Winter Surprise Trip

On Thursday we are going on a prolonged weekend trip. And it's a trip where the destination is unknown to Jan. It's a surprise trip, although it's not entirely a secret. He knows when but not where. And I've mentioned some of the things he needs to pack.

It's the first time I've planned such a trip, and so far I've only bought tickets and booked the hotel. I'll have to think of some activities. Anyway it's a much needed trip away from the everyday life...

It's a little break while we wait for a warmer season.

Last Days in Jordan

One of the compulsory things to do when in Jordan is to visit Petra. So we did on Thursday.

Entering a through a huge gorge, the city appears as a revelation of lost times when you hit the end of the gorge. The city, an old Nabbatean center for trade and burial, is mainly carved from the mountain sides, although later Roman and Christian additions is built free standing. The city was lost for almost six centuries, until a Swiss explorer and muslim convert came upon it back in 1812. Today it's a site on the UNESCO-list and was also voted one of the seven "new" wonders of the world. The long walk down was well worth the experience.


On Friday we went to the so-called baptismal site of Jesus of Nazareth, in the Jordan valley. John-Arne has previously been on the Israeli side, but back in 2009 the Pope proclaimed the site to be on the Trans-Jordanian side, since there were found church ruins there dating back to 5th and 6th century. Although it was fine enough, it the precise location don't matter much to our faith.


On our way back we stopped at Amman Beach, i.e. the Dead Sea shore, and took a swim. The weather was kind of rough, but at least Jan got a mud bath. John-Arne on the other hand got sore eyes, as he didn't take care in the rain, that splashed the very salty water back into his eyes.


The last day was spent well poolside and at the beach, just savoring the last bit of sun and warmth before heading back to November in Copenhagen, i.e. rainy, cold and dark weather.

Salam Jordan. Maybee we'll meet again (although preferably without the upset stomach).

Day 16: Leavenworth

John-Arne fell ill with flu symptoms the previous night in Grand Coulee, but recovered a bit the following morning and was ready for the drive to the coast. Our main stop for the day was in a mountain town called Leavenworth.

There are quite a lot of Leavenworths in the US, but only one Bavarian Leavenworth. The place used to be a down-trodden town in the hills in the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington, but transformed itself in to a full fledge Bavarian town in the mountains in the sixties. Today it even has an Oktoberfest.

We parked downtown and went for a stroll. Although somewhat misplaced, there was even a Danish bakery in town, which overjoyed Jan (like Solvang in California). We also took a look at the other stores, but ended up eating lunch in a bierstube. There Jan got a bratwürst and JA only had a bretzel (pretzel as the Ami's call them).

After our small intermezzo in the Cascades, Jan drove across the mountains and to the coast, where we found a motel for the night, where JA got get some rest and sleep, hoping that the day after would be better.

Day 13: Northbound through Big Sky Country

After a marvellous day, with loads of pictures taken stored on the hard drive, we left Yellowstone through the north entrance into Montana. Also known as big sky country.

Before getting that far we had a few smaller things left in Yellowstone. We saw a petrified tree (from ages far in the past, then buried in ash and hot soil and transformed in time into stone). Yet another proof that we were in a very volcanic active area (there were actually 77 small earthquakes in the park during June 2009, even increasing in July 2009. It might be that the global killer volcano is waking up ... puha as the Danes put it.). Luckily we did not get petrified during our short visit.

We also saw more travertine formations, said to be the biggest ones in the world. They were quite dry though, although some parts of it showed life as the hot water allowed thermophiles (heat loving bacterias) to thrive. They produce brilliant colours for humans to watch.

After the park and some lunch we headed for the state capitol of Montana, Helena. It's not the biggest state capital, but it's on the Missouri River and had a cosy vibe to the historic downtown. Someone needed their caffeine supplement of the afternoon, so we had a coffee and something sweet in a cosy bakery (selling Danish rye bread and Norwegian farm bread).

The last part of the day, we drove up to Great Falls and settled down at a camping site up there, preparing ourselves for Glacier National Park the following day. The reminder of the day were spent next to a nice camp fire Jan fixed (after all he is an old scout) to provide some western moods under the clear Montana sky.

Day 11: Into the Wild (or Yellowstone National Park)!

The motel was a pleasure to leave, although the alternative was worse, as it rained a bit during the night. Eager to get started with a hot bath, we headed for the thermal springs north of Thermopolis. The only reason the city is were it is (as the surroundings are not very inviting). The baths were really nice and after the bath we felt the detour to Thermopolis was worth it. We also took a walk through the park to see the travertine formations and the spring itself (see pictures above and below).

Next stop was the western town of Cody, to have lunch and to have a look at a museum. The city presents itself as the gate to Yellowstone, but is also known for being named after Buffalo Bill. The museum was great, as it housed actually several museums. We saw the one on Buffalo Bill (where Jan was urged to sit on a saddle, below), one on the natural history of Yellowstone and one on Lewis and Clarke (more about them when we get to Montana). Although Buffalo Bill probably was a huge celebrity and all that, the natural history museum was really great. A nice preparation for the park itself.

We arrived in the park in the afternoon and drove to Canyon Village, where Jan had booked a cottage in advance (a good idea, as it is quite crowded in the summer). We decided to explore the immediate surroundings of Canyon Village, and drove for the nearby waterfalls. Quite impressing, at least for a Dane. Going to bed that night we were eager to explore the park the following day.

Day 9: Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park

Having left the Badlands, after a rainful and stormy night (thunder and lightning!), we drove for the Black Hills. As the naive Scandinavians we are, we trusted the car's computer when it said that we had enough petrol to drive to Rapid City. When the petrol gauge suddently fell and it got kind of scary. Finally, we found a old store/bar in the middle of nowhere South Dakota, who also sold petrol. Luckily we avoided the cumbersome process of stopping a car on the road, getting a lift into Rapid Cty., and returning with a can of petrol in a taxi.

The Black Hills had a kind of German or Austrian feel to it, with lots of green trees and lush mountains. We stopped for a quick lunch in Keystone, a city that mostly functioned as the entrance to the more fameous Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore was really wicked, mostly because it was just as we had imagined it. It was carved between the great wars and the sculptor was a Danish-American, namely Gutzon Borglum, so here in the heart of the US, all the Danes can pride themselves of having contributed to American identity and pride.

After the mountain we made camp nearby, and drove south towards Custer State Park. Mostly to see the wildlife. And we saw elk/white tailed deer and bison, but also minor creatures along the road. After the long day in the car it was nice to relax with meal in the nearby town of Custer, before heading back to camp zero.

Day 7: Minneapolis to Sioux Falls (!)

The exclamation sign above signifies that Sioux Falls was not quite a part of our plans. We were actually supposed to end up in Bismarck, ND. Why, you might enquire?

We started out on an otherwise perfect day, after a perfect breakfast by our splendid host, by taking a stop a Luther Th. Seminary, as John-Arne really really wanted to visit their bookstore. As we parked the car, Jan noticed an error message from the car computer. Something was wrong with the tire pressure. Hoping for the best, we pulled over at a petrol station and checked the tire pressure. One of the tires actually had a problem with the pressure, and fearing a tire puncture, we filled the tire with air and drove on to Alexandria.

In Alexandria we visited the (alledgedly) fameous Kensington Rune Stone Museum. A somewhat quirky museum, bearing quite a lot of resemblance to the Thor Heyderdahl Museum in Oslo (or Ripleys believe it or not, for that matter). After the museum, we checked the tire pressure again and alas, it had fallen again. So after a lot of hassle at a car shop, calling the car company and going to a car dealership, we started driving again delayed by several hours. After a while we got a new error message, and not taking any chances we headed back to the car dealership. They assured us that everything would be fine. Needless to say, after all this hassle we decided to alter our plans, and took the freeway down (after barely driving through the corner of North Dakota) to Sioux Falls in the southeastern corner of South Dakota. We arrived late, quite exhausted.

Conclusion: When on a three week vacation with a rental car mishappenings are prone to happen. Luckily our problem, although frustrating enough, was a minor thing. It only caused a change to the itinery. And we did get travel through North Dakota ...

Day 5: From Milwaukee to Minneapolis

Those of you who have been following our blog for some time, knows that Jan really wanted to see the Wisconsin Dells. Therefore we decided to stop there, when driving between Milwaukee and Minneapolis. It is allegedly the water capital of the world, with loads of resorts and entertainment options. We decided to take one of the classic duck rides (which also included a goofy driver/guide). And the scenery on the trip was actually quite beautiful, but that's more or less what's worth seeing there.

Jan was really impressed with amphibious ducks ...

But the drive really needed a break, as it is quite a distance to cover on one day. And we also opted for a more scenic rouite after the Dells, as we drove west to follow the Mississippi River a bit, north up to the twin cities. We also made a stop in Red Wing. A little town with a Scandinavian touch (formerly the headquarter of the Haugians in the US, we later found out).

In Minneapolis we arrived in the evening at Karen, who we where to stay with and who is a true pleasure (including her grand-dog Ginger), but more about her and the dog in the next blog. :-)

We're a bit behind with the blogging, but it's kind of hard to fit it into a busy schedule, but we'll try to get some more done (although camping without wi-fi might seriously delay it a bit).

Ich bin ein Berliner ...

Travelling is one of our major interests, and especially to places of cultural and historical interest. This year our Spring trip went to Berlin. Although I've actually studied in Germany, I had never been there before. I found it to be a very nice acquaintance to make. Next time we are going to hire a bicycle, as walking really makes your feet tired and soar.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Berlin 2009

Pictures from Greece 2008

We have now created an album with some of the pictures from our vacation. We've also put the pictures on the Google map (check out the amazing satellite picture function!). Enjoy (we did)!

Greece 2008

Great Days in Greece - Vacation 2008

In 2008 we decided to go to Greece for our holidays. More accurately to Northern Greece, mainly to the province of Macedonia. John-Arne has been to Greece once before, on an excursion during his New Testament postgraduate studies, but Jan had never been there before. We booked our tickets some months ago, and made an initial draft of the itinerary of the journey. And a car was rented a couple of weeks before the trip, which was to last a fitting period of 12 days in total (including travel).


The Old Citadel of Kavala and Jan dipping his feet at Lydia's baptismal place.

Day 1: Wednesday
We flew to Thessaloniki (Salonica) and headed by car for the bustling city of Kavala in the eastern part of the province of Macedonia. Kavala (ancient Neápolis) was where St. Paul landed for the first time in what we today reckon as Europe (Acts 16.11). The first evening we settled in at a camping site, just west of the city, and took a drive through the centre. Our camping site had a great beach, and one of us did not avoid the warm waters of the Aeagean Sea the following days. And we sipped our first glasses of Retsina at the beach restaurant.

Day 2: Thursday
This day we used mainly to explore the ancient city of Philippi (situated just north of Kavala on the Roman road Via Egnatia) Here St. Paul founded the first church in the ancient Roman province of Macedonia (Acts 16.12-40). In the evening we went for a walk in Kavala.

Day 3: Friday
Friday was spent in Kavala (exploring the ancient castle and the old citadel) and then we went by ferry to the island of Thassos. Thassos is an island with great natural beauty and the northernmost of all Greek islands. We drove around the island, stopping for lunch in a small mountain village and a swim in a natural pool on the coast. In the evening we went for a walk in a little town called Panagia, a town with waterfountains and a great view of the bay below.


A natural pool on the east coast of Thassos and the memorial of St. Paul in Vieri.

Day 4: Saturday
The day started with a walk in Limenas (where ancient Thassos city was, it's today found scattered in between the buildings in Limenas). We then took a ferry back to the mainland, and drove for quite a distance. We drove all the way to the western part of Macedonia, stopping in Amphipolis to look at the famous lion (Acts 17.1). We also stopped to see the royal tombs in Vergina, the city of Vieri (biblical Beroia, Acts 17.10-15), before ending up in the city Edessa.

Day 5: Sunday
Edessa is a pretty city with a lot of waterfalls. After a short walk to look at the highlights we drove northwest, to the border between Greece, Albania and F.Y.R.O.M - to the Prespa Lakes. There we had the fattest lunch ever! In the afternoon we drove to Kastoria, the city on the lake. In the evening we went for a walk along the waterfront with all the chique coffee-houses.

Day 6: Monday
Before driving south to Meteora, we went for a walk to look at all the ancient churches of Kastoria (of an astounding original 72, there is still 54 that still stands) and old Turkish houses. Meteora was our destination for the day and already the first evening we saw the largest monastery (the Great Meteoron) on top of one of the strange looking mountains. Imagining seeking the austere and ascetic lifestyle on top of one of those mountains. At least there would be a great view of the valley below.


Lakeview of Kastoria and a monastery in Meteora.

Day 7: Tuesday
We saw a small monastery in the morning (St. Nicholas Anapausas) and still being impressed drove after lunch to the peninsula of Mt. Pelion. Mt. Pelion is situated on the eastern coast of mainland Greece, not far from the city of Volos. There Jan had wished for some time for relaxation by the sea ...

Day 8: Wednesday
We spent some time at the beach, and John-Arne got to read a bit. In the early afternoon we drove to a small mountain village called Makrinitsa (allegedly the most beautiful village in all of Greece), with a magnificent view. Later we drove to Volos, to go to an internet café and make sure that Jan got some proper coffee at Starbucks (guess who was happy after that ...).

Day 9: Thursday
The morning was the coldest morning so far, so we skipped the beach and packed our tent once again. This time moving to Chalkidiki, to stay for one night at a camping site outside of the city of Nea Moudania. On the way we stopped first at the foot of Mt. Olympos and at the ancient holy city of the Macedonians, Dion. In the evening we went for a walk and a meal in Nea Moudania, a quite bland city.

Day 10: Friday
We drove early to Thessaloniki and handed in the car at the rental shop. After installing ourselves at a cheap hotel in town we went for a walk to get a feel of the city. We saw a couple of things like the famous White tower of Thessaloniki, the Arch and the Rotunda of Galerius (with astounding mosaics).


Jan on the waterside in Thessalonika (with the white tower in the background) and the roof in Hagia Sophia.

Day 11: Saturday
The program on our last day in Greece was not too busy and we started off by walking through the upper city (Kastra), then seeing the church Agios Demetrios (dedicated to the city's patron, St. Dimitrius), the Roman forum (once again cathing up with St. Paul, Acts 17.1-9) and the church called Agia Sophia. We also walked through the city's basar, seeing that Northern Greece has a lot in common with the Arabic world.

Day 12: Sunday
We got up way too early, and had an almost four hour layover in Munich (and lunch being the regular German curry würst with pommes frites) before landing in Copenhagen.

The last week of the holidays is to be spent at home. Enjoying that the heat has followed us back home. Next year we hope to go to the States again.