Copenhagen

Well, last Wednesday evening I flew out of Schipol direction Copenhagen for my first trip alone. I have travelled alone but I have always had somebody waiting for me on the other end. This time, I was all on my own. I didn’t arrive in Copenhagen till around 11 pm and I caught the train ticket agent just before they closed. I got situated and hopped on the right train and headed into town. Thinking back, I’m surprised how easy it was. I guess once you figure out these European systems, the rest goes pretty smoothly. I forgot my papers with the map to my hotel but I have a visual of it in my head and I start walking off in the direction I see hordes of drunken teenagers walking. I figured that would be a good sign of the direction of city center, or at least a bar. Thursday, May 13th, was Ascension Day which is a pretty big holiday across Europe I guess everyone was making the most of their day off. My hotel was super easy to find, right on the main square in downtown Copenhagen. I was going to go for a hostel, but I chickened out and after seeing how everyone was partying, I am sort of glad I was able to seclude myself from the masses.

I had big plans for Thursday but really nothing planned. I just wanted to go out and see the city. Well, my plans got delayed a bit by my love for sleep so I took advantage of the free time and slept in. I then enjoyed a not-cheap breakfast and headed out into the city. The book said to take the canal tour first to get situated with the city but I decided to stop by the royal area first. The 3rd major palace is located in the area as well as a few royal museums. Since it was a holiday, most things were closed. I didn’t think about that one. However, in the palace you can go down into the cellar/basement area and see the foundation remains from the 2 previous palaces that were built in the exact same spot. It seems that history repeats itself, though, because they both burnt down due to stove pipes not being cleaned properly and catching on fire.

My guide book recommended a few cafés to take a break at while following their recommended walking tour. I figured, if the book says so, it must be good. It was. I took a break at Cap Horn one of Copenhagen’s first organic restaurants. It is located by the old harbor, Nyhavn, with outdoor seating over looking the water and boats. One of the Danish staples is Smørrebrød and they had a wide variety of them. It means bread and butter which it is usually a piece or dense rye bread with butter and topped with fish or meats. I went for pickled herring, salmon, and roast beef. I had to eat herring once while I was in the area and it was quite delicious. They all were in fact. Since I enjoyed my lunch for 2 hours I ended up taking a late boat tour that was only supposed to last an hour but ended up going for about 1.5 hours. This isn’t usually a big deal but it made me late enough that I wasn’t able to go into anything else because everything was closed. I enjoyed the tour, though, and learned a lot about the city and its history. In the evening, I made my way back to the hotel slowly enjoying the city and an ice cream on the way. For dinner my book recommended visiting Tivoli gardens and a restaurant located in there.

Tivoli gardens are basically a large, classy theme park. They have rides, roller coasters, performing theaters, games, and a wide variety of food establishments ranging from vendor carts to gourmet restaurants. The nice part about going North is that spring is just now arriving and their tulips are just starting to bloom. I loved being surrounded by flowers…again so I had to take plenty of pictures. I decided not to go with the guide book and go with the happening resteraunt which is usually a good sign according to “Restaurant Roulette” and this time it didn’t disappoint. I read my book while having a peaceful dinner glancing up at families with running, screaming kids and thankful I didn’t have to worry about those yet. After dinner I walked through the park and even treated myself to a small Candy Floss (cotton candy) because I hadn’t had any in YEARS and I figured I was in the right place for it. I also remember why I probably won’t have any again for another several years. The sticky fingers just aren’t worth it! I have included more than enough pictures and I hope they aren’t boring. Tomorrow, my trip to Sweden!!

This is the town hall with a world clock inside that has 14,000 moving parts displayed between a double sided glass case. It was closed though, so I didn't witness it.

The 3rd of the Copenghagen palaces, of which the ruins from the first 2 are located underneath it

The royal library

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

This is the only picture I have of me in Copenhagen (the downside to travelling alone) so I thought I would include it as proof. I feel like it makes me look old and displays my future crows feet. I need to invest in some of that anti wrinkle cream!

The old harbor was historically industrial and the city is trying to make it into the new, hip area. Many modern buildings are being built, including this one, the new theater.

This used to be the largest ship building factory in Denmark. Now, it is modern apartments

These used to be cannon boat houses. Since the slope towards the water, the cannons could easily be rolled out onto boats and ships quickly if needed. Now, they are offices, meeting rooms and apartments.

Amalienborg, the queen's residence. I think the name correlation means something

The inside area of palace area

A building in Tivoli park. During my visit there, I got to watch a pantomime performance about arranged marriages and giving your first born child to the devil. Quite interesting

Couldn't skip the flowers

The roller coaster and chinese house in Tivoli. Also, bumper boats. They didn't look like much fun since one could probably row faster than they moved.

More pretty flowers :)

The main characters from the most famous Danish author, Hans Christian Anderson. I even bought one of his books there containing his 14 most famous stories including the Little Mermaid, the Ugly Duckling, and The Emporer's New Clothes. I didn't get to see the little mermaid sitting on the habor shores because she was in China at the Danish World Expo exhibit. I am still a bit dissapointed

Joe & The Juice have the right idea. I don't know if you can read, but some of the juices have interesting names. One way to sell your product!

I definitely couldn't miss taking a picture of a pink tulip!!

Liberation Day

Yesterday, May 5th, was Liberation day or, as the Dutch say, Bevrijdingspop. It is celebrated once every 5 years and I’m not totally sure why but I was told because they were in habited for 5 years by the Nazis. Wikipedia says they celebrate every year with a 2 minute silent memorial every year on May 4th for those who have died in war but I know they only get off work once every 5 years. I got lucky. So, it is a big deal and another reason for the Dutch to party so that’s what goes on. In Haarlem they have the biggest celebration in the whole country. It turns out; it all took place in the park across the street from my apartment.

I had a lot to do/see since we got the day of work and I had to go see the flowers again before they are out of season. I decided to start my Liberation day with flowers. As you can probably tell, this day will be stretched into multiple postings. First, you get happy flowers. I went to Keukenhof again. I just love that place! It closes May 18th and I’ve got a lot of plans between now and then so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it over there again or not. I had to see St. Basil’s cathedral in bloom since I had seen it at all of the other phases. It was beautiful and I’m glad I went. Maybe I’ll try to get there one more time before they close. I forgot my camera so I had to take pictures with my phone. Most of them turned out pretty well considering the circumstances, but some of the pinks look like purple. I’m not a fan of purple flowers, nor do I see them a lot. So picture them a vibrant pink and it is more accurate. Enjoy the happy flower pictures!!

St. Basil's Cathedral in bloom...finally!

TULIPS!!!!

When I took the train this past weekend to Delft I rode by field after field of tulips. I decided I had to get out and see the fields. I kept asking the guys at work but I kept getting answers of “oh they’re not ready yet” referring to the tulip fields. After seeing them from the train, I figured I better not listen whole heartedly to the Dutchmen that aren’t real crazy about their flowers to start with. I Googled and found a town south of Haarlem that is supposed to have nice tulip fields. I put Noordwijk into TomTom and headed that way. It was leading me to the city center and I knew there wouldn’t be tulip fields there so I decided to take a sign that pointed back to Haarlem. I figured I was on a good path because it at least got me off the highway and away from the traffic.

I was winding down the roads and kept seeing glimpses of the fields but I couldn’t figure out how to get to them. I was pretty frustrated and eventually ended up pulling over to the side of an exit to get a shot of some fields across the canal. I was getting happier. As I drove down the road some more, I saw some cars on what appeared to be an access road. I had to find that road! So after taking a few random exits and making laps around the roundabouts, I finally found it. It was like I struck the tulip lotto! It was field after field of color. I will say, though, that were still many flowers that have not yet bloomed. I figured I would venture up North next time and see what I find in that direction. This weekend there is also a flower display in a town. I’ll have to see if I can track that one down. But, until then enjoy the tulip pictures!!

My stopping on the side of the road/exit tulip field picture

My first pink tulip field and proof I was really there!

Can't say that I wasn't in the thick of it!

My favorite new flower. The Pioen Rose tulip...I think. My boss said they can get HUGE. I want these. I need to figure out where to buy them. I guess the first step would to be to have a yard....


Rows after rows of tulips. As you can see, some are just sprouting out of the ground.

In front of my new favorite flower. I was so happy!

Bloemencorso 2010

Today was a busy day! I managed to sleep in (a little too much) and didn’t get my run in. Now, I was “motivated” to go this morning and enjoy the nice weather but I liked sleeping more. I did go to Delft to see Annemiek’s soccer game and spend some time with Mark’s family. Ton was busy making the garden pretty and planting some new flowers. They had beautiful tulips blooming in pink, orange, and purple. They are just such happy flowers! Gina (the Mom) is usually banned from all of her kid’s soccer games because they say she is bad luck and whenever she shows up they lose (even if they were winning when she got there). We decided that my positive, good luck appearance canceled out her bad luck. It was a great afternoon for a bike ride (to and from the game) and to sit out and enjoy the garden. We had dinner in their back yard in their newly painted chairs (Ton oiled the wood) and I was thoroughly amused with fish they have in their pond. Apparently, they are a liability though because the birds eat them so they only buy cheap ones. I never thought about that being a problem.

I ended up getting home around 8:30pm and I knew the flower parade was this weekend and supposed to arrive in Haarlem around 9 pm. I got on the internet quick and looked up the route. It all meant nothing to me so with the help of Google Maps I figured out the route and realized it went RIGHT BY my apartment. I figured I couldn’t miss this opportunity so I walked out my door and around the corner and saw the people starting to line up. I figured some ice cream would keep me busy the 20 minutes I waited but the line was out the door so I gave up on that idea and just found a spot. It was perfect! No big crowds, no crowding, and I was right up front. I admit, I left a bit early because my back was hurting and I had already been out there 1.5 hrs so I figured I had seen enough. From the sounds of the traffic, I only missed a few floats. I still managed plenty of pictures though!!! I hope you enjoy them. EVERYTHING is out of flowers. Building floats out of tissue paper for Homecoming was hard enough, I can’t imagine flowers!!

Leave it to the Dutch to have a band on bikes!

The first flower float, a giant tulip!

The theme at Keukenhof this year is "From Russia with Love." Nothing says it more than their flag/symbol made out of pretty flowers!

A pink windmill out of flowers. My new Dutch favorite.

A lady in the traditional dress with purple cows.

This is supposed to be the Dutch boy and girl kissing but I sort of missed it and got the boy. He looks a bit creepy but I had to include it out of principle.

The viking ship!

The head of the viking....coming at us with his hatchet!

The masquerades!

Ariel and her mermaid friend and the moving seahorses! They really rocked back and forth!

Can't go anywhere without your pink sheep.

Did you know the Tour de France starts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands? Neither did I. Here is the flower version!

Ouch!

This morning I burned myself…..twice. The first was with the hair straightner/flat iron on my forearm. It is not a bad burn, just a little blister. But the other one! Now, it is more serious. I happened with my egg steam my mom got me when she was here. I was taking the lid off and instead of tipping the lid over; I grabbed one handle and brought it over the steamer to the other side. Of course, when my hand was over the steamer, all the steam came rushing up and burned the top sides of my pointer and middle fingers. Now this one hurts! It hurts when I move my fingers, or look at them, but not when I blow on them. Now, that isn’t real constructive to sit at work and blow on my fingers, but I think it will happen from time to time today as well as hold them against my cold water bottle.

This weekend I will head direction of Bremen, Germany to visit Nina for a few days. Nina was the exchange student of my aunt and her family, so she is my exchange cousin and only lives 3.5 hours away. We have to take advantage of the short distance and I have never really been to that part of Germany. So far the weather is cooperating but I’m sure it will rain on the weekend just to spoil our fun. The country seems to me against me in that way.

Work is going well. I got myself involved with a project that I can work the wonders of Excel that Kelly taught me. It is fun feeling like the smart one, even when a few months ago this VLOOKUP function was a complete mystery to me. Hopefully, I will now be able to pass on the knowledge as well to make everyone’s life a bit easier. Technology does have its advantages, if you know how to use it!

Since I am not happy this morning, and slightly crippled, I wanted to put up pictures of Keukenhof from my visit there with Mom. I don’t think I blogged about our afternoon there, but it was very enjoyable with tons of great flowers. I was there again last week with a man and his wife from work. They’re Americans but living and working in Scotland. I knew the wife would love the flowers, but he ended up enjoying them as well. It is just such a neat area! I have more pictures from there but I don’t have my camera to upload them. The tulip fields are slowly starting to bloom so we took a little canal tour so we could get a better look. Upon returning, our boat had a stall out when the driver tried to put it in reverse so we were stuck, in the middle of a small canal, about 20 feet from the load/unload dock. Those boats always seem to give people trouble, it doesn’t matter what country your boat is in, and they all seem to have their own personalities. Luckily, though, we had a handsome young Dutchman as the driver so he got us fixed up with only minor delays and successfully back to the dock.

So, enjoy the pictures, be happy like the flowers and I’ll try not to bore you with more flower pictures for awhile.