Lidl Fest

It is always nice to find an occasion to throw a party, especially a theme party. Neither of us are good at dressing up or anything similar but likes a party with a twist. So we decided to hold a Lidl fest.

For those not knowing what Lidl is, it's a German Supermarket chain. It's one of the discount stores found all over northern Europe. Here in Denmark they also sell regular groceries, but the real treat are all the unknown German brands they keep.

The idea was to buy all the things we needed for the party in Lidl, apart from things we already had ourselves. We invited quite a few people, and although not everyone could come, we ended up with 10, including ourselves. We served a three course menu, and although there were some problems with finding all the right stuff (e.g. I had to buy vanilla pods in a regular supermarket) it ended up not too bad. We got to drink real cheap red wine (not bad), drink blackcurrant soda (not bad), eat Spanish cured ham (not bad at all), beef (ok) and lot's more.

We also managed to sing some songs. A couple were Danish candlemass songs, some winter hymns and also a Norwegian coffee song. And after we had a round of Singstar. And the evening peaked (at least for the those who stayed into the night) with singing exotic and nostalgic Shu-Bi-Dua songs (although totally lost on a Norwegian).

Conclusion: a cheap and sprightly fest.

This is not an advertisement for Lidl, in case you were wondering ...

Day 3: Chicago Skyline & Taste

Chicago has an impressive skyline. After having been on a great architecture trip Saturday we wanted to see the buildings from the highest point possible: the Sears Tower. Apart from the long wait to get in, it was worth the buck or two. We also got to try the new skywalk (ledge on the side of the Sears Tower). Very impressive and quite a chilling experience, although Jan just laughed in the face of perril. :-)

After the Sears Tower we visited a festival called "Taste of Chicago", where we tried all kinds of local (ethnic) food. Yummie! The sun was shining and after the taste we headed for the art museum. Aircondition really makes a hot day bearable.

For dinner we tried a real chi-town speciality - a deep pan pizza. Kelly took us to probably the best place in town. Wow.. all that cheese... Great days in great Chicago with a great gal!

Day 1: Arrival in Chicago

We stayed (basically) up all night before leaving for the airport. The trip itself was uneventful, and we arrived around noon in Chicago. Kelly, who we are staying with here in Chicago, picked us up in the airport. It's really nice to have good friends to stay with.

Late in the evening we went down to the lake to watch the fireworks, that are held for July 4. So I guess we are off for a very good start.

Celebrating the Danish National Day

Last year we startet a tradition (or at least we hope that it will become a tradition) of celebrating the Danish National Day.

The Danish National Day falls on 5 June, the Constitution Day, and the day is not celebrated like the Norwegian 17 May or the American 4 July. The Danes go to political meetings, not parades. It is the day of the political parties, not the people per se.

The Danes got their Constitution in 1849, adopting a constitutional monarcy, based on the Belgian model. It was a very volatile time, with turmoil and social revolutions all over Europe. In order to prevent this a democratic reform began, ending in the Constitution signed 7 june 1849 by a reluctant King Christian 7, the last of the Oldenburg kings on the Danish throne.

Although we were not attempting to start a parade (the Danes are very good at parades when dissatisfied with something), we wanted to make give the day a positive value. Jan was really excited about singing the national anthem and other songs from the "Højskolesangbog" (a Danish song book).

Above are som pictures from this years celebration - a brunch with some of our friends.

Showing off Copenhagen

It is not unheard of that we have friends and family visiting. And we often end up walking around. This last weekend we had Eli-Anne, a friend back from when I was active in IFES or Laget as we call it in Norway. We also worked as collegues at the Norwegian School of Theology.

Here we are at the "Gråbrødretorv" in the center of Copenhagen. "Gråbrødre" refers to an old name for the Franciscan order (Ordo Fratrum Minorum) because of their grey robes, signifying poverty and abstinence. There used to be a monastery at Gråbrødretorv, but today it's a just a lovely little square, tucked away from the more busy "Strøget".

Visitors With a Camera...

Having visitors is always stimulating (as long as they don't stay too long :-). Last week we had visitors, coming both from Chigago and from Limerick (Irland). 

And they did not only bring along a good sense of humour and spirit, they also brought along their cameras. If I may add, cameras that cost somewhat more than our small compact cameras. 

Molly, who currently lives in Ireland, has already blogged her photograpy frenzy.  Why don't you take a peek at her nice pictures, I'm sure she won't mind. 

And Kelly has also blogged a picture or two, she is also an ardent Flickr-user and she also blogs pictures here.  I'm guessing she will blog more pictures later ... 

Enjoy.