Rome

A heap of delicious pasta.

A stunning view of the Sistine Chapel.

Vespas.  Nutella. And more history than I can even begin to appreciate.

This is Rome, and it is incredible.

Italian espresso.  "Prego!"

The Roman Forum

The Colosseum

St. Peter's grave.

Roma, il mio amore!

J-Day in Denmark: Ho Ho Ho!

Danish people like to party.  No, they LOVE to party.  I live in small town where there is only one disco - but that place is packed with teenagers partying until 6am on any given day of the week.  And weekends the whole town is crawling with people of all ages who are out to have a good time!

So why did it surprise me when I learned that one of the biggest party days of the year is to celebrate the release of.... beer??!  I'm laughing, but a little bewildered at the same time!

 

Tuborg is a Danish beer company that has pulled off a master marketing stunt: on Julebrug Dag (Christmas Beer Day) they release their Christmas beer.  They drive around towns everywhere in blue Christmas costumes handing out free beer, and pubs everywhere start playing Christmas music. 

 

 It might be early - it's celebrated the first Friday in November - but people really get into it!  I know I did!

             "Glædelig jul og godt Tub'år!"

Language: currency of life

There are some things you expect as an American in Europe.  A diversity in languages is one of them.

Sort of.

When I moved to Holland I was re-assured repeatedly that "everyone speaks English there".  What they really mean by that is that everyone speaks Dutch.  And if you make it apparent that you don't - and the person is under the age of 35 - then you'll probably get some response in broken English.  

This same principle can be said of Denmark and "everyone speaks English..." On one hand it's a bit frustrating when you realize that your sense of humor doesn't readily translate,you routinely eliminate colloquialisms and have to speak quite slowly to be better understood.  But on the other hand, it's kind of magical.  One moment you're in a totally foreign world where understanding nothing; and the next second you realize that you can carry a conversation with a new-found friend.

As much as I find it at times frustrating, isolating and at moments downright annoying... I'm really going to miss the language diversity when I go back to the states!

After 3 months in Denmark I've found a pretty wonderful circle of friends.  Or, perhaps I should say "circles" of friends? I've also learned a lot of ways to read conversations by those things which are a universal means of expression - words aside.

Being in Europe I've been surrounded by a choir of languages.

Enter choral voices...

• My home-life is filled with giggling jabbbery kids.  Who speak Danish!  "Er du sulten?" Is one of the first things I learned to ask them - "are you hungry"?  They eat about 17 times a day!  And when the family sits down at dinner time I feel like I could be watching T.V. where all the characters are interacting in Danish and I have to pick out a word here and there and read their body language to deduct what's being said.  Since the parents want to chat with the kids I'm left a bit on the side-lines and it's up to me to demystify what's going on right in front of me.  But since life is looking after kids I've found it so easy with them: it's easy to play, laugh, tickle and make funny faces.  Who needs words?

 

• Danish classes.  I started studying this crazy language a couple of weeks ago - and in my classes I came into a circle of friends who are... German.  They often speak to me in English but when the conversation is amongst themselves, they instantly transition back to Deutsch! And again, I'm surrounded by voices completely foreign to me, and rely on facial expressions, hand gestures to get the gist of the conversation.  I've also discovered how useful verbal sound effects are when you can't think of the right word!

 

• Dancing friends... I met some awesome friends who are part of an international gymnastic school.  I've been adopted into a circle of about 15 Latinos (from Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Costa Rica...) who love [love!]to dance.  With this circle I fall back on my kindergarten-level Spanish.  It doesn't do me much good that I studied it 9 years ago in high school - but fortunately dance is another universal language which does not require words!

When I was in Holland I got to meet a couple.  He was Dutch but also knew German, Italian & English.  She was Chilean, but used to live in Switzerland before moving to Holland.  She had been studying Dutch for about 3 years, but they still spoke English at home.  I remember being so baffled and wondering  - "how can you sustain a relationship when his first language is Dutch, second English - and hers first is Spanish, second is German?"  It just seems like such a huge gap.  And we all know how difficult communication in a relationship can be even when you both speak the same language!

But now, after 5 months in Europe, I've come to realize that that is a very American perspective.  I think we're just about the only culture which never expects to need a second (or third, or forth) language if we travel the world.  In fact, it's easy to live in America your whole life and never learn another language.  But this is completely different here in Europe.  Danish people grow up studying English in school for most of their school age years, and they German for at least 3 years.  Here, language is a currency of life.

And it's amazing.  

A day in the life of an aupair

After two months in Denmark I feel quite settled, and very very happy.

What goes on in the life of an aupair?

Well, my aupair friends each have their own stories - it depends entirely on the family you live with... I can only speak from my experience. Here's "a day in the life" of this aupair!

"Godmorgen!"

I wake up about 8am (the baby usually wanders in saying "Hi? Hi? Hi?...and pats my face if she doesn't get the response she's looking for!),

I grab some muesli for breakfast, down my coffee and start looking after the Patricia at 9am.  Usually I check the laundry and then head outside to play.  Usually we go for a walk or play at the park, but on Mondays we go to 4-H.  

She loves feeding the animals and playing with the other kids.

After some lunch it's nap time.  I put the baby down for a nap at noon and tidy the house, and cut up some potatoes for dinner (yes, we have potatoes for dinner every night). 

She wakes up at 1pm, I get her a snack and play with her until her Mom and brothers come home at 2pm.   She loves to play with her music toys or play dress up (from my closet! lol!) and when her brother gets home they both love it when I crank up the [Danish accordion] music and run around the kitchen table giggling until we all fall down in a heap!!

I'm "off" work at 2pm, and often I'll sit and have tea with Mette - the mother of the family who is rapidly becoming a dear dear friend.  

Then I have the rest of my day free - and I read, listen to music, go for a bike ride, and spend way too much time on Facebook!

My evenings are spent watching movies, talking with the parents of my host family about Danish culture or going out.  I made a couple of Danish friends who know where to find some music or play pool!!


I really love this family, and I'm happy here.  Soon I will start taking Dansk (Danish) lessons and my Danglish will improve greatly!  I'm looking forward to that... :) 

Copenhagen, home of beautiful people, hotdogs, and hippies.

Welcome to Copenhagen!  It's a city where you'll find plenty of beautiful cobblestone streets and copper sculptures in every square and atop many buildings.  It has tall, narrow buildings and canals much like Amsterdam - but this city has a bit more flair, and space (as in people give you bubble space here - Amsterdammers don't!)!

Copenhagen is known for a few things.

It's been rated as the best city to live in the world for quality of life (2008, Monocle magazine).  It's known for being full of beautiful, fashionable people.  Every corner has a hotdog stand.  And hippies?  There's an autonomous neighborhood of about 850 people in the midst of this metropolis - "Freetown Christiania",  which is probably best known for it's hippies, art and mary jane. 

Dog, curry ketchup, fried onions, sweet pickles.  *so Danish!*  You eat it standing up at the "Poelse" cart!

One of the reasons Copenhagen is lauded for quality of life it's walking streets and bike lanes which creates community and is environmentally savvy.

This is the main walking street.  It's packed with shoppers and boasts street performers, musicians and open-air galleries.

And there are tons of bikes!

After an afternoon exploring the city, it was time for a stop at the bakery for a coffee!

Ahhh, coffee!

 Christiania is a strangely wonderful, yet tacky place.  It got its start about 40 years ago when some squatters took over a Naval base (below: Christiania follows the coast line where you see all the trees and the land juts out).  They made it the home of free spirits who wanted a different kind of life.

 Being here felt a bit like Peter Pan's land of imagination.  If you can dream it, and scrounge up materials for it - you can make it! There are no rules.

Okay, there are a few rules: their Common law includes things like "no guns", "no hard drugs", and "no explosives". Not bad. 

There was graphitti absolutely everywhere!!

Wandering through the different neighborhoods within this "neighborhood" you constantly feet lost.  Dirt roads curve from a cluster of houses with erratically spaced out-buildings and random uses of space - a ship under a tarp "guarded" by an image of Daffy Duck, an industrial-sized dumpster plopped sideways next to a house, and stacks of all sorts of lumber here and there.  Generally, it's chaotic, if not colorful.  Yards seemed to always be quite unruly, but filled with flowers! ...and in the case of this house... marijuana.

Maybe this is why there are "NO PHOTOS" signs everywhere???

Haha!  Oops - got a photo anyway..!

This is one sweet ride!

After a few hours I was ready to head back out into the "real world":

Next stop: the Palace.

The Queen's guard.

The Palace consists of 4 buildings.  Here you see one of them, and the statue in the center of the square.

Time for a night out!  Notice the sign which reads, "Probably the Best Beer in Town".  Not too tempting.. sorry.

Prefunc: listening to the DJ spin jazz before dancing the night away!

After a 4-day weekend, if asked my rating I would say.... Copenhagen is great.  Fantastic even.  But the catch -  this city is about twice as expensive as other European cities such as Amsterdam or Barcelona.  Youch!  So, I'm sorry Copenhagen,  you're just shy of winning the "amazing" award from me.  But still - it's a wonderful place to visit!

Denmark, you are adorable!

Last weekend I spent my Saturday venturing to the "big city" from my tiny village.  This town is about the size of Hood River... but what I found did not disappoint!  

Welcome to the hustling, bustling enchanting little town called "Svendborg".  Join me for a virtual tour...

First stop: town square!  This is where you'll find the essentials: food, flowers and fashion!

Let's start with food!

First stop: the fish cart!

Here you can buy smoked fish roe (caviar), pickled fish... and fish balls!  These look like a little muffin or pastry, but they're savory and SO delicious!

At the cheese cart you can find incredible cheeses from all over Europe.  Including whiskey cheddar from Great Britain, and this coriander Gouda from Holland.  Yummmm!

Flowers!  There are rows of flower stands. The woman in this photo is "very Danish".  Blonde, short hair and wearing earth tones or a monochromatic ensemble of some sort.

And while we're talking fashion...

These teens and their skinny jeans are on a mission - shopping!!

Speaking of shopping...  I found a really adorable boutique there.  The clothes are great, but I found something even more impressive...

...this antique cash register!  (yes, this is still what they use!!!)

 

This woman is just sitting taking in the whole market square while she has her coffee and a smoke.

Bikes are big here in Denmark too!  It looks and feels a lot like Holland that way.

Just down around the corner, past the Apothek (pharmacy), cerca 1879, I found lots more shopping, people-watching and food!

Hot dogs!!!  Now, I'm not much on hot dogs normally, but Danes are known for their pork, and this is one amazing hot dog!    It's roasted to perfection until the skin is just crunchy.  Then it's crammed in to a slightly toasted pistol roll, covered in secret sauce, and it's unlike any American dog I've met!!

As I was wandering down the street - hot dog in hand - I came up to a grocery store.  Which is where found this little cart with dogs locked inside.  And I met "Mick" the dog dude.

Apparently I caught him on day one of his business pilot: "Dog Safe".  He sells these little.... dare I say "dog locker"s?  It's a brilliant business really.  If little Fluffy can't join you when you stop in for bread, cheese and licorice, wouldn't it be nice if you could tuck her away for 10 minutes while you run in? Now you can.  Thanks Mick!

Well, my day in Svendborg was a success.  I got to see everything, meet people, try the food, and I found this:

Design Sale!  Next Sunday... sweet!  Guess what I'll be doing next weekend? :-)

The "H" word.

Okay, I've been holding out - as if by not admitting it, I will somehow make it evaporate.  But it's time to say it, "I'm homesick".  

What I miss most from my beloved Oregon...

(1) The food!   I'm SO bored of bread! So far in Holland or Denmark (apart from a couple of incredible home-cooked meals), I have yet to hit that place where you're ready to die happy after a wonderful meal.  I miss Laughing Planet's burritos, Old Town's Pizza, Som Tum's Som Tum, and Living Room's Mezza plate! (I'm getting choked up just thinking about it!)

Lunch in Denmark: bread, butter, sausage, mayo, fried onions. Yummm!

(2) My car. Yes, I miss the independence of jumping in and going from point A to point B.  Without working out the tram schedule.  Or allowing time for the wind to blow your umbrella out of your hand 17 times while you ride your bike in the wind and rain.

A typical commute in Amsterdam in the rain.

(3) Portland Beer.  Ahhh, the beer is so amazing! Here, "beer is beer".  Do you want one or not?  It's going to be an 8-ounce pour of something like BudLight... "Cheers!"  Forget getting a good Oatmeal Stout or even a good Amber Ale. 

(4) Night life.  Yes - there's plenty to do in Amsterdam, but it doesn't really "start" until 1am, and goes on and on and on until even I am yawning and ready to die. Now that I'm in this tinseey, weensy village I'd settle for a pizza joint with a jukebox if it had people in it!

My "nightlife": a bike ride to the next village.

...the next village!

(5) English, and Dollars.  Somehow I've adjusted and it now feels "normal" to sit through dinner understanding nothing except the laughter and the baby's "LaLa!" (which translated roughly means "Lynae").  Shopping in Dutch or Danish isn't bad, but I really can't be bothered with the currency.  I just hand them 100 Kr and hope they don't notice the dumb stare on my face as they announce the total.

Danish Dinero: called "Kroner"

(6) A clothes dryer!!!!!!  Holy cow.  Call me a whiner, but in Denmark we're hanging laundry to dry in 94% humidity, and it's is a joke! At least in Holland the dryer will warm up your clean clothes (picture pulling soggy, warm clothes out of the dryer)!

(7) Music.  GASP! Wow, Portland - you rock my face!!!  Where once I could go out 3, 4, 5 times a week and hear a live show, someone on tour, or a jam session... there's just nothing close to that here in my village for certain, and not even Amsterdam.  Yeah - there's lots of great music, but Portland has many of the same names, PLUS the local scene. 

Okay, okay all the whining and fuss aside - I have to say that none of this has me buying a ticket and heading back to the "land of the free and home of the brave" any time soon.  There are heaps of wonderful things I'm enjoying here!  Mmany of them I've blogged about - but then there are the "little things" that maybe I take for granted now, and I won't really notice... until they're left behind!
 

Disclaimer: friends and loved ones are not mentioned here only  because it's so much easier to talk about things I CAN live without! Yes... you're very missed!