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Whoa, long time, no post!
So, I have been busy, to say the least, since my last post, and I've been ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!
Two days after my last post, I packed my bag and took the ferry and train to Odense, the largest city on the island of Funen. Marianne, my dad's cousin's wife, has gone back to school in a law program in Odense, so she was able to pick me up from the station and drive me to the Elverhøj home in Skærbæk. Soon after, Bjarne came home from work and there was much to catch up on about the news of what each of the families had been doing since we'd last seen each other 2 years ago. Seeing the children again, Jens and Sophie, was really good too, as they remembered me and before long had warmed up and were talking to me, even if they could only do so in Danish. Bjarne also gave me his car and GPS to borrow and use as I needed it for my travels around the country, and I was very excited to start my planning! Of course, I spent a few days exploring the local beach that is only a few minutes walk away from the house and wonderful for taking long walks, and the family and I also went for a boat ride and picnic to the small island of Fænø Kalv that is about a 10 minutes ride from the Skærbæk harbour, a good time had by all.
Then began my own adventures!The first day trip I took was to the city of Odense, to take in Hans Christian Andersen's museum and park, Saint Canude church, shopping, townhall, and the castle-turned-admin-buildings in Kongens haven. The parks here are really beautiful, with many flowers and trees to appreciate, and going to the HCA museum was really neat too, as I've always been a fan of his fairytales! My next day trip was to Egeskov Slot, a castle in the south east region of Funen; driving a standard car and the GPS for the first time was fun and made the trip interesting, and I was very excited to see my first Danish castle, that although small in comparison to what I was to see, was very beautiful. On the way back to Skærbæk, I drove along the coast and through the picturesque little towns, making the slightly longer journey home completely enjoyable! A tour of southern Jylland was in order the next day, and this time the Elverhøj family joined me and we visited the towns of Tønder, Højre, and Ribe, as well as the island of Rømø, seemingly made entirely of beach. In Tønder, we saw the huge summer mansion of the youngest royal prince Joachim and his wife, the coastal town of Højre had some really ancient and interesting dikes and dams to explore, and Ribe is Denmark's oldest town with a viking museum and ancient church (both unfortunately closed when we arrived) and cobbled streets to wander through. Having someone with to share the experiences with while I was in each town really made the day all the more enjoyable, and the kids added excitement to everything.
I then began to plan my next days of tours; the capital city of København and a few castles on the eastern island of Sjælland, and Århus, in central Jylland. However, I got news that Nanna was going up to the town of Thistead in northern Jylland to see Jesper's brother Claus, and I had been very much looking forward to visiting him while I was in the country; the more family, the better! Before the weekend came to make the trip north, I ventured up to Århus, Denmark's second largest city. After taking most of the day to orient myself to the bustle, I took in the city's modern art museum, ARoS, a very interesting and enjoyable experience! But the whole reason I really wanted to come to Århus was yet to come that evening...an Århus Symphony Orchestra concert!! It was the highlight of the day, and possibly even of my entire time in Denmark. The first half of the concert featured pianist Kathryn Scott, as well as the orchestra's string section and oboe, clarinet, flute and french horn players. After intermission, the rest of the orchestra arrived, playing amazing music that was entirely enjoyable. The clarinet soloist played beautifully and filled up the entire concert hall with gorgeous sound, the other soloists were wonderful, and I couldn't help but smile when the brass section took over the piece; needless to say, the concert definitely peaked my interest in music again!
The next morning, Nanna and I drove up to Thistead for the weekend, stopping on the way in a city (that is close to where her and Jesper will be moving to early next year) to shop for an outfit for the evening's dinner out. When we arrived in Thistead, Claus showed us his new townhouse that he'd just recently moved into -beautifully decorated and furnished- and introduced me to his friend Nasar. The night was full of delicious food and many laughs, and we planned our second day with Claus and Nasar before heading off to bed. The following day, we wandered and shopped along the streets of town, then drove out to the west coast to enjoy the ocean, eat, and take lots of fun pictures, before coming back home to relax and talk, then prepare another amazing meal! All too soon, the weekend was over, and Nanna and I had to say goodbye to Claus and Nasar and drive back to Skærbæk. I still had much to see of Denmark!
On I went to Sjælland!! Lucky once again to have family to stay with, I travelled to Helsingør on the northern end of Sjælland, and was picked up by Chris and June and their two hilarious little boys, Casper and Jonas, who made the next few evenings that I stayed very fun. My first adventure was to Kronborg Slot in Helsingør, made famous for being known as the castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet; this was another of my Danish highlights, and Chris was able to come as well, which made it good fun to explore. The day after, I ventured to the town of Hillerød and did more castle exploration, this time at Frederiksborg Slot and gardens, which was once a royal residence but now has been turned into a national museum; it was a gorgeous and humoungous place with much to see.
It was then time to say goodbye and thank you to Chris and June, and hit up the ever busy capital city of København. Nasar has an apartment near København and had offered a place to stay and a companion to explore the town when we were in Thistead, so of course I took the offer and met him at the train station near his home, ready to see the sights of the city once more. We spent the entire second day in København going on a canal tour, shopping, and finding all the sights I wanted to see before I left; the Round Tower, the city square, Christiansborg palace, the Concert Hall and Opera House, Amalienborg palace, the Little Mermaid, the Marble church, and Gefion fountain. It was wonderful, and although Nasar and I had a bit of a language barrier, we worked things out well enough. My last day in København was spent going to a Bodies exhibition at one of the city's museums, and I was entirely fascinated by the indepth view such a presentation of the real human body and it's parts gave, it was really really neat. After this, it was time to grab my bags and head for Central Station to make my way back to Skærbæk; it was nice to come 'home' to relax a few days and visit with Marianne, Bjarne, Jens and Sophie for the last time before going back to Canada. A couple of days past, I left Skærbæk to return to my other home on Ærø and prepare for grape picking in France!
Now here we are; the present. Tomorrow Nanna and I join the group of kids from one of the island's schools that are making the trek to a winery a couple hours out of Bordeaux; we'll stay in a chateau and work in the fields during the day, usually for 2 weeks at the very least. This means that I'll be leaving a little earlier than the rest of the group, flying from France to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to home. I am very excited to come back to Canada and see my family and friends, but I KNOW I will miss my family and home here in Denmark!! But, until then, "favell" and "au revoir!"!!
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