Copenhagen!

What a city Copenhagen was! We arrived on Tuesday at about noon, and made our way to "Chicken's Private Pension," a 400 year old house that rents out rooms. We had the largest room on our trip, access to the fridge, and two bathrooms to share with the other 4 rooms, which never turned out to be a problem. When we checked out this morning, the caretaker complimented us on the boys' behavior, noting that she was a bit scared when we checked in with three young boys. Luckily, their behavior redeemed them!!!

We were amazed how many bikes there are in Copenhagen! Again, they have separate bike lanes, but they also have traffic signals for the bikes. It was very organized, and it seems like most people bike to work. They even ride in the rain, in special rain gear. You should see the cool baby carriers they have - many of them attach to the front of the bike! They have free bikes you can use throughout the town, but Jonathan isn't big enough, so we didn't use them, despite the older boys' protests.

There was so much in Copenhagen we didn't even seem to scratch the surface. We toured an old castle that was neat - they decorated each room in a different king's style to suit that time period. It showed us how little Danish history we know, that's for sure. We also went to an art museum and the Danish National Museum, which had a great kids' place. That evening, we discovered an indoor swim complex, and spent over 2 hours swimming in their four pools. It was open until 11PM, but we left at 9PM, while it was still light out.

Yesterday, we began by taking the bus to the Little Mermaid statue, which is the most famous landmark in Copenhagen. It's not that impressive, which didn't surprise me. Next, we walked to Parken, which is the city's football (soccer) stadium. There we took a guided tour that was done in Danish and then translated into English for us - we basically got our own private tour since we were the only ones who spoke English. Luckily, practically everyone in Denmark and Sweden speak English, so the only time language has been a barrier is when we are trying to read signs (which can be very frustrating!!)

After our tour, we bought hot dogs for lunch (AGAIN) and walked to the local park. I think this park was the highlight of Copenhagen for all three boys. There was a playground, which they never touched, because they had manual go-karts (for free!!) for the kids to ride around mock roads. These roads were complete with working traffic signals, bike lanes (of course), shrubbery, and a "gas station." We were there for at least an hour and a half. We tried to relax and just run on kid time, but by 2:30, we decided it was time to move on and we pried them away, with cries of "can we come back tonight??"

Next we walked through the park to the zoological museum, which is run by Copenhagen Universtiy. This was a small, but informative museum. Benjamin and Jonathan go through places like this quickly, looking at everything. Alexander, however, goes slowly, looking at all the detail. He got caught up for 10 minutes at the live ant hill display. His powers of observation are greater than mine, that's for sure.

For our last stop, we went from dead animals to live animals, and went to the zoo. We spent about 2 hours there, because it started to rain and it is mostly outdoors. By this time, it was 7PM anyway, so we were ready to pack and rest.

This morning we awoke to POURING rain. Luckily for us, it slowed down by the time we had to catch the bus to central station. We then took a 5 hour train to Stockholm, which is where we are now. We're staying in an apartment hotel, which has a kitchenette and is about 10 minutes outside the city. Tonight we took a 40 minute boat tour around the city (covered by our stockholm card -yea!) just to get an overview of the city. There is free internet and laundry here, so right now I am doing both.

There is even more to see here than Copenhagen, so we'll try to do what we can. It should be a full three days. Stay tuned for updates...

Today we had quite a pleasant surprise. We had planned to take a walking tour of the city, followed by the Hans Christian Andersen House, and then the Odense museum. Rain was predicted, so we figured the house and the museum would be a good bet.

When we awoke, it was sunny and pleasant. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel (bread, meat, cheese, eggs, fruit, cereal, and yogurt, we began our walk. Unfortunately, the map the city gave us was terrible. After finding only one of the sights, we went back to the Hans Christian Andersen House. Kids are free, which is a definite plus. As we bought our tickets, they asked us if we also wanted to go to the children's cultural center, which is NOT free for kids. After some hemming and hawing, we grudgingly decided to pony up the extra money. It's a good thing we did, because it's the best museum we've been to on this trip. Here is the link: http://museum.odense.dk/H_C_Andersen/H_C_Andersens_Hus/Fyrtoejet.aspx?lang=en

First, we explored the free museum. It had just about every piece of memorablia you could imagine, along with displays written in both Danish and English. They had sound recordings of some of his fairy tales. All in all, however, the kids only needed about 20 minutes. By then, it was time for the free outside performance of some of his fairy tales - very cute, and "Hans" did some of the descriptions in English.

Then we went to the Tinderbox. When you walk in, everyone (adults included) choose a cloak to wear, along with items to put in its pockets. You then walk through a wooded tunnel and enter fairy tale land. It was amazing. The kids created their own swords (which we purchased on the way out), ran through the forest, making up their own fairy tales, rode wooden horses, and watched a kids' comedy show. Upstairs was an incredible art room with every kind of medium you can imagine. Next to it was a dress up room where we tried on king and queen clothing. Benjamin and Alexander got their faces painted. There was also a woodworking shop, and tons of old-fashioned toys everywhere. It was a dream come true for kids who know how to pretend.

We left for lunch, then returned for the rest of the day. I'd say they spent a little over 4 hours there altogether, which definitely made it worth the money! Dinner was once again in our room, and they are all trying to fall asleep while I write this.

They are starting to get a bit grumpy, and I think we may have stretched this trip out just a little too long. Last summer, after our 6 week trek, I made a note that four weeks is long enough. We've been gone since June 12th, and they are ready to come home. We decided to push it so they could experience as much as possible, but next time I think we'll try to stay closer to four weeks.

Tomorrow, Copenhagen, and then Friday we're on to Stockholm. From everything we hear, they are both amazing cities, so hopefully it will distract them from bickering and complaining. Right now they are just excited for the two hour train ride because that is the only time they are allowed to play thier Nintendos!!!

What we did today

A quick update - This morning we left Legoland, then traveled by bus and train to Odense, Denmark. We had intended to stay at a farm, but as I alluded to below, we were unable to get there, due to no available rental cars and buses that don't run on Sundays. To say Benjamin was disappointed was an understatement. Instead, we booked a room at a hotel in downtown Odense. The room is small, and we had to say we only had 2 kids. Jonathan will be sleeping on the floor tonight. But it's clean and was only a 5 minute walk from the train station.

After dropping off our luggage, we found some overpriced food - have I mentioned how expensive Denmark is??? I had better find a job when I get back - and then we walked to a children's playland. For 55 DKK each (about $14), the boys played in a huge indoor climbing set complete with a gigantic ball pit. We stayed for two hours, until they were too sweaty and tired to continue. (Benjamin, sitting here next to me, notes that HE was not tired.) On the way back to the hotel, we picked up bread, bananas, yogurt, cookies, and chips for dinner. We've been relaxing here ever since, aiming for an early bedtime. Tomorrow we will explore the town of Odense, Hans Christian Anderson's birthplace. It's supposed to rain, but we're not complaining because it's really the first day of rain we have had on this trip. And, Benjamin adds, they do have a ping pong table and a pool table we're going to use tomorrow when we need to dry off.

Why we love the USA

Last night Benjamin and I had a long conversation with the hotel worker, all about Denmark and his town of Billund, which reminds me of Orlando in its early Disney years. Billund houses Legoland and all of the Lego corporate offices, and will soon be home to Seaworld. As you can imagine, they are rapidly expanding, and he was very proud.

On our way back to the room, Benjamin noted that he is not always proud of the United States. So, in his honor, we have worked up a list of reasons we are glad we live in the United States, from the perspective of a family who has spent a month (!) traveling throughout Europe.

1. PUBLIC WATER FOUNTAINS - Everywhere we have been, we have had to buy water, at a very steep price, and often we can only find water with "bubbles." At our hotel in Billund, the restaurant charged us 50 DKK (12 $) for TAP WATER at dinner. We are saving our water bottles and refilling like crazy.
2. FREE BATHROOMS - There is nothing like paying for a toilet, only to find it as disgusting as a porta potty, smelly and gross. The bathroom we paid for in Vejle this morning was lit with only ultraviolet lights. And we paid 50 cents to use it!!!
3. RELIGION - Although America's religious right is scary, America is a much more religious country than any we have visited so far, at least as measured in paricipation in organized religion. Our churches play an important social/charity role in our country. Many European churches are state-sponsored, and come with the pitfalls associated with government.
4. LOW TAXES - I know those who have not travelled abroad would disagree, but the US has very low taxes. I hesitate to put this on a list of positives, because our low taxes = low public services. But for those who hate taxes, the United States is the place to be.
5. FREEDOM - This is Benjamin's contribution, and he says that in the United States we are free to do what we want.
6. CAR RENTALS - We attempted to rent a car today to get us to the farm that we ultimately couldn't reach, but were unable to becasue they were extremely expensive, and the rental places were closed, which leads us to...
7. SUNDAYS - In the United States, most everything is open at least for a bit on Sundays. Not true here. Almost all the shops in Odense (where we are now) are closed today, as are most of the restaurants, car rentals, buses, etc. Funny, this seems opposite of #3, but we Americans tend to be hypocritical, don't we?
8. MELTING POT - Looking around Legoland, 95% of the people had blond hair. Not much diversity, to say the least. With the exception of the big cities, we have seen very little diversity here. Even with our racial problems, we're proud that America has so many different cultures.
9. SMOKING LAWS - Although smoking has dimished since our last European trip (in 1998), it is still prevalent. People smoke just about everywhere. I see parents practically blowing smoke in their children's faces. The restaurants prohibit smoking inside, but on the outside terraces, you're likely to be seated close to a smoker. Yuck.
10. EXTRA CHARGES - Everything costs extra here. Today we went by a grocery store that charges for shopping carts. You also have to pay if you want shopping bags at some places. At this hotel, coffee and tea cost extra. Yesterday we would have had to pay to use the swimming pool. And with the value of the dollar, it makes it even worse.

That's all we have for now. We are working on a list of what the US can learn from Europe. Stay tuned!!!

Legoland!!!

We spent today at Legoland and had a blast. Jonathan was enchanted with all the lego creations (there were lots of vehicles). He kept looking at them and saying "they are so adorable." He was adorable saying that. And now from Benjamin...


...my favorite ride at legoland was power builders. in this ride, an assistant gives you a card. you take the card and enter it into a computer slot. then, you choose the intensity level and the moves you want the ride to perform. after that you continue to the ride area. you get on a robotic arm with your partner, and ride it in special seats! It was awesome and I rode it 7 times.

...The boys met a teenager previously from Ohio but now living in Finland. Nash hung around with us for most of the day and took the boys on all the water rides. We had a great day and got our moneyøs worth.

Big day of travel tomorrow, as we go to Odense, so we are off to bed.

And we're off again!

Tomorrow morning we leave Ottersberg for Denmark. Our first stop is Legoland!! The boys are very excited, although they are sad to leave. They've had a great time visiting with our relatives. Yesterday we swam at the local lake, and today we spent the day at the Bremen Science Center. It was incredible, and we were there from 11-6. Unfortunately, we still have to pack, and the boys are still up and wild, and it's 9PM. So it's back to Hermann's house to put them to bed and get ready for tomorrow. We leave bright and early at 7AM.

We'll probably be out of touch computerwise until we return on July 15th, but we may get the chance to check while in either Copenhagen or Stockholm. Time for another adventure!!!

Serengeti Park

We had a great day today. We went with Inid's family to the Serengeti Park. It begins with a bus ride through wild animals - you can choose to drive your own vehicle, but since we're borrowing Hermann's, we though he would appreciate it if we used the bus instead. There was a nice petting/feeding area. The giraffes came right up to the bus while the guides fed them - very exciting.

Next, we went into the park itself. They had rides for every age, and there were no lines. I mean that literally - there were no lines. When the ride stopped, people just walked on. It was about as opposite to Disney as you can get. There were no workers to help you on, and some of the rides had one worker to start three or four. Being American, I saw it all through the eyes of a lawsuit waiting to happen. It is really sad what has happened to our country with the fear of litigation. This place had no safety rails, or any of the other things we have come to expect.

Lastly, all of us but Jonathan did high ropes. Benajmin, Alexander, and I went first, then Benjamin went back on with Chris and Mattias. It was challenging but lots of fun. Now we are all filthy, and ready to shower and get to bed!! Tomorrow we're hanging around the house, getting a tour of the greenhouses and swimming in a local lake. What fun!