2013: A Retrospective

Eiffel Tower (duh), September 2013

Silvester is upon us again and though I bravely and humbly admit that this year has not been one of particular blogging prowess, I couldn't not do the year in review.  Take it sort of like an apology (sorry, Dad...).

So, generally, I could split up the year pretty broadly and call it good.  If I did, it would look like this:

Spring ~ Moved to Denmark and everything was weird again...

Summer ~ Please let me finish this thesis acceptably....

Fall ~ We're just going to call this period "The Stupid Time."  I don't really want to talk about it (but if you ask me about it, I can talk about it for a looooong time so...best to just move along.)

Winter ~ EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY!  DAGNABBIT! 

But, let's be frank, that just sounds really vague and cryptic and weird.  So, without further ado, I give you the usual format.

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January

Mostly we just finished up all our moving-from-Germany arrangements.  I basically wrapped up my teaching at the University of Rostock and Paul basically packed up his entire lab.  

February

A house-cooling party where it was surprisingly more difficult than I thought it would be to fob off  various refrigerated condiments on our guests.  Oh, and we moved to Denmark.

March

Began our Danish courses and wondered if we'd ever see the sun again?

April

Masters coursework, new lab setting-up, Danish classes.  We went to a concert where the Odense Symphony played The Beatles; it was kind of the highlight of the year at that point.  That isn't to say our year wasn't good but more to say it was a really, really awesome concert.

May

By now you may be thinking, "But wait, I thought you guys traveled, like, every month?"  Well, see, residency permits were expensive, moving was expensive, Denmark in general is expensive, tuition is(was) expensive.  So, you get the idea.  But in May we forked out the crazy train fare to go to Copenhagen for my birthday (and for a new passport...and new expensive residency permit...).

Copenhagen was awesome!  I like Copenhagen and the canal boats and the castles and that one Mexican restaurant we found that almost made us cry with joy (we're severely deprived).  I especially like saying Copenhagen the Danish way:  KOObenHAWen.  Saying it all the way there and back on the train. Super annoyingly.

June

We saw the sun again (too...too much sun...) and went to the biggest bonfire I've ever seen.  Also, when I look at the calendar, it's completely blank except for the words "FINISH YOUR DARN ANALYSES!"   So...that was that time.

July

July was prrrrrretty much the same.  Paul had a doctor's appointment on the 30th at 1:15pm, too.  That was literally the only thing noted on our calendar.  High times.  Oh, but I did get my Masters in GIS, so that was a huge relief!

August

WE WENT SOMEWHERE!  TO LISBON!   Finally!

Lisbon was a pretty great long weekend and I will forever and ever dream of the salted cod, Bacalau (which, when prepared...not salty?), and the shellfish stews and the Pasteis de Belem...  We ate good food there.  After being in sad expensive-food Danish wasteland for eight months, it was a kind of "release the hounds!" situation for us.  Also, if ever in Lisbon, there's this one, particular gelatto place... Also, go to Sintra.  ALSO, Lisbon was part of the most recent season of "The Amazing Race" so, I'm pretty much fulfilled.

September

Paris, folks.  We went to Paris for our 5th anniversary.  And now that we've been to the "Big Three" (Paris, Rome, London)...I think Paris won?  I know!  But, to be fair, maybe we need to try London not in mid-January.  Also, Versailles is huge.  Also, I maintain that my old ipod got pick-pocketed (Paul has his doubts) and I see it as a right of passage to be celebrated.

October

I took Paul to Helsingoer for his birthday.  It's the "real" Hamlet castle.  We could see Sweden.  It was cool.  Also, I went to a family Halloween party as Pippi Longstocking and didn't realize that was about the Scandinavian equivalent of going to an American little girl birthday party as Princess Disney-Fill-In-The-Blank.  Wide, wide-eyed, whispering ("Mama, it's Pippi!") little kids all night long.

November

Paul went to Australia and saw a marsupial we didn't know existed (quokkas).  I spent the month mostly being jealous.  Also, Thanksgiving was real exciting because we could find a turkey!

December

 We went back to Rostock for the Christmas Market and to visit our "German mom," Ute.  It was real weird to walk by aquahaus, but also kind of nice and homey to be in the city again. We got our hot sheep cheese pita sandwich things and bratwurst fix.  And, of course, there was our first Danish Christmas where we tried risalamande (and decided to never eat anything else ever again) and roasted up a good ol' northern European-style duck.

***

Onward.

2012  /// 2011