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Travel day today. Off to Denmark to visit Dad's brothers and sister-in-laws and my many cousins. Chris' daughter-in-law, Moire dropped me off at the airport this morning as Chris had a long standing hair appointment that she could not miss. Chris I totally understand. I need to see my hairdresser soon! The flight from Edinburgh to Billund Denmark took just over an hour. It was great to arrive and have family meeting me there. Orla and Birthe (my aunt and uncle and also my godparents) met me. It was great to see them again. We stopped at a couple of grocery stores (not their usual grocery route) on the way back to their home in Vester Nebel. It was the first time I have seen the house as they only finished building it a couple of years ago. We had a great Danish lunch with herring, beer and schnapps but not necessarily in that order. I know I was only flying for an hour but the entire trip was exhausting so the rest of the day I spent resting. Aug 7
Orla and Birthe are “stand in” grandparents for the three kids next door and there was a birthday party this morning for Louise. She turned 4. We were all invited to breakfast. Cinnamon rolls were the cake for the morning celebration.
Tomorrow Orla and Birthe are hosting a get together for our family in the area. Only Mona (my cousin) knows that I am here. Aug 8
My cousin Eric and his wife Sun arrived first with Eric's kids Louise and Charlotte. Eric looked at me and did a double take. He was not to sure what was happening. Sun had only arrived from Thailand 2 days before and his daughters were leaving to go back to Canada on the 15th of August. He had been very busy with all this and he thought he had missed hearing about me being in Denmark. Sorry Eric but it was worth the look on your face. Louise and Charlotte were very young the last time I saw them while they were living in Nanaimo so they didn't recognize me. I sure recognized them. Have they ever grown up. Last time I saw them they were only about 4 and 5 years old. They are two of the nicest young ladies I have met. They are so happy and lots of fun to be with. Mona arrived and it was great to see her. We clicked just like all the past times we have spent together. Her daughter Tasja arrived next and was very surprised to see me. Tasja had been in BC in the last few years so she recognized me straight away. We had a great dinner and spent most of the time laughing and joking around. There was even a mini food fight thanks to Louise and Charlotte. Aug 9
Monday is laundry day.....thank goodness because most of my clothes needed a good washing. And the bonus was the weather was so good I could get them outside on the line to dry. After we were finished with the chores Orla and Birthe took me to see Koldinghaus. This is a castle that was in ruins but has been restored. Restored but not in the sense of bringing the castle back to what it was. Let me explain. There was part of wall and a corner that had collapsed. Rather than rebuild this area the architect replaced what was stone with a wooden structure. You can very obviously see that the repair has been made but it also highlights what had deteriorated in the past. Some of the photo's I have posted show this wall.
After we sent a couple of hours walking around the castle we went outside to look at what was originally the stables and at one time an army barrack. This is when I learned a bit more of my family history. My Dad's parents met at this exact location! My grandmother, Farmor, was working for the family of the Captain that was managing the barracks and my grandfather, Farfar, was in the unit that was stationed at Koldinghaus. To say that I had goosebumps was an understatement. Aug 10
Today was grocery day and doctor's appointments in Vejle. While Birthe was at physio Orla and I went to see Farmor and Farfar's grave site. I'm sure I was there in 1986 but I didn't remember it from then. It was nice to see where they are resting. Louise and Charlotte met us there. After a quiet moment with them it was off to spend the rest of the day with family. Us “girls” dropped off Orla and then went shopping. Birthe was treating her granddaughters to their birthday and early Christmas presents as they don't have much shopping in Newfoundland. At least not trendy European fashions. They did get some great items to take home with them. I hope they have a bigger suitcase than I do. We all met at Eric and Sun's house and Sun cooked us an amazing Thai meal. Sun makes the best fried rice I have every tasted. Aug 11
Today was the trek to Germany to pick up the Christmas liquor supply. First we drove west across the country.....that took about an hour. I'm not kidding. We stopped along the way to visit the town of Ribe and see the very old cathedral with information back to 988AD. Over the centuries there have been a number of major floods in this area of Denmark and a system of locks and dykes were created. Very interesting having spent 9 years in Richmond with its many dykes. We had a picnic lunch before heading south to Germany. See the photo for the “dutiable” goods declaration site. I don't think anyone bothers but I could be wrong.
We made it to Germany and stopped to buy cat food......Orla has two very spoiled cats. Then onto the equivalent of Costco for the major shopping. No wonder people will drive to Germany to stock up. There is no restriction as to how much you can bring back to Denmark so you will see cars so loaded that the tires are rubbing on the fenders. Wine for €1.40 about $2.00 CAN and beer for much less then you would pay in Denmark. A bottle of wine in Denmark is at least $10 CAN. Needless to say the VW (small van model) was full on the way home. Aug 12
After a few very full days today was a nice relaxing day with a walk to Soldiers Bridge for our afternoon coffee. We had a visit from a few dragon flies which I managed to capture (see photo's). I have booked my train trip to Skagen to visit my cousin Karin before heading to Fjeretslev to see Åse and Else (my aunt and uncle), and cousins Henrick, Gitte and Peter. Aug 13
Today Orla, Birthe and I packed a picnic and went for a nice long bike ride. We rode to the outskirts of Kolding and found lots of little tiny frogs. Of course there are photo's attached of these little cuties. Aug 14
Off to see the Wizard.....OK not quite the wizard but Eric, Sun and I went to Legoland today. It is as amazing as I remember. The structures that they have built from little Lego blocks is unbelievable. You have too see it to believe it. We had a great day. Sun had not been to Legoland so poor Eric had to deal with two gushing women. I stayed with Eric and Sun this evening and at 4 AM after a few bottles of wine we decided it might be a good time to get some sleep. Aug 15
Mona, Tasja and I went to pick up Birthe and we are going to see The Royal Danish Opera and Royal Danish Ballet perform at Scamelsbanken (the way it is pronounced not the correct spelling). This is an annual event to showcase the upcoming seasons works that the opera and ballet will be performing in Copenhagen. Scamelsbanken is an natural amphitheatre where a stage is set up and the acoustics are amazing. The pieces that were performed were great. There were nearly 15,000 people in attendance. There is no parking close to the site so everyone parks in a farmers field miles away and is bused into the site. We waited nearly 1.5 hours to get the bus back to Mona's car. The organization of the event is amazing. Thank goodness it was great weather. Remind me to tell you about the newest thing in mens urinals if you are interested. Aug 16
I know this is a big catch up of events and fun. Sorry I am so behind. The internet access at times can be very challenging. I hope everyone is well and has enjoyed your summer.
Missing you all.
Love Tove
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