Lynae, Helge and van Stenwinkel

Denmark is gorgeous in the summer!  Boating. Castles.  Meanderings.


When the weather turns warm and the sun dares to come out, it's absolutely lovely.  In my last weeks spent in Denmark I really soaked it up.  This was the end of June and while there were jackets aboard to fend off the cool sea wind, it was a great day to be out on the water. 

Just about to set sea on the Helge (is she called "the Helge" or simply "Helge"?  anybody...???). 

This is the view of Svendborg marina (above). And Helge herself (below).  


Smuk båd!

Off we go!  My mother's along for this Danish expedition, and we're headed to Valdemar Slot.  

Danish castle of glories past, here we come!

Off we go... for our three hour tour!

Cool sign, huh?

Time for a Danish lesson!   "Slot" means "castle".  Yep, pronounced just like "slot" as in "slot machines".  Not to be confused with "slut" which in Danish means "the end".

This castle was built by King Christian IV between 1639-1644 by his architect Hans van Stenwinkel.  I think the most interesting thing about the castle (apart from the sweet sign, or course) is the architect's name.  Did you just say "van Stenwinkel".  Amazing.  

Yeah, the castle itself... not so amazing.

Okay, well those are some great flags.  But really?  You call that a castle? I'm thinking it looks like a 17th century pole barn.  Yeps, boring. I didn't even bother to take pictures inside.  

Sorry Denmark, I'll enjoy your dreamy summer weather, and leave Valdemar Slut to someone else...

This crew had a few things to say about that castle.... 

...a picture is worth a thousand words, did you say?

Ciao,  Mr. van Stenwinkel and your big old boring pole barn... 

Maybe it's something about living in the same little island-riddled country for a year that I got a bit bored of their castles?  I don't know... but I do know that I never got bored of the Limfjords Porter or Ale #16.  

Yum, lækker øl!

Ærø

Denmark is a land of islands.  There are three main ones, but it has has over 4,000 islands in total so there's plenty to be explored.  Last weekend I went with my host family to a wonderful place called Ærø.  This island can only be reached by ferry and the kids were more than a little excited for the trip across to the other side!

It was a bit cold, but the kids had a blast taking in the view.

Once on land we explored the charming little town, Ærøskøbing.  It's hard to do it justice with photos - it's a place with classic old-Danish architecture, cobble streets and a lazy, small town air that is infectious.

 

A little girl and her giraffe could not be bothered to stay with the rest of us.

Our next stop: "Ærø Accordian Festival"

People were piling in to come hear the music in their cars, by motor cycle, bike or on foot.

This accordion orchestra included about 10 members... none of them under the age of 75 I think.  They played some old Danish tunes and a few familiar American ones too.

The accordion scene is strong in Denmark, and is a sub-culture of its own.  Young and old turn out to play, listen and hang out for this 3-day festival on the island.  As is typical at most any Danish social event, you will see people eating hotdogs and pancakes, and drinking beer.   

Choose your dog.... would you like remoulade or hot ketchup with that?

We took a break from the music for playtime!  This is the coolest... I have no clue what it's called.  You crawl up about 30 feet, and then slide down.  Perhaps it could be called a "Spiderman Junglegym"??

We drove around exploring the rest of the island which is beautiful in a very simple way. 

The most rugged coastline I've seen in Denmark. Lovely.

The local Hotel.

Skjoldnæs fyr

Last stop: Skjoldnæs lighthouse.  It was built in 1881 by Swedish stone-masons... some of whose descendants still live on the island.  Climbing the tower is a great way to get a view of the countryside and the sea.

The Danes and their ships!  It's just amazing some of these old viking-style ones are still in everyday use.

Time to go home.  This was a fabulous trip, and an essential go-to place if you're ever in Denmark!

Athens, baby!

Athens at sunset.

Athens is a city full of wonder, beauty and history...


...and stray dogs, graffiti and pollution.


I loved it.

Good job fellas.  The changing of the guard.

The Roman Forum (yes, in Greece).

Zeus' Temple. 

 Local music at a restaurant downtown.

Some little guys playing music for change. Breaktime.

Yeps!

Nice knockers...

The local law enforcement.

The view of the Parthenon from my hotel window.

Did I mention the stray dogs?  They were everywhere..

...and the graffiti.

A local shop's cashier counter.  complete with ash tray and Saint.  

The guard marching to the top of the Parthenon at dusk.

The Parthenon.

The view from the Parthenon.

Volcanoes, sundried tomatoes and donkeys...

Santorini is a beautiful Greek island in the Agean Sea, a short plane ride from Athens.  It's small, quiet and beautiful.  

Ready for a tour?

The island was formed by a volcano - the biggest eruption in the past 10,000 years was here.  This is the view from the crater.

The homes in Santorini are built into the hillside.  Essentially, these people are cavemen. ;)

The water is amazingly blue and clear. 

Beautiful sundried tomatoes.  Okay, well, they're still drying...

What's commonly known as a "Greek Salad".  Fresh, delicious and perfect.

As is customary in many Greek restaurants: You can preview the grill and decide what you'd like.
"Calamari, please!"

Local transportation.

Danish word of the day: "Ta Da!"

What is that word you say when you're just going to finish up here and... ah, "ta da!"

Okay, well Americans don't quite have a word that would translate - but if there was an actual word for "ta da" it would be the same as when Danes say "sådan der".  Now you're wondering how in the world you spit that out (letters with bubbles on them aren't exactly part of American vernacular...).   In true Danish fashion you swallow half the letters, and it comes out "suhn-dia", or just "suh" if you're from the south of Fyn where you spit out only half the word.  




Scenes from life in Denmark: "ta da!" moments....

 Just got your new beer holder set up on your bike... "sådan der".
 

Just finished spreading leverpostej perfectly over your rye bread for lunch... "sådan der".

Naptime for the kid?  Just put them in the stroller and leave them outside to sleep - never mind if there's a foot of snow on the ground, just wrap them in a couple extra blankets..."sådan der".   

5 Things you won't find in Denmark

There are somethings I can't help but notice that are missing from life here....

• Chocolate Chips

Those delicous melty morsels that every mother throws into thier kids' favorite cookie.  Alas, you won't find it here. There's plenty of marzipan though. 

• Gas-Guzzlers

The streets here are filled with bikes and pedestrians, and public transport is efficient and readily-available.
And if you do have a car, you're more likely to buzz around in a little pop can rather than fork out the money for something bigger [what some Americans might refer to as a "real car"].  But when cars cost about twice as much, and gas is the price of gold that bicycle starts looking really sexy.

• Ziplock Bags

This one just breaks my heart. I'm a bit of a kitchen efficiency effianato, and living without ziplocks in the kitchen is a bit like asking me to play the guitar without the use of my thumbs.

"Let's go to the 'Bucks!"

• Starbucks.

It's true... I live without Starbucks. I've seen one in the airport, but that's about 3 hours away from where I live. Gasp!  Actually I'm not much of a fan usually, but when you're aching for something familiar, the evils of corporate America is a lot less important than my hazelnut cappicino and old friends!

• Refried Beans.

Ay chiwawa! Yes, I have finally found pinto beans here and have mastered a home-made version, but you can forget about buying them anywhere.  And forget about finding a Taco Time, Muchas Gracias or any Mexican restaurants for that matter.  Danes are putting away a lot more roasted potatoes, pickled fish and remoulade than anything from south of the border (and so am I!).