While I was in Denmark, I only went to Sweden once, despite it being so close to Denmark. It takes a mere 10 minutes to cross the Ørseunds Bridge to get there! I almost went a second time, in fact, the first day I came to Denmark (I almost got on the wrong train headed straight to Malmø central station, but that's another story...)
In any case, this time, the Brissons graciously invited me to accompany them to Malmø to see the opera, Carmen. I hadn't seen it before and I was REALLY excited. To top it off, we were going to eat at a traditional Swedish Bakery before the opera, so I was looking very forward to it.
Sunday morning, Maggie, Jørgen, their son David, their current host student, Ruby, and I all piled in their car. It only took us 45 minutes to get there from their house (which is outside of the city to the west of Copenhagen). Maggie made a comment at one point that it would take us longer to drive to the Copenhagen Opera because of where it is. Probably true!
In any case, we drove across the bridge and into Sweden. Really, Sweden (or at least that part) is pretty much exactly like Denmark. Flat, cold, with an occasional willowy tree here and there, but not incredibly diverse as far as terrain is concerned. The most exciting part of the journey for me, I will admit, was seeing an IKEA, IN SWEDEN. For some reason it seemed like some strange coincidence to see one there, you know, in its motherland.
Anyway, we got there, parked, and walked to the cafe. It was a Sunday, so of course, it was totally packed. Maggie guided us to the counter where we all selected a smorgasbord sandwich. These things were HUGE. I chose one with lots of baby shrimp piled high. It was garnished with Tomato, Cucumber, and Lemon. (I didn't eat the cucumber and tomato, but I did garnish the heck out of it with lemon juice). It was one of the best things I've eaten since I've been here.
Midway through our meal, one of Jørgen's colleagues from the Embassy in Mali met us to pick up some things the Brissons had for her. Perhaps this is a good time for me to tell you that Jørgen works for the Economic branch of the Danish Embassy in Mali. He lives there for about 6 weeks then comes home for a week or two. I have no idea how they do it. They are both very strong people. In any case, Jørgen's colleague, Angelique was very interesting. She was a Rwandan refugee who sought Asylum in Denmark about 10 years ago, and who ended up working for the Embassy in Mali. She's now studying for her masters, I think. In any case, she was explaining her thesis to us and it was very interesting. She has developed a model for predicting if African societies were ready for democracy. Really interesting!
Anyway, we talked and talked, and ate cake and hot chocolate. And by the end of it all, I felt like I had eaten about 3 days worth of food. It was actually quite nice to go outside and get some fresh air, even if it was FREEZING! Here I'll point out one major difference between the US and Denmark. On our way to the opera, we passed a park. It was no more than 35 degrees outside. If you were in the US, you would be hustling to get inside as soon as possible, probably. But Maggie suggested that we take a nice walk around the park (we had time). We did, and it was fantastic. David and I found a huge saucer swing and took turns pushing each other on it. We enticed Ruby to join in as well. It was fun to feel like a kid again.
After our play session, we headed into the opera. We were still VERY early, so we waited a bit. Jørgen pre-ordered our drinks for the intermission (I have never heard of such a thing, maybe it happens in the US, and I'm just ignorant of it). In any case, he pre-ordered them, and they were promised to appear on one of the lobby tables when we came out. Finally, they allowed us in the theatre, and we found our seats.
The first act was good, except the words and subtitles were in Swedish! I have never heard of such a thing before! I expected that it might be in French with Swedish subtitles, but alas, not so. It was funny hearing Swedish being squeezed into the popular tunes! In any case, we enjoyed ourselves (except David who kept getting the evil eye from a guy in front of us because he was explaining the plot to me a little too loudly during the first act). It was set in a very modern way, which helped us to understand it more.
As promised, our drinks were on the table during intermission. I had a Swedish brand cola which was good. We went back to the theatre to finish it up and something very interesting happened. Right after Carmen gets involved in the underworld with the nomads and such, that scene is depicted as being in a pole-dancing bar! The girls were covered up, but not very much! It was a surprise to see that in the opera, and I'm sure my American-ness was totally showing. Europeans in general have very little problem with nudity and sexuality, but I was totally blushing. Blame it on my raising! In any case, we finished the opera, which was completely depressing, of course, and went home! It was a really great time - I'm very glad we went.
Lots to tell about my biking adventures in Copenhagen, but that will have to wait until another day!
The (Swedish?) Adventurer!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Spring Frokost
Yesterday, Maggie and Jørgen invited their neighbors, Birgit and Selle over for a spring frokost (lunch). And it. was. incredible.
First, we all got up early and put the finishing touches on the meal - Jørgen cooked the Frikadeller (a Danish kind of meatball, but with onions, and a whole lot of other things in it - a SUPER traditional dish), Maggie put together the ingredients for an apple sauce with onion and bacon, and Ruby (their current host student) and I worked on keeping up with the dishes. Once everything was prepared, we had some time, so Maggie and I went to the grocery store.
Maggie and I decided to use the car instead of riding bikes there, since it was raining. Great! When you arrive at a Danish grocery store, you are likely to encounter less than 20 parking places for the whole store. Do keep in mind that Danish grocery stores are small - probably no bigger than a Walgreen's. In any case, most people bike to the store, making the need for parking slightly less prevalent. Anyway, when you get there and park, you go get a cart, same as we do in the US. But the catch is that you have to put in a 20 kroner coin to get it out. You slide it into a slot in the shopping cart and unhook the cart from a chain connecting it to the previous cart. The coin stays with you in the cart the whole time, and once you return it safely and reconnect it to the wire, out comes your 20kr. I'm going to be honest, I have no idea why this exists. Even if you were going to steal the cart, 20kr does not seem a significant enough investment to deter one from doing so (it's only about $4). Perhaps one of my Danish friends can elucidate here... but I digress.
Anyway, Maggie and I shopped in the store, and I noted that prices are even more expensive than they were when I lived here! Over $4 for a can of green beans!
Once we shopped, we came home, unloaded, and got ready for our fest. Birgit and Selle came over about 2:00 in the afternoon, right in the middle of a light drizzle. It was the perfect environment for hygge (coziness) all gathered around the table with some candles lit. Birgit and Selle did half of the cooking, and the Brissons, et al, did the other half. Once all was settled we got started on the first course (by the way, there were four).
The first course was a lovely smørrebrød spread. If you're unfamiliar with smørrebrød, it works something like building a house. You pick a piece of dense rye bread for the foundation. Next, you slather on some sort of binding material (usually butter) to hold the next layer on. The next layer can range from picked herring, sausage, or fried fish (what I had yesterday) to turkey or ham. Yesterday, we only had fish, though. So I picked a piece of fried fish (delicious), and added it to my bread. On top of the fish, you add a heart-clogging quantity of mayonnaise, such that the next layer (a bountiful amount of boiled small shrimp) will stick. You garnish with lemon juice and fresh herbs, if you so desire. Then you eat. With a fork and knife, because let's be honest, your sandwich is now about the height of a one story building. You NEVER put another piece of bread on top, because then it is no longer Smørrebrød, and it is now a sandwich. (Not to mention that one piece of rye bread is enough.)
The second course consisted of pork. Yes, pork. In all different forms and fashions. We had applesauce with bacon, frikadeller (pork meatballs), pork chops, and even some roasted pork with the cracklings still on (fat, fat, and more fat), and yes, you eat it all, and you LIKE it. Nom nom nom. So, that was that.
In the middle of all this is interspersed conversation and drinking, two things that generally go hand in hand for Danes. I was happy to be seated next to Selle, who speaks NO English. He gave my Danish a good run for its money, but I was able to understand about 70% of the conversation, which I was happy about. I might have sounded like a delayed kindergartner when trying to speak, but I got my ideas out eventually. Also in the mix are a series of drinking games disguised as "toasts". Every so often someone will cry "Skål!"and everyone at the table will give an appreciative nod to their snaps-glass (read: shot glass), will raise the glass, and sip politely. Repeat til everyone is sufficiently toasted, if you know what I mean.
After we have been "Stille og rolig" (still and quiet, or something similar) we had the next course. A cheese smorgasbord with different crackers. At this point, all the fat you ate earlier has now given way to the alcohol in your stomach, and you begin to feel tipsy. All the more reason to carb-load on crackers! (Our smorgasbord was particularly delicious with Swiss, Muenster, Bleu, and Brie cheeses). After this, you stille og rolig again, then have dessert. We had a delicious cake, sans cream, sugar, or butter, prepared by Maggie. It was really good.
By the time we talked, drank a copious amount of alcohol, and ate our four courses, it was 7:45PM. Let me say that I LOVE this style of living. Okay, not necessarily the engorging of oneself on food, which, by the way, Danes don't do often, but the conversation. I mean, when was the last time you went to a 6 hour lunch? It was fantastic. We talked about politics in the US and in Denmark, we talked about the differences between America and Europe, and we had a raging good time. This is what I came to Denmark for. This is what I have missed for the past three years. This is what I value. We had no superficial conversations - Birgit and Selle asked me what I did, but after that, there were no more questions like I'd find in my typical American conversation. No "so, what did you do last weekend?" The conversations had depth, and were hilarious.
My cup runneth over, and I am finally overcoming jet lag so I am going to wrap this up. It is with a warm heart (even in rainy Denmark) that I say goodnight.
-The (Danish) Adventurer
First, we all got up early and put the finishing touches on the meal - Jørgen cooked the Frikadeller (a Danish kind of meatball, but with onions, and a whole lot of other things in it - a SUPER traditional dish), Maggie put together the ingredients for an apple sauce with onion and bacon, and Ruby (their current host student) and I worked on keeping up with the dishes. Once everything was prepared, we had some time, so Maggie and I went to the grocery store.
Maggie and I decided to use the car instead of riding bikes there, since it was raining. Great! When you arrive at a Danish grocery store, you are likely to encounter less than 20 parking places for the whole store. Do keep in mind that Danish grocery stores are small - probably no bigger than a Walgreen's. In any case, most people bike to the store, making the need for parking slightly less prevalent. Anyway, when you get there and park, you go get a cart, same as we do in the US. But the catch is that you have to put in a 20 kroner coin to get it out. You slide it into a slot in the shopping cart and unhook the cart from a chain connecting it to the previous cart. The coin stays with you in the cart the whole time, and once you return it safely and reconnect it to the wire, out comes your 20kr. I'm going to be honest, I have no idea why this exists. Even if you were going to steal the cart, 20kr does not seem a significant enough investment to deter one from doing so (it's only about $4). Perhaps one of my Danish friends can elucidate here... but I digress.
Anyway, Maggie and I shopped in the store, and I noted that prices are even more expensive than they were when I lived here! Over $4 for a can of green beans!
Once we shopped, we came home, unloaded, and got ready for our fest. Birgit and Selle came over about 2:00 in the afternoon, right in the middle of a light drizzle. It was the perfect environment for hygge (coziness) all gathered around the table with some candles lit. Birgit and Selle did half of the cooking, and the Brissons, et al, did the other half. Once all was settled we got started on the first course (by the way, there were four).
The first course was a lovely smørrebrød spread. If you're unfamiliar with smørrebrød, it works something like building a house. You pick a piece of dense rye bread for the foundation. Next, you slather on some sort of binding material (usually butter) to hold the next layer on. The next layer can range from picked herring, sausage, or fried fish (what I had yesterday) to turkey or ham. Yesterday, we only had fish, though. So I picked a piece of fried fish (delicious), and added it to my bread. On top of the fish, you add a heart-clogging quantity of mayonnaise, such that the next layer (a bountiful amount of boiled small shrimp) will stick. You garnish with lemon juice and fresh herbs, if you so desire. Then you eat. With a fork and knife, because let's be honest, your sandwich is now about the height of a one story building. You NEVER put another piece of bread on top, because then it is no longer Smørrebrød, and it is now a sandwich. (Not to mention that one piece of rye bread is enough.)
The second course consisted of pork. Yes, pork. In all different forms and fashions. We had applesauce with bacon, frikadeller (pork meatballs), pork chops, and even some roasted pork with the cracklings still on (fat, fat, and more fat), and yes, you eat it all, and you LIKE it. Nom nom nom. So, that was that.
In the middle of all this is interspersed conversation and drinking, two things that generally go hand in hand for Danes. I was happy to be seated next to Selle, who speaks NO English. He gave my Danish a good run for its money, but I was able to understand about 70% of the conversation, which I was happy about. I might have sounded like a delayed kindergartner when trying to speak, but I got my ideas out eventually. Also in the mix are a series of drinking games disguised as "toasts". Every so often someone will cry "Skål!"and everyone at the table will give an appreciative nod to their snaps-glass (read: shot glass), will raise the glass, and sip politely. Repeat til everyone is sufficiently toasted, if you know what I mean.
After we have been "Stille og rolig" (still and quiet, or something similar) we had the next course. A cheese smorgasbord with different crackers. At this point, all the fat you ate earlier has now given way to the alcohol in your stomach, and you begin to feel tipsy. All the more reason to carb-load on crackers! (Our smorgasbord was particularly delicious with Swiss, Muenster, Bleu, and Brie cheeses). After this, you stille og rolig again, then have dessert. We had a delicious cake, sans cream, sugar, or butter, prepared by Maggie. It was really good.
By the time we talked, drank a copious amount of alcohol, and ate our four courses, it was 7:45PM. Let me say that I LOVE this style of living. Okay, not necessarily the engorging of oneself on food, which, by the way, Danes don't do often, but the conversation. I mean, when was the last time you went to a 6 hour lunch? It was fantastic. We talked about politics in the US and in Denmark, we talked about the differences between America and Europe, and we had a raging good time. This is what I came to Denmark for. This is what I have missed for the past three years. This is what I value. We had no superficial conversations - Birgit and Selle asked me what I did, but after that, there were no more questions like I'd find in my typical American conversation. No "so, what did you do last weekend?" The conversations had depth, and were hilarious.
My cup runneth over, and I am finally overcoming jet lag so I am going to wrap this up. It is with a warm heart (even in rainy Denmark) that I say goodnight.
-The (Danish) Adventurer
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Back in Copenhagen
I have safely arrived in Copenhagen after a very un-full flight on which I still managed to not sleep, despite the two seats I had to myself. Darn you, jet lag! Nevertheless, I arrived in Copenhagen on a cloudy and snowy day - which was pretty much what I hoped for. I love the weather here. I know I'm a freak, but I'll take an overcast day over a sunny one, anytime.
So far we've accomplished everything I specifically wanted to do in Denmark - my list wasn't long. The only thing I didn't do while here the last time that I REALLY missed out on was visiting Kronborg Slot, also known as Hamlet's Castle. It is not near the city, and I never took the time to get up to Elsinore. In any case, yesterday, Jørgen (Maggie's husband), Maggie, and I trekked up there to visit. A couple of observations: I expected it to be out by itself on a peninsula. All the pictures I've seen seem to portray it as such, but it is really just an extension of Elsinore. Also, I thought, "Hey! Hamlet's Castle! Must be a big hulking thing!" Definitely not. It is, as most Danish buildings are, modest. Probably only 5-6 stories tall. The courtyard area is very large, however, and the castle is undergoing some reconstruction, so the roof has not had a chance to change over to the greenish tint that all castles, etc, have here.
In any case, I'm happy to say I went, but don't think that I will need to go again. I also fear, after hearing the story from Jørgen, that Holger Dansk is poised at any minute to come surging up from the dungeons to protect Denmark's honor. I think I'd rather not be around for that, thank you very much.
Moving back down the coast, we visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, somewhere I had been before with the Brissons (Maggie & Jørgen). We had a fabulous Danish lunch buffet complete with boiled potatoes and herring. Let me also be clear that I didn't eat any herring. The last time I was here, I made it a point to try everything at least once. Suffice it to say that I tried my herring when I was here (in several forms, may I say) and cannot to this day eat it. So - Jørgen had herring, Maggie and I had pork (she is a fellow herring-fearer), and we were all happy.
We then went to look at their temporary installation, something to do with Women Deconstructionists. It was interesting, but not quite my cup of tea. These women were very brave, though, often defying social norms in the early 1900's in order to join artistic fraternities to perpetuate their art. So, that's that. The last exhibit we visited was my favorite. Massive photographs (probably twice as tall as me) had been taken of seemingly normal things. One in particular was this massive dance celebration in Pyongyang with probably 100,000 dancers in neat lines, perfectly outfitted in cheerleading uniforms (complete with pom-poms). Very surreal and disturbing to think of the cost of such an event in a country that cannot feed its population. Additionally, the photographer had a gorgeous print of a cross-country skiing event somewhere picturesque and mountainous (the Alps, perhaps?) where by the looks of it, thousands of participants were cross country skiing at once.
Yesterday was capped off by a cozy dinner and a movie. Just the kind of Friday night I like! Today promises some interesting stories as we are having a spring-frokost (spring lunch) with some of Maggie and Jørgen's neighbors. We will have all sorts of traditional Danish foods complete with the Brisson's homemade snaps (Danish liquor). Yes, Danes drink liquor at lunchtime. Sometimes I worry about my liver from my year of living here, but then I comfort myself by looking at some old Danes still racing around on bicycles well into their eighties. I figure if a lifetime of liver punishment hasn't caught up with them, then a year probably won't kill me!
In a last and unrelated note, my Danish is coming back to me. I was dejected after arriving and conversing with Maggie, as my Danish was in a bad way, but today, Maggie told me almost an entire story in Danish and I managed to keep up! Ja, Tak!
Farvel!
So far we've accomplished everything I specifically wanted to do in Denmark - my list wasn't long. The only thing I didn't do while here the last time that I REALLY missed out on was visiting Kronborg Slot, also known as Hamlet's Castle. It is not near the city, and I never took the time to get up to Elsinore. In any case, yesterday, Jørgen (Maggie's husband), Maggie, and I trekked up there to visit. A couple of observations: I expected it to be out by itself on a peninsula. All the pictures I've seen seem to portray it as such, but it is really just an extension of Elsinore. Also, I thought, "Hey! Hamlet's Castle! Must be a big hulking thing!" Definitely not. It is, as most Danish buildings are, modest. Probably only 5-6 stories tall. The courtyard area is very large, however, and the castle is undergoing some reconstruction, so the roof has not had a chance to change over to the greenish tint that all castles, etc, have here.
In any case, I'm happy to say I went, but don't think that I will need to go again. I also fear, after hearing the story from Jørgen, that Holger Dansk is poised at any minute to come surging up from the dungeons to protect Denmark's honor. I think I'd rather not be around for that, thank you very much.
Moving back down the coast, we visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, somewhere I had been before with the Brissons (Maggie & Jørgen). We had a fabulous Danish lunch buffet complete with boiled potatoes and herring. Let me also be clear that I didn't eat any herring. The last time I was here, I made it a point to try everything at least once. Suffice it to say that I tried my herring when I was here (in several forms, may I say) and cannot to this day eat it. So - Jørgen had herring, Maggie and I had pork (she is a fellow herring-fearer), and we were all happy.
We then went to look at their temporary installation, something to do with Women Deconstructionists. It was interesting, but not quite my cup of tea. These women were very brave, though, often defying social norms in the early 1900's in order to join artistic fraternities to perpetuate their art. So, that's that. The last exhibit we visited was my favorite. Massive photographs (probably twice as tall as me) had been taken of seemingly normal things. One in particular was this massive dance celebration in Pyongyang with probably 100,000 dancers in neat lines, perfectly outfitted in cheerleading uniforms (complete with pom-poms). Very surreal and disturbing to think of the cost of such an event in a country that cannot feed its population. Additionally, the photographer had a gorgeous print of a cross-country skiing event somewhere picturesque and mountainous (the Alps, perhaps?) where by the looks of it, thousands of participants were cross country skiing at once.
Yesterday was capped off by a cozy dinner and a movie. Just the kind of Friday night I like! Today promises some interesting stories as we are having a spring-frokost (spring lunch) with some of Maggie and Jørgen's neighbors. We will have all sorts of traditional Danish foods complete with the Brisson's homemade snaps (Danish liquor). Yes, Danes drink liquor at lunchtime. Sometimes I worry about my liver from my year of living here, but then I comfort myself by looking at some old Danes still racing around on bicycles well into their eighties. I figure if a lifetime of liver punishment hasn't caught up with them, then a year probably won't kill me!
In a last and unrelated note, my Danish is coming back to me. I was dejected after arriving and conversing with Maggie, as my Danish was in a bad way, but today, Maggie told me almost an entire story in Danish and I managed to keep up! Ja, Tak!
Farvel!
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