After two trips to the gas station, one drive thru stop through the golden arches for a six dollar cup of coffee (don't worry it was a cafe latte) and a couple bathroom breaks, we ended up in a little town called Aspe...oh wait, I mean Aarhus. According to the locals this city is quite large. We found the city to be bigger than Frederikshavn but calling it large is a bit of an overstatement. It took longer to find a parking space than it did to drive through the entire city. Once we found our lovely hotel, Villa Provence, we parked the car at the price of a night in many North American hotels, which should be a lesson to all those looking for travel in Europe...take the train. The hotel was built in the heart of the city and modeled after a French country inn.
The location of the hotel was ideal as we were able to explore the city the European way, on foot. The city revealed many treasures during our exploration. We first headed to a place called Den Gamle By (The Old City). This was an outdoor museum which displayed actual houses dated back as far as the 16th century. Each house was decorated for the holiday season as it would have been during the period from which it came. Also, each house depicted a different trade and how people worked during that time. The experience was enjoyable because it felt as if we were actually in a small town during the middle ages. In America, we never had much history of Denmark during the 16th and 17th century so it was intriguing to see how life was lived without the things we have today. Despite all the fun we had there, we will not request the time machine to transport us back because we would have been dead within two days. Let's face it, we are spoiled living in the 21st century.
After Den Gamle By, we took a stroll around the city on the pedestrian street. You may be wondering what a pedestrian street is, well, this is the one concept we want to take back to North America. The pedestrian street is for walkers only (Elizabeth no longer has pedestrian stress). All cities in Denmark have a pedestrian street, many of them have multiple streets. The big cities, the streets can span up to five miles. This particular walking street is lined on both sides with shops, boutiques, and restaurants. During the holiday season, the street is ordainly decorated with lights and Christmas trees, and if you are in the mood, you can purchase some cinnamon roasted nuts from one of the various vendors along the street. As we dodged the mega shoppers we took some time to relax and window shop until we had to get ready for our fine dining experience at Seafood restaurant. Yes, they did serve fish at this restaurant and yes, this was the actual name.
Now, we don't need to go into heavy detail about each course at the restaurant, but we did want to share about the choice of dessert. Since we can't read Danish too well (thanks to our teacher), we picked both options for the dessert thinking that it would be nice if we were able to taste each others selection. This turned out to be a disaster. One of us ordered what the waitress called chocolate cake and the other ordered what the waitress called cheese. Growing up in America, we assume dessert will be something sweet and tasty. When the waitress brought out the word cheese, Elizabeth and I incorrectly guessed that it would be some form of a cheese cake. Wow, we were wrong. You could smell our dessert the minute it came out of the kitchen. To our amazement the plate consisted of a variety of cheese with some olives. Two of the cheeses made me want to puke, two more of them smelled so bad I had to check my pants to see if something was there, and the last two were edible only if I hadn't cracked my tooth on the un-pitted olives that came with the cheese. I guess the next time we see the word "ost" on our dessert menu we will happily avoid it like I would if I read liver and onions instead. Fortunately, the other dessert wasn't half bad and we left the place with a very positive experience.
This was our first official "trip" away from the friendly confines of home. It was good to just get away and see something different for a change of pace. We conquered Aarhus, next is Christmas in Copenhagen. This trip will feature a couple new characters and some more classic adventures. Stay tuned.
Dec 26, 2008
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have updated the photos link. This will be the home for our photos and allows all of you (our friends and family) to view our ridiculousness without having to sign up or sign in. Hope you Enjoy.
Dec 4, 2008
Back to School
The past couple of weeks Elizabeth and I have been enrolled in a Danish class with other members of the hockey team. The class is taught by an old, seemingly toothless woman, straight out of Woodstock. Everyday she comes to class wearing flannel pajama pants, a collared "woods woman" type of shirt and a brightly colored dew-rag/head wear telling stories about her girlfriends and the Danish police. She has definitely kept the class entertaining to say the least. To show you what we mean by entertaining we will tell you a few stories...
1. This would be more humorous if you were sitting in the class with us, but our storytelling will have to suffice. Our first day we went around the table and introduced ourselves to the teacher. The introductions went smoothly and she thought she had a grasp of each name in the class. As we moved onto the lesson, one by one we had to repeat after the mastermind of the Danish language. Thankfully Elizabeth and I were at the end so we could hear all the words that were mispronounced and corrected by those who butchered their attempts before us. However, despite our good fortune in our seating arrangements, our luck would only last for so long. After muling over the words in my head I was prepared to tackle my first Danish phrase. This preparation was completely destroyed by one gigantic word from the teacher...ROD! Yes, that's right, she called me ROD and threw me completely off so I could not remember what I was supposed to repeat. After fumbling through, Elizabeth, who was next, politely corrected the teacher before she spanishized her Danish pronunciation. Now, we understand that this was the first class and didn't expect her to remember our names, so this was not a big deal. The real fun began when each and every time it was my turn she either called me Rod or Ron the entire class. It was extremely hard to say my Danish line without busting out in laughter. It is so bad even Elizabeth is giggling through her turn as well as all the other people in the class. Our second class went much the same way. Our third class was going along the same lines until one of my teammates, Mike, interrupted while giggling and told her my name was Rob. She vowed to remember my name (ROB) associating it with a story of her past. She lied. The very next rotation, she decided it was time to call me ROGER. Now the whole class had their heads down laughing uncontrollably. Despite this, we finished the class and have accepted my new names, Rod, Ron and Roger, which are used interchangeably throughout each class. At least I now have a new locker room nickname and Elizabeth is pleased that this team does not call me BOB.
2. If you don't really like learning, then this class is for you. If you like storytelling, then please sign up ASAP. For every ten minutes of language instruction, there is twenty minutes of "Girlfriends' stories". This is partly our fault because someone always a) asks a question which leads her off topic or b) makes a joke, which again, leads her off topic. For example, I asked if it was common to have a cat on a leash because Elizabeth and I saw some "yahoo" walking their fluffy lump the previous day (sorry cat lovers). This turned out to be the wrong question to ask. She looked at the class like we had four heads in amazement that this is not common practice among North Americans. She then went on to tell us stories about how her girlfriends prance around town with their cats in tote. She even went so far as to admit that she had tried putting her cat on a leash as well. Currently, she does not walk her cats because they refuse to wear a leash. That's a shocker?!? There are many other stories that she shared with the class that I would love to share with you but I pay the typists by the hour and must move on to the next item.
3. I shall call this one "Sex, Drugs but no Rock'n'Roll." Rob and I were sitting on our couch one evening looking over our Danish workbook when he found a shocking image. There was a page that displayed a bedroom from a typical danish house to help us learn and visualize the translation of things from a bedroom. Rob asked me to scan the page to see if there was anything wrong, I said "no." So he said "Are you sure?" Again, I said "yes, I am sure." He graciously told me to look above the bed where there hung a picture. As I looked closer, I saw a little more than I bargained for because I was looking at a black and white drawing of a fully nude woman. Now, we are clearly mature enough to handle this, but knowing the workbook is intended for children, we felt a need to laugh, hysterically. At the next class after Rob's discovery, I felt the need to share our "dirty little secret" with a fellow classmate. Unfortunately, our teach noticed us giggling and asked if something was wrong. I was laughing so hard that I could not respond, so my classmate said take a look at page 37 and the whole class burst into laughter. The teacher went on to tell us that in Europe they are more relaxed / less prude when it comes to the human form. We all understood this to some level but our teach then took us to new heights. She went on to explain how she also had a picture like that above her bed. Rob, who could not fathom the sight of our sixty year old teacher, cautiously asked "Is it a self-portrait?" She burst out in laughter and said "Nej (NO), but the picture is quite lovely because it was painted by someone famous." The whole class was in tears at this point and did not need anymore fuel to the fire but we got some anyways. For no apparent reason, she felt the need to share with us how her and her friends would export pornographic magazines to fellow Europeans because it was free in Denmark. Along with this she mentioned the drugs portion of the story. She went on to tell us how her and her friends would sit around eating "hash brownies" while flipping through the pages of said magazines. At this point, we were running over our time limit and also feeling a little creeped out, so the class thought it best to call it a day. However on our way home we were disappointed that we did not cover "Rock'n'Roll."
As of right now we are done with class until after Christmas. However, we won't be looking to rehire her as our teacher seeing as how we only managed six classes out of ten scheduled. Of those classes we actually did thirty minutes out of ninety in actual work. We were warned up front that an hour session is actually forty five minutes with a fifteen minute break in the Danish teaching world. We were not warned about consistent cancellations, random stories, and receiving new names. All and all we have many fond memories and some good stories for years to come, but very little knowledge of the Danish language.
1. This would be more humorous if you were sitting in the class with us, but our storytelling will have to suffice. Our first day we went around the table and introduced ourselves to the teacher. The introductions went smoothly and she thought she had a grasp of each name in the class. As we moved onto the lesson, one by one we had to repeat after the mastermind of the Danish language. Thankfully Elizabeth and I were at the end so we could hear all the words that were mispronounced and corrected by those who butchered their attempts before us. However, despite our good fortune in our seating arrangements, our luck would only last for so long. After muling over the words in my head I was prepared to tackle my first Danish phrase. This preparation was completely destroyed by one gigantic word from the teacher...ROD! Yes, that's right, she called me ROD and threw me completely off so I could not remember what I was supposed to repeat. After fumbling through, Elizabeth, who was next, politely corrected the teacher before she spanishized her Danish pronunciation. Now, we understand that this was the first class and didn't expect her to remember our names, so this was not a big deal. The real fun began when each and every time it was my turn she either called me Rod or Ron the entire class. It was extremely hard to say my Danish line without busting out in laughter. It is so bad even Elizabeth is giggling through her turn as well as all the other people in the class. Our second class went much the same way. Our third class was going along the same lines until one of my teammates, Mike, interrupted while giggling and told her my name was Rob. She vowed to remember my name (ROB) associating it with a story of her past. She lied. The very next rotation, she decided it was time to call me ROGER. Now the whole class had their heads down laughing uncontrollably. Despite this, we finished the class and have accepted my new names, Rod, Ron and Roger, which are used interchangeably throughout each class. At least I now have a new locker room nickname and Elizabeth is pleased that this team does not call me BOB.
2. If you don't really like learning, then this class is for you. If you like storytelling, then please sign up ASAP. For every ten minutes of language instruction, there is twenty minutes of "Girlfriends' stories". This is partly our fault because someone always a) asks a question which leads her off topic or b) makes a joke, which again, leads her off topic. For example, I asked if it was common to have a cat on a leash because Elizabeth and I saw some "yahoo" walking their fluffy lump the previous day (sorry cat lovers). This turned out to be the wrong question to ask. She looked at the class like we had four heads in amazement that this is not common practice among North Americans. She then went on to tell us stories about how her girlfriends prance around town with their cats in tote. She even went so far as to admit that she had tried putting her cat on a leash as well. Currently, she does not walk her cats because they refuse to wear a leash. That's a shocker?!? There are many other stories that she shared with the class that I would love to share with you but I pay the typists by the hour and must move on to the next item.
3. I shall call this one "Sex, Drugs but no Rock'n'Roll." Rob and I were sitting on our couch one evening looking over our Danish workbook when he found a shocking image. There was a page that displayed a bedroom from a typical danish house to help us learn and visualize the translation of things from a bedroom. Rob asked me to scan the page to see if there was anything wrong, I said "no." So he said "Are you sure?" Again, I said "yes, I am sure." He graciously told me to look above the bed where there hung a picture. As I looked closer, I saw a little more than I bargained for because I was looking at a black and white drawing of a fully nude woman. Now, we are clearly mature enough to handle this, but knowing the workbook is intended for children, we felt a need to laugh, hysterically. At the next class after Rob's discovery, I felt the need to share our "dirty little secret" with a fellow classmate. Unfortunately, our teach noticed us giggling and asked if something was wrong. I was laughing so hard that I could not respond, so my classmate said take a look at page 37 and the whole class burst into laughter. The teacher went on to tell us that in Europe they are more relaxed / less prude when it comes to the human form. We all understood this to some level but our teach then took us to new heights. She went on to explain how she also had a picture like that above her bed. Rob, who could not fathom the sight of our sixty year old teacher, cautiously asked "Is it a self-portrait?" She burst out in laughter and said "Nej (NO), but the picture is quite lovely because it was painted by someone famous." The whole class was in tears at this point and did not need anymore fuel to the fire but we got some anyways. For no apparent reason, she felt the need to share with us how her and her friends would export pornographic magazines to fellow Europeans because it was free in Denmark. Along with this she mentioned the drugs portion of the story. She went on to tell us how her and her friends would sit around eating "hash brownies" while flipping through the pages of said magazines. At this point, we were running over our time limit and also feeling a little creeped out, so the class thought it best to call it a day. However on our way home we were disappointed that we did not cover "Rock'n'Roll."
As of right now we are done with class until after Christmas. However, we won't be looking to rehire her as our teacher seeing as how we only managed six classes out of ten scheduled. Of those classes we actually did thirty minutes out of ninety in actual work. We were warned up front that an hour session is actually forty five minutes with a fifteen minute break in the Danish teaching world. We were not warned about consistent cancellations, random stories, and receiving new names. All and all we have many fond memories and some good stories for years to come, but very little knowledge of the Danish language.
Dec 1, 2008
Catching Up
Sitting on the couch, RELAXING (as Rob would say, recharging the batteries), the events of last month reeling in our minds we realize that we have been living the life of Aesop's tortoise. It has been a struggle to continue the race knowing that we were so far behind, however we kept trucking. Now, the hare is finally in site and we know that the finish line is soon to come. In the midst of constantly playing catch up, it seems that we have forgotten everything that has happened.
So..."What the H just happened?" (in Rob's words)
1. The white station wagon finally died...oh wait...I mean it is stuck in reverse, literally. The good thing about this tragic situation is that we finally got our real car, a beautiful KIA Sorento. This AUTOMATIC car is a two seater SUV and drives like a dream (diesel ONLY). I don't know how we landed an automatic...maybe because we broke two manuals...but Elizabeth is absolutely pumped.
2. The Internet is here, which means we no longer have to steal from the rink. Even though we had to install the software three times, Rob can now check his fantasy football without feeling rushed (believe me, this was a PROBLEM). As good as this sounds, we are still without a house phone so we are relying on SKYPE for our communication. Download NOW! (http://www.skype.com/)
3. We have slowly acquired a few more furnishing for the house making it more livable. We know that is better for the neighbors as well because we now have mars colored drapes that cover our "private" lives.
4. Hockey, sorry to bore you. Overall, it's going well. We have won our last two games and that is a winning streak. This winning streak thing is kind of a big deal because it is rare for this team. I am not doing as well offensively as I hoped but am playing well overall. The points will come with each passing game as I get more adjusted to European hockey and life. It would have been nice to be here for the whole season so that everything wasn't happening all at once and I would have had time to get comfortable before we started playing games. We only have six more games until an extended Christmas season break. Elizabeth is looking forward to that because we will have time to travel.
Now that we have Internet we should be able to post more on the blog, so please continue to read. If you want a specific update post a comment and we will respond.
Rob and Elizabeth
So..."What the H just happened?" (in Rob's words)
1. The white station wagon finally died...oh wait...I mean it is stuck in reverse, literally. The good thing about this tragic situation is that we finally got our real car, a beautiful KIA Sorento. This AUTOMATIC car is a two seater SUV and drives like a dream (diesel ONLY). I don't know how we landed an automatic...maybe because we broke two manuals...but Elizabeth is absolutely pumped.
2. The Internet is here, which means we no longer have to steal from the rink. Even though we had to install the software three times, Rob can now check his fantasy football without feeling rushed (believe me, this was a PROBLEM). As good as this sounds, we are still without a house phone so we are relying on SKYPE for our communication. Download NOW! (http://www.skype.com/)
3. We have slowly acquired a few more furnishing for the house making it more livable. We know that is better for the neighbors as well because we now have mars colored drapes that cover our "private" lives.
4. Hockey, sorry to bore you. Overall, it's going well. We have won our last two games and that is a winning streak. This winning streak thing is kind of a big deal because it is rare for this team. I am not doing as well offensively as I hoped but am playing well overall. The points will come with each passing game as I get more adjusted to European hockey and life. It would have been nice to be here for the whole season so that everything wasn't happening all at once and I would have had time to get comfortable before we started playing games. We only have six more games until an extended Christmas season break. Elizabeth is looking forward to that because we will have time to travel.
Now that we have Internet we should be able to post more on the blog, so please continue to read. If you want a specific update post a comment and we will respond.
Rob and Elizabeth
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