Monday, Jan. 27 (Part II)
I was happy to see a new candle on Arne's grave when I stopped at the cemetary in the afternoon. It had been burning since yesterday, I think, since it was almost burned down as far as the candle I had relighted. My guess is that it was Annette, our former neighbor, who put it there, and I will ask her about it when she comes to dinner on Wednesday. It's just nice to know that there are others besides Nurse Grethe and I who are remembering Arne here in Copenhagen and making the special effort to come to his grave site.
Old Grethe was Arne's oldest and closest friend. She's now 82 and still looks as if she is in her 60's. I've always liked her apartment becase of the paintings. Her husband was a painter, and she has every bit of the wall area from floor to ceiling covered with paintings done by him and their friends. Most of them were probably done in the 1930's and 1940's. I've spent many hours over the years looking at all the artwork. One of my favorite paintings has always been the one that shows the back side of an apartment building; inside each window can be observed the daily lives of the people living in the building.
I spent most of the day with Old Grethe, arriving at 2:00 p.m. and leaving around 9:00. Our visits these days are always similar and very enjoyable. We reminisce about the past--people we have known, events we have shared, etc. We talk about current events--politics, world disasters, things that have happened in our personal lives, etc. And we have a traditional dinner that Grethe prepares--frikedeller (meatballs made with ground pork tenerloin and beef combined in equal parts), boiled new potatoes, and parsley sauce (white sauce with chopped parsley added to it). It's a very traditional Danish meal, and Grethe's frikedeller are among the best.
I was sorry today to see that time is taking its toll on Old Grethe, my friend. She suffers from macular degeneration and can see only out of the sides of her eyes when using magnification (including a giant magnifying screen placed in front of her TV). And, also due to her eyesight problems, she no longer makes her homemade chocolate chip cookies she learned to make on her trip to Texas in the mid-1980's. But we made the most of the evening, and I promised to try to see her again before I leave Copenhagen.
Tuesday, Dec. 28 (Part I)
I finished reading the novel I recently started this morning. I just stayed in bed until 11:30 and read all morning. What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt was rather different and interesting. It was a mystery, multiple love stories, the story of a child without conscience, etc. Grethe had given it to me for my birthday this summer. Now I will leave it here for her to read.
Tonight, Grethe and I will visit Lotte, a nurse who is a friend of hers. There is a funny story about live that has occured since I met Lotte for the first time this summer. To understand, I must go back to tell you about the Danish Consul in Calgary. He and his wife took good care of me this summer after Arne's death and became friends. They told me about his childhood home in Virum which they had visited in the past year. Friends of theirs live there. The Consul and his wife had planned to visit me in September of this year, but they postponed their trip, because the friends from Virum had decided to make a trip to Calgary then. I guess during their visit, they heard the story from the Consul about the American and the Dane who had been there--about how they had rescued me and kept me safe and comfortable as I dealt with the problems of Arne's death. Well, the Consul got an e-mail this winter from the friends in Virum describing a coinsidence. They had gone into Copenhagen to visit a cousin of theirs. They told her about their trip to Calgary. Sometime in the evening, they told about hearing about an American and a Dane who had been traveling when the Dane died and that their friends in Calgary had helped them through the situation. The cousin spoke up and said, "That must have been Randy and Arne." Their cousin they were speaking to and who knew us is Lotte who I will see tonight. Isn't it a small world?!!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
Second Christmas Day (Dec. 26)
Sunday, Dec. 26
Grethe and I had a leisurely breakfast together. During it, we began opening gifts. I had a pedometer from Morten and Helle and a gift certificate for a book from Grethe. It was wrapped with some chocolate sticks for use in hot milk to make chocolate milk. Grethe got a Fitz and Floyd Chrismtmas ornament and a burgendy knit shirt from Sue. From me, she got some Christmas stationery, some stickerjs, a photo of Arne, a Linda Ronstat CD, two videotapes, some soft socks, and a suede shirt.
I went to Jens' and Robert's apartment at 2:00, stopping in the cemetery on the way to re-light the candle on Aren's grave. They served a very nice meal of roasted duck with eggplant and zuchini. Afterwards, we had ice cream which they ate with cookies I had taken them. I also gave them a Texas calendar and a photo of Arne.
I stayed too long. I was enjoying the visit and was full from the lunch. But they made sandiches and served them. I'm surethey didn't expect me to still be there with them. I eventually left at 8:30, just after we had finished the sandwiches and some table discussion.
Monday, Jan. 27 (Part I)
Today is Arne's birthday. He would have been 63. I've always made a special effort to have a gift and dessert for him on this day each year, because he told me when we first met that his birthday was often ignored when he was young. Instead of giving him a birthday gift, relatives often gave him a Christmas gift and told him that it was for both Christmas and his birthday. I always bought fragilité as a dessert, since that was his favorite--layers of caramel cream and crunchy nougat. I usually gave him a single gift such as a shirt, a sweater, a bathrobe, etc. Today, I will visit his grave on my way to spend the afternoon and early evening with his oldest and best friend Old Grethe.
Sunday, Dec. 26
Grethe and I had a leisurely breakfast together. During it, we began opening gifts. I had a pedometer from Morten and Helle and a gift certificate for a book from Grethe. It was wrapped with some chocolate sticks for use in hot milk to make chocolate milk. Grethe got a Fitz and Floyd Chrismtmas ornament and a burgendy knit shirt from Sue. From me, she got some Christmas stationery, some stickerjs, a photo of Arne, a Linda Ronstat CD, two videotapes, some soft socks, and a suede shirt.
I went to Jens' and Robert's apartment at 2:00, stopping in the cemetery on the way to re-light the candle on Aren's grave. They served a very nice meal of roasted duck with eggplant and zuchini. Afterwards, we had ice cream which they ate with cookies I had taken them. I also gave them a Texas calendar and a photo of Arne.
I stayed too long. I was enjoying the visit and was full from the lunch. But they made sandiches and served them. I'm surethey didn't expect me to still be there with them. I eventually left at 8:30, just after we had finished the sandwiches and some table discussion.
Monday, Jan. 27 (Part I)
Today is Arne's birthday. He would have been 63. I've always made a special effort to have a gift and dessert for him on this day each year, because he told me when we first met that his birthday was often ignored when he was young. Instead of giving him a birthday gift, relatives often gave him a Christmas gift and told him that it was for both Christmas and his birthday. I always bought fragilité as a dessert, since that was his favorite--layers of caramel cream and crunchy nougat. I usually gave him a single gift such as a shirt, a sweater, a bathrobe, etc. Today, I will visit his grave on my way to spend the afternoon and early evening with his oldest and best friend Old Grethe.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Christmas in Denmark
Thursday, Dec. 23
I was out and about all day long. I went to the local stores to buy some snacks--cheese, nuts, cookies, candy, coffee, etc., before they got busy. Then i was at a cybercafe for an hour updating my blog and reading and writing e-mail. From there, I went to the flower market at Israel’s Plads to buy two wreaths--one for me to put on Arne’s grave and one for Grethe to put on Ander’s grave. Next came a sandwich shop. Then I was at the library to read the Herald-Tribune, TIME, and Newsweek.
I visited Robert for a couple of hours in the afternoon to catch up on his life. We had a great tea from Fortnum and Mason (Strawberries and Roses) with a rolled cake. Then I headed downtown to see the Christmas lights. I never cease to be amazed that the garlands of lights strung across the streets are still made with live greenery. I was disappointed, however, that there was only one street musician.
I made a final stop at Tivoli just to see the entire Illumination Show with lasers, fire, smoke, water, and music. I had only caught the end of it last night and didn’t want to wait another hour. it’s an amazing show. The lasers create wonderful interactions with the smoke and fountains. Also, the lasers form planes, spirals, parabolas, etc. The colors are purple, green, and blue for the most part, and the music is somewhat new age-space age type. The show is well worth seeing and I’m glad I went back for it.
Grethe and I had risengroed (rice porridge) tonight. It’s traditional to have it on Dec. 23. It’s a special rice (plump grain) cooked in milk with a little salt. It looks somewhat like oatmeal when cooked. A pat of butter is put in the middle of each bowlful to melt, and it is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It’s delicious and filling. It’s what the nisser (elves) are always eating in stories and pictures here in Scandinavia.
Well, Christmas has begun in Denmark. The 24th, 25th, and 26th are holidays here. The stores are closed and won’t reopen until the 27th. The next 3 days will be quiet ones. I hope the tourists have gone elsewhere. People will be with families and friends for the next several days. Traditionally, the 24th is when you are with immediate family, the 25th is when you are with extended family, and the 26th is when you are with friends here in Denmark. There will be nothing for tourists to do during this time. I’ll write about what happens during the next few days.
Friday, Dec. 24
Just after I awoke this morning, it began to snow--giant flakes about the size of American half-dollar coins (30 mm in diameter). It was beautiful to watch. usually the snowflakes here are small and powdery. it can look almost like rain when it falls. These big flakes, however, were floating and meandering down. As the morning progressed, they became smaller, but the big ones would return occasionally.
The first of my 20 Christmases in Denmark was in 1985. (Arne came to Texas for Christmas in 1984.) As we shopped for flowers to take when we were invited for friends for dinner that first year, I kept seeing beautiful wreaths made with greenery, berries, pine cones, etc. I suggested to Arne that we should buy one of those for them to hang on their door. Most people in the U.S. hang wreaths on their doors during the Christmas season. Arne explained that we couldn’t do that; such wreaths in Denmark are only for grave sites. it was just one of the many cultural differences I learned through the many years of our relationship. Every Christmas after that, however, I would tease Arne by saying, “These wreaths are beautiful. Let’s give them one for their door.” It became a funny joke between the two of us that continued through our final Christmas together last year.
This year I bought my first wreath in Denmark. Unfortunately, I had a reason. This morning Nurse Grethe and I took two wreaths and two candles and walked in the snow to the nearby cemeteries. First, we stopped at Ander’s grave where she placed a wreath and a candle. Then we walked across the street to Arne’s grave where I placed a wreath and a candle. Grethe then left me there alone for a while as she went to buy flowers (NOT a wreath) for her hosts tonight.
The bereavement counselor at the Unitarian Church had told us that Christmas would be a difficult time. Others had said the same. And standing before Arne’s grave proved them right. I don’t think I had been so sad since the day we buried his remains. All the memories of our times together and the realization of what I have lost in my life came flooding back.
There was a small cedar tree in a pot on Arne’s grave. It had Christmas bows in the pot. Our neighbor Annette had placed it there a few days ago. it’s so nice to know he is also remembered and missed by others who knew and loved him. He was a charming man with the purest heart I have ever known, and everyone quickly recognized that about him.
By the time we were at the cemetery, snow had made beautiful formations on the bushes and trees. Arne and i used to walk through that same cemetery after a snowfall to enjoy the beautiful snowscape. I took a photo of the cedar tree, wreath, and candle. Then I backed up and took photos of the views in the distance--snowscape photos like the ones we always took during our walks through the cemetery together each winter.
Tonight we celebrated a typical Danish Christmas at Arne’s sister’s and brother-in-law’s apartment. I caught the bus to there around 5:30 p.m., just before the service stopped for the Christmas pause (until 11:00 p.m.). Arvind was still decorating the tree when I arrived. By 6:30 p.m., the tree and the meal were ready and we sat down to eat. There were eight of us--Evy, Arvind, Gitte, Carit, Sascha, Niels, Amelie, and me.
We had a traditional Danish Christmas meal--roast pork with crispy skin, roast duck with prunes and apples, caramelized new potatoes, white potatoes, homemade pickled red cabbage, and brown sauce. Niels had done the cooking this year, and it was delicious. There was the sound of crunching pork skins all around the table.
For dessert, we had the traditional rice-almond pudding with cherry sauce. Gitte dropped one whole almond into the brown as we all watched and stirred the pudding again at the table. Then we each served ourselves hoping the whole almond would be in our portion. We had to pass the bowl again and keep eating until Sascha eventually produced the whole almond and claimed the almond gift--a candle with holder and several packages of candy. Niels served a particularly good pineau (a dessert wine) with the pudding. Of course, as has happened every year, the story was retold about Arne bringing his own almond one year and producing it after the person who got the real almond had tried to claim the almond gift. The story is a beloved one in the family and highlights Arne’s sense of humor.
We retired to the living room where Arvind lighted the live candles on the tree. We sang about six Danish Christmas carols. At one point, we glanced across the street and could see the family there performing the more traditional ritual of dancing around the tree as they sang their carols. We’ve only done that at Arne’s family’s celebration once in honor or my first visit there. Because of a lack of space, we just sit around the room with the tree in the corner.
Gifts were distributed and opened after we finished singing. I had requested that they not get me gifts this year, since I am take only one suitcase on my flight to South America and since I won’t be back in Texas until March. Still, I was given a pen and pencil set which I can take with me and a jar of homemade pickled herrings and two kinds of chocolates (Marabou and Toblerone) which I can eat before leaving.
We took photos of the evening and sent them via an e-mail to my sister Sue who was here for Christmas with us three years ago. By then, it was 11:30 p.m., and it was time to head for home. It had been a Christmas just like the others I’ve shared with them for 20 years except for one difference--Arne wasn’t there to share it with us.
Saturday, Dec. 25
Arne and I always celebrated a private Christmas just for the two of us on the morning of Dec. 25 each year. It wasn’t a Danish celebration, nor was it American. We would sleep until we awoke naturally after the late celebrations the night before. Then Arne would prepare a special breakfast while I would arrange the presents and light the candles. Arvind’s centerpiece would b e on the table as we ate. We would have scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel or herring, pickled herring, a variety of cheeses, and other treats. Afterwards, we would move to the libing area and take photos of each of us with our presents. Mine were usually in one of the two fabric-covered chairs, and I would squat beside it as Arne took the picture. Arne’s were often on the end of the sofa or on the leather chair, and I would take his photo. With Arvind’s centerpiece now on the coffee table, we would take turns opening gifts. Arne would squeeze and shake each one and had an uncommonly good ability to guess what each was. I always wanted each one to be a surprise to him. We would thank and kiss each other after each gift. Typically, there would be 12-20 gifts each--things thoughtfully bought that would fulfill a genuine need or interest--clothes, kitchen items, calendars, books, etc. It took 2-3 hours or more to open them all with all the playing around thanking and kissing each other. As soon as the last gifts was opened, we would take photos again of each of us beside a stack of our gifts for the year. Then we would try on the clothing items to see if they fit and how they looked on us. Arne was always assuring me that I could exchange his gifts if I wanted something else, but I always kept them. It was typically mid-afternoon by this point, so Arne would make coffee for us and we would eat my homemade Danish Christmas butter cookies (Finskbroed, klejner, and pepper nuts) along with special treats like stollen and chocolates.
We always got phone calls from friends on Christmas Day. Dieter usually called from Munich. Ruedi called from Bern. Margaret called from The Hague or later from England. And Arne would often run a bath and sit for a long time in it. I know he spent this time thinking a out the people in his life--especially the ones who had died during the past year.
This morning, I remembered Arne and our Christmas Days together as I lighted the candle on Arvind’s centerpiece. But I didn’t prepare a breakfast. Instead, I waited for Evy and Arvind to pick me up at 11:00. We drove into the countryside to see their new camping ground. They have a caravan (small camping trailer) as a summer house and had to move it to a new campground at the end of the season last year. They’ve now been given the number of the sites at the new campground they may choose among. We saw each of the four possible sites. All are fine, but two were especially nice--one that is terraced down to a small lake and one that is larger and more flat. They will probably get the one on the lake.
On the way back to town, Evy and Arvind dropped me off at the cemetery. I returned to Arne’s grave site for a visit, then I returned to Nurse Grethe’s where I napped and read in the afternoon.
Morten, Grethe’s brother who has visited me in Texas, and Helle, his wife, had Grethe and me over for dinner. It was a typical First Christmas Day table beautifully set with lots of choices for making smoerreboed (Danish open-faced sandwiches). We had pickled herring with onions, pickled herring in curry sauce, boiled shrimp with mayonnaise, roasted pork with crispy skin, frikadeller (meatballs), with red beets, pate with mushrooms and ried bacon, chicken salad, rolled sausages, etc. We drank beer and aquavit with the meal. Later, we had Irish coffee with chocolates and cookies. During the evening we talked about various topics--Morten’s experience driving a tractor trailer to Belgium to set up a booth at a convention, current films, famous American painters, the falling value of the dollar, etc.
Thursday, Dec. 23
I was out and about all day long. I went to the local stores to buy some snacks--cheese, nuts, cookies, candy, coffee, etc., before they got busy. Then i was at a cybercafe for an hour updating my blog and reading and writing e-mail. From there, I went to the flower market at Israel’s Plads to buy two wreaths--one for me to put on Arne’s grave and one for Grethe to put on Ander’s grave. Next came a sandwich shop. Then I was at the library to read the Herald-Tribune, TIME, and Newsweek.
I visited Robert for a couple of hours in the afternoon to catch up on his life. We had a great tea from Fortnum and Mason (Strawberries and Roses) with a rolled cake. Then I headed downtown to see the Christmas lights. I never cease to be amazed that the garlands of lights strung across the streets are still made with live greenery. I was disappointed, however, that there was only one street musician.
I made a final stop at Tivoli just to see the entire Illumination Show with lasers, fire, smoke, water, and music. I had only caught the end of it last night and didn’t want to wait another hour. it’s an amazing show. The lasers create wonderful interactions with the smoke and fountains. Also, the lasers form planes, spirals, parabolas, etc. The colors are purple, green, and blue for the most part, and the music is somewhat new age-space age type. The show is well worth seeing and I’m glad I went back for it.
Grethe and I had risengroed (rice porridge) tonight. It’s traditional to have it on Dec. 23. It’s a special rice (plump grain) cooked in milk with a little salt. It looks somewhat like oatmeal when cooked. A pat of butter is put in the middle of each bowlful to melt, and it is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It’s delicious and filling. It’s what the nisser (elves) are always eating in stories and pictures here in Scandinavia.
Well, Christmas has begun in Denmark. The 24th, 25th, and 26th are holidays here. The stores are closed and won’t reopen until the 27th. The next 3 days will be quiet ones. I hope the tourists have gone elsewhere. People will be with families and friends for the next several days. Traditionally, the 24th is when you are with immediate family, the 25th is when you are with extended family, and the 26th is when you are with friends here in Denmark. There will be nothing for tourists to do during this time. I’ll write about what happens during the next few days.
Friday, Dec. 24
Just after I awoke this morning, it began to snow--giant flakes about the size of American half-dollar coins (30 mm in diameter). It was beautiful to watch. usually the snowflakes here are small and powdery. it can look almost like rain when it falls. These big flakes, however, were floating and meandering down. As the morning progressed, they became smaller, but the big ones would return occasionally.
The first of my 20 Christmases in Denmark was in 1985. (Arne came to Texas for Christmas in 1984.) As we shopped for flowers to take when we were invited for friends for dinner that first year, I kept seeing beautiful wreaths made with greenery, berries, pine cones, etc. I suggested to Arne that we should buy one of those for them to hang on their door. Most people in the U.S. hang wreaths on their doors during the Christmas season. Arne explained that we couldn’t do that; such wreaths in Denmark are only for grave sites. it was just one of the many cultural differences I learned through the many years of our relationship. Every Christmas after that, however, I would tease Arne by saying, “These wreaths are beautiful. Let’s give them one for their door.” It became a funny joke between the two of us that continued through our final Christmas together last year.
This year I bought my first wreath in Denmark. Unfortunately, I had a reason. This morning Nurse Grethe and I took two wreaths and two candles and walked in the snow to the nearby cemeteries. First, we stopped at Ander’s grave where she placed a wreath and a candle. Then we walked across the street to Arne’s grave where I placed a wreath and a candle. Grethe then left me there alone for a while as she went to buy flowers (NOT a wreath) for her hosts tonight.
The bereavement counselor at the Unitarian Church had told us that Christmas would be a difficult time. Others had said the same. And standing before Arne’s grave proved them right. I don’t think I had been so sad since the day we buried his remains. All the memories of our times together and the realization of what I have lost in my life came flooding back.
There was a small cedar tree in a pot on Arne’s grave. It had Christmas bows in the pot. Our neighbor Annette had placed it there a few days ago. it’s so nice to know he is also remembered and missed by others who knew and loved him. He was a charming man with the purest heart I have ever known, and everyone quickly recognized that about him.
By the time we were at the cemetery, snow had made beautiful formations on the bushes and trees. Arne and i used to walk through that same cemetery after a snowfall to enjoy the beautiful snowscape. I took a photo of the cedar tree, wreath, and candle. Then I backed up and took photos of the views in the distance--snowscape photos like the ones we always took during our walks through the cemetery together each winter.
Tonight we celebrated a typical Danish Christmas at Arne’s sister’s and brother-in-law’s apartment. I caught the bus to there around 5:30 p.m., just before the service stopped for the Christmas pause (until 11:00 p.m.). Arvind was still decorating the tree when I arrived. By 6:30 p.m., the tree and the meal were ready and we sat down to eat. There were eight of us--Evy, Arvind, Gitte, Carit, Sascha, Niels, Amelie, and me.
We had a traditional Danish Christmas meal--roast pork with crispy skin, roast duck with prunes and apples, caramelized new potatoes, white potatoes, homemade pickled red cabbage, and brown sauce. Niels had done the cooking this year, and it was delicious. There was the sound of crunching pork skins all around the table.
For dessert, we had the traditional rice-almond pudding with cherry sauce. Gitte dropped one whole almond into the brown as we all watched and stirred the pudding again at the table. Then we each served ourselves hoping the whole almond would be in our portion. We had to pass the bowl again and keep eating until Sascha eventually produced the whole almond and claimed the almond gift--a candle with holder and several packages of candy. Niels served a particularly good pineau (a dessert wine) with the pudding. Of course, as has happened every year, the story was retold about Arne bringing his own almond one year and producing it after the person who got the real almond had tried to claim the almond gift. The story is a beloved one in the family and highlights Arne’s sense of humor.
We retired to the living room where Arvind lighted the live candles on the tree. We sang about six Danish Christmas carols. At one point, we glanced across the street and could see the family there performing the more traditional ritual of dancing around the tree as they sang their carols. We’ve only done that at Arne’s family’s celebration once in honor or my first visit there. Because of a lack of space, we just sit around the room with the tree in the corner.
Gifts were distributed and opened after we finished singing. I had requested that they not get me gifts this year, since I am take only one suitcase on my flight to South America and since I won’t be back in Texas until March. Still, I was given a pen and pencil set which I can take with me and a jar of homemade pickled herrings and two kinds of chocolates (Marabou and Toblerone) which I can eat before leaving.
We took photos of the evening and sent them via an e-mail to my sister Sue who was here for Christmas with us three years ago. By then, it was 11:30 p.m., and it was time to head for home. It had been a Christmas just like the others I’ve shared with them for 20 years except for one difference--Arne wasn’t there to share it with us.
Saturday, Dec. 25
Arne and I always celebrated a private Christmas just for the two of us on the morning of Dec. 25 each year. It wasn’t a Danish celebration, nor was it American. We would sleep until we awoke naturally after the late celebrations the night before. Then Arne would prepare a special breakfast while I would arrange the presents and light the candles. Arvind’s centerpiece would b e on the table as we ate. We would have scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel or herring, pickled herring, a variety of cheeses, and other treats. Afterwards, we would move to the libing area and take photos of each of us with our presents. Mine were usually in one of the two fabric-covered chairs, and I would squat beside it as Arne took the picture. Arne’s were often on the end of the sofa or on the leather chair, and I would take his photo. With Arvind’s centerpiece now on the coffee table, we would take turns opening gifts. Arne would squeeze and shake each one and had an uncommonly good ability to guess what each was. I always wanted each one to be a surprise to him. We would thank and kiss each other after each gift. Typically, there would be 12-20 gifts each--things thoughtfully bought that would fulfill a genuine need or interest--clothes, kitchen items, calendars, books, etc. It took 2-3 hours or more to open them all with all the playing around thanking and kissing each other. As soon as the last gifts was opened, we would take photos again of each of us beside a stack of our gifts for the year. Then we would try on the clothing items to see if they fit and how they looked on us. Arne was always assuring me that I could exchange his gifts if I wanted something else, but I always kept them. It was typically mid-afternoon by this point, so Arne would make coffee for us and we would eat my homemade Danish Christmas butter cookies (Finskbroed, klejner, and pepper nuts) along with special treats like stollen and chocolates.
We always got phone calls from friends on Christmas Day. Dieter usually called from Munich. Ruedi called from Bern. Margaret called from The Hague or later from England. And Arne would often run a bath and sit for a long time in it. I know he spent this time thinking a out the people in his life--especially the ones who had died during the past year.
This morning, I remembered Arne and our Christmas Days together as I lighted the candle on Arvind’s centerpiece. But I didn’t prepare a breakfast. Instead, I waited for Evy and Arvind to pick me up at 11:00. We drove into the countryside to see their new camping ground. They have a caravan (small camping trailer) as a summer house and had to move it to a new campground at the end of the season last year. They’ve now been given the number of the sites at the new campground they may choose among. We saw each of the four possible sites. All are fine, but two were especially nice--one that is terraced down to a small lake and one that is larger and more flat. They will probably get the one on the lake.
On the way back to town, Evy and Arvind dropped me off at the cemetery. I returned to Arne’s grave site for a visit, then I returned to Nurse Grethe’s where I napped and read in the afternoon.
Morten, Grethe’s brother who has visited me in Texas, and Helle, his wife, had Grethe and me over for dinner. It was a typical First Christmas Day table beautifully set with lots of choices for making smoerreboed (Danish open-faced sandwiches). We had pickled herring with onions, pickled herring in curry sauce, boiled shrimp with mayonnaise, roasted pork with crispy skin, frikadeller (meatballs), with red beets, pate with mushrooms and ried bacon, chicken salad, rolled sausages, etc. We drank beer and aquavit with the meal. Later, we had Irish coffee with chocolates and cookies. During the evening we talked about various topics--Morten’s experience driving a tractor trailer to Belgium to set up a booth at a convention, current films, famous American painters, the falling value of the dollar, etc.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Days before Christmas in Denmark
Monday, Dec. 20
I'm in Copenhagen and it is snowing. The trip here was rather uneventful, but it did take 1 hour 10 minutes to get my luggage. Thatøs too long to wait!
I was greeted by Evy and Arvind, Arne's sister and brother-in-law, with a HUGE bouquet of roses and carnations with one yellow rose in the middle to represent Texas. It was to celebrate my becoming Professor Emeritus over the weekend.
I'm not feeling any major sadness related to my visit. There was no angst over Arneøs absence. Of course, I miss him, and thought about how he would usually be waiting at the airport for me with my winter coat. And driving into town remindedme of what a loss it is to no longer live here months at a time to explore and enjoy the city. But there have been no tears. I definitely have the feeling of visiting a place from my past; its no longer a city where I live. There is a sadness related to acknowledging that, but there are no tears.´
The snow had just started falling as the plane arrived at 2:30 p.m. It´s now 9:00 p.m., and the lawn and cars are covered with a nice layer of white. I teased Grethe that we should go out walking it it, but she, unfortunately, has a cold.
Grethe made Danish meatballs with potatoes and white sauce mixed with cooked green cabbage (a Christmas season dish here) for dinner. It was delicious. Then we had hot tea and ginger cookies for dessert.
I´m tired, but taking a late night flight like I did is the best way to come here. As usual, I got 4-5 hours of restless sleep on the flight, but that sleep ended about noon Danish time versus 5:00 a.m. Danish time for flights leaving the U.S. in mid-afternoon. I had fewer hours from when I awoke, therefore, to stay awake until bedtime.
Tuesday, Dec. 21
There was enough snow to make everything barely white for today. It was so nice seeing it on the trees--especially on the ones at the Christmas tree lots.
'
I got my things from Gretheøs storage unit and was glad to find 3 winter shirts and a sweater among them. I can dress fairly decently while I am here. I don´t have gloves or a scarf, however, and tomorrow it should stay near freeezing combined with strong winds we didnøt have today.
Today was a trip down memory lane. I went downtown. At some point I saw something that triggered the memory that Arne and I had been right there this time last year. The rest of the day, I couldn´t get away from similar memories. We were at that rack lowing for a gift for Arneøs neice last year. We were looking at the decorations in this window last year. We were together in this reading room at the library last year. Etc. His death seems to long ago, but the times we were sharing together seem so recent.
I viewed the Christmas tables at Royal Copenhagen. All of them this year were done by local florists who are known for their artistic creations. The designs were better than the ones last year (when the Queen did them all), but here are fewer tables this year and the designs are more fastastic (and, therefore, less practical). Two of the tables were covered with moss with the china and silver placed on the moss. One had a tablecloth made of cedar greenery. The best, most practical one, was probably the design and setting by Tage Andersen who is considered the outstanding florist in town by most people.
Monika and Dora invited me to tea at 3:00. They are both retirees fromWHO now. Their lives are sobusy, however, that it is hard for them to realize that thery are free. They had a 90th birthday party for Dora´s father in Switzerland last month. And they leave for four weeks in the Seychelles right after New Year´s. Sometime next year they may be coming to Texas for the wedding of Dora´s son who lives in HOuston. They served handmade chocolates from Dorøs sisterøs shop in Gstaad, and I wondered it it is the same shop there that made the chocolates that Claudeøs mother gave Arne and me when we visited her years ago.
Wednesday, Dec. 22
I spent the morning wrapping gifts. My sister Sue had sent some pre-Christmas gifts I was supposed to deliver to Arne´s family, so I also wrapped most of the other gifts I brought.
It was Arne´s sister´s birthday today, and I was invited to lunch. We made smørrebrød, Danish open-faced sandwiches. Among our choices of toppings were gravlox (smoked salmon with dill) with sweet mustard, homemade pickled herringwith onion slices, shrimp with mayonnaise, boiled eggs with anchovies, fish balls (like meatballs, but made with fish) with remoulade sauce, homemade headcheese with mustard, beef patties with caramelized onions, and rolled loaf and salami cold cuts. There was both brown rye and white bread and both lard and butter for sealing the bread. Afterwards we had cappucinos with apple pudding and abnout 5 kinds of homemade Danish Christmas butter cookies. I gave Evy an 8x10 photo of Arne as a gift. From Sue, she got a blue Christmas shirt. Arvind, Evy´s husband, sent me home with a homemade Christmas centerpiece--a country cottage scene with a house,pond, trees, and a snow landscape in a basket lined with greeery. There is a candle holder and a large candle in the centerpiece. He only makes 4 per year--one for each of their children and one for Arne and me. This year, the last one was for Nurse Grethe and me.
I went to Tivoli Gardens after leaving the party at 4:30. It´s such a magical place at Christmas. The entire park is now open at Christmas (after years of slowly expanding into more and more of it). Small houses are set along all the lanes to serve as a Christmas market selling all kinds of food, drinks, and goods. The rides are operating. Lights are inthe trees. A bigt snowscape has been set up in front of the restaurant in the Arabic-looking building, an ice skating rink is over one of the lakes, and a fire, smoke, water, laser, and sound show occurs inthe big lake every hour for about 10 minutes. The main attraction is a large hall filled with animated sets like those department stores used to have. These, however, are on a grand, two-story scale, and all the characters are nisser (elves). They are ice fishing, ice skating, skiing, making gifts for Christmas, mountain climbing, etc. The best exhibit this year allows visitors to peek into an inn where some are drinking at a bar, others are eating at a table, and still others are in front of a fireplace.
Grethe and I ate curried chicken and rice for dinner, and we watched the movie "Gosford Park" on TV. We found a message from Jean in Texas on the answering machine.
My calendar is getting full. I don´t have a free date until Dec. 30. I´m really enjoying seeing everyone and being here.
A year ago tonight, Arne and I were at a surprise party for Evy at Vagabondo´s on Vesterbrogade. I can recall certain details of that night. I try to avoid thinking of specifics like that, because it serves no purpose but to make me sad. I´m afraid, however, that I cannot avoid such memories during the next few days. A year ago seems so far away while feeling so close.
Note: Please excuse any typing errors. As at most cybercafes, the space key is worn out on this computer and words sometimes get left run together. Also, some keys are in different places causing you to see a Danish letter where there should have been an apostrophe or something else.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Monday, Dec. 20
I'm in Copenhagen and it is snowing. The trip here was rather uneventful, but it did take 1 hour 10 minutes to get my luggage. Thatøs too long to wait!
I was greeted by Evy and Arvind, Arne's sister and brother-in-law, with a HUGE bouquet of roses and carnations with one yellow rose in the middle to represent Texas. It was to celebrate my becoming Professor Emeritus over the weekend.
I'm not feeling any major sadness related to my visit. There was no angst over Arneøs absence. Of course, I miss him, and thought about how he would usually be waiting at the airport for me with my winter coat. And driving into town remindedme of what a loss it is to no longer live here months at a time to explore and enjoy the city. But there have been no tears. I definitely have the feeling of visiting a place from my past; its no longer a city where I live. There is a sadness related to acknowledging that, but there are no tears.´
The snow had just started falling as the plane arrived at 2:30 p.m. It´s now 9:00 p.m., and the lawn and cars are covered with a nice layer of white. I teased Grethe that we should go out walking it it, but she, unfortunately, has a cold.
Grethe made Danish meatballs with potatoes and white sauce mixed with cooked green cabbage (a Christmas season dish here) for dinner. It was delicious. Then we had hot tea and ginger cookies for dessert.
I´m tired, but taking a late night flight like I did is the best way to come here. As usual, I got 4-5 hours of restless sleep on the flight, but that sleep ended about noon Danish time versus 5:00 a.m. Danish time for flights leaving the U.S. in mid-afternoon. I had fewer hours from when I awoke, therefore, to stay awake until bedtime.
Tuesday, Dec. 21
There was enough snow to make everything barely white for today. It was so nice seeing it on the trees--especially on the ones at the Christmas tree lots.
'
I got my things from Gretheøs storage unit and was glad to find 3 winter shirts and a sweater among them. I can dress fairly decently while I am here. I don´t have gloves or a scarf, however, and tomorrow it should stay near freeezing combined with strong winds we didnøt have today.
Today was a trip down memory lane. I went downtown. At some point I saw something that triggered the memory that Arne and I had been right there this time last year. The rest of the day, I couldn´t get away from similar memories. We were at that rack lowing for a gift for Arneøs neice last year. We were looking at the decorations in this window last year. We were together in this reading room at the library last year. Etc. His death seems to long ago, but the times we were sharing together seem so recent.
I viewed the Christmas tables at Royal Copenhagen. All of them this year were done by local florists who are known for their artistic creations. The designs were better than the ones last year (when the Queen did them all), but here are fewer tables this year and the designs are more fastastic (and, therefore, less practical). Two of the tables were covered with moss with the china and silver placed on the moss. One had a tablecloth made of cedar greenery. The best, most practical one, was probably the design and setting by Tage Andersen who is considered the outstanding florist in town by most people.
Monika and Dora invited me to tea at 3:00. They are both retirees fromWHO now. Their lives are sobusy, however, that it is hard for them to realize that thery are free. They had a 90th birthday party for Dora´s father in Switzerland last month. And they leave for four weeks in the Seychelles right after New Year´s. Sometime next year they may be coming to Texas for the wedding of Dora´s son who lives in HOuston. They served handmade chocolates from Dorøs sisterøs shop in Gstaad, and I wondered it it is the same shop there that made the chocolates that Claudeøs mother gave Arne and me when we visited her years ago.
Wednesday, Dec. 22
I spent the morning wrapping gifts. My sister Sue had sent some pre-Christmas gifts I was supposed to deliver to Arne´s family, so I also wrapped most of the other gifts I brought.
It was Arne´s sister´s birthday today, and I was invited to lunch. We made smørrebrød, Danish open-faced sandwiches. Among our choices of toppings were gravlox (smoked salmon with dill) with sweet mustard, homemade pickled herringwith onion slices, shrimp with mayonnaise, boiled eggs with anchovies, fish balls (like meatballs, but made with fish) with remoulade sauce, homemade headcheese with mustard, beef patties with caramelized onions, and rolled loaf and salami cold cuts. There was both brown rye and white bread and both lard and butter for sealing the bread. Afterwards we had cappucinos with apple pudding and abnout 5 kinds of homemade Danish Christmas butter cookies. I gave Evy an 8x10 photo of Arne as a gift. From Sue, she got a blue Christmas shirt. Arvind, Evy´s husband, sent me home with a homemade Christmas centerpiece--a country cottage scene with a house,pond, trees, and a snow landscape in a basket lined with greeery. There is a candle holder and a large candle in the centerpiece. He only makes 4 per year--one for each of their children and one for Arne and me. This year, the last one was for Nurse Grethe and me.
I went to Tivoli Gardens after leaving the party at 4:30. It´s such a magical place at Christmas. The entire park is now open at Christmas (after years of slowly expanding into more and more of it). Small houses are set along all the lanes to serve as a Christmas market selling all kinds of food, drinks, and goods. The rides are operating. Lights are inthe trees. A bigt snowscape has been set up in front of the restaurant in the Arabic-looking building, an ice skating rink is over one of the lakes, and a fire, smoke, water, laser, and sound show occurs inthe big lake every hour for about 10 minutes. The main attraction is a large hall filled with animated sets like those department stores used to have. These, however, are on a grand, two-story scale, and all the characters are nisser (elves). They are ice fishing, ice skating, skiing, making gifts for Christmas, mountain climbing, etc. The best exhibit this year allows visitors to peek into an inn where some are drinking at a bar, others are eating at a table, and still others are in front of a fireplace.
Grethe and I ate curried chicken and rice for dinner, and we watched the movie "Gosford Park" on TV. We found a message from Jean in Texas on the answering machine.
My calendar is getting full. I don´t have a free date until Dec. 30. I´m really enjoying seeing everyone and being here.
A year ago tonight, Arne and I were at a surprise party for Evy at Vagabondo´s on Vesterbrogade. I can recall certain details of that night. I try to avoid thinking of specifics like that, because it serves no purpose but to make me sad. I´m afraid, however, that I cannot avoid such memories during the next few days. A year ago seems so far away while feeling so close.
Note: Please excuse any typing errors. As at most cybercafes, the space key is worn out on this computer and words sometimes get left run together. Also, some keys are in different places causing you to see a Danish letter where there should have been an apostrophe or something else.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
2005 Around the World V Itinerary
Note: I will be in Copenhagen during Christmas and will fly my last segment of Around the World IV (SK 501 Lv. 7:15 Arr. 8:20) from there to London on the morning of Jan. 5, 2005.
Jan. 5, 2005
London (HRW) to São Paulo (GRU) 5884 Miles
RG 8757 Lv. 22:00 Arr. 5:40 (Jan. 6) 10h40min Seat 16B
Mar 11, 2005
São Paulo (GRU) to Mexico City (MEX) 4623 Miles
RG 8670 Lv. 10:30 Arr. 16:40 10h10min Seat 22C
Note: Because of a lack of Star Alliance carriers flying the route, I will travel overland to get to San Antonio from Mexico City arriving in San Antonio within 2-6 days. 698 Miles
Aug. 18, 2005
San Antonio (SAT) to Denver (DEN) 795 Miles
UA 6759 Lv. 12:25 Arr. 13:35 1h10min
Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO) 965 Miles
UA 353 Lv. 14:30 Arr. 15:38 2h28min
Aug. 21, 2005
San Francisco (SFO) to Seoul (ICN) 5652 Miles
SQ 15 Lv. 14:10 Arr. 18:45 (Aug. 22) 12h36min
Aug. 27, 2005
Seoul (ICN) to Bangkok (BKK) 2274 Miles
OZ 341 Lv. 17:20 Arr. 21:10 5h50min
Sept. 2, 2005
Bangkok (BKK) to Yangoon (RGN) 362 Miles
TG 305 Lv. 18:00 Arr. 18:45 1h15min
Sept. 25, 2005
Yangoon (RGN) to Bangkok (BKK) 362 Miles
TG 304 Lv. 10:05 Arr. 11:45 1h10min
Bangkok (BKK) to Mumbai (BOM) 1871 Miles
TG 317 Lv. 18:00 Arr. 20:55 4h25min
Dec. 19, 2005 (Night of Dec. 18!)
Mumbai (BOM) to Frankfurt (FRA) 4085 Miles
LH 757 Lv. 3:25 Arr. 7:40 8h45min
Frankfurt (FRA) to Copenhagen (CPH) 422 Miles
SK 950 Lv. 9:50 Arr. 11:15 1h25min
Jan. 5, 2006
Copenhagen (CPH) to London (LHR) 609 Miles
SK 501 Lv. 7:15 Arr. 8:20 2h5min
Total Miles: 28,602 (27,904 via airlines/698 overland)
Note: I will be in Copenhagen during Christmas and will fly my last segment of Around the World IV (SK 501 Lv. 7:15 Arr. 8:20) from there to London on the morning of Jan. 5, 2005.
Jan. 5, 2005
London (HRW) to São Paulo (GRU) 5884 Miles
RG 8757 Lv. 22:00 Arr. 5:40 (Jan. 6) 10h40min Seat 16B
Mar 11, 2005
São Paulo (GRU) to Mexico City (MEX) 4623 Miles
RG 8670 Lv. 10:30 Arr. 16:40 10h10min Seat 22C
Note: Because of a lack of Star Alliance carriers flying the route, I will travel overland to get to San Antonio from Mexico City arriving in San Antonio within 2-6 days. 698 Miles
Aug. 18, 2005
San Antonio (SAT) to Denver (DEN) 795 Miles
UA 6759 Lv. 12:25 Arr. 13:35 1h10min
Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO) 965 Miles
UA 353 Lv. 14:30 Arr. 15:38 2h28min
Aug. 21, 2005
San Francisco (SFO) to Seoul (ICN) 5652 Miles
SQ 15 Lv. 14:10 Arr. 18:45 (Aug. 22) 12h36min
Aug. 27, 2005
Seoul (ICN) to Bangkok (BKK) 2274 Miles
OZ 341 Lv. 17:20 Arr. 21:10 5h50min
Sept. 2, 2005
Bangkok (BKK) to Yangoon (RGN) 362 Miles
TG 305 Lv. 18:00 Arr. 18:45 1h15min
Sept. 25, 2005
Yangoon (RGN) to Bangkok (BKK) 362 Miles
TG 304 Lv. 10:05 Arr. 11:45 1h10min
Bangkok (BKK) to Mumbai (BOM) 1871 Miles
TG 317 Lv. 18:00 Arr. 20:55 4h25min
Dec. 19, 2005 (Night of Dec. 18!)
Mumbai (BOM) to Frankfurt (FRA) 4085 Miles
LH 757 Lv. 3:25 Arr. 7:40 8h45min
Frankfurt (FRA) to Copenhagen (CPH) 422 Miles
SK 950 Lv. 9:50 Arr. 11:15 1h25min
Jan. 5, 2006
Copenhagen (CPH) to London (LHR) 609 Miles
SK 501 Lv. 7:15 Arr. 8:20 2h5min
Total Miles: 28,602 (27,904 via airlines/698 overland)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
