Month: November 2018

With the whole family back in Copenhagen, we had a little bit of summer fun left before school started back for the kids mid-August.

 

Warm days.

Beautiful nights.

 

Quick trip to Tivoli.

 

Street food festival on the Lakes. Kids got their usual- hamburger and fries for A and a Nutella crepe for K. I had a peptio, and Andy had butter chicken. Then it rained on us.

 

Twin’s first day of Grade Three at Copenhagen International School. They were excited.

Tired Katherine a few days into the first week. 

 

Back to school brunch for the Moms at our favorite, Wulff & Konstali.

And naturally, a back to school ladies night out. We had dinner at Wagamama in Tivoli (they have tons of restaurants there too) and watched a little of whatever concert was going on. I think it was a Danish pop group from the amount of young girls singing along in Danish, just a guess. Drinks after at Library Bar.

 

One weekend we went to go see cliff diving off the roof of the Copenhagen Opera House. Andy and I enjoyed it, the kids not so much, with A falling asleep.

xoxo-sk

ps. Hot days, open windows, fresh foods all equal fruit flies. I will kill them all.

We got here early July 2017. It is now a year later. You can try and prepare yourself to live in another country- read up on the culture, do all the research. But, until you are there and completely immersed, you really have no idea how your daily life is going to be. Surprisingly, the big things are easy to deal with, and it’s the little things that you feel like will break you.

We have discovered so many wonderful things about living in Copenhagen. You learn about their culture, the way they go about doing things- the similarities, the differences. Denmark is a very homogenous society. They are often regarded as one of the happiest countries in the world. I wouldn’t use the word happy (especially the American feeling of happiness) to describe the Danes, I would use content. They do not want to “keep up with the Joneses,” rather the opposite of that actually. They are encouraged to be average. Jante’s Law being very evident. They also look at friendship differently. Danes look at friendship as a life long relationship, with most of their friends being made when they were in school. They are not going to invest in someone who likely won’t be here long term. That’s not to say that you can’t connect with a Dane, but all of the friends I’ve made here are expats. Danes aren’t what I would call outwardly friendly either. They do not chat with strangers. They are approachable and nice to you if you ask for assistance, but will not go out of their way to see if you need help. The Danish tend more towards respecting your privacy and staying out of your business. I’m sure I make a good number of them uncomfortable with my big smiles, eye contact, and hellos, but my Southerness cannot be stopped, even in Scandinavia.

We are lucky that in Copenhagen the majority of people speak English. Not only do they speak it, they don’t mind speaking it. Although they can speak English, they are Danish and largely (and obviously) speak in Danish. (Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes usually speak to each other in English, as they find it hard to understand each other.) So, conversations all around you, on the bus, at the stores, at restaurants are in a language you don’t understand. It’s like white noise. It can be very isolating as well. I found listening to music, podcasts, the Atlanta sports radio app really helpful. Also, the majority of the music you hear in restaurants, stores, bars, etc. is in English, which is nice. The Danes like all kinds of American music- oldies, metal, rap, rock. Fun fact- The first song I heard when we got here was Britney Spear’s “Hit me Baby one More Time.”

Danish is a hard language. The kids are learning it in school and their pronunciation is better then mine. As an American, I tend to enunciate every syllable in a word, and that is not the case here. The Danes mumble and swallow the end of words. While I can understand a lot of written Danish now, (mostly with regards to shopping, food, and transportation) to understand it spoken is still extremely hard for me.

I am horrible with directions. I always have been, as my friends and husband can attest to. We don’t have a car here- we walk, bike, use the bus, and the train. As such, I have become quite adept at navigating my surrounding areas. I can actually give directions to the many tourists in our neighborhood now. (We live close to the Little Mermaid statue.) Not having a car was a big lifestyle change for us. There are times when it’s been really hard without one and the kids have whined about it, but you learn to deal. The Danish public transportation is vast, and I have enjoyed not having to worry about driving. Everything is very walkable and reachable for us because we are so central. We love our apartment and where it is located.

One of the downsides of living in a different country. It’s the little things that can frustrate you. Things like all the different European sizes, the crazy return policies you thought would be at least thirty days but aren’t, not being able to find the correct floor cleaner that you are told you have to use, figuring out how to fix the range hood when it stops working and the instructions are all in Danish, trying to watch college football, figuring out which websites actually deliver to Denmark (they don’t have a Danish Amazon), wondering where you can buy all purpose flour (hint- you can’t, it doesn’t exist here) and so many more. Things that didn’t even cross your mind would be a problem. All the silly little stuff that is so clear and easy to overcome back home makes you feel so helpless and stupid here. Thankfully, it does get better as time goes on (or maybe my coping skills have improved.) Your knowledge of how things work here grows, you learn to accept that what you are looking for just doesn’t exist here, and you find friends that have been here long enough to answer all your questions. I still come across things that make me crazy though. Recently, I almost drove myself crazy trying to find the right ingredients to make slime. After multiple attempts, it turns out the glue and contact solution here don’t have the correct chemicals, and they don’t sell borax. It’s always something…

Overall, living in Denmark has been amazing. We have grown and experienced so much individually and as a family. If the first year is any indication, the next two years will be quite the ride.

xoxo-sk

Sooo… My Dad dropped us off at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport to catch our flight to Copenhagen via New York’s JFK (FYI-currently their are no direct flights between ATL and CPH.) So far, so good.

Then, the delays started. Long story short, New York had really bad storms and stopped all incoming flights. So, we missed our connection to Copenhagen and got booked on the evening flight the next day. We decided to make the most of it, get a hotel room in the city, and go exploring before we had to leave. Lemonades out of lemons right?

Finally at JFK, now to find a hotel. 

Finally on the way up to our room. (We did run to the corner bodega to overpay for toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant.) This was after 3 am. The kids were troopers. 

 

New day. With little sleep, no make-up, the same clothes (lucky me had worn flip flops,) and hauling our carry on luggage (large shoulder bag and three backpacks,) we ventured out for the day.

Our hotel was right around the corner from the Empire State Building.

 

The beautiful New York Public Library. I didn’t realize what a lovely building it was. 

The Original Winnie-the-Pooh exhibit.

 

Quick walk through Central Station. The ceiling was beautiful, it didn’t photograph well though.

 

The largest Catholic Cathedral in the U.S., St Patrick’s was built in the late 1800s. They were saying a mass, so we didn’t venture in too far. 

 

Rockefeller Center.

 

The Rockette’s home, Radio City Music Hall and 30 Rock, NBC Studios.

 

Times Square.

 

Lunch was Andrew’s favorite food- New York style pizza. This was probably his favorite part.

 

 

We got to explore Central Park.

 

By the time we had to catch a cab back to the airport, we were exhausted. It had been an unexpected, but fun day in the Big Apple. K’s final thoughts were, “New York smells like garbage.”

Finally, we are ready to go. Two new shirts later (the ones they wore all day were gross and sweaty), we headed back to CPH.

xoxo-sk

ps. Guess who we saw at the airport? Tim Tebow, the biggest Gator of them all. Andy controlled himself (barely.) He only slightly (kiddingly I think) insulted him once or twice. He was just as nice as you would expect.

Home, sweet, home. It’s always so great to catch up with family and friends. Also, the shopping. I missed strolling through Target (they have nothing like it in CPH), aimlessly getting all the odds and ends you need (and don’t need.) Andy got to come for a few days too.

While the kids were making the Grandparent rounds, I went up to have lunch with my brother Daniel, and sister-in-law, Katie. We got lunch from The Place (all things fried), and I got my favorite cookie from Insomnia. Yes, my favorite cookie is Oatmeal Raisin, followed by Sugar, Snickerdoodle, and then maybe Chocolate Chip.

And I got to snuggle with the nieces- Norah, Lily, and Milly.

 

I went to my first Atlanta United game at the Benz with my cousin Michael. It lived up to the hype- the stadium, the team, the fans, the food (I got the pimento cheese from Fox Brothers.)

 

I got to see all my friends!!! I stay in touch with social media and texting, but it’s not the same. 

 

The kids and I got to spend some fun time at Daniel and Katie’s new house in Athens. Sleepovers, braids, baking, and sprinklers. Makes my heart happy to see all the cousins together. They love each other so. It’s funny to see how alike they are. Norah and Andrew are the rule-followers, and Katherine and Lily are the pot stirrers. 

 

Before we left the kids got to visit our cousin Michael at Turner Sports Studios. It’s where they film all the NBA shows you see on TBS and TNT. He showed us around the sets and explained how it all works. Very cool.

 

 

Goodbye Georgia, once again. I will miss all my people dearly.

xoxo-sk

ps. Left with an impressive amount of American goodies. (Seriously, I bring a huge empty suitcase.) Here are just the shoes.

Oh, lovely romantic Brugge. Andy and I took a day trip here while in Belgium. Brugge is a charming town with winding streets, quaint cafes and shops, and picturesque sights.

The romantic Lake of Love in Minnewater Park. Legand has it, Minna was in love with Stromberg, a warrior from a nearby tribe. Minna’s Father forbid their love and arranged for her to marry another. Minna ran away into the forest, and when her love, Stromberg, finally found her, she died in his arms. The lake was named after her, and the bridge considered to be the bridge of love. They say if you walk across the bridge with your partner, you will have eternal love.

 

Founded in 1245, the ‘Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde’ aka Princely Beguinage of the Vineyard was a community of pious single or widowed women, who lived quietly and simply. In 1927 it became a convent for Benedictine nuns.

Lots of the legendary swans on and by the canals.

 

Brugge had all things chocolate too. I mean all things..

 

Brugge is full of canals, the Reien. Some call it the “Venice of the North.”

 

The Church of Our Lady. It took two centuries to build, 13th-15th.

 

The money shot, their most photographed place. The Quay of the Rosary. (Not a perfect angle but there are, obviously, a lot of tourists wanting to take the exact same picture.) This is where the Groenerei and Dijver canals meet. It used to be a salt port in the Middle Ages, when salt was as valuable as gold. 

 

Burg Square. 

The Gothic Stadhuis (Town Hall) was built in 1376 and has been the site of their government for over 600 years. 

The Basilica of the Holy Blood.

 

The Market Square. It has been used as a market place since 958. 

Market Square in anchored by the Belfry Tower. The Belfry is 83 meters tall and has been around since the 13th century.

 

xoxo-sk

The world famous bronze statue, Menneken Pis aka the Little Boy Peeing, stands a diminutive 61cm tall. It’s a small thing, taking up just a corner on a pedestrian walkway. If there wasn’t a small crowd of people taking pictures of it you may miss it. The original sculpture, made by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and originally displayed in 1618, currently resides in the Museum of the City of Brussels. The currant version was made in 1965.  There are many legends associated with it, but it has come to be known as a symbol for Brussels, similar to an apple for New York. Depending on when you visit, you will see Menneken Pis wearing one of his many costumes. It was cute, but somewhat unimpressive.

Jeanneke Pis the the female version of Mannekin Pis. It is in a small alley across from Delirium Cafe. It was erected in 1987, and like her boy counterpart, is small and safely behind bars. 

The Dog version, Het Zinneke, was put on display in 1988. 

 

Once we arrived, two things you see consistently everywhere- reproductions of the Manneken Pis aka “Little Peeing Man”

and Belgian waffles.

In the end, we went with the simple authentic plain waffle with powdered sugar. Perfection.

Along with the waffles, Brussels had tons of delicious chocolate everywhere you looked. Pierre Marcolini, a Belgian chocolatier.

 

Onto the Belgian beer. It was great. We tried some familiar beers and some new beers. Everything I tasted, even Andy’s more potent adventurous picks, was good.

Delirium Cafe is one of the most famous Brussels Beer Bars. It is in the middle of everything and is huge. It has an overwhelmingly large beer menu, of which you can get in a couple different sizes.

The downstair part of Delirium. Spotted- Sweetwater 420 sticker on the cash register.

So much beer. We also got to watch Belgium play in the World Cup while we were there, which was fun.

Strong Blonde Beer, perfect for me.

xoxo-sk

ps. Belgium (Brussels) is also known for it’s lace. Not as fun as the other stuff though.

Belgium borders the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. With a flag similar to Germany and their shared love of beer, I (wrongly) assumed Belgium would be similar to Germany. It actually wasn’t at all. The Belgians spoke French and the food and architecture definitely leaned more to the French side, at least in Brussels. In the northern part of Belgium, by the border of the Netherlands, people speak Dutch/Flemish. Lucky for us, at least where we went, Belgians have a great working knowledge of English.

Belgium, along with it’s neighbors, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, have a constitutional monarchy. The Palais Royal, the official palace of the King and Queen of Belgium. They don’t actually live there, as it is used for work functions. Sadly, when we went it was closed to visitors. It is only open from late July to September.

 

The Palace of Justice houses Brussel’s Supreme Court. It was finished in the 1880s, and at the time was thought to be the biggest building constructed in that century (it’s bigger then St. Peter’s Basilica.) It is a mammoth cavernous structure, currently undergoing renovation. 

Right beside the Palace of Justice is the Infantry Memorial. It honors the foot soldiers of World War I and II.

 

We were checking online for a good lunch place one day, and Andy comes across this sandwich shop, Tonton Garby. It is run by one amazingly kind man, who does everything- bakes the bread, makes the sandwiches, handles the payment, buses the tables. He spends ten to fifteen minutes with each person helping them select the perfect sandwich for them. You have to taste it before you pay (its only six Euros per sandwich.) Since it is such a personalized experience, there is a line. We waited about an hour. Seriously.

The sandwiches are cheese baguettes. Each sandwich gets a very generous (think a whole cheese round) amount of cheese in it. Andy got one with blue Shropshire, magor (mascarpone and gorgonzola), honey, and chorizo. I had one with papaya covered brie, a date/nut mixture, pear, and honey.

It was the best sandwich experience of my life. Andy and I have tried (obviously not as successfully) to duplicate cheese baguettes at home. The secret is the honey.

 

Jardin du Petit Sablon is a jewel. A small formal garden, lined with statues, with a fountain at the top. It was built in 1890. Atop the fountain are the Count of Egmont and the Count of Hornes. The statues around the inside perimeter hedges are celebrated Belgian humanists and scholars. 48 little bronze statues ring the outside perimeter.

 

The St. Nicolas Church and The Lady of Sablon Church.

 

How we watched the World Cup one night. A little outdoor viewing.

The Belgium version of apple pie. It was actually really good, Andy even liked it.

 

Before we left we managed to eat at this yummy place, Bia Mara. We actually tried to eat here a different day, but it was closed. It has short lunch hours. Fish and chips. Worth the revisit.

 

With all the different languages over here, I’m always entertained (and I’m easily entertained) by store’s signage.

xoxo-sk

ps. If you ever decide to visit Brussels- most of the shops are closed on Sundays. I was not expecting that. (I just thought this vase was cool.)

With the twins back in the States, Andy and I went on an adults only trip to beautiful Belgium. I loved Belgium. With the exception of taking public transport to get from the airport to Central Station, we were able to walk everywhere. That’s our favorite, and actually one of the things we look for when picking a place to visit. We always walk when we can, the better to explore, and Brussels was very walkable. The weather was perfect too. We had a great time- drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of good food. The beer lived up to the hype. Definitely.

A really cool about Belgium was the mix of very old buildings with the more modern structures.

Right around the corner from our hotel was St. Michael and St. Gudula’s Cathedral, the primary place of worship in Brussels. The original chapel was built in the 9th century, and it was replaced by a church in the 11th century. The choir was built and two towers were ordered to be built in the 13th century. The church was finished only 300 years later in 1519. It has since been restored. It holds beautiful sculptures and stained glass windows. Michael and Gudula are the patron saints of Brussels.

 

Galeries Royales St. Hubert aka the Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert opened in 1847. It is a beautiful glass domed shopping arcade, filled with high end clothing stores (didn’t go in), cafes (skipped), and fancy chocolate shops (yes, please.)

The chocolate was perfection. It was just as amazing as everyone always says Belgian chocolate is- smooth, rich, not too sweet.

I have seen public fountains like this a lot of places in Europe. Such a good idea.

 

The Grand Place, Brussel’s main square, houses many magnificent opulent buildings. The Gothic Town Hall. (The seating was for World Cup viewing.) It was built in 1421. The main attraction of this building is the 96 meter belfry (bell tower), decorated with a spire.

The Museum of the City of Brussels.

The super ornate Guildhouses. Originally built in late 1600s and rebuilt in early 1900s by each individual guild, each one trying to out do the other in lavishness. They represented trades like bakers, carpenters, boatman, archers, brewers, merchants, butchers, millers, and masons.

Around the corner from the square is the Stock Exchange, finished in 1873.

 

There was tons of quirky (some kinda hidden) street art all throughout Brussel. I loved it. I’ve really come to appreciate street art (that is well done.)

Andy thinking on our favorite mural. A little TMI, but we decided it looked like an evil fetus crowning during delivery. Yeah…

 

Past the massive Grand Palace is a quant square, anchored by the simple white St. Catherine’s Church.

In this square, we found a great seafood store/restaurant. It was one of my favorite places I’ve eaten at in our travels. Noordzee. It has all the fish laid out, market style, and you pick what you want, they prepare it and call your name when it’s ready. You eat it standing, at your table in the square. It is casual, informal and amazing. We had crab croquettes, fried razor clams and mussels. The only time here I had wine.

 

 

xoxo-sk