Month: March 2020

The end of the school year comes with some sadness, as it inevitably means you will be losing friends to a move. Such is the life of an expat as I have learned the hard way. This year I had to say sad goodbyes to quite a few ladies. At least we got to have an amazing goodbye party to celebrate our time together.

The Leavers rented a party bus and we drove around Copenhagen, music pumping, champagne flowing. Leavers were in the Captain’s hats. (There were actually more Leavers amongst the guests as well.)

We stopped for a group pic at Bellevue Beach.Can’t leave Copenhagen without stopping to say goodbye to the Little Mermaid.

Riding around CPH in a party bus was a bucket list activity. It lived up to the hype. Great party with great people.

School is finishing up. K had a drama performance. Just one clip of her working the mic like a pro. I will spare you all the longer performance videos.

The second to last day of school, grade three walked to the park for some playing and pizza.

The last day.

School’s done and these kids are super excited to head to ATL. They are seasoned international travelers at this point. A hug, a goodbye, and that’s it. Didn’t even look back. At least the Lady accompanying them gave me a wave.

And to meet them in Atlanta-

Let the fun begin.

xoxo-sk

ps. Came back home to this. Guess it’s a good thing we are going on a long vacation. 

Some June fun. Andy and I went out to go watch two of our favorite teams, Tottenham (him) and Liverpool (me), face-off in the UEFA Champions League Final. My boys won 2-0. I love winning, even indirectly.

A beach day! We met some friends up at Bellevue Strand. If it looks like they are cold, it’s because they were. Weather was nice, but the water was cold.

Tired kids.

One weekend we took the kids to the SMK, the art museum a short walk through the park from our flat.

We have a season pass. The Museum has a really cool area for the kids to make art. Andrew especially loves it.

Some sketching.

Some creating. Amazingly, with these creations still live in their room.

This is the reflecting pool/fountain in front of the museum. It really amused me that (I assume as some kind of art installation) they had lawn chairs in it as though they had been blown in there. And then we walked to Boltens for a shared dinner.

I had the opportunity to go to ØsterGRO for dinner with some friends. It is a rooftop garden that only uses local sustainable ingredients. It’s kinda like a co-op. They grow their own herbs, produce, have chickens, and beehives. They also have a restaurant that uses said ingredients (and other local ones) to serve a tableful of people twice a night, a few days a week.

Lovely night, wonderful food.Also, attended a fundraiser at the kids school. They have a really awesome greenhouse on top of the school that we have events in.

xoxo-sk

 

 

 

On a Saturday we walked to Ofelia Plads to explore some Danish and US ships in the harbor.

Just some pics from our walk over.

After, we took the water bus/ferry across the harbor to Reffen for a late lunch/early dinner.

We stopped for a drink at Mikkeller Baghaven.Decided to walk back to the Metro (the long way back.) The weather was so nice.The before and after. She was tired, big day.

It was a great day.

That week, Sehrish and I went back to the Copenhagen Zoo. Not to see the Queen again, but to eat at the new restaurant they opened that overlooks the new Panda enclosure, Bistro Panpan.

We obviously had to check out some of the animals on the way.

Food was good. The bao was the best.They ate kudzu, I drank champagne.

The next Saturday, while K was spending the night out, we crossed the lakes to one of our favorite neighborhoods- Nørrebro.

xoxo-sk

ps. I can’t seem to escape pollen.

Started the month with friends at our fav brunch spot Wulff & Konstali.  Another excellent breakfast place I have found is Next Door Cafe. Odd side note, I don’t love it when I get tea served in (what my opinion is) a water glass. It’s hot, I need a handle. 

Sehrish and I went to tea at Cafe Royal in the Radisson Collection Hotel. It was a very good traditional tea with a Scandic twist. No finger sandwiches here, but smørrebrød. We came back with our book club ladies in June.

 

On Cuatro de Mayo, we celebrated a friends birthday. We all rode around Copenhagen (in funny headgear) hitting up all the taco places- Hija de Sanchez, Blue Taco, and my favorite La Neta. Additional drink stops at The Bridge Street Kitchen and Brønnum.

Andy and I went to our first derby. FCK v Brønby.

Things got a little intense and smokey. It was super fun, a really good game, and we got the win, 3-2. Once agin I love that the Stadium is a 15 minute walk from our flat.We did an escape room one weekend. Andy has been wanting to try one out for awhile. It was ok… The kids probably weren’t quite old enough, and Andy and I probably were a touch too competitive. We did end up solving it and nobody cried.

My babies in their new CIS gear.And we celebrated Mother’s Day with the sweetest note and jazziest boots ever.

xoxo-sk

ps. One of my fav neighborhood streets.

The kids love the Avengers. They were super excited for Endgame. Katherine’s favorite Avenger is Scarlett Witch and Cap, and Andrew loves Antman and War Machine. I am a Captain America (Chris Evans) fan personally. Andy doesn’t really care. We decided to go see it the first day it came out, which was actually Wednesday in Denmark. The kids were prepared for no questions and no bathroom breaks They did great. Andrew especially was entranced.

The following weekend was the International Festival. The International Festival is one of the coolest things at CIS. Every country has their own table where you can sample their native food. There are people dresses in the native garb and all different kinds of music.They start with a parade of Nations. Katherine got to be the sign holder for the US.We are ready with our American booth. We served chili (meat and veg), Fritos, chocolate chip cookies, and Rice Krispie treats. Fritos and Rice Krispies were a huge hit.

Here are pictures of just some of the other country’s set-ups. My favorite new thing I tried was a cream dessert from Syria. Some old favorites are the Australian pavlova and the UK’s scones.

They have crafts and activities as well which K enjoyed. We came home with some chocolate. We had such a fun time at the festival. Andy left after he sampled the foods, and Katherine stayed with me to help man the US booth. (Andrew wasn’t feeling well and stayed at home. He puked later, so it was a good choice.)

xoxo-sk

ps. Can you guess which way I prefer her some days…

We headed up to Klampenborg, a northern suburb of Copenhagen.

In Klampenborg is Dyrehavn (Deer Park.) We took a carriage ride through the park and saw lots of deer.

Located in Deer Park is Bakken, the world’s oldest amusement park, founded in 1853.

Lots of fun riding all the rides at Bakken.

We walked back thru Deer Park to the S-train, enjoying the scenery.Bugs love Andrew…. He is super reactive to bites. Don’t worry, a little Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream, and he was fine.Dinner was at another favorite, Warpigs. Andrew and Katherine both tried the spicy wings!

See, they do really love each other. 

Happy Easter, He has risen!

We ended their visit with a lovely Easter brunch at SULT. If you haven’t been to brunch there, I definitely recommend it. This is our second time going. Make sure your reservation is later, when they serve the cakes (so many cakes!)

xoxo-sk

Billy and Neen are back for another visit, and we couldn’t be more excited.

While Andy and I were in Merry Olde England, they had a lovely time at Airtrix and ate all the smuggled in American junk food and pizza they could.

Once we were all reunited, we spent some time taking them to some of our favorite places around the city.

We walked down from our apartment, with a quick stop at one of our fav playgrounds, thru the Kings Garden, to one of favorite eating places, the foodcourt at Boltens.

 

Boltens is a new food court near Kongens Nytorv. Our family loves a good food court, that way everyone can get what they want.

We were hungry that day. K had fish n chips, A a burger and fires, my Dad had all the meats, I had a Philly cheese, Andy had butter chicken, and my Mom had calamari.

And of course, churros with soft ice and chocolate for dessert. What a feast. 

Another day we took my Dad to a F.C. København game. We love going to games when we can. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk to the stadium. We won the game and the weather was perfect.

It got a little loud for Katherine.

xoxo-sk

After the National Portrait Gallery, we spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around before we had to head to the airport.The Guards of the Crimean War Memorial. I really wasn’t too interested in that part; I wanted to see the statue of Florence Nightingale. It was added in 1915. She was the founder of modern nursing and was exceptional.

Also, off of Trafalgar Square is St. Martin-in-the-Fields. A church has been on this spot since 1222, but the current building was completed in 1726.

An intense sculpture outside the main doors- “In the Beginning.” I loved the incredibly unique glass window.

You can also enjoy lunch or tea in their crypt, alongside old tombstones.

Walking through Whitehall Garden. More beautiful flowers.

Our last lunch was at this amazing place, Gordon’s Wine Bar, my friend Pippa had recommended. It was our first time here due to it being packed every other time we tried to visit. Totally understandable though. It is London’s oldest wine bar, founded in 1890. You actually eat in the cellar by candlelight on old rickety tables.

Our massive shared lunch. Steak and mushroom pie (I mean, can you get anymore British) and a cheese plate. Definitely leaving on a high note.I loved this statue at the train station as we headed toward the airport.One of my many things I loved, were all of the cute pubs. I took pics of some of my favorites.

A few other things that made me smile in our exploring.

London! I love loved it. When I was recapping this trip I kept finding myself saying, “my favorite” or “I loved this or that,” and the truth was I loved it all. Every minute, everything we saw. It was amazing. Everything I wanted it to be and more. Can’t wait to come back- so much more to still see and do. Andy was amazing too, he went along with everything I wanted to do. He toured every castle, sipped all the tea, took all the pictures, and more- all with a smile. Cheerio London, until next time.

xoxo-sk

ps. And one last pain aux raisen for the road.

The National Portrait Gallery, founded in 1856, sits right off of Trafalgar Square. It is connected to the larger National Gallery. As it was our last day here, we (I) choose to visit the Portrait Gallery.

As I’ve probably mentioned before, portraits are my favorite. You can get a feel of what people looked like, and how they wanted to appear during a certain time period. You can also see all the lovely details in the clothing, hairstyles, and jewelry. So many favorites, it gets its own post.

Love love these two. The (naughty) Blond Women (Vecchio 1520) and The Lavergne Family Breakfast (1754). That is exactly how Katherine and I eat breakfast. Below, Reuben’s Samson and Delilah (1609) and Costa’s The Adoration of the Shepherds with Angels (1499).

Below, one of Klimt’s less colorful paintings, Hermine Gallia (painter of The Kiss) and Venus.

The infamous Van Gogh’s Chair and Monet’s Water Lilies. (Interestingly, neither are portraits…)

King Henry VIII and my favorite of his six wives, Anne Boleyn (the second and beheaded if you’re keeping track.)

His three kids, the young and sickly King Edward VI, the Catholic Queen Mary, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I.Me and my ultimate favorite. Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation portrait. George Washington.

Three Whig political hostesses depicted as The Three Witches from Macbeth.Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson.

King George V, Princess Mary and their family; the rotund Daniel Lambert.

Almost done, promise.

Finishing with some fabulous Redheads. The amazing stained glass self portrait by Pauline Boty, Pianist Harriet Cohen (Dunlap), and fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes (Logan.)

And we are done.

xoxo-sk

 

Just beyond Kensington Palace and Gardens is the lovely Hyde Park. Hyde Park was originally built in 1536 by Henry VIII for hunting. It has been used over the years for duels, demonstrations, parades, and concerts.

The Wellington Arch.

Past KP and Hyde Park was the quant St Mary’s Abbots Church built in 1872.

Now, my favorite meal of the trip. While I was here, I really wanted to do a proper English tea. Not in a fancy hotel or anything, but something that felt authentic. I was so pleased with our choice- the Candella Tea Room.

Our afternoon traditional tea service with an extra pot of tea. It was perfect and everything I wanted it to be.

The happiest girl in the world.After tea we stated walking back towards the hotel, taking in all the sights on the North border of Hyde park. I loved these buildings. They cracked me up.

The Marble Arch.

I loved Carnaby. It had a very fun, cool vibe to it. Tons of shopping- name brands and cute little shops. It’s probably a good thing I found it near the end of the trip. When we got home I actually ended up ordering a framed print (the London map of culture and history) from a cool store called We Built This City.

Not quite the blue door you’d find in Notting Hill. (Another place I didn’t get to visit this time.)

And we found a pub with the Masters on. Andy was pleased.Cheers to our last night in London.

xoxo-sk