September 2014

Because the we are now pretty well settled into "normal" Danish life, we've decided to decrease our posts from weekly to monthly. Heather is still enjoying here time off, however she is starting to think maybe it's about time to look for a job. At this point it is still just that, thinking, but the conversation is coming up more and more often. Nick, of course, is working hard and is enjoying the challenge of managing several colleagues. It has definitely been a learning experience, especially since the company has such a flat hierarchy and all decisions must be made with consensus.    

The second week of September, Nick held a team-building event with his guys. He chartered an old ship and took the everyone fishing in the Lillebælt - the straight between our island, Fyn, and the western section of Denmark that's connected to mainland Europe, Jutland. Although they didn't have any fishing luck, the team-building was a success. 

Ready to set sail from Middelfart

Beautiful cloudless day in Denmark

Sand worms for bait! They look just like the giant sand worms in Star Wars 

Not a bad way to spend a working day

The following day, Nick headed into Copenhagen for a two-day project kick-off meeting. The trip wasn't all work though. It included some exploration of the city, including Amalienborg, the winter home of the Danish royal family.   

Frederik V Equestrian statue in the center of the Amalienborg Palace
It was cast in bronze in 1771 by French artist Jacquen Saly and 
is considered to be one of the notable equestrian statues of it's time

Later in the month, we joined several friends at the Langeskov Kræmmermarked. This is an annual flea market, one of Denmark's largest, offering music, carnival rides, food and drink, and tons of treasures (and junk). The market brings 60,000-80,000 visitors each year. It is pretty similar to any other flea market, however there was one very unique attraction:

Meat roasting over a fire

Near the end of the month, just before leaving for the US, we had a guest. Doug came to visit us! Although he was just here for the night, we loved catching up and, as always, shared several laughs. 

Bella got her boyfriend back

At the end of the month, Nick and Heather took a trip back to the US to celebrate the Nick's mom's 75th birthday in Texas. Just before leaving, we enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunrise! 

After several months, Denmark's sunrises still never cease to amaze

Our Texas trip included so much love, laughter, and fun. We had a big birthday bash for Nick and Ma, ate some darn good BBQ, toured the Cowboys' stadium, and had a truly wonderful time just hanging out with family. 

Week 15

Well, this week brings the first full week in September but summer is still in the air. After last week's weather of 60s and rain, we were starting to wonder if fall had come early. Luckily, this week it warmed up again and the sun came back out. Along with the nicer weather, came the jellies! 

They're everywhere!!! 

This week, the 15th into our move, was perfectly normal. We are settled in and are finally falling into a routine. Nick worked all week during the day, of course, and during our free time we went to the gym, attended language class, and spent time with friends. 

On Thursday evening, we met up with a couple from Australia for an Indian cooking event held by a local group of expats. The event took place in the home-ec/cooking room of a school. There were several stations with stoves, sinks, ovens, etc. The food and recipes were provided and the attendees made the dishes. It was a great way to make and to try 6 or 7 different foods in a three-hour period. Our group was responsible for the chicken curry. It was a bit soupy because we didn't have long enough to cook it down, but the flavors were quite good. In our biased opinion, our dish was the best. The biryani was a close second though. 

On Friday, our joint birthday present arrived. Alright, so the present is quite early, a month early for Nick's and 2 months for Heather's (but who is counting), and really who in their right mind would want to wait for a brand new espresso machine when they could have it now?! Since we moved here, we have been considering getting an all-in-one machine to make cappuccinos and lattes. We considered Nespresso machines, but ultimately decided we wanted to be able to choose our own beans. So after some research and prioritization of features (Nick loves features), we landed on this: 

Happy early birthday to us! 

Our new machine makes espresso, coffee, and long coffee (similar to an americano). It also grinds the beans, makes hot water for tea, and steams and froths milk. FANCY! Friday afternoon, after setting up the machine, we headed out to buy a bag of whole coffee beans and a carton of milk to ready ourselves for Saturday morning cappuccinos! They were worth the wait and did not disappoint! We are, however, excited to find some better beans than the ones we bought. Lavazza anyone?!

After coffee on the balcony, we headed off for the train station with Bella in tow to hop a train into Odense for a beer tasting event in town to celebration of Danish Beer Day. Bella rode the train like a champ, lying quietly at Heather's feet. The beer festival consisted of 14 breweries with beer tasting stands set up in locations throughout the city.  We met up with several of Nick's coworkers and tried several different types of beers. 

Tasting glass full of chili beer. Heather liked it. Nick, not so much.

When the beer tasting ended at 4, we took to a local bar. 

Bella "hiding" under the table because
she wasn't really supposed to be inside the bar

Heather and Lars like Hoegaarden

When we finally departed, we were ready for some nourishment and some sleep. Sunday was low key, and thanks to the NFL Network, full of football! Even though the Bears lost, it was great to see some real, American football. 

After our weekend of fun and relaxation, Nick headed back to work Monday while Heather slept in and enjoyed "the good life." 

Week 14

Week 14 started with vacation, but ended back in the real world...work (well, at least for one of us)! 

On Tuesday we were still enjoying swimming in the Adriatic, gorging on delicious food, and relishing in the warm Mediterranean climate. We spent our last whole day of vacation doing one of the things we love best on hot sunny days, water sports. Nick and I decided to spend some more time on (and in) the Adriatic and found a kayaking tour starting in Old Town. After loading our gear into a two-person kayak and leaving the cove, which is the filming location for Kings Landing in the Game of Thrones, we struck out across the sea towards the island of Lokrum. 

Kayaking here we come! 

At first, we paralleled the shore giving us great views of the city walls and Saint Lawrence fortress. The walls are even more amazing from the sea, leaving us in awe of the manpower and engineering that must have gone into building them. From there, we veered south paddling around the the nearby Lokrum Island. 

Heather is ready to paddle out and around Lokrum Island
(pictured off in the distance on the left)

Nick pictured with Lokrum island in the background

At the far southern tip of the island, we paddling past a nudist beach with several men hanging out, so to speak. This was our final look at Lokrum before we headed back towards the mainland to Betina Cave. The beach inside of the cave, only accessible by sea, is where we stopped for some swimming and snacks and to give our arms a break from paddling. 

Betina Cave Beach

After floating in the crystal clear, blue sea for a bit, we loaded into our kayaks and headed back towards Dubrovnik. Nick and I found the excursion extremely fun, but quite exhausting. For some reason, we were constantly pulling to the left. No matter how hard we tried, we were paddling about 4 strokes with the left for every two on the right. By the time we returned, our arms and shoulders (especially the left side) were blown out, but we were happy!   

Heather is a happy camper - or kayaker - as the case may be. But,
is it because she enjoyed herself or is she just glad to be done paddling???
The world may never know.

After the kayaking, we decided to stop for a coffee and some people-watching before heading back to the hotel. 

This is what relaxation looks like

Wednesday was our last day of vacation, and we only had a few hours to hang out before heading to the airport. We decided to make the most of our remaining time in Croatia by walking along the Adriatic and get some spaghetti ice for lunch!  

Goodbye for now Adriatic Sea, we hope to see you again soon! 

Lunch of champions

Our return trip was uneventful and about 10 hours after heading to the airport we were finally home. The following day, Nick worked from home, clearing out emails and catching up on calls. Meanwhile, Heather picked up Bella and got settled back into the apartment. The rest of the week was low key. Nick went to work on Friday and we spent the weekend relaxing in the apartment and around town. 

Monday, the first day of September, took Nick on a very quick (less than 24 hour) business trip to Lugano, Switzerland, and left a very jealous Heather at home.

Coffee break after the meeting.
Not a bad way to spend Labor Day if you have to work.

Thus ends week 14, but before signing off, happy birthday shout outs to Barbara King, Dan Poole, and our soon to be niece, Stacy Whitton!  

Week 13

Well, week 13 was about close to perfect. We took refuge from Denmark's rainy weather to enjoy the sunny beaches of Croatia! This marks our first extended vacation since we have moved and the first time boarding Beannie Girl. 

Nick, of course, worked the beginning of the week before our departure, while Heather prepared for the trip. We also attended our second language class. This time, it was Heather who got frustrated with the class, well really the language, not the class. It is very hard to start all over. Our persistence and desire to learn the language will definitely be put to the test! But, after class Wednesday, we were rewarded with the knowledge that we were leaving for vacation the next morning and all we had left to do before departing was get a good night sleep. 

Thursday morning, Nick and I drug ourselves out of bed early and walked over to the train station to catch our train to the Copenhagen airport. The station is about 1 km from our apartment. The train ride was quite pretty. From Nyborg, it goes directly off the island crossing the Storebælt then continues across the island of Sjælland through farm land and forests, stopping in quaint towns before finally arriving in Copenhagen. Everything went smoothly and in no time we were boarded and on our way to Croatia. The plane was small and relatively empty. It seemed like we were barely in the air long enough to get anywhere before the wheels were touching down. In Zagreb, we had a quick layover and change of planes before arriving in Dubrovnik. 

After a full day of travel, we got settled into our hotel room and were ready for some sustenance. The hotel Nick picked was really nice with very modern decor and views overlooking Port Gruž. The hotel, one of the oldest in Dubrovnik, was once a castle known as Piccola Venezia owned by a prominent family in the region. The hotel has since been expanded, but the original buildings remain. The location on the Lapad peninsula, was perfect for us. It was far enough away from Old Town's mass of tourists, but close enough to either walk or take a quick bus to it. 

View from our hotel, Port Gruž

Our hotel

Lapad is also home to a very long pedestrian street lined with restaurants and a few shops. This is where we decided to eat our first night in town. Nick was very eager for a traditional Croatian grill plate, so that's what we got! The dish consists of several types of grilled meat, including pork, beef, chicken, and a variety of sausages. We also got potato croquettes (a first for Heather and she LOVED them) and grilled vegetables. After dinner, to our surprise, we found an ice cream shop that makes spaghetti ice! 

A happy Nick ready to dive into his dessert!
What a wonderful 1st-day-of-vacation surprise!

On Friday, we ventured into Old Town and took tours of the city and of the surrounding city walls. The city has quite a long and interesting history dating back to a time before the Common Era. Originally, the city was a stop over for Greek sailors traveling between 2 larger Greek settlements. When the Ostrogothic Kingdom fell, the city fell under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. After the crusades, if fell into Venetian rule until the mid-14th century. Between 1358 and 1808 Dubrovnik was a free-state known as the Republic of Ragusa and between the 14th and 16th centuries was one of the wealthiest regions, rivaling the Republic of Venice. In 1667, a huge earthquake leveled most of the buildings and killed several thousand inhabitants. After that, the Republic of Ragusa slowly declined until it surrendered to Napolian in 1806. Shortly thereafter it became part of the Austria-Hungary until that fell in the early 1900s and it joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During WWII, the city was occupied by the Italians and later the Germans. When Croatia and Slovenia decided to split from Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik was under attach for the first time ever. In late 1991, the city was under attack for about 7 months with several bombings and artillery rounds damaging the historic city and surrounding walls and killing over 100 inhabitants. Until then, the city had manged to avoid battle through diplomatic agreements or surrender. Most of the city has been repaired, although some artillery damage remains as a reminder of the conflict.       

Old Port of Dubrovnik

City bell tower

Old Town Dubrovnik with island of Lokrum in the distance 

Minčeta Tower

We are loving the views of the city & the warm Mediterranean weather

View from the wall with Church of St. Ingacija on the right

Dubrovnik's walls and coastline

Saturday, we decided to hang out pool-side for most of the day. After getting our fill of sun and relaxation, we headed back over to the Lapad pedestrian area to walk along the coast and grab a bite to eat. 

Poolside

Sunday we ventured back into Old Town to take in the museums, monasteries, churches, and historic buildings. 

Dubrovnik's staircase modeled after Rome's Spanish steps

Franciscan Monastery where one of the first and longest running pharmacies is located

Stairway in the Reactor's Place. 

H at a literal hole in the wall bar. This bar is built on the cliffs
between the fortress walls and the Adriatic. The hole in the wall was an
emergency exit to escape the city in the event of a land attack.    

Passion Fruit! 

We love small alley ways! 

After an excellent lunch of Bosnian food and a bit more wandering through town, we decided to take a ride on to the cable car to the hill above town. From there, we took in one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever witnessed.  

Cable car from below

View of Old Town from the top of the cable car

Start of sunset

Beautiful clouds to accent the sky

Love the islands off the coast

Art

Monday we took a cruise on a 16th-century-style galleon to three Elafiti Islands: Kolocep, Šipan and Lopud. 

16th-century-style Galleon style ship

Nice cannon, Nick! 

H on the ship

Šipan

Lopud

Just below the Lopud Franciscan Monastery is the beach area
where we spent the afternoon swimming in the crystal clear Adriatic.

Monday ends week 13, but fortunately not our vacation! More next week.