Vacation - Danish Style

On Sunday's we transfer buses at Mozart's Plads.  Mozart's Plads has become a haven for drunks and others and the park had become an eyesore and a place that you literally prayed the whole time you were there - that you would be okay.  In May they started renovating the park.  They put in a children's area with a musical path and things you needed to do.  Here is Clyde playing the xylophone and the funnel shaped thing is connected to another one with pipes under the ground.  You can talk through it with the other person.  There is a little house to in the upper left with a hammock attached to it. 

 This area has Mozart's Plads, Handel's way, Strauss street, Rubenstein way, etc.  It very picturesque and the residents are taking their area back.

 



This is Elisabeth Bloch and me visiting over some wonderful food she prepared for us.  The juice in the pitcher that is pink was rhubarb-lemonade.  I HATE rhubarb and have never found any way that I enjoy eating it.  Her rhubarb lemonade was amazing and refreshing.  We also had zucchini/carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and lemon zest in the frosting.  It was wonderful.  She made little cookies but she called them tarts.  They were a shortbread cookie with black currant mousse in the middle.  It wasn't overly sweet but it was very rich.  We had such an incredible experience today with her as our guide.

This is the back of her garden home.  In Germany - after WWI, they divvied up areas of the city for gardens.  Any citizen could have one.  You were to grow fresh fruits and vegetables on 80% of it though.  Most of Europe has grabbed hold of this tradition.  However now instead of shacks for garden tools on the land, they are putting houses with all the facilities you need for a day or a  month and they are no longer given away, you have to buy your plot or have it bequeathed to you.  Elisabeth found this home 2 years ago.  Basically they have become like a cabin in the mountain to people in Utah.  Elisabeth's is about 900 square feet with a large living room/kitchen combination, a bathroom with a shower and washer/dryer and a bedroom that comfortably fits a queen sized bed, a wardrobe and a dresser.  Elisabeth has spent that last 2 weeks here and will spend next week here also.  She has amazing flowers with a small garden plot in her very back.  If we were going to live here for longer than 18 months, I would seriously consider renting one at some point.  It was about 7 miles from the bridge the connects Sweden with Denmark.  She is actually on the flight path for planes taking off from the airport but they are high enough by the time they get to her that you really don't hear it. 

This blog is going to be ongoing for several days.  Stay tuned for more pictures and information about our day at Dragoor.

A break from work until Friday

Tomorrow, Elisabeth Bloch is taking us to Dragoor, a small Dutch fishing village on the tip of the island that Copenhagen sits on.  She also  has a garden plot she wants to show us.  I sure hope I can keep up with everyone.  There will be a lot of walking.  I want everyone to have a good time.  At Christmas, Elisabeth was our Nisse (secret elf).  She gave us some wonderful things traditional to Denmark.

I had the most startling memory today.  I was eating a sandwich with fresh bread, Gouda cheese and a fresh tomato.  As I bit into the sandwich, I saw my mother sitting in the front seat of the car and making sandwiches.  She would pass everyone their lunch and there was never a mess.  She was amazing at doing that.  Such a fun memory.  Nothing like a fresh sandwich - no matter what you put on it.

It rained today and brought the temperatures down to comfortable again.

We are going to make it!

There was a breeze today so that made it almost bearable in the office.  I don't know what we will do when Elisabeth gets back and wants her fan back.  That will be a sad day.  Frederick went home because he was so miserable.  He drinks a lot of iced coffee and coffee dehydrates you.  Not a good choice.  I would never say anything to him though.

For lunch today, Lars, Daniel and Frederick joined us.  We had such a good time.  Frederick said that he took his 2 wives and 2 children to the circus.  Then he looked at me and said, "Is that how you say it?"  I said a simpler way would be to say that he took his children and their mother's to the circus.  Frederick leaned over to me and said, "Divorce is not a good thing."  Frederick went on to say that the circus is no longer like when he was a child.  Gone are the animal acts because they are cruel and he said if you want to see a tattooed lady, just walk down the street.  Lars started laughing and said the freaks are in public and none freaks are in hiding.  Lars suggested there be a circus with the un-tattooed lady and the person at their perfect weight.  Then he said he wasn't sure he could find anyone like that anymore.  We laughed and joked.  The time flew.  Then Daniel asked me if I knew LeBron had taken Michael Jordan's number.  We started talking about American Sports.  I have to read up on sports because he just wants to share that passion of his with someone.  I understand.

We did 9 books but they were all ledger which means instead of getting credited with 2 shots per page - we only got one.  That makes our numbers look lower but they in truth were really good.  We are currently doing the orphanages and then on to civil marriages.

Miserable Monday

I shouldn't complain about the weather but if I don't here, it will be with a Dane and I don't want to offend.  Currently it is 79 degrees with a feel like temperature of 90.  The humidity is at 90%.  It feels like San Antonio, Texas in May or early June - without air conditioning!  Lars asked if it was "...hot enough to me."  I corrected his phrasing and said, "...is it hot enough for you?"  He started laughing and said, "That makes no sense."  Bo said, "Is it supposed too?"  Love being with those guys.  I think we are offending Bo with our music.  We may have to turn it way down or stop listening.  I feel bad when I walk by and his office door is closed.  He needs the cross ventilation - or maybe he likes it hot.  Don't know.

I wish it would cool down so the Danes will put their clothes on.  Today I saw a dozen people sitting on their balconies in their underwear.  The one thing I can be grateful for is the women WERE wearing bras.

We got 9 books done today.  We would have done at least one more big book but we had to download new software for our camera and that took 1 hour and 20 minutes.  That seriously cut into our camera time.

It is Hot!

I know by US standards, the temperatures are not that bad outside.  However when you hit the upper 80's and there are no air conditioners, the temperatures in the buildings becomes sauna like.  I got sick at church today and realized that it is not a bug but the heat.  I have not been able to handle heat really well since we were in Italy the summer I was 17.  I got sunstroke and was in bed for 3 days because of it.  It also doesn't help that some of my prescriptions say to stay out of the sun and heat.  Not happening for a while.  The buses are sealed like tombs!  The only air that blows in them are when the doors open.  You start to hope it will stop at every bus stop.

On the way home on the bus, a man with 5 little boys in tow (one was definitely his son) sat down. He laughed and interacted so wonderfully with these boys.  He reminded me of our son-in-law, Carl Pfiester.  His mannerisms and laugh were just like Carl's.  Made me very homesick for my family.

I  had my first cherry tomato today.  At the rate things are going, my tomatoes are going to cost me 50 cents a piece.  The tomato was wonderful though.  Tart/Sweet and a wonderful texture.  I look forward to eating the other 6!

New Neighbor

We have a new neighbor across the hall.  His name is Annis.  He will be a vast improvement over our last neighbors I am sure.  They were always smoking in their apartment even though they were not supposed too.  It would seep into here and make us both sick. 

Not much to report today.  Did our shopping and had some downtime.  A nice day.

Friday is Temple Day

For the last 10 years, every other Friday, Clyde and I have attended the temple.  We were Ordinance Workers for a time and now we attend to draw closer to our Father in Heaven.  Today we went and watched without headsets - we only used headsets 2 times before doing it on our own.  We are getting very good at understanding more and more with each attendance.  It was a wonderful experience.  The brand new missionaries for Denmark, came in for the next session.  President Sederholm tries to get the new missionaries to the temple within a month after they get here.  They were very excited to attend today.  I do have question, how do you leave your temple recommend stateside but bring your clothes?  Today a woman and young man that are doing a study abroad session in Northern Germany had to wait for approval but had their clothes.  I shouldn't wonder too much - I left my recommend in Rhode Island when I went for Pam and Chris' wedding and that was whole purpose of the trip.

We are obviously fighting some kind of infection.  When we got home today, we had lunch and then both slept for more than 2 hours.  I do feel much better though.