3 Texans and a Brazilian in Denmark for Christmas

Our Christmas was so nice and relaxing. We woke up in the morning and opened all our presents our families had sent to us and our gifts to each other. We have been talking about getting new knives because ours are getting really dull. Michael surprised me with new AWESOME knives and I got him some coffee cups he really liked.

For dinner we had invited Daniel and Fran over. Daniel is one of the Texas Tech Students here studying at Denmark Technical University. Fran is also a student at DTU and is from Brazil.
Fran made us "Greek Rice" from Brazil. It is a traditional Brazillian Christmas Food. It was cool to hear about her Christmas and New Years in Brazil. It is summer down there right now and she thought it was quite strange to be celebrating Christmas in the winter. She also told us about how they hang out on the beach on New Years. Ah, that sounded nice.

Of course we would have preferred to have been in Lubbock or El Paso for Christmas, but we had a really great Christmas despite that fact.

Fran and Daniel

US!

Dinner

Frans DELICIOUS Brazilian "Greek Rice"
It contains rice, carrots, pecans, raisins, and sliced ham

Æbleskivers for dessert

It was cold and windy on Christmas Day.
This is Fran and Daniel cold before they even stepped outside

Christmas Weekend

Michael came home really early on Friday so we got the gym out of the way very early, came home, ate dinner and went on a little walk around Lyngby to take pictures of all the decorations and shop windows. It was FREEZING out, but we had fun.

Our Building decorated for Christmas
Our flat is on the far right at the very top.

The Window Display at Johannes Fog

Chocolate Shop Window

The Lyngby Hovedgade is the main street in Lyngby where all the shops are. It is an old cobblestone street and located just a block or two from our flat. We walk on this street daily, and Michael walks this at least 4 times a day! Once to get to work, then to get back, then to get to the gym, and back again! In the big intersection there is a big crown hanging. It is usually only up at the holiday time and in the summer around the time of the Lyngby Town Festival.

Lyngby Hovedgade Decorated for Christmas
This one looks better if you click on it to see it big.

Sunday night Michael and I made Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies and Sugar Cookies together.
The chocolate chips you buy here are much different than the ones in the states and I think are a bit sweeter and bigger, so while they were really good, I prefer them with the smaller less sweet Chocolate Chips. It actually created more of big pockets of Chocolate rather than small little bits of chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sugar Cookies
These turned out awesome!

As we started to make the cookies Michaels family called us on Skype from Lubbock from Nanas house. We were sitting (And by we I mean the laptop and webcam) were sitting at the counter so we had a good veiw of the table. It was so much fun and we felt like we were right there with them. The best was when we answered everyone started singing to us and Nana was in the background recording the whole thing. We talked with them for quite some time, and everyone was walking around and different people would sit and talk with us and it really felt like we were there. It was great.

In Denmark Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, which is really quite funny to us. Flemming and Maja invited us over to their house to spend Christmas Eve with them and some of Mayas Family. It was a lot of fun with all the traditional food and the singing and walking around the Christmas Tree just like last year. Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took didn't turn out so well.

Dinner

Flemming and Helena

Arrival to Paris

Our trip to Paris was awesome....short and freezing, but awesome!

We arrived to the airport and checked right in and headed to the SAS Lounge where we ate lunch and relaxed a bit. This was the first trip that we have gone on since moving back to Denmark that we didn't have to go through passport control so got to stay a little longer in the lounge than normally. On the way to our gate we had a GREAT surprise! We saw that a 2nd Starbucks opened up in the Copenhagen airport!! This one is through the security check between terminals A and B. The first starbucks was opened this summer in the airport but it is before the security check. This made me very happy especially as they were handing out little samples of yumminess. Maybe a stand alone store in Central Copenhagen isn't too far off? A girl can hope can't she?


Our flight was uneventful but we got some very good food and free champagne, wine and I had a Baileys and Michael had a Whiskey. We landed, got our luggage and went to the RER station to catch our train to the city center. Since we have been to Paris before it didn't take long to know where to go and what to do to get our tickets.

Michael Purchasing the RER tickets (he is at the second machine from the right)

The train ride took about 40 minutes to get to the St. Michel/Notre Dame Station and a short walk to the hotel from there. Myra, you would have been driven crazy knowing there was a station closer to the hotel but we would have had to change tracks! The hotel was really cute and the staff very nice.

Our Room

I thought the ceiling was quite nice too. You don't see many hotels that have the wood beams on the ceiling.

We dropped off our stuff and immediately headed out into busy Paris. It was already about 7:30 and dark but made our way down to the river and Notre Dame. I am not sure why but for some reason I was more taken with Notre Dame than I was on our first visit. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was wonderful, beautiful and magnificent the first time, but it just struck a stronger cord with me this time. We walked up to the doors after admiring it from the far end of a square when all of a sudden a mariachi band walked out of the doors playing and sining. That made us both laugh

Beautiful Notre Dame

Notre Dame with Christmas Tree

We left here and walked around the Latin Quarter for a short bit before hitting up a patisserie for some baguettes to eat for dinner and retired to the room. There wasn't much to choose from on French TV so we watched the Republican Debate on CNN while we ate our AMAZING baguettes. We called it an early night so we wouldn't be inclined to sleep in the next day.

Countdown to Christmas

Advent Candles are a huge tradition here at Christmas time. The last one we lit was Christmas of 2004 in Lubbock. Klaus had given it to us along with an æbleskiver pan. Typically they are tall with the numbers going down the candle. You light it and burn it each night until it burns down to the following days number.


This year we found some really cute ones. They aren't tall but are individual little square lights with numbers. It has been fun to light them and watch them burn the past two days.


We have also been watching a little Danish show called, "Jul i Svinget" by request of our Danish Teacher. It is aired every night from December 1st until Christmas Eve. It is pretty cute and a fun little Christmas thing to watch in the evenings :o)

Jul i Lygby

Sunday was "Jul i Lygby" or "Christmas in Lyngby". There was a little parade through town with not 1, not 2 but 3 Santas! By little parade I mean it passed in about 2 minutes, but it last about 45 minutes as it made its way through the 3 big main streets in Lyngby.

The parade ended at the Lyngby Town Hall, where the lighting of the big town Christmas tree took place. It was FREEZING out so we bundled up very well. We had a nice time in our little community and it was fun to see so many happy people out in the streets. Unfortunately our camera and video camera died before the lighting actually happened.

Michael in front of the Post Pub.
We walk by this building every day on our way to the gym.
My main grocery store is located right next to this building

Video of the Little Parade

Me with the Lyngby Christmas tree

We got some Glogg and Æbleskiver's to help get into the Christmas spirit

This picture is taken where the big Christmas tree is. It is just a few minutes walk from our flat. You can see a big black building in the distance in this picture. That building is the same building that you can see from our balcony. Also, to the right in this picture you will see a clock hanging on the wall of the building. Right below that is the store where Michael and I purchased our wedding rings from 5 years ago!

Same black building as seen from the Pate Pad

Friday night we also put up our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree along with the rest of our decorations. It is goofy looking, but he is kinda cute in his own special way.

You might recognize this tree from somewhere.
He is from our balcony.

Around the World in 80 Minutes

You may or may not remember that last year for our anniversary we went to Tivoli to see the annual "Crazy Christmas Caberet". It is an audience participation play. (You get to cheer at the good guys, boo at the bad guys and more) Last years show was called, "Bored of the Rings" and this year it is "Around the World in 80 Minutes". We had talked about going on our anniversary again but the seats left for that day weren't so good The first show is tonight and and everything up till Christmas was almost sold out with only bad seats left. We did find some good seats on Saturday, so we will be doing that this Saturday and I'm quite excited about it. The show is always in English, and last year was HYSTERICAL! I'm sure this year will be no different. Tivoli does not open for Christmas until next weekend so that will take away from the experience, but since we have that wonderful year card, we will just wonder back once it opens for Christmas. :)

http://www.londontoast.dk/

Our First REAL Danish Christmas

While this was actually our second Christmas to spend in Denmark, it was actually our first real Danish Christmas. We left on Saturday to head to the other side of Denmark. We met Klaus at the Central Copenhagen train station in the morning. We went a little early to make seat reservations for the way back home and for some coffee. We hopped on a train at 11:00. Since we didn't have seat reservations and the train was packed we had to stand for the first 3 hours of the trip!! The last 2 hours, seats cleared up and we finally got to sit down.

The town Klaus is from is cute and little and surrounded by "country". It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of big Copenhagen. Klaus's parents were so nice (we had met his mom once before in Dallas) and made us feel right at home. They fed us non stop and it was all really wonderful food.

Christmas Eve Klaus took us to a wooden tower for a really cool view of the area.

The Tower

View from the top of the tower. It was REALLY windy and REALLY cold up there.

We went to church on Christmas eve at a really old and really small church. It was built in 1773!!! Michael and I were squished into the pew. Thankfully the service was not long at all and we were out pretty fast.Klaus sat a few rows ahead of us and his parents on the other side of the church. We got there pretty early, but it was still filled up. Again, like I said, it was a small small church.

The Church

After Church and before dinner on Christmas Eve

Here in Denmark, they celebrate Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is just kinda put on the back burner for a day to eat leftovers and recuperate from the night before. So we got home and had a big ol feast of pork and duck, potatoes and I don't remember what else because I was too busy stuffing my face. For desert we had "Ris ala mande" Almond/Rice Pudding basically. It is a tradition that an almond is hidden in it and whoever gets the Almond, gets a present. Guess who found it? MICHAEL! He got a game which was put into good use! :)

Ris Ala Mande with cherry sauce on top

So after dessert, we played the game, and then...you ready for this? We sung Christmas carols while walking around the Christmas tree!!! This is a very very popular Danish tradition and it appears most families do it. I had read about it, but never done it. It was actually pretty fun. They had some English songs, and Danish songs, and we had to sing both. Then it was gift opening time. I had never opened presents like this before. One person would take a present and give it to the person it was for, then that person would go get a gift and take it to that person and so on and so forth. We got some really nice things and thought that was really nice of them.

The Christmas Tree

hristmas Day we went for a little walk in the town and did..literally nothing. Kinda funny to do nothing on Christmas Day.

Klaus's hometown. That is Michael and Klaus walking

The 26th Klaus's parents took us on a little tour of the area. It was about 3 hours and we drove up along the coast and back down the other side and saw lots of cool stuff. It was fun. Then we came back that evening. We left at 6pm and got back to Copenhagen a little after 11pm.

One of the places we stopped on our little tour. The North Sea. It was also really windy and really cold here!

I have a lot more pictures, but thought this was enough for right now.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!

PS as a side note: We get our keys to our flat tomorrow! Yea!!!

For Christmas I Really Want a Night in a Hotel

You know how a lot of business's at Christmas time will give all their employees a Christmas present? Well they do the same thing here. (Actually TI in Dallas did not do this.. I'm sure it has something to do with the massive amount of employees that it employs) Anyways, yesterday the TI office here got their Christmas presents. Guess what it was??? Ya, you got it, "A Night in a Hotel"! HAHAHAHA... Michael said all his co-workers were making fun of him. "oh look, I bet thats what you have always wanted" "Is the SAS Radisson on there?" Actually it's pretty cool. The hotel choices are scattered throughout Denmark, Nearby Sweden and very Northern Germany or we could pick to take something else on the card that is offered. A wine package, a food package, a glassware package. We just have to decide if we want the hotel, or something else by January 6th. I don't know what we will decide to go with. There are a lot of places in Denmark we are wanting and to have 1 free night in a hotel might just come in handy However, 6 bottles of wine is never a bad choice....Well, we have time. :)

Tomorrow we are going to the Western Coast of Denmark for Christmas. We are going with Klaus to his families place. We have been to the area once before, but in a different town. It is out in the country and are really looking forward to it. We will go by train tomorrow morning and come back on Tuesday for our last week here at the hotel.

Yesterday we went to the Lyngby town hall to register and got that all taken care of. Actually we wont be officially registered until January 1st, but we got the paperwork and all the nitty gritty stuff out of the way.

Anniversary/Room Pictures

First things First:
Our Anniversary! We had a blast. Michael came home a little early and we got dressed and ready to go. He had bought some champagne, I mean sparkling white wine (properly named, anniversary) that we had really enjoyed when we were here 3 years ago. I had also gone to a fantastic bakery/cake shop earlier and got us a couple slices of cake to go with it. On our way out we asked the Concierge service if they could send up a bucket of ice to chill it for us while we were away. Of course they did no problem. While in the lobby we got some free Glogg. You may say, what is Glogg? And what a funny name! It is a drink, similar to mulled wine and at the bottom of the glass there are raisins and almonds that have been soaked in port. You sip it, and eat the treats at the bottom with a spoon. I had missed it terribly the past 4 years, so have been so happy to have it again. We have had it from several places, but my personal favorite, was the one here at the hotel. ANYWAYS, we went to eatand see the show at Tivoli. Tivoli is pretty hard to explain. It is an amusement park, but not like 6 flags, and not like Disneyland. Its a beautiful place in the middle of Copenhagen with gardens, and restaurants a few rides, and just a really great place to go especially to people watch. At Christmas time they set up a Christmas Market and all sorts of other fun stuff. So we ate, walked around a bit, got rained on ALOT, walked around some more and saw the show there which was HYSTERICAL. It was a 3 hour show and we laughed from the start till the end. Anyways, enough on that.. here are some pictures!!!

Tivoli

Michael inside the Nisse House (basically elf house)

Me!

and for fun, heres a video from inside the Nisse Village thing... Push play :)
In the video I am drinking glogg with an added shot of whiskey. yum.




We have made it a tradition that every year on our anniversary we would take a picture by a Christmas Tree. So this is this years picture:

OK, Second! Where are we living??
I haven't taken pictures of the actual hotel or lobby yet, but here is our room! The room we were in previously was SOOO much smaller, we didn't have much space at all..Thankfully we only had to live there like 3 days! We have been in this room exactly 2 weeks today.

Front Door/Computer Desk
One of our two big windows, drawers, tvCouch and Coffee Table

Bedroom
Poor us, having to live here huh?? ;) Actually it hasn't been to bad. We both already think that this place has already become more like home then our Apartment in Plano ever did. I suppose since we never got completely unpacked there,and were there 18 days before finding out we were leaving, we never let it feel like home. Here, we have gotten pretty comfortable. Everything we have here is unpacked and well, as you can see, its pretty nice. No complaints :)