Random Amsterdam

A very few of the fun things we saw in Amsterdam. Here's a mailman. With his official bike.

And three examples of graffiti -- done in mosaic tiles! Now that's graffiti that will stand the test of time!

David's a sucker for big letters, and here are some that spell out Amsterdam's current marketing slogan, "I amsterdam." David would have done the word spacing a little tighter, but that's neither here nor there.

A bit more of Copenhagen

The Danish train system has its own typeface. Who cares? David.

Copenhagen public libraries were very nice to David and Delores -- who took advantage of the free Internet access to keep in touch with everyone while traveling.

Nikolaj explains about the four residences as the Queen's guards -- with their own marching band -- go about their business.

A close-up view of the rent-a-bikes David and Delores rode in town. Helpfully, they are in "We're tourists" red, so the other bike riders could be warned of D+D's wobbly riding abilities.

Nikolaj keeps his piano in his basement storage locker (with the approval of the building's council). He played and sang for D+D. Wonderful!

Nikolaj made sure David and Delores made it to their train on time, very early in the morning. Here he is walking them to the station. He's got some kind of nifty reflectors on his bike tires.

And it's goodbye to Copenhagen. Thank you, Nikolaj!

Some of Copenhagen

Upon our arrival in Copenhagen, we visited Gudrun at her job in a library. We had a bit of a challenge finding the place, but once we did, the welcome was warm!

We enjoyed exploring some of Copenhagen with Han's daughter, Ditte. The picture shows Lars, Janne (Niels's daughter) (we just ran into them!), Ditte and Ditte's boyfriend, Jonas. We are at a midwinter celebration where pieces of a world-record-sized cake were served to all comers.

The many-layered, custard-filled cake that was tasty as well as very big.

Dinner at Anne Mette and Karsten's house was just a short hop from downtown Copenhagen by train. In this photo, Gunilla with a guinea pig is toasted by grandpa Nicolaj while he's holding Henriette's daughter, Dagmar. (Dagmar's parents and big sisters were skiing in Sweden.)

Karsten with daughter Frederikke.

David and Anne Mette review her design school portfolio. She's got two more years of school to go.

Nicolaj and Michala.

All smiles: David, Delores and Nikolaj on the train ride back from Anne Mette and Karsten's house.

A Neat Trick in this Market

Back to Denmark

Can you spot Hans, Birthe and Delores catching a few winks on the ferry ride back from Norway?

Søgne and Kristiansand walking tours

Mika, Birthe and Delores on the sea shore.

Mika and Delores enjoying smoked salmon in a fish shop in downtown Kristiansand.

Mika, Birthe, Delores and Hans near the water in an area named "Paradise."

Delores, Mika, Birthe in front of Mika and Terje's house. 

At Mika's

When we arrived, Mika made some delicious soup. David, Mika and Hans at the dinner table.

Birthe, Mika and Delores talk about something. Maybe knitting.

Hans, Andrea (Mika's sister) and Ole (Andrea's friend) discussing Hans's atlas book for school kids.

Terje loading the dishwasher while everyone else gabs up a storm. What a guy.

The next night we met Mika's mother, Barbara.

And we went to dinner in town. We had skrei -- seasonal cod -- very tasty.

Birgit and Frode

Breakfast at Birgit and Frode's house. An American flag was on display outside their door. And a U.S. flag was on the table as well. And candy bowl with the stars and stripes (a gift from A. Greta during their visit to the U.S.) was filled with candies.

Birgit and Frode's grandson, Christian, was there, too. He's little upset that he has yet to start studying english in school, he felt left out of the conversation and watched cartoons while the rest of us socialized. Jeppe, Astrid, Hans, Birthe, David and Delores were also in attendance.

Astrid and Jeppe

After breakfast at Birgit and Frode's house on Sunday, we visited the church. It was a bit of a foggy day.

Astrid in the graveyard by the old church.

Birgit, Delores and Astrid.

Jeppe -- with his truck.

Lunch with Ida, stone wall, Baby Ivan, fish farming

There was more that went on today, but let's leave it at this for now . . . .

Povl, David, Ida and Delores after a delicious lunch. Other participants were Niels, Povl's wife Ruth and their daughter, Mie.

Delores at an impressive and beautiful stone wall on the Møller farm property.

David takes a turn holding baby Ivan as Birthe looks on. When Ivan started to cry, David gave Ivan to Birthe.

Delores and Niels on Niels's handy hauler at the fish farm, where Delores helped feed the fish. Rainbow trout, actually.

Visiting Agnes

Hans and David (along with Birthe and Delores) chatted with Agnes in Thisted, Denmark. Hans, Birthe and Agnes in danish, David and Delores in english.

Later in the day, H+B and D+D had dinner at Niels's farm.

J-P newspaper offices

David, Delores and Hans's son, Anders in the pressroom of the newspaper where Hans used to work and Anders does work. 

Hans in the press room.

The facilities at Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten in Århus are very, very nice.

Bang and Olufsen tour

David and Delores in the headquarter of Bang and Olufsen "the farm building". 

And looking at the old style B&O - and then introduced to latest cutting edge high end technology. 

Kitchen speakers will never be the same again (HM)

In Denmark, mostly

A pair of revelers (one Danish, one Dutch) on their way from Holland to Münster, Germany for Carnival. We just happened to be going the same way. We continued on to Hamburg.

Hans and Delores in a music store in Holstebro, Denmark.

Hans and David in Hans's office.

Delores and Birthe looking at three of Birthe's favorite sweaters (Delores is wearing one).