Maundy Thursday in Malmö

Easter vacation has begun, and like many other Copenhageners we spent the day in Malmö, Sweden - just across the water. Whereas Maundy Thursday is a holiday in Denmark with closed stores, it is a normal working day in Sweden, hence the invasion of shopaholic Danes.

Malmö is less than an hour away on the train, but I had not been there for 10 years, and JA had never been in the city itself. So even though we joined the other Danes in the shops, we also took the time to take a stroll through the old city. After lunch, We ended up at the Malmöhus Castle, which is now a museum. Some of the exhibits were pretty good, while others were totally outdated and had not been renewed since the 70s. Oh well.

After the visit to the museum, we went for a cup of coffee, then we visited the St. Petri Church, and then we went through more stores .. looking for a new jacket for a new jacket for me. I was way too picky and we did not find anything that both fitted, looked good and was reasonably priced. We did not come home empty-handed, though, since we passed a store with American foods and such, so at least we got some American candy and pancake mix.

Finally we gave up hunting for clothes, and had dinner at TGI Friday's instead before we headed back home.

You can see a few pictures from the trip in the Picasa web album (click on the picture below)

Malmö 2010

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 ...

Mystery Destination: Rome

As it turned out, Rome was the destination for our long weekend. Actually, the Eternal City is a perfect destination for us, since it combines history, culture, and good food! Needless to say, we also appreciated the chance to escape the Scandinavian snow and experience temperatures well above freezing. Not that it was particularly warm by any means, but after a month and a half of winter, even temperatures about 10 Celsius/50 Fahrenheit feel great.

JA had booked a nice hotel right next to Pantheon in the center of the city, and after we had found our room and left our bags there, we went out for dinner at a cozy restaurant close to the Trevi Fountain. Italian pasta dishes somehow taste better when served in Italy…

Friday, we first took a peek inside the Pantheon, before we went out to explore the Forum Romanum, and the Palatine Hill. The sun was shining, the grass was green and the place was not crowded so we had a great time exploring the historic sites. We also passed the Colosseum, Trajan’s Forum with its famous column, as well as other antique sights. In the afternoon, we were at the Piazza di Spagna with the famous Spanish steps and the Piazza del Popolo before we visited the Augustan altar of peace, Ara Pacis. After a full day of sightseeing, a nap was totally needed before going out to dinner. At dinner, we had the pleasurable company of Stian, a friend of JA’s who is currently studying in Rome, as well as Stian’s wife, Cam, who were visiting him this weekend.

Saturday, we spent a lot of time at the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel. Fortunately, there were no big lines either for the Museum or for the entrance to the Basilica of Saint Peter’s itself, since it was out of season. However, even on a Saturday in January there were quite a lot of visitors inside the Sistine Chapel with its amazing frescoes by Michelangelo. The big Christmas Nativity scene on the square had for some reason not been taken down yet, which we found a little odd.

Sunday morning, we went to the service at the Anglican Church in Rome. It was very high-church with the works, including the burning of incense, which I found surprisingly pleasant. After church and lunch, we had time for an expedition to the Basilica of St. John Lateran which is the official seat of the bishop of Rome (the Pope) and thus the official mother church for all Catholics. Unfortunately, the baptistery which supposedly is built where Emperor Constantine I was baptized in 337, was closed, so we didn’t get to see that. Even worse, it was raining quite heavily, so we headed back to our hotel to get the bags and get on the train to the airport. On our way to the hotel the sun was shining again, and as we passed the Trevi Fountain we did not miss the opportunity to take some pictures. We did not, however, throw any coins in it, even though according to legend that would ensure us a return to Rome. Coin or not, I am sure we will come back.

You can see a few more pictures from the trip by clicking on the photo below:

Rome, January 2010

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.

Christmas Greeting 2009

Writing Christmas cards is always a hassle. You have to have all the addresses of the people you know, lot's of stamps, write them way early and then post it. We have chosen the quick fix, just write something really fast and put it together in a pdf-file, and then e-mail the letter. This year we've also put it on our blog, making it available for even more people. For you English speaking and "not-reading-any-weird-Scandinavian-languge" people, it is unfortunately only in Danish and some Norwegian. Sorry, but it's suppose to be the quick and dirty solution. Here it is:

Christmas Letter of 2009

Merry Christmas and a blessed new year to all of you!

Uh oh, the plants have died..

Uh oh, someone forgot to take their plants inside. And all of a sudden, winter was here - with actual snow, and temperatures below freezing. Oh well, I guess we will just have to buy some new plants for the balcony next year, and meanwhile enjoy how the snow makes everything a little brighter here in the darkest weeks of the year. Wondering if we will have a white Christmas for the first time since 1995?

Climate Summit and New Friends

Phew. It’s over. The UN Climate Summit here in Copenhagen has finally ended, and we can get back to business as usual. Since December 4, politicians, officials, NGO’s , climate activists and other visitors from virtually every country in the World have put their mark on the city with lots of people in the streets, exhibitions, events etc. – but also lots of police, hooting sirens, and traffic congestions. In the end, the result may have been somewhat disappointing, but at least the parties came together – and maybe the Copenhagen Accord will prove to be a step in the right direction, although insufficient in itself.

Anyway - for us, the most interesting part of the summit was taking part in an experiment called New Life Copenhagen. Since thousands of visitors would come to Copenhagen for the event, there was a need for housing. Obviously, most of the delegates for the official event at the Bella Center would stay with their delegations at different hotels, but many of the NGO’s, climate activists or other visitors had a hard time finding a place to stay. So New Life Copenhagen was organized to connect visitors with Danish hosts who would be willing to let some of the visitors stay at their place. We thought it was a really cool idea, so we signed up as hosts for two people.

I think many of our friends had anticipated us hanging out with a couple of rebellious people with multiple face-piercings and all-black outfits, bound for trouble with the police. However, “our” climate activists happened to be a very friendly and delightful young couple from England. It was an absolute pleasure to host Neal and Nora, and we enjoyed their company a lot. We showed them some of our favorite sights in downtown Copenhagen, and although it was very cold they were good sports and seemed to enjoy their stay. They stayed with us for 3 nights, and when they left they were no longer strangers, but new friends.