Things I Learned from Europe

I still think about living in Europe.  All the time.  Right after we came back to the United States, most of my memories were about little things - missing my bike (vs. driving in a car everywhere), remembering American cucumbers (and how they really don't taste good to me anymore), having mixed feelings about everything being in English (easier, but also...way more boring).  Now I've transitioned a little bit and recently have been thinking about bigger personality/life-changing lessons I think I got from living in Germany and Denmark for five years.

Just sitting here on a Saturday morning, here are a few:

* Getting a deep, mind-exploding realization of how big the world is, how many many people (and entire lives) there are, and how I'm just one tiny tiny tiny tiny microscopic person.  It helped me grow a little bit out of some self-centeredness and/or self-importance that was still hanging on from adolescence.  It made me realize that even the biggest of my "life goals" I had before would still mean nothing.  That the world is like an infinite universe, and my little family is actually my world.

* The vast majority of people in the world are good -- 99%.  No matter where you go.  People are good.  We all share the same experiences, broadly speaking.  We all feel the same emotions.  Empathy and kindness are the default.  

* Stuff is dumb.  It's all so incredibly dumb - also, annoying to deal with.  Doing is the only thing that really means anything.  

* Quality is not dumb, though.  If you have to have some stuff, only have what you absolutely need and then only have the nicest one you can get.  Take pride in beautiful things - but only because they're beautiful, not because you want things.

* Time is the only thing I'll ever really own and, maybe counter-intuitively(?), the only way to use it well is to limit what you do with it and take it slow.  How else can I explain this?....  The best way to use your time is to not feel like you have to keep track of how you're using your time?  That there's never anything else more important than what you're doing right this moment?  

* Hygge.  A word without a direct translation.  Relaxation, calm, coziness, quiet, slow, warm and long intimate conversations, candles, a friend playing the guitar while everyone listens quietly, simple food, singing old songs around a fire, discussing abstract ideas with a cup of tea, sitting on a porch and listening to birds, running under a bus stop shelter and watching the rain, seeing the shadows of branches on your window -- these aren't pointless, silly, time-wasting activities.  These are the things that are everything.

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen

Even though my home in Denmark has always been a two and a half hour train ride from Copenhagen, I've spent a surprising amount of time in the city due to the year I spent consulting for Maersk.  But even beyond those commuter-days, when I got really good at knowing exactly when what trains left the central station and where the fastest take-out pad thai could be found, I've spent a few purely vacationy days there too. 

The first time we both saw Copenhagen was on my 29th birthday.  For my present, I "got" to go to the embassy and get my passport renewed, so we figured that if I had to pay the absurd train fare, we'd make a day of it (truly, the fare is remarkably absurd.  I wouldn't have worked in Copenhagen if my company had not covered the commuting costs.  But that's what you get when you live in a top-five highest cost of living country...and the train fare has to make up for the cost of maintaining long, large, elaborate bridges between islands). 

Anyway, that birthday wander around Copenhagen ranked the city waaaay up there in my list of favorites.  It really is a beautiful, interesting, vibrant place.  I'm a huge fan of Copenhagen.

Another vacationy day I remember in Copenhagen was when my family was here and we spent an afternoon before our flight to France taking the cannot-be-missed canal boat tour and getting some Danish hot dogs.  Unfortunately, even though it was June, their day was a bit rainy and cool, but I hope they still could enjoy the place even so. 

So before I end by dumping a bunch of photos here, I'll just say that if I had to live in a largerish city for the rest of my life?  Copenhagen.  Hands down.

Nyhavn

Tally is unimpressed with the most expensive real estate in the city

Roskilde and the Motherland

Sorø

There are three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Denmark.  One in Helsingoer, one in Jelling, and one in Roskilde.  Since we'd made it a point to try and see all the nearby UNESCO World Heritage sites there were in our home in Germany, we made a pact to to the same for Denmark and subsequently spent a day in the summer of 2013 traveling to Roskilde to see the cathedral where all the kings and queens of Denmark are buried as well as the viking ship museum.

But perhaps more memorable was how, on the way back home, we got off the train at the small town of Sorø - my mostly-matrilineal homeland (my grandmother's maternal grandfather's line comes from the area).  I'd always liked Denmark, from the first moment I saw the place, and felt a connection to it even before I knew for certain that I had a family connection.  Being able to walk around the old town and church at Sorø, that time in 2013, and later going to the nearby village of Munke Bjerby with my family in 2014, really solidified my attachment to this lovely country.

Langeland: Our First Trip in Denmark

Way back in the summer of 2013, only a few months after we'd moved to Denmark, we went on a short one-nighter trip with the university's international club to the island of Langeland (literally: long country). 

It was great fun.

Even when it poured buckets the entire first day - it seems the international club trips are just doomed to be rained on (see Bornholm). 

If I were ever to go back, here are the things I'd do again (which was almost everything).

- Rent a "luxury tent" at this beach-side vacation camp place on the northwest coast.  The tent had mattresses, separate rooms, wood floors ...running water!  It was a Harry Potteresque experience.

- Go to the Tranekær Castle grounds and gardens again.  When we were there, there was actually a really interesting collection of "natural art" (art made only from natural materials that would gradually decompose) in the garden.  One of my favorites featured huge stones on top of wooden branches - the branches would gradually decompose and the stone would move slowly down the sculpture, like a clock of sorts.  

Also, I always think of this castle as "Cranberry Castle" since it's name sounds like the word for cranberry (tranebaer)...and it's painted this color...

- Go biking!!!  The quintessential Danish experience.  And our short, four hour bike ride from Rudkobing to Lindelse and back through the countryside on the Danish biking highway system, being our first longish ride, really got us excited to do more on our own, larger island of Fyn.  Plus, there were moments when we biked by a windmill, bright yellow canola field, 14th century church, or little "pay what you want" un-manned roadside produce stands when...shoot...it was just like EUROPE!

All in all, a really awesome first trip in Denmark outside of our Odense base.  I really hope to go back someday.

Making it Official

The past month, our child has technically been a man without a country.  But yesterday, we had our appointment at the U.S. Embassy to officially make him an American citizen, which was kind of a process.

We had to complete three different form series - one for a consular report of a birth abroad, one for social security, and one for his passport to prove citizenship.  It all required no tiny bit of stress on our part, especially since we had to make an appointment more than a month in advance and if we had something out of order, would have to book another one and come back to Copenhagen at no small expense and postpone our trip to the U.S.

But, I'm happy to say that after going through the insane security to get into the embassy, everything else went very smoothly.  I think the most fun/meaningful part of the process was standing there next to Paul, holding Hade in my arms while Paul and I raised our right hands in front of a consular officer to take an oath on behalf that newest little American.  If it had been longer than the 1.5 lines it was, I would have been at risk of getting emotional about it.

So here's to Hadrian the Hunn, signed off super officially and expecting his first passport in the mail.  A pretty great present to celebrate his one-month birthday.

2014: A Retrospective

2014. Oh, 2014.  You were so much better than 2013!  

Today is the first day of 2015, which is actually a really sad day because my mom left us to go back to the US this morning.  (It was really sad.  Like, I'm holding a baby and doing the thing where you start running next to the train as it pulls away to try and keep up with the person looking out the train window.  And everyone is crying...except for the baby who is miraculously asleep?)

But I think 2015 will be a really good year, even if it started off with a sad goodbye scene.

But we're not here to talk about 2015!  We're here to bid a fond farewell to 2014, one for the record
books, in my usual style...

January

I started my job in Copenhagen as a GIS Consultant for COWI/Maersk Oil.  It was really intimidating, but also really rewarding and helped me gain back some of my old self-confidence.  Plus, the lunch food!  And a Danish salary!  Woo!


February

Paul began his course for a Commercial Diving license which involved a lot of studying, a night where we had to measure every single random point-to-point body measurement for his dry suit (like, tip of large toe to ankle bone back to pinkie toe - that kind of thing), and some week-long diving trips.

One of which was during February and to the west coast of Denmark.


I just worked and commuted, but enjoyed it all thoroughly.

March

We had our 6th Engageversary and went to see the UNESCO rune stones in Jelling and to the coastal city of Aarhus on the Danish peninsula to get our annual beach walk.


Paul went on another week-long diving trip to Germany and the day after he got back, I sent him on a biking treasure hunt that ended up at the nicest restaurant in Odense where I told him I was (like, 89% sure that I was) pregnant.

April

Was a bit busy.  I spent the night in Copenhagen one weekend to go to the ballet with a new friend and went on a business trip to Aberdeen, Scotland for three days.   When I was home, I spent a lot of time organizing and arranging for all the travel details for my parents' and sister's upcoming Europe trip.  Seven countries in three weeks...that makes for a lot of ticket-buying and reservation-making. It also began to dawn on me that perhaps I wasn't going to be plagued by morning sickness (and it ended up being true!).

Paul finished his diving course at the end of the month with a big exam in Esbjerg.  (Also, he didn't want me to tell anyone, but I'm going to anyway.  He ended up getting the highest score anyone had ever gotten in the program's history.  So...if you ever have a question about how to calculate air tank pressure or whathaveyou, you know who to call.)

May

Was a great month!  We traversed Scotland for the first 13 days of the month, going from Edinburgh to the central highlands to Loch Lomond the west coast to the Inner Hebrides to Loch Ness and back around again.  My highlight was probably summitting The Storr on the Isle of Skye, just Paul and I alone in the mist with a herd of sheep.  Paul's highlight was...everything.

Paul also briefly traveled back to Rostock for a couple meetings and helped teach a field biology course off in the woods for a week.

At the end of May we traveled to the south of our island and had our first ultrasound appointment.  That was the first time everything began to feel really real.

AND I turned 30.

June

We were traveling with my family for pretty much the entire month and went on an epic and constantly on-the-go adventure around Odense/Aero/Copenhagen, Paris, Pisa/Florence, Rome/Vatican City, and the German/Austrian alps.

If you ever want to go stay for a bit near Garmisch, let me know and I can pass along the contact info for the all time coolest house you can rent right up against the Zugspitze.

June was also the month we first told anyone that I was pregnant - so pretty fun.

July

Mostly this was a lot of work make-up and recovering from our travels in May and June.  The summer in Denmark was unusually warm this year, so we didn't mind hanging around.

At the end of July we had our second, and presumably last, ultrasound and found out we were having en lille dreng (a little boy)!   We were really shocked, actually.  Guess that comes when both parents pretty much grew up with sisters.

August

At the beginning of the month, I planned a huge surprise for Paul.  I planned a long weekend trip to see some of the most beautiful fjords in Norway - places he'd always dreamed about seeing.  I did it because he'd mentioned a couple times how he probably wouldn't be able to go see them now that we were having a baby and so I was determined to get us up there pre-third trimester.    The moment of the surprising was awesome as was the weekend.

Otherwise we mostly worked and hung out at night together.  I continued to be pretty consistent about going to the pool to swim for an hour - something I was really bad at but sure enjoyed a lot.

September

On the first day of my third trimester, Paul and I did a 5K Color Run in celebration.

We also took a weekend trip with the University's International Club to the island of Bornholm, off Sweden.

I had my big glucose test to see if I had gestational diabetes (didn't.  hurrah.).

AND for our anniversary we took a week to travel around Andalucia, visiting the big sites (La Alhambra, La Mezquita, the hill towns, etc.) I've dreamed about seeing since I first learned about the Moors in my 9th grade Spanish class. 

October

At the first of the month, we attended our one-and-only birth preparation class (the English one was a one-time deal, only given twice a year) and I proceeded to pass out in the middle of the presentation and got wheel-chaired to the clinic for observation.  Embarrassing...but a good story!

I also was given a very lovely baby shower by some friends in the middle of the month.

And, since Paul and I couldn't really travel like we used to at this point, we made a pact to go out to a really nice dinner or activity every Friday night until the baby was born.  This was an excellent idea.

I started finishing up my work for COWI since my maternity leave started at the beginning of November.

November

We continued our Friday-night pact, visiting some very, very amazing restaurants (super expensive, no regrets) and one time going to the Odense symphony to watch Pirates of the Caribbean while they played and sung all the background music.  

Paul continued work, I began maternity leave and went to a GIS conference at the University of Copenhagen, and we celebrated a very nice Thanksgiving with friends and neighbors.

I spent a lot of time cooking food and freezing it.  Turns out my nesting instinct is all about hoarding lasagnas.

December

We welcomed our son, Hadrian, to the world.


My mother traveled all the way from the US to spend three weeks and Christmas helping us and loving him.

And last night we all stood at our window and watched the incredible fireworks that happen on a northern European New Year's Eve.  All together.  Three generations in Denmark.  It was a big way to end a big year.

***

Onward.

2013 /// 2012  /// 2011

The Danish Name Law

It's not really a huge deal in continental Europe, but something that has surprised a lot of expats we've met are the Name Laws, particularly if those expats are expecting a baby.

Generally, the name laws are set up to make sure parents don't give their children horrible, weird, embarassing names (so they say...) - or otherwise try to be like celebrities.  So, I can get the point.  The problem is that sometimes, say, if you're from Bali, you may want to name your child a Balinese name...and chances are that there aren't so many of those on the "approved list"

Apparently, the Danish Name Law is one of the strictest ones around (according to the New York Times).  And this hasn't been especially comforting to think about, even when (after scrutinizing the law's entire book-length text) I know that it technically doesn't apply to us since we aren't Danish citizens.

But even if we're technically exempt, we will still have to get a special letter of approval from the local parish which we need to be able to get our name certificate which we need to get an international birth certificate which we need to get a passport for the fetus.  Soooooooooo...I just don't want to have to come up with a water-tight, legal argument to bring to the nice little parish person in charge of names to convince them that yes, even though we aren't Danish, our choice of the name Whateveritwillbe is okay because it isn't weird in America.

Because the thing is that we LIKE names that will be weird in America!  Like, one of my approval criteria has been something like "Has this been in the top 1000 names, ever?"  If the answer is yes, well...then...things aren't looking so good for that name in my mind.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now.  The real reason I wanted to write this is because one night when I was freaking out about the minuscule possibility that we would have to defend our choice of Noneofyourbusinessrightnow as a name to some random Danish person, Paul was like, "Well, let's just look at what kind of names are on the list and maybe it will make us feel better."

So, now I present to you some of our favorite officially approved Danish (boy) names:

• Tuna
• Them
• Ajo
• Legolas
• Alp
• Amen
• Army
• Bi
• Bum
• Texas
• Curd
• Ditz
• Eke
• Eg
• Emo
• Frosti
• Hack
• Ho
• Ion
• Jazz
• Jerk
• Kid
• Law
• Mass
• Math
• Merlin
• Mock
• Miso
• Moowgliie  (I don't know...it just makes me laugh)
• Nail
• Neck
• No
• Or
• Oz
• Rejer (it means shrimp?)
• Rot
• Seat
• Slim
• Sic
• Smokey
• Snake
• Snoopy
• Syv (means Seven?)
• Toto
• Turf
• Vile
• Woo
• Yo
• Yoda
• Zippy

So....I'm not that worried anymore.

Bornhom: The "Sunny" Island

We interrupt this recap of Dunns-Come-to-Germany 2012 to do a quick post about our trip to the island of Bornholm this last weekend.

We signed up to go on a little three day jaunt with the university's International Club because 1) they always plan really great things for a really super price and 2) we really wanted to go see this Bornholm place because it's just kind of an odd Danish duck.

Bornholm actually lies to the southeast of Sweden and is closer to Poland than Denmark.  In it's history, it's been part of various countries, but always seems to wind up back in Denmark, even though, if you believe our proud Bornholmsk tour guide, most residents really feel as if their little island is more like it's own country than part of anything else.

Plus, Bornholm is a rocky island.  I know that sounds...underwhelming...but no other place in Denmark looks like this.  A lot of the time I felt like we were back on the Oregon coast than halfway across the world.  It was so wonderful to see crashing waves and tidepools again.

Finally, Bornholm is famous for being the sunniest place in Denmark.  Which is why it rained practically the entire time we were there.

SO.

After driving over the bridge into Sweden and then taking an incredibly fast catamaran ferry to the island, our first stop was the Bornholm Technical Museum.  Which was a strange name, I thought, since it was explained as a private museum where people donated their collections of things.  Sounds boring.  Actually, it was so incredibly fun because you were free to climb on, pick up, tinker with, try on, and really figure out anything you wanted to.  In one room there was a wall of old gramophones that I could wind up and actually use to play antique recordings.  Or a fully functioning 19th century kitchen where I could use old-timey egg beaters and hand-cranked grinders.

Really.  I would go back in a second.  It was a giant playground of history.

Tea cup collection.  About 10000 of them.

In the WWII collection

Check THAT off my fantasy list

The next day we spent driving around Bornholm and learning about the island's different natural landscapes, villages, and churches.  We went to the echo valley - which is famous for...echoes.

Took a stroll around the village of Sveneke to check out the glass works, chocolatiers, caramel shops, and the infamous home of Danish licorice (nasty, nasty.  It's still nasty.)

And ended at the famously round Ols Church. (It was very awesome).

 On our last day, we had the chance to visit the beach with the softest sand in the world - Dueodde Beach on the far southern tip.  Seriously.  It's famous for its soft sand.  And the reputation is totally deserved.  I could have walked along that beach all day, it was so incredibly nice.

I pretty much just wanted to stay here for 8 more hours

But, we had a lunch appointment to make at one of the famous Bornholmsk fish smokers where we shared a super-Bornholmy meal, including a super-Bornholmy smoked herring.

I'm usually overwhelmed by smoked meat, but I have to admit that the herring was pretty fantastic.  I'd have a couple more in my life, no problem.

Then it was back to the ferry, back to Sweden, and then back to Denmark.  We've had two days back to work now but tomorrow we head off on another, longer trip.  So, stay tuned for more travel reviews in a week and a half or so.

********
I'm counting down the days until my third anniversary of living in Europe by recapping trips that I never got around to highlighting.  You can see the list of trips (and links to them as they are written) here.

Countdown to Three

In a little over a month, I will hit my three-year anniversary of living in Europe.  (say whaaa?)

In honor of that notable fact, I would like to make a goal here to get on top of a travel post backlog that has been building up since Italy 2012.

So, we'll go chronologically-ish and geographically-ish (and hopefully I don't forget anything...I'll try at least...) and I'll post bits and pieces on:

Germany
* Luebeck
* Stralsund and Ruegen
* Leipzig
* The Black Forest and Rothenburg ob der Tauber
* Neuschwanstein Castle and environs
* Munich
* Saxony Road Trip (quite a few places, actually.  Bautzen, Dresden, Seiffen, Annaberg-Bucholtz, Freiberg, Wittenberg... )
* Bremen


Greece
* Athens and Cape Sounion

Denmark
* Langeland
* Roskilde and Soro
* Copenhagen
* Aero
* Helsingoer
* Bornholm

Portugal
* Lisbon
* Sintra
* Belem

France
* Paris
* Versailles

Scotland
* Edinburgh
* Glen Lyon
* Oban
* Skye One, Two, and Three

Norway
*Bergen and environs

Italy, the second time around
* Pisa

Spain
* Seville
* Zahara
* Granada
* Cordoba


Holy...

Uhm...hm...Maybe I'll be a little forgiving with that deadline.

Also, I'm reeeeeally not going to go back and put in all the correct accents and Scandinavian letters on everything.  This is a travel log emergency, we don't have time for that stuff just at the list stage!

It's Summer, You Know?

Haaaahahaha.  The last post here was the one Paul wrote about diving!

I had no idea.

See the thing is...is that it's summer.  Or..."summer" in Denmark which pretty much feels like fall.  It's all sweaters and soups and reading on cozy rainy days.

But, you see,

We had Scotlands to hike in (half of May).

Entire Europes to drag my family around (all of June).

Julys that actually hit temperatures above 65 degrees (well...July).

Norways to ford fjords in (August).

Fetus (not plural) to incubate (all of the above months plus three more).  And okay, sure, that doesn't really take up any extra time of mine, technically, but it has taken up a lot of time in things like:

1. Biking for hours trying to find anywhere with business-attire-worthy maternity clothes--or any maternity clothes for that matter.
2. Translating pamphlets, booklets, and letters from the hospital.  They all start with what essentially comes out as "Dear Pregnant,"  So whenever I see another pregnant person I always want to be like, "Hey, fellow Pregnant!"  Or sometimes Paul is like, "Good morning, Pregnant."
3. Figuring out how to fit an admittedly small human and its admittedly not-as-small amounts of stuff into 45 square meters of not-particularly-forgiving layout along with three fish, two adults, and Devito.  (Our solution?  Less stuff!   Groundbreaking.)
4. Eating.  When I'm not working, I just spend a lot of time getting food, transporting food, making food, watching Paul making food, and eating food.  It's my newest, greatest hobby.  I probably should have written about COOKIEMANIA 2014 somewhere because it was a very memorable era of my life (now, hopefully, over).
5. "Swimming." Second only to eating as my newest, greatest hobby.  I'm incredibly not good at it, but it's so freakin' enjoyable!  Plus I look awesome at the pool.  Imagine the pastiest color of skin possible, with a black swimsuit (that was perhaps a poorly chosen contrasting color), and a big giant stomach plus a very tight swim cap and goggles.  I waddle out there and don't even care.  I'm like, Step aside, Danish Ryan Lochte!  I'm here to doggy paddle like a BOSS!

Sooooo.  That's all I'm going to say about all this so far.  

But also maybe to say that it's our 6th anniversary in three weeks and it was my turn to plan the celebration.  And we're going to go to Andalucia because I used to "speak Spanish" (thanks, ten years of Spanish classes!) but have never once been in a Spanish-speaking country, I love cured ham, it's going to be hot, and I just want one chance to be that annoying spouse who is all like, "No no, it isn't Sev-ILL-a, it's Sey-VEE-ya!"  

And to see the Alhambra - which has been a personal goal since I was twelve.  I had goals like that, okay?

Dive In!

Yes, I know.  This is weird.  I never, EVER post anything on the blog.  Heidi does such a great job of it, I really can't hope to compete.  But I just got to do something cool that Heidi didn't do.  To be fair, she wasn't offered the choice of doing it (although I have my doubts whether she would want to...).

This "something" was a commercial diving course which will allow me to SCUBA dive as part of my work.  It was one of the most exhausting, cold, and WET things I have ever done in my life.  And also one of the most rewarding and fun.

Want to know more?  Then suit up, make sure your gear is working, and enjoy the pictorial journey.
And remember: don't forget to breathe!

Week 1: Kjelst, Denmark (10-14 February)

Setting up the equipment for our first dives in freezing (literally, FREEZING) cold water

Getting the diver dressed

Tending the line (and enjoying one of the rare moments when it wasn't raining or hailing)

My turn to go in.  Yes, the gear does make you look sexy, but know this:
it comes with the price of a seriously sore back the next day

Please don't let it be as cold as last time!

Evenings were spent practicing other skills, like tying knots.
We would eventually have to tie all the knots underwater.
Wearing 5 mm-thick gloves.  Blindfolded.  Yeup.

On the last day in Kjelst, the sun came out.  It was glorious.

Week 2: Hemmoor, Germany (March 23-27)

Diving in Hemmoor was awesome for several reasons.  First, and most importantly, the water was much warmer:
a balmy 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) .  Second, look at that view from the dock!

Monitoring communications during the dive.  We used these cool helmets that had microphones in them so that we could talk to the people on the surface.  Came in handy sometimes.

Here is the helmet in action

In addition to the helmet, we also always had a rope connected to us so that we could be found (or pulled back) if we got into any trouble.  Luckily, that was never needed except during our rescue drills.

Looking at your own bubbles rise to the surface is a pretty special thing

Week 3: Fredericia, Denmark (April 7-11)

Our last dive site was near the bridge that connects the island where Heidi and I live to the mainland of Europe

One of our tasks we had to complete underwater was to sketch something to scale.  Not an easy task when you A) can't draw to begin with, B) are wearing thick, neoprene gloves, C) can only see a few feet in front of you at any time, and D) keep dropping the board and have to swim down to get it

One of my favorite tasks was photographing the animals growing on the piers.  Here are some sea squirts, sea anemones, and assorted other hydrozoans

And a green crab

Our final exam involved doing a little underwater carpentry.  Here you see our tool basket, complete with saw, hammer, chisel, clamp, and ruler.  Notice how the wood floats.  Usually, that isn't a problem.  But when you are trying to work with the dang stuff underwater...it's a problem.

But despite the wood's best efforts to escape from us, we all managed to
complete our "Greek Crosses" and pass our final exam!

A great course with some great people.  Thanks for diving in!