excitement. We were up by 4:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3rd and on a bus to Central Station before 6:30. We bought our train tickets for Schipol, and as we were looking for the platform, I thought I could make out something about "no trains" and "Schipol" using my limited Dutch. Thankfully, English came next, but we were not thankful for the message. "No trains running to Schipol due to power failure. There is no alternative." Come on, it's only 6:30 a.m. on Day 1 - do we really have to be confronted with travel changes already? We walked outside (with our useless 5 euro worth of "valid for today" train tickets) and grabbed a 50 euro cab instead. Ouch.

We checked in for our flight, and as would be the nature of our day so far, Greg gets personally searched behind a curtain due to his knee brace. Oops, forgot to take it off! As we waited at our gate, we noticed our pilots climb out of the cockpit and start washing windows. Seriously. At first, I was a little concerned that they could just pop out the window like that, but then I figured that I prefer that they can see where they are going, so clean away! Our flight took off on time - and with shiny windows - at 8:50 a.m.

We landed in Billund, Denmark at 9:45 a.m. We were headed to see our friends, the Podulkas, who had moved to Aarhus in late March. Kristen and Ryan so thoughtful to pick us up from the airport, and they received quite a hello from Ben...he squealed and laughed, way too excited!! We drove an hour from Billund to Aarhus (Denmark's second largest city) and chatted the whole way; it was so good to be together! It was a bit of a comical scene too...Greg chose to sandwich himself in between the 2 car seats in the back and took care of all of the boys' needs...snacks, drinks, books, blankets, etc. They kept him busy! We saw some beautiful Danish countryside along the way, and the harbor is right down the street from their home - just gorgeous! Kristen made us some yummy lunch, while the boys ran around and squealed some more. The boys were finally able to settle down for naps, while the adults (minus Joe who was working) got to sit outside in the backyard and enjoy the sunshine. Yes, I said backyard...what a change from Amsterdam already! Ben and Ryan woke up around 4 p.m., shared some smoothie, and we got packed up and on our way to the city center to look around and meet Joe for dinner.

The downtown was beautiful, and it didn't take us long to notice how expensive Denmark is...we saw shirts on "sale" - 2 for $100! That's a sale?? We walked by the Aarhus Cathedral, which is the longest cathedral in Denmark. (Silly refurbishments make for much less beautiful photos, sorry!). The boys were much more interested in playing in the fountain nearby, so we didn't actually get to take a peek inside the church. Joe rode up on his bike, and we walked down the Vadestedet canal area with lots of cute cafes with waterfront seating. Around the corner was Bones restaurant - a great steakhouse with a playroom for the kids. They were back and forth all night, but I think both of them managed to eat a little dinner too. :) Home for some bathtime fun, and then bed for the boys. The adults got to stay up, chat, watch a movie, and best of all - enjoy Kristen's homemade strawberry pie! The day obviously ended WAY better than it began. :)

Happy 4th of July! Kristen treated us to french toast casserole for breakfast, and then we all got ready for the beach. We drove (Joe biked...no room for him in the car!) to Moesgard beach on the Aarhus Bay, which leads to the North Sea. It was warm and sunny, and the boys had a blast playing in the sand, splashing in the water, and collecting shells (and Ben would then bury them in the sand). The sand was a bit rocky, so there was lots of throwing rocks into the water too - these are boys, remember? :) We were surprised to see so many jellyfish in the water, and to see all of the Danish children catching them! Apparently, as long as they aren't "pink", they are safe to touch. Joe managed to catch a few too! Ryan loved that...Ben stuck with the shells. I don't think he was afraid, he just didn't seem interested. Headed for home around 12:30 for lunch and naps. Kristen took me to the grocery store, Kvickly, to get some things for the picnic later that night. Wow, it was HUGE! Very different than the Albert Heijns of Amsterdam. More like the size of a Costco, but with normal grocery store sizes. But, with Denmark prices, a small carton of strawberries was $6! Bought a huge triangle danish to enjoy later...

After naptime, we walked to Mindepark for our 4th of July picnic with the Illgs (more friends from Amsterdam that have moved to Aarhus), and a few more Aarhus friends. The park was huge, and the boys played and played. We were very excited when Karen and Larry arrived - with baby Katie! About 6 weeks old, she was tiny and so adorable! We enjoyed sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit, and just getting to spend time with friends. By the time we left at 8 p.m., Ben had scraped elbows, and Ryan had scraped knees. I'd say that's a sign of a great holiday picnic, don't you? :) Put the boys to bed and enjoyed our gigantic danish. Yep, the Danish know how to do danishes!

Enjoyed breakfast on Sunday morning, and then we decided to visit the Modelbane Europa train museum in Hadsten - a little town about 30 minutes away. Sadly, we had to leave Joe behind...he decided not to ride in the trunk. :) The train museum was a bit comical, very small and very simple. The children's "activity center" was a few sheets of paper and a handful of crayons. But, the boys really seemed to enjoy it, and that was the point, right? We stayed for about an hour, then drove back home for lunch and naptime.

While the boys napped, Joe and Kristen were nice enough to 'babysit' while Greg and I walked along the harbor. The Aarhus harbor is one of the largest industrial harbors in northern Europe and the largest in Denmark. Joe's office is located right near the marina, and he has a fantastic view of the water from his office window. Makes it a little easier to go to work every day, hopefully? :) We also strolled by Mindepark again to see the Queen's summer house. Wow.

Around 5 p.m. we went to the Illg's home for a cookout, to see their home, and to spend time with baby Katie. Ben loved looking at her in the swing and watching Karen feed her. But, he wasn't too sure about Mommy holding her. :) Dinner was delicious - Larry makes a mean steak! We left around 8:30, bath and bed for the boys, and then the 4 of us stayed up chatting until midnight! It was so good to visit with them, and we feel so blessed to have made lifelong friends in such a short amount of time.

On Monday, July 6th, it was hard saying goodbye to the Podulkas. We were very appreciative of their hospitality and hope to repay the favor someday. We caught the 8:30 a.m. train to Copenhagen - a 3 hour ride. Once we arrived at Central Station (photo below), we stopped by the tourist office for a city map, then to check in to our hotel and plan our "strategy". Ben was sleeping, Greg was having a work crisis, and I was plotting a course. We left the hotel after 1 p.m. for lunch and the city sights!

We started with a view of the Radhus (Town Hall), which is actually a newer building - built from 1892 until 1905. From there, we thought we would head out of the city center a ways and then work our way back in. So, we hopped on a city bus to see Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid), the famous statue that has been sitting in the Copenhagen harbor since 1913. From there, as we walked toward the Kastellet, we saw a windmill! Hey, this isn't Holland?! We also saw St. Alban's Church and Churchill park. Ben loved the fountain outside the church, and naturally we heard - "money, money"! We had him toss in 1 or 2 cent euro coins...Danish money is too valuable at the prices we were seeing!!

The Kastellet (The Citadel) is one of the best preserved fortifications in northern Europe. Construction began in 1626, and the fortification was used in 1807 in the city's defense against England. Today it is used by the Defense Ministry as an active military area. That would explain all the very serious men and women in uniform. :) The complex also has a church built in 1704, and it turns out that the windmill we saw belongs to the Kastellet. (Can you see the blades behind the church?) The windmill standing today was built in 1847, a year after the original mill from 1718 was destroyed in a storm. A fortified city needs supplies like flour and rolled oats, don't you think?

After some "free" time at the Kastellet, we packed Ben up in his stroller again for more sights. We walked to Frederik's Church, popularly known as the Marble Church, and I was seriously bummed when we came across this huge display of scaffolding. Good thing I had my map reading a bit off, because the next block up was the Marble Church. Whew! The church's first stone was laid in 1749, but it stood as a ruin for nearly 150 years until it was finally completed in 1894. We didn't make it inside; it was late in the day and the church was already closed. It was a short walk down the street to the Amalienborg Palace - the winter home of the Danish royal family. It is actually a complex of 4 palaces around an octagonal courtyard. Building of all the palaces took place in the mid 1700's and were built for 4 noble families. But, when Christiansborg Palace (thr original royal residence) burnt down in 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Again, no visit inside, but Ben liked watching the guards with the funny hats march back and forth. Behind the Palace and across the water was a view of the Opera House - built in 2005 and one of the most modern opera houses in the world. A huge contrast from the buildings we were just admiring, but also fantastic in it's own way. Would love to have gone to the opera...(sigh).

By now, we were getting quite tired and a bit hungry. We decided to stroll through Nyhavn - a colorful 17th century canal lined with townhouses, bars, and restaurants - and possibly stop for dinner or at least work our way back to the hotel. The canal itself was packed with old wooden ships. We read that Danish author Hans Christian Andersen lived at Nyhavn for several years. Being a canal filled with narrow homes, it was slightly reminiscent of Amsterdam - but with much more color. Very cute and very lively for a Monday evening. We walked through to Kongens Nytorv square, the largest square in the city. Many important buildings face the square, including the Royal Danish Theater. There was a small market set up, so we bought some fresh fruit. We were able to catch a bus back to our hotel/train station area. We stopped in a grocery store to grab some bread, cheese, yogurt, milk, cookies. Made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed a little picnic in our room - with Ben running around, turning the bathroom light on and off, pushing his trains under the bed - while we sat on the bed and watched, glad to be off our feet for the night.

Tuesday morning was nice and slow. Breakfast was full of hard choices, which danish do I try first?? Ben liked the chocolate one, go figure. We started off walking towards Town Hall, which led us to the Stroget - the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe! We stopped into a Danish souvenir shop to buy some postcards and had to give a Danish "shout out" to the Podulkas, who are always sending photos of Ryan in funny hats from their journeys. We liked the "football/viking" mix of the one below, and so did Ben. I thought for a minute we were going to have to buy it...he wouldn't let us take it off! That could have been disasterous, as it was equivalent to a $30 hat! Did we mention yet how expensive Denmark is? :) Actually, I did read an article that Copenhagen is the 7th most expensive place to live in the world...we believe it! Here's a picture of the "funny money", officially known as "kroner".

We veered off the Stroget to see Our Lady's Church, the national cathedral of Denmark. The present version of the church was completed in 1829. It didn't look that grand from the outside, but the interior was breathtaking. Makes sense why the Crown Prince of Denmark was married here in 2004. We happened to pass by St. Petri Church on the way to the Round Tower.

The Rundetaarn (Round Tower) was built on the initiative of King Christian IV, with the foundation stone laid on July 7th, 1637. Wait a minute, today is July 7th! How funny to be there on the "anniversary"! It was built as an astronomical observatory and is most noted for it's 7.5 turns around the hollow core of the tower leading to the top - and for it's view of the city. It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. The Tower is part of the Trinitatis Complex, which provided scholars of the time with a student church and university library as well. We wound our way up to the top, with a quick look in the teeny-tiny "privy" (potty). The views were pretty spectacular, and despite looking like he's sleeping in Greg's arms, Ben enjoyed running around and around and around the safely-enclosed platform. We took a look inside the church on our way out, also very beautiful. Happy anniversary Rundetaarn, and thanks for the visit!

Ben was ready for a little more room to roam, so we were happy to oblige at the nearby King's Gardens, Denmark's oldest royal garden. It was a gorgeous, warm day, and there were plenty of wildflowers to keep Ben entertained. There is a pathway from the Gardens that leads to the Rosenborg Castle. It was originally built by Christian IV as a country summerhouse in 1606, but is now a museum housing Danish royal artifacts. Next to the castle are barracks where the Royal Life Guards are stationed. These are guards from the Danish Royal Army that guard the castle.

It was about 1 p.m., and Ben fell asleep as we walked down the Kobmagergade shopping street to the Hojbro Plads, an entertainment square where we saw this giant poster for the upcoming Harry Potter 6 movie. I couldn't help but snap a photo...getting excited to see it, and apparently so are the Danish! Kept walking, saw the Holmens Church and the Borsen (stock exchange) building. The Borsen was another project by Christian IV built from 1619-1640 and is the oldest stock exchange in Europe. It is particularly known for its "Dragon Spire", as the tails of four dragons are twined together to the top. Very near the Borsen is Christiansborg Palace, home of the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, Office of the Prime Minister, and official reception area of the Queen. The first castle was built here in 1167, but fires in 1794 and 1884 gave way to the current version, finished in 1928. We have a photo from the "Borsen" side, a photo of Danish regalia as we passed through the gate, and a photo of the back (and I think more charming) side of the palace.

At this point, our tummies could not take it any longer, and we needed lunch!! It was a short walk to the Latin Quarter, where we found a square with lots of choices. We considered Danish, Chinese, and more - but settled on a bagel shop. When I say settled, I definitely do NOT mean "settled". This was the most amazing bagel sandwich I have ever tasted (holding my prized possession below)!! An 'everything' bagel with cream cheese, sliced cheese, avocado (with lemon), greens, cucumber, and sweet/sour pickles. Maybe it doesn't sound that good to you, but I thought about asking Greg to go buy another one for later, just because I couldn't imagine that this would be my first and only chance to taste this yummy goodness. I decided against it, I knew I'd never be able to finish another one, and it seemed like torture to waste such a masterpiece. I don't think Greg and Ben were nearly as "over the top" about their bagels, but what do they know?? OK, enough about bagels and back to the Copenhagen sights. (PS for all those concerned...I have tried to recreate the bagel sensation back in Amsterdam, but I can't get it quite right just yet. Quality of bagels here are not great, and in the last 18 months have still not found a decent pickle to enjoy. Maybe in the States...)

It was time to walk back to the hotel for work; Greg had a quick call that he needed to be a part of. Ben and I were fine with the idea of a little R&R. On the way, we passed by a Tivoli entrance (the H.C. Andersen castle)...I'll explain Tivoli in a minute. We also saw the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek art museum, with a collection inside built around the personal collection of the son of the founder of Carlsberg Breweries, Carl Jacobsen. We are not big on touring art museums with a toddler, but I did at least enjoy the view of the fabulous building from the outside.

As it turns out, Greg's meeting was cancelled. It was still good to get a little relaxing in before heading back out at 5 p.m. for Tivoli! Tivoli is a famous amusement park in the heart of Copenhagen, first opened in August 1843. I believe it is the second-oldest amusement park in the world. It is a combination of amusement rides, theaters, restaurants, and flower gardens.

The first item on our list was dinner. Since we passed up Chinese for lunch (remember those awesome bagels??), we had it for dinner instead. The restaurant was right near one of the roller coasters, so Ben loved that every couple of minutes he could scream along with those on the ride. It was hilarious. The food was your typical Chinese fare, and Ben enjoyed a hot dog and fries. It was tasty enough, but not $80 tasty! Yep, that's right - 2 Chinese dishes and a hot dog came to the low, low price of $80! Holy cow! Let me just say this...seriously, Copenhagen is a fantastic city, and we highly recommend a visit. But, just be sure you have saved your pennies (make that $50's) before you get here and be prepared to spend.

We walked around, listened to the music, and just took it all in. What a great place to enjoy a summer evening! We considered having Greg and Ben ride on the old-fashioned cars - until we priced it out. $16 for one ride. Oh brother! Besides, Ben was just as happy to watch the cars go by - and until he gets older and wiser, that's just fine with us. :) We did treat him to some ice cream though, so we are not altogether grumpy parents. Look at that ice cream mustache and tell me he wasn't perfectly happy! By then, it was 8 p.m. and getting to be bedtime. We said goodbye to Tivoli...with Ben screaming "Tivoli, Tivoli" all the way back to the hotel. OK, I guess we are rotten parents after all. Poor kid...

We woke up on Wednesday asking Ben, "do you know what we are doing today?" His response, "going to Tivoli!!" Nope, sorry kid. But, we did get to fly on an airplane, which is pretty fun too. At the Copenhagen airport, Greg enjoyed a seriously good hot dog (kind of like my bagel experience) from Steff's Place. It's gotta be good from Steff's, right? Our flight was a little late taking off, and we landed in Amsterdam around 2 p.m. We had an incredible adventure to Denmark - visiting with friends and exploring Copenhagen. The time went by too fast, as always, and now it's time to dive headfirst into our "going to the States" planning. We leave in less than 3 weeks!