Saturday, July 30, 2016--Trieste to Ljubljana
We took Flixbus from Trieste to Ljubljana today. It is one of the new kinds of buses that are popping up all over the world. It's similar to MegaBus in San Antonio. Reservations must be made online and tickets bought online. Prices for the first seats are low and continue to grow up to a designated level. For our trip, we paid 13 Euros each, and the highest priced tickets were around 20 Euos each. The buses run non-stop from major city to major city, are clean, have good a/c, usually include free wifi, etc.
We had a complete turn of events when we arrived. I've written several times in the past few days about the problems with our original hotel reservation. I got an e-mail from a group of lawyers about 6 days ago saying that the online reservation service I had used was in receivership and that they had not paid for my hotel reservation here (even though I had paid them). It even had it underlined that my reservation had not been paid. In the back of my mind, I kept wondering if maybe they were wrong, especially since my reservation had been made so long ago in May. I did not have a way to directly contact the hotel. Their website listed only automated 800-type phone numbers. The one for the US took me to an electronic service that wanted me to input the reservation number with the hotel, and I didn't have one since I had not dealt directly with the hotel. There was no option for reaching a live person. I found a form online that was not for the hotel itself but was for the group of hotels to which it belongs. I completed the form asking if they would confirm my reservation. I never heard anything. So in the back of my mind I kept wondering IF maybe the hotel had been paid and that I DID have a reservation. Finally, last night to give us some assurance that we would be okay after we arrived here, we made a reservation at another hotel that could be canceled as late as 18:00 today. When we arrived in town, we came directly to the original hotel. I told the lady that I needed to ask a strange question: "Do I have a reservation at this hotel under the name Drum?" She confirmed that I did. I asked if it was prepaid, and she confirmed that it was. What a relief! We checked in and got online to cancel the alternative reservation we had made. I'm still going to wait to contact my credit card company until we check out just to make sure everything goes right. I will need to ask them to drop the fraud claim I made over the phone with them the night I got the e-mail
So, we are staying in Hotel Central. It's conveniently located between the bus/train stations and the downtown area. Although it is classified as a 4-star hotel, I would say it is on the lower end of that category.
It is HOT here (like everywhere we have been going). We went out, however, around 2:30 to explore the city. Ljubljana is nothing like it was when I was here in 1982. Then, it was a dull, unpainted Communist city with old buildings that had obviously been beautiful at one time but had been allowed to fall into disrepair. The river in town had berms along the edges. Today, traffic has been removed from the center, buildings have been beautifully restored, the river is lined with sidewalk cafes that are full of people in the evenings, etc. It's one of the smaller capitals of Europe, but it is a very nice city. Only in pockets does one still find Communist structures that still stand looking severe with signs of crumbling due to low quality construction.
This evening, we ate burek which is a popular local filled pastry. It consists of filo dough filled with either cheese or a spicy meat mixture. We bought one of each and had them cut into halves to share. Each pasty was an oval about 12 inches (30 cm) by 6 inches (15 cm). It was a LOT of food, but they came from a shop that has the best reputation for them in town.
As we explored the city more, we came across a sand volleyball festival featuring players from various countries. We sat in the stands and watched a girls match between Slovenia and Bulgaria and then a men's match between the USA and Australia. The men's game was much better in terms of precision and sportsmanship. The USA won.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Day Trip to Piran and Koper
Friday, July 29, 2016--Trieste to Piran to Koper to Trieste
Originally, we thought of staying in either Piran or Koper nearby in Slovenia. Because of transportation options, and the closeness of the two, we eventually decided just to stay several days in Trieste and make a day trip to the two towns in Slovenia. It has been a great decision because we have enjoyed Trieste so much and because today's outing was fine for seeing the two small towns.
Piran is a wonderful old walled city at the tip of a peninsula with many homes and passages that date back 600 years. It has streets so narrow that one can almost reach fingertip-to-fingertip across them. Like Trieste, it is built on hills, so there is also lots of climbing to see the sights. We walked into town on one of the nice narrow streets lined with shops and homes. The main piazza of the town is somewhat oval shaped with old palaces and government buildings. There is a small port filled with boats, and there are places to sunbathe and swim completely around the peninsula. We wandered the swimming areas, climbed to the top of a hill for the views and to see St. George Church. Then we wandered more of the narrow streets of town before catching a bus 3 hours later for Koper.
One of the most enjoyable experiences in Piran was watching and listening to a tour guide who brought a group of people up to the shady side of St. George Church where we were enjoying the breezes and the view. He served them wine and told two stories in heavily accented English that made them even more funny to hear: 1) The Slovenian anthem has a first verse that is about the pleasures of wine. Therefore, he said, the anthem starts as a drinking song. 2) The most expensive bottle of wine in Slovenia costs $2 million. It comes in a diamond encrusted bottle worth $1 million and the wine is worth the rest. He added, "The owner says that is no problem because there is always someone rich from the Middle East who has a big ego and a little penis."
Koper was a bit of a disappointment. It's city walls are missing, and much of the older part of it needs restoration and/or has been spoiled by new construction among the older buildings. It is a bigger city, however, and has shopping facilities that serve the whole region. Once we realized we didn't want to spend more time there, we tried to get a bus back to Trieste at 14:30, but the next one wasn't until 17:30. So we went to the nearby mall and wandered around. Then we sat and watched people until time for the bus.
Back in Trieste, we solved our major problem--the one related to the need of a place to stay starting tomorrow in Ljubljana due to the fact that the reservation company we used has been closed for non-payments and had not paid the hotel we reserved. Yesterday, we asked to reserve an apartment on AIRBNB, but there was no response by tonight meaning we had to start looking for a place again. No other apartment there met our needs, so we started searching for an alternative hotel. We found one and made a reservation. Therefore, we won't be homeless when we get there tomorrow!
To celebrate, we went out for another night of music. We heard two different bands on two different piazzas. One was an American band called The White Buffalo. The other was a local group that was actually more fun to hear and to watch. At one point they were jamming with a box drummer, a bongo player, a didgeridoo player, a man making beat sounds with his mouth, a man reading poetry, and a man playing keyboard. It was quite interesting.
Originally, we thought of staying in either Piran or Koper nearby in Slovenia. Because of transportation options, and the closeness of the two, we eventually decided just to stay several days in Trieste and make a day trip to the two towns in Slovenia. It has been a great decision because we have enjoyed Trieste so much and because today's outing was fine for seeing the two small towns.
Piran is a wonderful old walled city at the tip of a peninsula with many homes and passages that date back 600 years. It has streets so narrow that one can almost reach fingertip-to-fingertip across them. Like Trieste, it is built on hills, so there is also lots of climbing to see the sights. We walked into town on one of the nice narrow streets lined with shops and homes. The main piazza of the town is somewhat oval shaped with old palaces and government buildings. There is a small port filled with boats, and there are places to sunbathe and swim completely around the peninsula. We wandered the swimming areas, climbed to the top of a hill for the views and to see St. George Church. Then we wandered more of the narrow streets of town before catching a bus 3 hours later for Koper.
One of the most enjoyable experiences in Piran was watching and listening to a tour guide who brought a group of people up to the shady side of St. George Church where we were enjoying the breezes and the view. He served them wine and told two stories in heavily accented English that made them even more funny to hear: 1) The Slovenian anthem has a first verse that is about the pleasures of wine. Therefore, he said, the anthem starts as a drinking song. 2) The most expensive bottle of wine in Slovenia costs $2 million. It comes in a diamond encrusted bottle worth $1 million and the wine is worth the rest. He added, "The owner says that is no problem because there is always someone rich from the Middle East who has a big ego and a little penis."
Koper was a bit of a disappointment. It's city walls are missing, and much of the older part of it needs restoration and/or has been spoiled by new construction among the older buildings. It is a bigger city, however, and has shopping facilities that serve the whole region. Once we realized we didn't want to spend more time there, we tried to get a bus back to Trieste at 14:30, but the next one wasn't until 17:30. So we went to the nearby mall and wandered around. Then we sat and watched people until time for the bus.
Back in Trieste, we solved our major problem--the one related to the need of a place to stay starting tomorrow in Ljubljana due to the fact that the reservation company we used has been closed for non-payments and had not paid the hotel we reserved. Yesterday, we asked to reserve an apartment on AIRBNB, but there was no response by tonight meaning we had to start looking for a place again. No other apartment there met our needs, so we started searching for an alternative hotel. We found one and made a reservation. Therefore, we won't be homeless when we get there tomorrow!
To celebrate, we went out for another night of music. We heard two different bands on two different piazzas. One was an American band called The White Buffalo. The other was a local group that was actually more fun to hear and to watch. At one point they were jamming with a box drummer, a bongo player, a didgeridoo player, a man making beat sounds with his mouth, a man reading poetry, and a man playing keyboard. It was quite interesting.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Mika Heaven Tour--Live in Trieste
Thursday, July 28, 2016--Trieste, Italy
Our hotel is in a great location--right in the middle of a circle that includes the center of town, the bus/train stations, and the upscale shopping areas. We started the day walking through some of the latter near us--small, mostly pedestrian streets lined with nice shops, cafes, theaters, etc. One of the most interesting finds in this area was the Cafe San Marco which has been around 100 years and is quite elegant. Since we will make a day trip tomorrow, today was our day to try to see everything else we had not yet seen here.
We next headed for the oldest part of town on the opposite side of the center. It is an area with shorter, smaller buildings and much narrower streets. There we found small shops including many that have not been remodeled for decades.
Although we hated doing it after sitting at a park watching parents and their children on the playground, we made the climb from the ancient town up the hill past the Arco di Ricardo to the Maggiore Church and the ruins of the Roman theater. A brief thunderstorm passed as we were making the climb, but we were at a spot with a covered archway. It was the only rain to affect us all day, and it cooled the temperatures greatly.
On the way back to "our" side of town, we went by the bus station and bought our tickets for our day trip to Piran tomorrow and to find out where to catch the bus both then and on Saturday when we head to Ljubljana. Then we returned to the hotel for some rest.
In the evening we went out for more live entertainment. First, we started at a small pizza near the hotel where there was a cabaret act that had a little too much Italian talking for us. When they sang, the music was fun, though.
But the main show of the night was Mika on the large piazza in town. He is a Lebanese-British young man who is popular all over Europe. It was a ticketed performance, but we stood outside looking over a fence through a gauze curtain (with just as many people as were inside). It was fun and interesting with a very excited crowd. Click here for some of his videos.
Our hotel is in a great location--right in the middle of a circle that includes the center of town, the bus/train stations, and the upscale shopping areas. We started the day walking through some of the latter near us--small, mostly pedestrian streets lined with nice shops, cafes, theaters, etc. One of the most interesting finds in this area was the Cafe San Marco which has been around 100 years and is quite elegant. Since we will make a day trip tomorrow, today was our day to try to see everything else we had not yet seen here.
We next headed for the oldest part of town on the opposite side of the center. It is an area with shorter, smaller buildings and much narrower streets. There we found small shops including many that have not been remodeled for decades.
Although we hated doing it after sitting at a park watching parents and their children on the playground, we made the climb from the ancient town up the hill past the Arco di Ricardo to the Maggiore Church and the ruins of the Roman theater. A brief thunderstorm passed as we were making the climb, but we were at a spot with a covered archway. It was the only rain to affect us all day, and it cooled the temperatures greatly.
On the way back to "our" side of town, we went by the bus station and bought our tickets for our day trip to Piran tomorrow and to find out where to catch the bus both then and on Saturday when we head to Ljubljana. Then we returned to the hotel for some rest.
In the evening we went out for more live entertainment. First, we started at a small pizza near the hotel where there was a cabaret act that had a little too much Italian talking for us. When they sang, the music was fun, though.
But the main show of the night was Mika on the large piazza in town. He is a Lebanese-British young man who is popular all over Europe. It was a ticketed performance, but we stood outside looking over a fence through a gauze curtain (with just as many people as were inside). It was fun and interesting with a very excited crowd. Click here for some of his videos.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
A Night of Jazz on the Streets
Wednesday, July 27, 2016--Desenzano to Trieste
We almost had a big problem this morning. We got up at 6:15 because of our train schedule. We had gotten to bed late last night because of the calls dealing with the hotel reservation problem mentioned in the blog yesterday. Plus I didn't sleep well for various reasons. Anyway, I was tired and not thinking clearly. After breakfast, we headed off to the train station. Just after getting our tickets, one of the ladies from the hotel walked in carrying my backpack!! Normally when we are traveling, I put my small bag inside the backpack and have two things to carry. I kept the small bag out because I needed the passport and the receipt from buying the tickets online to show at the station to get the REAL tickets needed for the first segment. So I hadn't noticed that I was missing anything. Thank goodness we were at a hotel with really great service--the Gardinetto!!!
It took all morning to get to Trieste where we checked into the Albergo alla Posta Hotel at 12:30. It's an old hotel that has been well maintained over the years. Our hallway has a photo of it in a partially bombed-out state in 1945. But it was rebuilt and is still here. Our wing has been completely remodeled and is very nice and modern inside. It has special touches such as Argan toiletries in the bathroom.
Tired, we spent much of the afternoon in the room. We researched possible places to stay in Ljubljana in place of the hotel that was never booked. Wes researched activities here in Trieste. I read in my current novel. Etc.
Finally, around 16:30, we went out to explore the city. Trieste is an old town and not as sophisticated as the places we have been. But it has some wonderful architecture from the period when it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. It also has a great setting right on the Bay of Trieste (part of the Adriatic Sea) with hills rising within blocks of the sea. We explored the Piazza Del Unita D' Italia and the areas around it including going inside the cathedral on the hill above the piazza.
We stopped at a kebab place Wes had found referenced as good and had a big pita sandwich with fries and a drink for dinner and returned to the room at 19:30. Then at 21:00 we headed out to hear parts of two jazz concerts--each on small piazzas within 5 blocks of each other.
The first included two bands--one with a pianist and a keyboardist and the second with a pianist, a bassist, drummer and male singer. The duo played contemporary smooth jazz. The latter group played some old-time favorites from the 30s and 40s. The announcements were all in Italian, so I do not know the names of either groups. For that concert, however, there were maybe at least 300-400 people.
The second concert was by a big band--saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, guitarists, drummers, and a female vocalist. They played a variety of music from American 30s jazz to Brazilian jazz, to American swing. Their crowd was smaller, but very appreciative.
It was a great night out. And tomorrow there should be another with a major concert on the main piazza.
We almost had a big problem this morning. We got up at 6:15 because of our train schedule. We had gotten to bed late last night because of the calls dealing with the hotel reservation problem mentioned in the blog yesterday. Plus I didn't sleep well for various reasons. Anyway, I was tired and not thinking clearly. After breakfast, we headed off to the train station. Just after getting our tickets, one of the ladies from the hotel walked in carrying my backpack!! Normally when we are traveling, I put my small bag inside the backpack and have two things to carry. I kept the small bag out because I needed the passport and the receipt from buying the tickets online to show at the station to get the REAL tickets needed for the first segment. So I hadn't noticed that I was missing anything. Thank goodness we were at a hotel with really great service--the Gardinetto!!!
It took all morning to get to Trieste where we checked into the Albergo alla Posta Hotel at 12:30. It's an old hotel that has been well maintained over the years. Our hallway has a photo of it in a partially bombed-out state in 1945. But it was rebuilt and is still here. Our wing has been completely remodeled and is very nice and modern inside. It has special touches such as Argan toiletries in the bathroom.
Tired, we spent much of the afternoon in the room. We researched possible places to stay in Ljubljana in place of the hotel that was never booked. Wes researched activities here in Trieste. I read in my current novel. Etc.
Finally, around 16:30, we went out to explore the city. Trieste is an old town and not as sophisticated as the places we have been. But it has some wonderful architecture from the period when it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. It also has a great setting right on the Bay of Trieste (part of the Adriatic Sea) with hills rising within blocks of the sea. We explored the Piazza Del Unita D' Italia and the areas around it including going inside the cathedral on the hill above the piazza.
We stopped at a kebab place Wes had found referenced as good and had a big pita sandwich with fries and a drink for dinner and returned to the room at 19:30. Then at 21:00 we headed out to hear parts of two jazz concerts--each on small piazzas within 5 blocks of each other.
The first included two bands--one with a pianist and a keyboardist and the second with a pianist, a bassist, drummer and male singer. The duo played contemporary smooth jazz. The latter group played some old-time favorites from the 30s and 40s. The announcements were all in Italian, so I do not know the names of either groups. For that concert, however, there were maybe at least 300-400 people.
The second concert was by a big band--saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, guitarists, drummers, and a female vocalist. They played a variety of music from American 30s jazz to Brazilian jazz, to American swing. Their crowd was smaller, but very appreciative.
It was a great night out. And tomorrow there should be another with a major concert on the main piazza.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Day Trip to Bardolino
Tuesday, July 26, 2016--To Bardolino and Back
Wes wanted to make another side trip. I think he thought we had seen and done everything in Desenzano. Anyway, he researched possible stops on the lake and decided we should go to Bardolino today.
We took a large ferry. Fortunately, it had air conditioning, because it was a HOT day. We arrived in Bardolino at 12:45 and had a little less than four hours there before our return on the same ferry.
Bartolino is a quieter town than either Desenzano or Sirmione and has less to see. There are plenty of hotels, sidewalk cafes, ice cream stores, and shops. Otherwise, it is limited. We walked down the promenade and sat for a while watching people. We went to a beach and watched more people. We went further and watched two fishermen on floating seats catching nothing. Then we headed back through town on the shopping streets.
We went into the cathedral. We took photos of some of the old buildings. We walked beyond town to a grassy area with sunbathers and swimmers in the water. Soon, the wind picked up and clouds started approaching. We headed back to town and stood in a long, arched walkway during the rainfall which didn't last long.
By that time, we had only 30 minutes before the boat would depart again. We walked back away from the waterfront to see two old churches--one that is still a church and another operated by Opera Bardolino as a concert/performance space.
It was quite confusing when it was time to leave. TWO boats arrived, and many people were getting on the wrong one and then having to come back off. We knew ours should be the same one that had brought us over, so we were okay. But it was interesting to see all the confusion and to think about how it could have been handled better.
We returned to our local pizza place in the evening. It has such good pizza that we have eaten there there every night. We'll miss it since we leave for Trieste tomorrow.
A Surprise Travel Problem: We got an e-mail in the evening from a group of lawyers in London saying that a website that we used for one of our hotel reservations has been closed and that none of the reservations have been paid. It was a website that kayak.com guided us to, I believe. We made the reservation on May 29 for July 30-Aug. 2 with departure on Aug. 3. We did not find a way to contact the actual hotel except for toll-free numbers requiring a confirmation number from the hotel itself. I did find an online form to contact the hotel group that owns the hotel. I wrote to ask them to confirm our reservation (as a way to test whether they had any information about it at all). I also called my credit card company to report it as fraud. They said they would reverse the charge, but they didn't say if it would be permanent. I am supposed to get two letters in the mail--one in about a week stating what has been happening and one later possibly asking for more information from me. We figure we need to find another place to stay starting Saturday, but we are hoping to hear from the original hotel before making another reservation so that we won't get caught with two reservations if the e-mail was incorrect (which I doubt). Anyway, it meant that we were hyped up by the time we went to bed while knowing we had to set the alarm for 6:15 tomorrow morning. Go to hoteling.com to read the lawyers' statement that I received by mail.
Wes wanted to make another side trip. I think he thought we had seen and done everything in Desenzano. Anyway, he researched possible stops on the lake and decided we should go to Bardolino today.
We took a large ferry. Fortunately, it had air conditioning, because it was a HOT day. We arrived in Bardolino at 12:45 and had a little less than four hours there before our return on the same ferry.
Bartolino is a quieter town than either Desenzano or Sirmione and has less to see. There are plenty of hotels, sidewalk cafes, ice cream stores, and shops. Otherwise, it is limited. We walked down the promenade and sat for a while watching people. We went to a beach and watched more people. We went further and watched two fishermen on floating seats catching nothing. Then we headed back through town on the shopping streets.
We went into the cathedral. We took photos of some of the old buildings. We walked beyond town to a grassy area with sunbathers and swimmers in the water. Soon, the wind picked up and clouds started approaching. We headed back to town and stood in a long, arched walkway during the rainfall which didn't last long.
By that time, we had only 30 minutes before the boat would depart again. We walked back away from the waterfront to see two old churches--one that is still a church and another operated by Opera Bardolino as a concert/performance space.
It was quite confusing when it was time to leave. TWO boats arrived, and many people were getting on the wrong one and then having to come back off. We knew ours should be the same one that had brought us over, so we were okay. But it was interesting to see all the confusion and to think about how it could have been handled better.
We returned to our local pizza place in the evening. It has such good pizza that we have eaten there there every night. We'll miss it since we leave for Trieste tomorrow.
A Surprise Travel Problem: We got an e-mail in the evening from a group of lawyers in London saying that a website that we used for one of our hotel reservations has been closed and that none of the reservations have been paid. It was a website that kayak.com guided us to, I believe. We made the reservation on May 29 for July 30-Aug. 2 with departure on Aug. 3. We did not find a way to contact the actual hotel except for toll-free numbers requiring a confirmation number from the hotel itself. I did find an online form to contact the hotel group that owns the hotel. I wrote to ask them to confirm our reservation (as a way to test whether they had any information about it at all). I also called my credit card company to report it as fraud. They said they would reverse the charge, but they didn't say if it would be permanent. I am supposed to get two letters in the mail--one in about a week stating what has been happening and one later possibly asking for more information from me. We figure we need to find another place to stay starting Saturday, but we are hoping to hear from the original hotel before making another reservation so that we won't get caught with two reservations if the e-mail was incorrect (which I doubt). Anyway, it meant that we were hyped up by the time we went to bed while knowing we had to set the alarm for 6:15 tomorrow morning. Go to hoteling.com to read the lawyers' statement that I received by mail.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Day Trip to Sirmione
Monday, July 25, 2016--Desenzano to Sirmione and Back
After sleeping in and having a late breakfast buffet at 10:00, we headed to Sirmione, a small, ancient walled town at the tip of a narrow peninsula. We took the bus there to see everything between here and there, then we took the boat back.
Sirmione has over 5000 years of history. One of it's most interesting stories is that it was the home of the last Cathar Christians. During the Inquisition, the Catholic Church rounded up the last 166 SUSPECTED Cathars, took them to the Roman arena in Verona, and burned them alive for the entertainment of all good Catholics who wanted to watch.
Today, it is a small town with a grand entrance gate with multiple towers. The streets are narrow and lined with quaint buildings housing hotels, restaurants, ice cream shops, etc. We wandered up and down the main streets and the back streets. We found "Pinocchio" providing families the chance to have their children's photos taken with him. We found small beaches with people swimming and sunbathing, we found olive groves as part of an old castle estate, we found the summer home of Maria Calas, etc. (Sirmione has also been the temporary home of Lord Byron, Alfred the Lord Tennyson, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, and Greta Garbo. We several of these here because they were guests of Maria Callas?)
There were crowds of people there for the day. Some had come in cars, some by ferries from other resorts on the lake, and some by bus from as far away as Verona and Venice. It was fun just watching the people, so we stopped to sit in shaded areas several times during the day and observed.
Observations of Italy:
One nice surprise we have found about Italy is that every place we have been so far has plenty of public water fountains unlike so many other European countries. We carry bottles of water with us and refill them at the public fountains as they get low. It sure does make wandering around easier, since the temperatures here are hot.
Compared to my previous visits to Italy, it has been interesting to note how many immigrants are here now--Africans, Middle Easterners, Turks, Indians, etc. In Bergamo, we walked through a neighborhood that seemed to be exclusively recent immigrants.
After sleeping in and having a late breakfast buffet at 10:00, we headed to Sirmione, a small, ancient walled town at the tip of a narrow peninsula. We took the bus there to see everything between here and there, then we took the boat back.
Sirmione has over 5000 years of history. One of it's most interesting stories is that it was the home of the last Cathar Christians. During the Inquisition, the Catholic Church rounded up the last 166 SUSPECTED Cathars, took them to the Roman arena in Verona, and burned them alive for the entertainment of all good Catholics who wanted to watch.
Today, it is a small town with a grand entrance gate with multiple towers. The streets are narrow and lined with quaint buildings housing hotels, restaurants, ice cream shops, etc. We wandered up and down the main streets and the back streets. We found "Pinocchio" providing families the chance to have their children's photos taken with him. We found small beaches with people swimming and sunbathing, we found olive groves as part of an old castle estate, we found the summer home of Maria Calas, etc. (Sirmione has also been the temporary home of Lord Byron, Alfred the Lord Tennyson, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, and Greta Garbo. We several of these here because they were guests of Maria Callas?)
There were crowds of people there for the day. Some had come in cars, some by ferries from other resorts on the lake, and some by bus from as far away as Verona and Venice. It was fun just watching the people, so we stopped to sit in shaded areas several times during the day and observed.
Observations of Italy:
One nice surprise we have found about Italy is that every place we have been so far has plenty of public water fountains unlike so many other European countries. We carry bottles of water with us and refill them at the public fountains as they get low. It sure does make wandering around easier, since the temperatures here are hot.
Compared to my previous visits to Italy, it has been interesting to note how many immigrants are here now--Africans, Middle Easterners, Turks, Indians, etc. In Bergamo, we walked through a neighborhood that seemed to be exclusively recent immigrants.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Limoncello on the Patio
Sunday, July 24, 2016--Bergamo to Desenzano del Garda
We had to set the alarm and get up early this morning because the only direct train to Desenzano was scheduled for 8:23. We went for breakfast at 7:00 when it opened, and we checked out and were at the station by 8:05.
Garda Lake is a huge lake on the edge of the Alps. The villages around it are very popular with vacationers from Germany, Denmark, and elsewhere. Arne's sister and brother-in-law used to come here every year for 2-3 weeks and then show us wonderful photos of the towns they visited. Desenzano is a large town on the southern end of the lake which has train connections going both east and west.
We are staying at the Hotel Giardinetto for three nights. It's a small hotel located about 3/4 of the way between the train station and the harbor. It wa an easy walk downhill from the station. A French woman runs the hotel which is in an old building with 4 floors that looks like a large villa. The front veranda is covered with huge grape vines, and there are patios on each side of the veranda with tables.
With so much time here, we rested for about 2 hours after arriving to make up for the early alarm. Then we headed downtown. Desenzano has an old harbor with small plazas. Walking into the harbor area gave me the immediate thought that it looked like a movie set with the multi-colored, quaint old buildings. But they are all authentic--not really a Disney-like creation for a natural one that a movie director or Disney would love to be able to reproduce to look as nice.
We stopped off and on to watch people as we walked both directions on the promenade along the waterfront. We passed a Sunday market with farmers selling fresh cheeses, wines, honeys, etc. We found three beach areas filled with people sunbathing on the small rounded stones and swimming in the water of the lake. Three harbor areas were filled with boats (two with motor boats and one with sailboats). Sidewalk cafes around the oldest harbor and one of the piazzas were filled with people enjoying food and drinks.
By 17:00, we returned to the room to research places to eat. We decided to go to Vesuvio Pizza based on reviews on TripAdvisor. It as just a few blocks from our hotel. Across the street was a small park where young teenagers were playing soccer and other games while families were letting their children play on swings and a large jungle gym. We waited there, because the pizza place didn't open until 18:00.
When we walked into the pizza place at 18:03, there were already about 6 people waiting for pizzas. It is so good that it is that poplar. We ordered one with cheese, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and salami. It came out of the brick oven in just 8-10 minutes super hot with a beautiful crust with just a hint of charring in places on the edge. We carried it across the street to the park and ate it there, since this place has only a bar with a few bar stools for eating which were already filled with other customers waiting for their orders. UMMM! The reviews were right. It was really a good pizza--hot, tasty, messy, just wonderful.
From there, we walked to a supermarket where we bought a bottle of limoncello--a locally made liqueur that had been recommended by friends in Denmark. The owner of the hotel put it in th freezer to chill, and we went back downstairs at 21:00, took it out to one of the tables on the patio, and relaxed and enjoyed the nice, fresh lemony flavor.
We had to set the alarm and get up early this morning because the only direct train to Desenzano was scheduled for 8:23. We went for breakfast at 7:00 when it opened, and we checked out and were at the station by 8:05.
Garda Lake is a huge lake on the edge of the Alps. The villages around it are very popular with vacationers from Germany, Denmark, and elsewhere. Arne's sister and brother-in-law used to come here every year for 2-3 weeks and then show us wonderful photos of the towns they visited. Desenzano is a large town on the southern end of the lake which has train connections going both east and west.
We are staying at the Hotel Giardinetto for three nights. It's a small hotel located about 3/4 of the way between the train station and the harbor. It wa an easy walk downhill from the station. A French woman runs the hotel which is in an old building with 4 floors that looks like a large villa. The front veranda is covered with huge grape vines, and there are patios on each side of the veranda with tables.
With so much time here, we rested for about 2 hours after arriving to make up for the early alarm. Then we headed downtown. Desenzano has an old harbor with small plazas. Walking into the harbor area gave me the immediate thought that it looked like a movie set with the multi-colored, quaint old buildings. But they are all authentic--not really a Disney-like creation for a natural one that a movie director or Disney would love to be able to reproduce to look as nice.
We stopped off and on to watch people as we walked both directions on the promenade along the waterfront. We passed a Sunday market with farmers selling fresh cheeses, wines, honeys, etc. We found three beach areas filled with people sunbathing on the small rounded stones and swimming in the water of the lake. Three harbor areas were filled with boats (two with motor boats and one with sailboats). Sidewalk cafes around the oldest harbor and one of the piazzas were filled with people enjoying food and drinks.
By 17:00, we returned to the room to research places to eat. We decided to go to Vesuvio Pizza based on reviews on TripAdvisor. It as just a few blocks from our hotel. Across the street was a small park where young teenagers were playing soccer and other games while families were letting their children play on swings and a large jungle gym. We waited there, because the pizza place didn't open until 18:00.
When we walked into the pizza place at 18:03, there were already about 6 people waiting for pizzas. It is so good that it is that poplar. We ordered one with cheese, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and salami. It came out of the brick oven in just 8-10 minutes super hot with a beautiful crust with just a hint of charring in places on the edge. We carried it across the street to the park and ate it there, since this place has only a bar with a few bar stools for eating which were already filled with other customers waiting for their orders. UMMM! The reviews were right. It was really a good pizza--hot, tasty, messy, just wonderful.
From there, we walked to a supermarket where we bought a bottle of limoncello--a locally made liqueur that had been recommended by friends in Denmark. The owner of the hotel put it in th freezer to chill, and we went back downstairs at 21:00, took it out to one of the tables on the patio, and relaxed and enjoyed the nice, fresh lemony flavor.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Wandering Bergamo and Area
Saturday, July 23, 2016--Bergamo
Rain had been forecast for the middle of the day today. Fortunately, it arrived earlier. It was raining when we went to the breakfast buffet. We enjoyed a little bit of quite a lot of what they had to offer. I never figured out how to use the coffee machine, though. It is an automated coffee maker with points to press. On two machines, I pressed "latte" and got only foamed milk. Others were having trouble, too. Were the machines out off coffee? Or is it necessary to go through two steps and pressing a type of coffee first and then the button for latte? It wasn't important, but having those machines slows down the process for people getting what they want when they want it. There were always lines for coffee.
I had some bites on my wrist and found several dead bugs. So we talked to management about it and they moved us to another room and said they would treat the one where we were. I wonder if someone had a pet there, although they are supposed to be only on the first floor of the hotel.
We stayed in the new room and read and listened to the news until the rain stopped at noon. Then we headed outside finding nice, cool air! After buying train tickets for tomorrow morning, we wandered through parts of town we had not yet seen as well as parts we especially liked yesterday.
We passed the Donazetti Teatro, the local opera house, and the monument to Donizetti next door. Then we walked up Via Pignolo, the old road leading to the old city on the hill. Back in Citta Alta, we sat at Piazza Vecchia to watch people. Then we visited three religious sights that were closed when we were there yesterday--Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica which was built in hopes God would stop the Black Plague and which has extravagant baroque features and many tapestries, the Duomo (cathedral) next door, and the Chapel Colleoni which is a tomb for him, his wife, and his daughter.
From there, we headed up another level into the hills to the village of San Vigilio. It has fantastic views from the castle ruins of the Citta Alta, the Citta Bassa, and other villages further away in the mountains.
It was early evening when we returned to our hotel where we ate some pizza we had bought nearby. Both of us were tired from the climbs as well as from walking so much on small cobblestones.
Rain had been forecast for the middle of the day today. Fortunately, it arrived earlier. It was raining when we went to the breakfast buffet. We enjoyed a little bit of quite a lot of what they had to offer. I never figured out how to use the coffee machine, though. It is an automated coffee maker with points to press. On two machines, I pressed "latte" and got only foamed milk. Others were having trouble, too. Were the machines out off coffee? Or is it necessary to go through two steps and pressing a type of coffee first and then the button for latte? It wasn't important, but having those machines slows down the process for people getting what they want when they want it. There were always lines for coffee.
I had some bites on my wrist and found several dead bugs. So we talked to management about it and they moved us to another room and said they would treat the one where we were. I wonder if someone had a pet there, although they are supposed to be only on the first floor of the hotel.
We stayed in the new room and read and listened to the news until the rain stopped at noon. Then we headed outside finding nice, cool air! After buying train tickets for tomorrow morning, we wandered through parts of town we had not yet seen as well as parts we especially liked yesterday.
We passed the Donazetti Teatro, the local opera house, and the monument to Donizetti next door. Then we walked up Via Pignolo, the old road leading to the old city on the hill. Back in Citta Alta, we sat at Piazza Vecchia to watch people. Then we visited three religious sights that were closed when we were there yesterday--Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica which was built in hopes God would stop the Black Plague and which has extravagant baroque features and many tapestries, the Duomo (cathedral) next door, and the Chapel Colleoni which is a tomb for him, his wife, and his daughter.
From there, we headed up another level into the hills to the village of San Vigilio. It has fantastic views from the castle ruins of the Citta Alta, the Citta Bassa, and other villages further away in the mountains.
It was early evening when we returned to our hotel where we ate some pizza we had bought nearby. Both of us were tired from the climbs as well as from walking so much on small cobblestones.
Mini-Emergencies
Friday, July 22, 2016--Milan to Bergamo
The hotel in Milan had a small breakfast buffet--very simple and just a little more than a continental breakfast. We had a choice of types of croissants, mini-toasts, packaged muffins, marmalade, Nutella, cereal, yogurt, juice, and coffee. We ate it and followed the directions of the young man at reception to find a tobacco shop to buy our tram tickets to get to the train station. By 8:45, we were checked out and taking the tram. At Lambrate Station, we followed signs that took us way out of the way to buy our tickets for Bergamo, but we got them and make the train leaving at 9:18. Wes' bag had not arrived yet. Although we told the lady at the airport we would be moving to Bergamo, so we left information with our Milan hotel to give to the driver if he showed up there.
We are staying at the NH Bergamo Hotel for the next two nights. It's a much nicer place than the Dover in Milan was--a bigger room with much better bedding.
Because we arrived so early, we just left the luggage at the hotel and went out to explore the town. Bergamo is a very elegant town at the base of the mountains. It has two main sections--Citta Bassa, the modern city on flat land at the bottom of the mountain, and Citta Alta, the old walled city on top of one of the short mountains. We headed out to explore Citta Alta first--walking about 8 blocks from our hotel before heading up steep stairs. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the top, there were dark clouds with the threat of rain. We, therefore, came back down taking a different route at a junction.
That took us west of our hotel into a very old part of the Citta Bassa that was interesting. And beyond that were several narrow streets of nice shops and then a walking street filled with many more stores.
We were back at our hotel by 13:00 and they had a room ready for us. We came upstairs to rest, to read our e-mail and the news, etc. That's when we realized we had a problem. My adapter that goes on my plugs to change them from flat posts that go into electrical outlets in the US to cylindrical posts that go into European outlets here was missing. I've had it and used it since the late 70s/early 80s always being careful not to lose it. And without it, there would be no way for us to charge my phone, my Kindle, my camera, and our computers.
We knew it would be difficult to find the adapter, because no one living here would need that kind. We stopped at phone stores and at a large electronic store similar to Best Buy. None of them had them. Everyone tried to send us somewhere else. A guy on the street told us to continue for about 2 km (1 mile) and there would be a large electric supply store that would have them, so we headed out. About only 1/3 of the way there, Wes saw a stored named Videocomponents. As we stepped inside, we realized it was like Altec at home. We immediately found adapters but not the kind we needed. We asked a clerk if he had them, he walked into a back room, pulled out a drawer, and found one!! We asked for two and bought them!! Emergency solved.
We returned to the room and used our computers/relaxed until about 18:45. We headed back to the Citta Alta to explore it. The climb was just as high as it had been in the morning. But the threat of rain was gone. We wandered up and down the narrow streets and past the wonderful squares. We walked around part of the walls. We heard street orchestras and single musicians. We saw a group of about 6 Ferrari owners arrive in their cars, gunning the engines as they waited to pull into a parking lot for their outing to a restaurant.
About that time, my stomach started bothering me. In Europe, there are seldom any public toilets, and if they exist, they aren't open in the evenings. No business owners are willing to let anyone other than a customer use their toilets. So I had to start back down the hill to our hotel--a rather long distance. I left Wes behind me and rushed. I made it with complications. My room key wouldn't open the door!! I rushed back to the lobby realizing I didn't have time to get the key reset, but I remembered seeing the location of the lobby toilets. I barely made it to the men's room. Another emergency handled before it was too late!!
The hotel in Milan had a small breakfast buffet--very simple and just a little more than a continental breakfast. We had a choice of types of croissants, mini-toasts, packaged muffins, marmalade, Nutella, cereal, yogurt, juice, and coffee. We ate it and followed the directions of the young man at reception to find a tobacco shop to buy our tram tickets to get to the train station. By 8:45, we were checked out and taking the tram. At Lambrate Station, we followed signs that took us way out of the way to buy our tickets for Bergamo, but we got them and make the train leaving at 9:18. Wes' bag had not arrived yet. Although we told the lady at the airport we would be moving to Bergamo, so we left information with our Milan hotel to give to the driver if he showed up there.
We are staying at the NH Bergamo Hotel for the next two nights. It's a much nicer place than the Dover in Milan was--a bigger room with much better bedding.
Because we arrived so early, we just left the luggage at the hotel and went out to explore the town. Bergamo is a very elegant town at the base of the mountains. It has two main sections--Citta Bassa, the modern city on flat land at the bottom of the mountain, and Citta Alta, the old walled city on top of one of the short mountains. We headed out to explore Citta Alta first--walking about 8 blocks from our hotel before heading up steep stairs. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the top, there were dark clouds with the threat of rain. We, therefore, came back down taking a different route at a junction.
That took us west of our hotel into a very old part of the Citta Bassa that was interesting. And beyond that were several narrow streets of nice shops and then a walking street filled with many more stores.
We were back at our hotel by 13:00 and they had a room ready for us. We came upstairs to rest, to read our e-mail and the news, etc. That's when we realized we had a problem. My adapter that goes on my plugs to change them from flat posts that go into electrical outlets in the US to cylindrical posts that go into European outlets here was missing. I've had it and used it since the late 70s/early 80s always being careful not to lose it. And without it, there would be no way for us to charge my phone, my Kindle, my camera, and our computers.
We knew it would be difficult to find the adapter, because no one living here would need that kind. We stopped at phone stores and at a large electronic store similar to Best Buy. None of them had them. Everyone tried to send us somewhere else. A guy on the street told us to continue for about 2 km (1 mile) and there would be a large electric supply store that would have them, so we headed out. About only 1/3 of the way there, Wes saw a stored named Videocomponents. As we stepped inside, we realized it was like Altec at home. We immediately found adapters but not the kind we needed. We asked a clerk if he had them, he walked into a back room, pulled out a drawer, and found one!! We asked for two and bought them!! Emergency solved.
We returned to the room and used our computers/relaxed until about 18:45. We headed back to the Citta Alta to explore it. The climb was just as high as it had been in the morning. But the threat of rain was gone. We wandered up and down the narrow streets and past the wonderful squares. We walked around part of the walls. We heard street orchestras and single musicians. We saw a group of about 6 Ferrari owners arrive in their cars, gunning the engines as they waited to pull into a parking lot for their outing to a restaurant.
About that time, my stomach started bothering me. In Europe, there are seldom any public toilets, and if they exist, they aren't open in the evenings. No business owners are willing to let anyone other than a customer use their toilets. So I had to start back down the hill to our hotel--a rather long distance. I left Wes behind me and rushed. I made it with complications. My room key wouldn't open the door!! I rushed back to the lobby realizing I didn't have time to get the key reset, but I remembered seeing the location of the lobby toilets. I barely made it to the men's room. Another emergency handled before it was too late!!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Off to Italy
Thursday, July 21, 2016--Berlin to Milan
Dieter and I were up at 5:30. I showered and got dressed while he prepared a small breakfast of toast, cheese, cold cuts, and jam. We ate and visited. Then we headed out to catch the bus to the airport.
After a change of buses, we arrived at Berlin Tegel at 7:30--1 1/2 hours before my scheduled departure. I was worried when we couldn't find an Air Berlin flight to Milan at 9:00. Had they canceled it? Inside we went to the information counter where a young lady of Indian descent explained that the flight is operated by Alitalia. She told me the check-in counter numbers and the gate number and indicated the direction I should go for those. I told her I am a volunteer information officer at our airport and that she had done a great job--that she was totally professional.
I was glad to know I was flying Alitalia when I saw the long line of people waiting to check in with Air Berlin. Just beyond there was the Alitalia check-in station with 3 representations and NO ONE in line!! I checked in and then walked back outside with Dieter to wait for his bus and to thank him for everything.
By 8:00, I was through the security check and at my gate. I read from my novel as I waited.
On the flight, I sat beside a young man of Iranian descent. He lives in Canada now where he graduated with degrees in applied mathematics and economics. He is in the process of developing a web page and an app for an idea he has to connect people for various travel reasons--to share rides, to join groups headed to the same place, to match people to get together so that travelers meet local people and vice versa, etc. I shared some of ideas for what would be nice to have within the app.
I waited 3 hours in the baggage claim area for Wes to arrive. I spent the time reading the news, reading from my novel, etc. It really flew by. Then he walked right up to me. Unfortunately, though, his bag didn't arrive. He completed the paperwork related to that, and we left for our hotel--Hotel Dover.
It was HOT in Milan: 92 degrees F/33 degrees C. It was miserable being outside, but today was our only day to explore Milan. We walked to the center of town from our hotel and saw several of the major sights: Milan Cathedral, La Scala Theater, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza Mercanti, Cinque Vie historic district, and Via Dante.
We were so tired that we bought sandwiches and brought them back to our room to eat. Wes had flown overnight (spending his birthday yesterday on planes) to get here, so he took a melatonin tablet and went to bed at 8:30. Since I got up early, I followed him to bed about 45 minutes later.
Dieter and I were up at 5:30. I showered and got dressed while he prepared a small breakfast of toast, cheese, cold cuts, and jam. We ate and visited. Then we headed out to catch the bus to the airport.
After a change of buses, we arrived at Berlin Tegel at 7:30--1 1/2 hours before my scheduled departure. I was worried when we couldn't find an Air Berlin flight to Milan at 9:00. Had they canceled it? Inside we went to the information counter where a young lady of Indian descent explained that the flight is operated by Alitalia. She told me the check-in counter numbers and the gate number and indicated the direction I should go for those. I told her I am a volunteer information officer at our airport and that she had done a great job--that she was totally professional.
I was glad to know I was flying Alitalia when I saw the long line of people waiting to check in with Air Berlin. Just beyond there was the Alitalia check-in station with 3 representations and NO ONE in line!! I checked in and then walked back outside with Dieter to wait for his bus and to thank him for everything.
By 8:00, I was through the security check and at my gate. I read from my novel as I waited.
On the flight, I sat beside a young man of Iranian descent. He lives in Canada now where he graduated with degrees in applied mathematics and economics. He is in the process of developing a web page and an app for an idea he has to connect people for various travel reasons--to share rides, to join groups headed to the same place, to match people to get together so that travelers meet local people and vice versa, etc. I shared some of ideas for what would be nice to have within the app.
I waited 3 hours in the baggage claim area for Wes to arrive. I spent the time reading the news, reading from my novel, etc. It really flew by. Then he walked right up to me. Unfortunately, though, his bag didn't arrive. He completed the paperwork related to that, and we left for our hotel--Hotel Dover.
It was HOT in Milan: 92 degrees F/33 degrees C. It was miserable being outside, but today was our only day to explore Milan. We walked to the center of town from our hotel and saw several of the major sights: Milan Cathedral, La Scala Theater, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza Mercanti, Cinque Vie historic district, and Via Dante.
We were so tired that we bought sandwiches and brought them back to our room to eat. Wes had flown overnight (spending his birthday yesterday on planes) to get here, so he took a melatonin tablet and went to bed at 8:30. Since I got up early, I followed him to bed about 45 minutes later.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
A Sunny, Warm Day in Berlin
Wednesday, July 20, 2016--Berlin
We were up early to meet friends for breakfast at Gasthaus Lentz. Detlef, whom I have known since 1982, Claus, and Gerti joined us. We sat outside enjoying the fresh air. I had a baguette with smoked salmon, cucumbers, dill, and horseradish. We talked about anything and everything. I asked a question I have been asking everyone in Europe: Should I vote for Trump? As usual, I got a resounding, "NO!!!" The other political talk was about Erdogan in Turkey. Everyone here is concerned about what is happening there for several reasons. They need the assistance of Turkey in holding back the refugees as the EU finalizes its plan for handing them. They are concerned about the number of Turks who may want to enter Europe following the recent coup and because of future actions by Erdogan (such as today's announcements that university professors would not be allowed to leave the country). Finally, they are concerned about Putin's influence on Turkey. No one wants Turkey to be admitted to the EU. They see Erdogan as headed toward establishing an Islamic dictatorship there.
After breakfast, Dieter, Detlef, and I took a 3 1/2 hour boat tour on the River Spree and other tributaries through various parts of Berlin. There were interesting things to see along the entire way. Much of what we saw, I had seen from streets before, but the perspective from the river is a different one. We passed nice apartment buildings (new and old), the new government buildings, the restored parliament building, museum island, the redeveloped area of Potsdamer Platz, etc. We also passed people sunbathing, playing, walking, etc., along the riverside. One thing that was interesting to see was that the Technological Museum has one of the old American planes that flew relief supplies to the citizens of West Berlin when East Germany cut off all road traffic suspended out toward the river on the outside of the building.
Following the boat trip, we spent time sitting in the shade in a beer garden beside a lake in the Tiergarten, a large park in the center of Berlin. It was a long and tiring outing, but it was nice to see old friends and to see so much of Berlin in one unusual type of tour.
After resting for a while, we went to a nearby local restaurant with a side garden where we both ordered the wienerschnitzel. It was far too large for me and came with a huge mound of fried potatoes with onions and a small salad. I've been traveling for two weeks, and I have over-eaten the whole way. Tomorrow, the diet starts!
We were up early to meet friends for breakfast at Gasthaus Lentz. Detlef, whom I have known since 1982, Claus, and Gerti joined us. We sat outside enjoying the fresh air. I had a baguette with smoked salmon, cucumbers, dill, and horseradish. We talked about anything and everything. I asked a question I have been asking everyone in Europe: Should I vote for Trump? As usual, I got a resounding, "NO!!!" The other political talk was about Erdogan in Turkey. Everyone here is concerned about what is happening there for several reasons. They need the assistance of Turkey in holding back the refugees as the EU finalizes its plan for handing them. They are concerned about the number of Turks who may want to enter Europe following the recent coup and because of future actions by Erdogan (such as today's announcements that university professors would not be allowed to leave the country). Finally, they are concerned about Putin's influence on Turkey. No one wants Turkey to be admitted to the EU. They see Erdogan as headed toward establishing an Islamic dictatorship there.
After breakfast, Dieter, Detlef, and I took a 3 1/2 hour boat tour on the River Spree and other tributaries through various parts of Berlin. There were interesting things to see along the entire way. Much of what we saw, I had seen from streets before, but the perspective from the river is a different one. We passed nice apartment buildings (new and old), the new government buildings, the restored parliament building, museum island, the redeveloped area of Potsdamer Platz, etc. We also passed people sunbathing, playing, walking, etc., along the riverside. One thing that was interesting to see was that the Technological Museum has one of the old American planes that flew relief supplies to the citizens of West Berlin when East Germany cut off all road traffic suspended out toward the river on the outside of the building.
Following the boat trip, we spent time sitting in the shade in a beer garden beside a lake in the Tiergarten, a large park in the center of Berlin. It was a long and tiring outing, but it was nice to see old friends and to see so much of Berlin in one unusual type of tour.
After resting for a while, we went to a nearby local restaurant with a side garden where we both ordered the wienerschnitzel. It was far too large for me and came with a huge mound of fried potatoes with onions and a small salad. I've been traveling for two weeks, and I have over-eaten the whole way. Tomorrow, the diet starts!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
First Day in Berlin
Tuesday, July 19, 2016--Berlin
Dieter and I had a casual morning at his apartment. We started with toast with meats, cheeses, and jam for breakfast with coffee. Then I showed him the AIRBNB website to see how he could rent whole apartments when he travels to places in Thailand, Vietnam, etc., each winter. He's going to Thailand for four months this coming winter.
After we both cleaned up, we headed out. First stop was the bank in front of his apartment for me to get Euros. They have no tellers in banks here now. After getting cash from the ATM, it wasn't able to take the big bills to a window and ask for smaller ones as I often do when traveling!
We headed across the street to a kiosk and bought me two day tickets for local transportation during my stay here. Each covers different regions according to what Dieter had planned for today and tomorrow. Fortunately, the owner took the 100 Euro bill and gave me change!!
We took a bus and a train and another bus to Potsdam where we spent most of the day. I had been there to see the palaces with Arne just a year or so after the fall of the Berlin Wall. But there is a string of parks including Sanssouci Park that is most famous. Sanssouci is the most famous of the parks for having several magnificent palaces built by Frederick II (also known as Frederick the Great) who reigned in the 1700s over Prussia. It was interesting to note that people bring potatoes and leave them at the gravesite of Frederick II because one of the things that made him famous is that he brought potatoes to Germany for the first time.
Leaving the first park, we walked down the main street of the center of Potsdam, a rather elegant small city due to its closeness to the country palaces of the emperors. We stopped at a meat market and bought four meatballs to share as we continued on our way.
After passing through town, we left the crowds of tourists, which usually visit only the main park and downtown behind us. We entered the much quieter park named Neuer Garten which has several palaces incluing the Marble Palace and the Cecilienhof Palace which was the location of the Potsdam Conference at the end of World War II where Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met to determine how to govern Germany after its defeat.
As we left that park, we crossed the Glienicker Bridge which became famous as the place where exchanges of prisoners were made between the East and the West during the Cold War Period. For some reason, I had never realized it was on the outer edge of Berlin. I had always imagined it to be in the center of town across the river that divided the East from the West. But it makes sense that it was in this remote, wooded area, since the participants would want to be isolated from the general public while making the exchange.
On the way back into town, we stopped at the Loretta Biergarten overlooking the Wansee. We each had a radler, a 50/50 mixture of beer and Sprite often known as a shandy in other countries, and shared a large pretzel.
We had been away for 7 hours when we returned to the apartment. We were both tired. And neither of us was really hungry. So we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Dieter and I had a casual morning at his apartment. We started with toast with meats, cheeses, and jam for breakfast with coffee. Then I showed him the AIRBNB website to see how he could rent whole apartments when he travels to places in Thailand, Vietnam, etc., each winter. He's going to Thailand for four months this coming winter.
After we both cleaned up, we headed out. First stop was the bank in front of his apartment for me to get Euros. They have no tellers in banks here now. After getting cash from the ATM, it wasn't able to take the big bills to a window and ask for smaller ones as I often do when traveling!
We headed across the street to a kiosk and bought me two day tickets for local transportation during my stay here. Each covers different regions according to what Dieter had planned for today and tomorrow. Fortunately, the owner took the 100 Euro bill and gave me change!!
We took a bus and a train and another bus to Potsdam where we spent most of the day. I had been there to see the palaces with Arne just a year or so after the fall of the Berlin Wall. But there is a string of parks including Sanssouci Park that is most famous. Sanssouci is the most famous of the parks for having several magnificent palaces built by Frederick II (also known as Frederick the Great) who reigned in the 1700s over Prussia. It was interesting to note that people bring potatoes and leave them at the gravesite of Frederick II because one of the things that made him famous is that he brought potatoes to Germany for the first time.
Leaving the first park, we walked down the main street of the center of Potsdam, a rather elegant small city due to its closeness to the country palaces of the emperors. We stopped at a meat market and bought four meatballs to share as we continued on our way.
After passing through town, we left the crowds of tourists, which usually visit only the main park and downtown behind us. We entered the much quieter park named Neuer Garten which has several palaces incluing the Marble Palace and the Cecilienhof Palace which was the location of the Potsdam Conference at the end of World War II where Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met to determine how to govern Germany after its defeat.
As we left that park, we crossed the Glienicker Bridge which became famous as the place where exchanges of prisoners were made between the East and the West during the Cold War Period. For some reason, I had never realized it was on the outer edge of Berlin. I had always imagined it to be in the center of town across the river that divided the East from the West. But it makes sense that it was in this remote, wooded area, since the participants would want to be isolated from the general public while making the exchange.
On the way back into town, we stopped at the Loretta Biergarten overlooking the Wansee. We each had a radler, a 50/50 mixture of beer and Sprite often known as a shandy in other countries, and shared a large pretzel.
We had been away for 7 hours when we returned to the apartment. We were both tired. And neither of us was really hungry. So we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
A Final Day with Danish Friends and Moving Onward to Germany
Monday, July 18, 2016--Copenhagen to Berlin
I got up before Grethe left for work this morning to thank her for her hospitality and to say good-bye. It wasn't as sad as saying good-bye to some of my friends here, because Grethe is certain to visit in Texas with her next trip tentatively planned for when she retires in less than two years. I had to tease her a bit by saying, "I don't see my breakfast set out on the table for me!" And also by saying she had been "pretty good" during this visit. She always does far more than she should. That's probably partially related to the reason she is a nurse. She knows she is a good host, and I think she sees my teasing as confirmation of that!
My flight to Berlin is in the evening. That was originally planned because the other choice was one in the morning that was too early for me to want to rush to make it. But the timing worked out perfectly for me, because I still had one more friend I wanted to visit who was not available last week.
Ib is a fellow teacher I met through Old Grethe* (one of Arne's best and oldest friends who is now deceased) many years ago. He used to teach history and has taught Danish to refugees taking up residence in Denmark for many years now. He and I really enjoyed visiting and started seeing each other every time I would come to town. Later, when he met Ana, a Brazilian woman, married her, and moved to Rio with her, we continued to see each other every time I traveled to Brazil. We even had a meeting in China one time when I was traveling there and he was there on a trip for the faculty of his school here in Copenhagen. Therefore, our friendship has lasted for many years with visits on three continents.
He is currently living back in Denmark building up his pension prior to retirement and has an apartment in Amager between the center of Copenhagen and the airport. Therefore, we made plans for me to stop there on the way to the airport for a visit today.
*Names are a problem in Denmark, because so many people share the same names--both first and last. I have known three Grethes all at the same time. The way that Dane's handle this is by using a reference with the name that clarifies which one it is. (Last names don't help, because most last names are as common as "Smith" in the US.) So I am staying with Nurse Grethe right now. Arne's step-mother was Evy's (Arne's sister) Grethe. Arne's close friend was Old Grethe. Similarly, Arne is a popular name, and we had another friend with that name. Because he had a dog, everyone who knew both of the Arne's referred to him as Dog Arne. Whereas my Arne was known by everyone as Randy's Arne.)
I got up before Grethe left for work this morning to thank her for her hospitality and to say good-bye. It wasn't as sad as saying good-bye to some of my friends here, because Grethe is certain to visit in Texas with her next trip tentatively planned for when she retires in less than two years. I had to tease her a bit by saying, "I don't see my breakfast set out on the table for me!" And also by saying she had been "pretty good" during this visit. She always does far more than she should. That's probably partially related to the reason she is a nurse. She knows she is a good host, and I think she sees my teasing as confirmation of that!
My flight to Berlin is in the evening. That was originally planned because the other choice was one in the morning that was too early for me to want to rush to make it. But the timing worked out perfectly for me, because I still had one more friend I wanted to visit who was not available last week.
Ib is a fellow teacher I met through Old Grethe* (one of Arne's best and oldest friends who is now deceased) many years ago. He used to teach history and has taught Danish to refugees taking up residence in Denmark for many years now. He and I really enjoyed visiting and started seeing each other every time I would come to town. Later, when he met Ana, a Brazilian woman, married her, and moved to Rio with her, we continued to see each other every time I traveled to Brazil. We even had a meeting in China one time when I was traveling there and he was there on a trip for the faculty of his school here in Copenhagen. Therefore, our friendship has lasted for many years with visits on three continents.
He is currently living back in Denmark building up his pension prior to retirement and has an apartment in Amager between the center of Copenhagen and the airport. Therefore, we made plans for me to stop there on the way to the airport for a visit today.
Ib made a breakfast
for us when I arrived at 11:00—nice seeded rolls with cheese and
jam. Then we set out for a walk. He took me to an old nearby
fortress with nice views toward Sweden, toward the airport, and
toward downtown. Then we walked across the street onto AmagerStrandpark—a long beach in 5 sections. We walked the entire distance
of the beach watching children playing organized games to keep them
busy during school holidays and local residents just enjoying being
out in the sea breezes. At the other end of the beach, we came out
where Torben’s and Erik’s apartment is where we had a party last
Monday. Ib has a special coffee shop he likes near there, so we went
there. But instead of coffee, we had very spicy ginger shots.
Back at his
apartment, we continued to visit. He told me that schools are being
privatized which leads to higher expectations related to the amount
of work a teacher must perform. He discussed the recent trip made by
all the teachers in his school to Bosnia to try to understand the
situation there that caused lots of refugees from there to end up
living in Denmark and taking classes at their school. We discussed
his retirement plans and how decisions he makes always involve
limitations based on the income he can expect when he starts
receiving his pension—in at least one year, but maybe not until two
years.
Ib’s 18-year-old
daughter was home and visited with us late in the afternoon when Ib
prepared tapas based on a Mediterranean diet. I had not seen her
since she was about 3 years old, because she remained in Brazil with
her mother when Ib returned to Copenhagen for his teaching job. We
discussed her plans for a career—an interest in designing clothes
and having her own boutique. She is beginning a new
program at the business school to prepare her for this. We also
discussed the loneliness of school holidays when all your friends are
out of town.
After the tapas, I
caught a bus to the airport and checked in for my flight to Berlin.
Dieter, a long-time friend who was partially responsible for me
meeting Arne, was at the airport when I arrived. We took the bus
back to his apartment where we sat on the balcony catching up on each
other’s news with a full moon shining down on us.
It had been a long
day for me, so I excused myself and went to bed while Dieter watched
the news. With two visits in one day, I was having trouble anyway
remembering what I had told Ib vs. what I had told Dieter!
*Names are a problem in Denmark, because so many people share the same names--both first and last. I have known three Grethes all at the same time. The way that Dane's handle this is by using a reference with the name that clarifies which one it is. (Last names don't help, because most last names are as common as "Smith" in the US.) So I am staying with Nurse Grethe right now. Arne's step-mother was Evy's (Arne's sister) Grethe. Arne's close friend was Old Grethe. Similarly, Arne is a popular name, and we had another friend with that name. Because he had a dog, everyone who knew both of the Arne's referred to him as Dog Arne. Whereas my Arne was known by everyone as Randy's Arne.)
Monday, July 18, 2016
Visiting with Arne's Family
Sunday, July 17, 2016--Copenhagen
Arne's family invited me to join them Sunday. Sascha and her husband Danni picked me up at Grethe's apartment at 13:30, and we drove to the camping ground on the edge of town where her parents (Gitte and Carit) have a plot with a large, new camping wagon. It includes an attached tented deck that is as large as the wagon; an outdoor, covered food preparation area with counter top, sink, and hot running water; a barbecue grill; and a large lawn with fruit trees, berry bushes, flowering plants, and a playground area for the children.
It was my first time to see the family since they were in Texas six years ago. Since that time, both of Gitte's parents--Evy, Arne's sister, and Arvind, her husband--have died. And Sascha and her husband have had two children. As we sat and talked, we determined that I have now known 5 generations of the family. Originally, there was also Arne's step-mother Grethe still living.
Sascha's and Danni's boys are 4 years old and 1 1/2 years old. It was interesting to see the differences in their personalities. Romeo, the older one, is more serious and more shy. Joey, the younger one, is perpetually jolly and friendly. Joey interacted with me immediately. Romeo was distant until I noticed a soccer ball on the playground and kicked it near him. Immediately, he rushed to kick it and keep it away from me. We played several minutes with him really working hard to keep control of the ball and laughing. After that, he was fine with me. And when they later left, he was telling me "Bye, Bye" versus the Danish version of "Hej, Hej" since his mother has been teaching him some English.
Also there was Georgina, a French friend of Gitte's who has worked with her on previous projects related to her job. As the day progressed, I also really enjoyed visiting with her. She gave me suggestions of places I might like to visit in France, and we talked about her travels. After ending a relationship a few years ago, she got up the nerve to travel on her own and now thoroughly believes it is the best way to travel for the same reason I do--because of the opportunities that being alone provides for meeting people, both fellow travelers and locals, along the way.
We started the afternoon with coffee, tea, and a variety of Danish pastries as we sat around a long table inside the tent. As the afternoon passed, there were small conversational groups in the tent and in the yard. Eventually, they started preparing an early dinner of shish kebabs (some with marinated chicken and some with marinated pork) cooked on the grill, bread also cooked on the grill, salad with a homemade vinaigrette made by Georgina, and a warm cheese-tomato sauce.
The afternoon often centered around the children. But I had good conversations with everyone. The family has always been nice and accepting of me, and they refer to me as "Uncle Randy." Unfortunately, Carit became ill as the day progressed--a suspected bladder infection since the symptoms matched those of a previous infection he had two years ago. So the evening ended with efforts to get me home while also getting Carit to the hospital.
Other than the ending, it was a very nice day and it was so nice to be with all of them again. The family told me they have plans to return to Texas in a few years when the boys are both old enough to enjoy it and to understand what they are seeing. I was glad to hear that they are interested in visiting again.
Arne's family invited me to join them Sunday. Sascha and her husband Danni picked me up at Grethe's apartment at 13:30, and we drove to the camping ground on the edge of town where her parents (Gitte and Carit) have a plot with a large, new camping wagon. It includes an attached tented deck that is as large as the wagon; an outdoor, covered food preparation area with counter top, sink, and hot running water; a barbecue grill; and a large lawn with fruit trees, berry bushes, flowering plants, and a playground area for the children.
It was my first time to see the family since they were in Texas six years ago. Since that time, both of Gitte's parents--Evy, Arne's sister, and Arvind, her husband--have died. And Sascha and her husband have had two children. As we sat and talked, we determined that I have now known 5 generations of the family. Originally, there was also Arne's step-mother Grethe still living.
Sascha's and Danni's boys are 4 years old and 1 1/2 years old. It was interesting to see the differences in their personalities. Romeo, the older one, is more serious and more shy. Joey, the younger one, is perpetually jolly and friendly. Joey interacted with me immediately. Romeo was distant until I noticed a soccer ball on the playground and kicked it near him. Immediately, he rushed to kick it and keep it away from me. We played several minutes with him really working hard to keep control of the ball and laughing. After that, he was fine with me. And when they later left, he was telling me "Bye, Bye" versus the Danish version of "Hej, Hej" since his mother has been teaching him some English.
Also there was Georgina, a French friend of Gitte's who has worked with her on previous projects related to her job. As the day progressed, I also really enjoyed visiting with her. She gave me suggestions of places I might like to visit in France, and we talked about her travels. After ending a relationship a few years ago, she got up the nerve to travel on her own and now thoroughly believes it is the best way to travel for the same reason I do--because of the opportunities that being alone provides for meeting people, both fellow travelers and locals, along the way.
We started the afternoon with coffee, tea, and a variety of Danish pastries as we sat around a long table inside the tent. As the afternoon passed, there were small conversational groups in the tent and in the yard. Eventually, they started preparing an early dinner of shish kebabs (some with marinated chicken and some with marinated pork) cooked on the grill, bread also cooked on the grill, salad with a homemade vinaigrette made by Georgina, and a warm cheese-tomato sauce.
The afternoon often centered around the children. But I had good conversations with everyone. The family has always been nice and accepting of me, and they refer to me as "Uncle Randy." Unfortunately, Carit became ill as the day progressed--a suspected bladder infection since the symptoms matched those of a previous infection he had two years ago. So the evening ended with efforts to get me home while also getting Carit to the hospital.
Other than the ending, it was a very nice day and it was so nice to be with all of them again. The family told me they have plans to return to Texas in a few years when the boys are both old enough to enjoy it and to understand what they are seeing. I was glad to hear that they are interested in visiting again.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
The Ultimate Danish Summer Meal
Saturday, July 16, 2016--Asserbo, Denmark
I slept under a comforter with the windows open letting in the very cool air and the sounds of the birds in the area. It was very quiet otherwise out here in the countryside.
Torben made homemade bread for breakfast and served it with a soft boiled egg, slices of cheese, one of the leftover salmon filets from last night's dinner, marmalade, butter, tea, and orange juice. We sat inside since it was still a little windy and cool outdoors. But their living/dining room in their summerhouse has two walls of glass looking out onto the garden.
After a nice leisurely morning there at Torben's and Erik's summer house, we drove to Asserbo, another popular region for summerhouses with very nice beaches nearby. We stopped at the summerhouse of John and Paul Lennart. It is a wonderful architect-designed home with a glass wall looking out over open land. We were returning their car from the night before. In Denmark, people don't drive after drinking, so they had taken a taxi home. From there, we went to Jens' and Robert's new summerhouse which replaced the small one I have visited many times.
I liked Jen's and Robert's summerhouse. It is probably twice the size of the former one which Jens inherited from an aunt. The previous one was what people here would call a "true" summerhouse--a basic small cabin-like home with a small living room, a tiny kitchen in one corner of the living room, a small bath with just a sink and a toilet, and one bedroom. The new one has a huge living room with a large kitchen at the back of it, two bedrooms, a large bathroom with a shower and hot water, and a wrap-around deck to get the sun from various angles throughout the day. It has lots of light coming through, and, therefore, lots of nice views of the green lawn and trees outside. It has a huge Rhododendron plant beside the house that is now 3 times the size it was last time I was here. I remember it, because the season was over for it to bloom and Jens and I spent part of an afternoon picking off the dying blossoms so that it would bloom well the next year.
Jens and Robert have a summer party each year that is the talk of everyone who has ever been invited. I was a guest once before maybe 20 years ago when it was a smaller function (but with food just as fancy). This year, there were 10 of us present. Here is the meal we were served:
1st Course: Half a lobster with garlic mayonnaise, another spicier sauce, and warm crusty bread. Served with white wine.
2nd Course: Garlic-marinated shrimp and smoked salmon filets. Served with white wine.
3rd Course: Roast beef with tomato/onion salad. Served with red wine.
4th Course: Four kinds of cheese with herb-crusted crackers and more warm bread. Served with red wine and various liqueurs--cognac, chartruese, cointreau, etc.
5th Course: A platter of candies (chocolate-coated marzipan, mini Ritter bars, chocolate-coated nuts inside a sugar shell, etc.). Served with choices of lots of liquors.
The party started at 14:00 and ended about 19:30. Grethe and I caught the bus/train back to the city just after 20:00 and were back at her apartment, stuffed as could be from the meal, around 22:15 and prepared for bed immediately. We were both so full and so tired!
I slept under a comforter with the windows open letting in the very cool air and the sounds of the birds in the area. It was very quiet otherwise out here in the countryside.
Torben made homemade bread for breakfast and served it with a soft boiled egg, slices of cheese, one of the leftover salmon filets from last night's dinner, marmalade, butter, tea, and orange juice. We sat inside since it was still a little windy and cool outdoors. But their living/dining room in their summerhouse has two walls of glass looking out onto the garden.
After a nice leisurely morning there at Torben's and Erik's summer house, we drove to Asserbo, another popular region for summerhouses with very nice beaches nearby. We stopped at the summerhouse of John and Paul Lennart. It is a wonderful architect-designed home with a glass wall looking out over open land. We were returning their car from the night before. In Denmark, people don't drive after drinking, so they had taken a taxi home. From there, we went to Jens' and Robert's new summerhouse which replaced the small one I have visited many times.
I liked Jen's and Robert's summerhouse. It is probably twice the size of the former one which Jens inherited from an aunt. The previous one was what people here would call a "true" summerhouse--a basic small cabin-like home with a small living room, a tiny kitchen in one corner of the living room, a small bath with just a sink and a toilet, and one bedroom. The new one has a huge living room with a large kitchen at the back of it, two bedrooms, a large bathroom with a shower and hot water, and a wrap-around deck to get the sun from various angles throughout the day. It has lots of light coming through, and, therefore, lots of nice views of the green lawn and trees outside. It has a huge Rhododendron plant beside the house that is now 3 times the size it was last time I was here. I remember it, because the season was over for it to bloom and Jens and I spent part of an afternoon picking off the dying blossoms so that it would bloom well the next year.
Jens and Robert have a summer party each year that is the talk of everyone who has ever been invited. I was a guest once before maybe 20 years ago when it was a smaller function (but with food just as fancy). This year, there were 10 of us present. Here is the meal we were served:
1st Course: Half a lobster with garlic mayonnaise, another spicier sauce, and warm crusty bread. Served with white wine.
2nd Course: Garlic-marinated shrimp and smoked salmon filets. Served with white wine.
3rd Course: Roast beef with tomato/onion salad. Served with red wine.
4th Course: Four kinds of cheese with herb-crusted crackers and more warm bread. Served with red wine and various liqueurs--cognac, chartruese, cointreau, etc.
5th Course: A platter of candies (chocolate-coated marzipan, mini Ritter bars, chocolate-coated nuts inside a sugar shell, etc.). Served with choices of lots of liquors.
The party started at 14:00 and ended about 19:30. Grethe and I caught the bus/train back to the city just after 20:00 and were back at her apartment, stuffed as could be from the meal, around 22:15 and prepared for bed immediately. We were both so full and so tired!
Saturday, July 16, 2016
To Summer Houses in the North
Friday, July 15, 2016--Copenhagen to Tisvildeleje
Many people in Copenhagen have summer houses on the northern part of the island. It's a way to get out of the congestion of the city and to enjoy the countryside. At one time, these were simple cottages. But now, many of them are as nice and as large as a personal home. They all have hot and cold running water, they all have lots of glass to overlook the green areas, they all have a large lawn that is "fenced" by high growth to maintain privacy, and many even have satellite and Internet connections. One of the most popular areas for summer houses is Tisvildeleje--the area around a nice, old coastal community. There are long stretches of beaches and the town is an atmospheric one.
I took the train up in the afternoon. The regular S-trains in the city run a little over halfway to the town of Hilleroed which is an old castle town--home of Frederiksborg Castle where Arne and I used to come occasionally on weekends to picnic in the gardens and wander around both the gardens and the town. From there, I changed to a cute "local" train with just two cars that goes through the woods stopping at small villages and even in the middle of the countryside.
Torben and Erik's summerhouse is in an area called Holloese within walking distance of the town of Tisvildeleje. The train station is just a platform with a bench. People dismount and walk to their houses with some being picked up in automobiles. I arrived earlier than expected and walked to their place since I knew the way.
Torben, who had been sick since Monday night's party, was feeling better and was preparing food for another dinner party. This time, there were only 7 of us--a VERY SMALL dinner party for him to have. It meant that everyone could visit easily and follow all conversations that were taking place. Ulf and Alan were the only ones here I had not yet seen, so it was nice to visit with them.
We had margaritas and peanuts before dinner. Then we had salmon filets with boiled new potatoes and a puree of peas. For dessert, we had a sauce made from fresh blackberries with dips of two kinds of ice cream.
Rather than return to Copenhagen, I spent the night at the summer house, because we all have invitations to another party tomorrow afternoon.
Many people in Copenhagen have summer houses on the northern part of the island. It's a way to get out of the congestion of the city and to enjoy the countryside. At one time, these were simple cottages. But now, many of them are as nice and as large as a personal home. They all have hot and cold running water, they all have lots of glass to overlook the green areas, they all have a large lawn that is "fenced" by high growth to maintain privacy, and many even have satellite and Internet connections. One of the most popular areas for summer houses is Tisvildeleje--the area around a nice, old coastal community. There are long stretches of beaches and the town is an atmospheric one.
I took the train up in the afternoon. The regular S-trains in the city run a little over halfway to the town of Hilleroed which is an old castle town--home of Frederiksborg Castle where Arne and I used to come occasionally on weekends to picnic in the gardens and wander around both the gardens and the town. From there, I changed to a cute "local" train with just two cars that goes through the woods stopping at small villages and even in the middle of the countryside.
Torben and Erik's summerhouse is in an area called Holloese within walking distance of the town of Tisvildeleje. The train station is just a platform with a bench. People dismount and walk to their houses with some being picked up in automobiles. I arrived earlier than expected and walked to their place since I knew the way.
Torben, who had been sick since Monday night's party, was feeling better and was preparing food for another dinner party. This time, there were only 7 of us--a VERY SMALL dinner party for him to have. It meant that everyone could visit easily and follow all conversations that were taking place. Ulf and Alan were the only ones here I had not yet seen, so it was nice to visit with them.
We had margaritas and peanuts before dinner. Then we had salmon filets with boiled new potatoes and a puree of peas. For dessert, we had a sauce made from fresh blackberries with dips of two kinds of ice cream.
Rather than return to Copenhagen, I spent the night at the summer house, because we all have invitations to another party tomorrow afternoon.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Tivoli
Thursday, July 14, 2016--Copenhagen
My friend Kurt was out of town earlier staying at a summer house in Jutland. He contacted me on Monday when he returned to see if we could arrange to meet, and we set today for the day.
I went to his place at 11:00. He said he had made a reservation for us to have lunch in Tivoli. We visited briefly about the problems he has been having with arthritis, and he showed me the changes that have taken place there at the apartment since I was here last time. Then we took the metro and train to town.
I've always found Tivoli to be interesting. It has existed since 1843, has rides that are based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, and makes maximum use of its space. In 1949, Walt Disney visited. Then 7 years later he opened Disneyland which has rides that are based on Disney cartoon characters and makes maximum use of its space. Everyone in American has always thought that Disney was so creative in coming up with the idea for his parks. All he did was observe a park that had already been in existence for over 100 years and build a larger version personalized on his own cartoon characters. The Disney parks are impressive, but Disney himself was more of a great adapter rather than an imaginative creator.
We walked around the park observing the people. It was very crowded. When I used to go in the afternoons, there were few people at that time. It has always been more active at night when the lights are on and people are off work. But Copenhagen has had a tremendous increase in summer tourism which can partially be attributed to the number of huge cruise ships that are either stationed here or make stops here.
There were many changes in the park since the last time I was there--new rides, new features, etc. Most of the restaurants, however, are still the classics which have been there at least for decades. We ate at Paafluglen which is in a glass house and specializes in Danish food--open-faced sandwiches, fish, meatballs, etc. We each had a plate with the fixings for 3 types of open-faced sandwhich and a fried filet of plaice fish.
After eating and catching up on news in each other's lives, Kurt excused himself to go home and left me to enjoy being in the park a little longer. I wandered around watching people and noticing the changes everywhere.
So far, I have been lucky with the weather. It's like winning at the casino, since it is usually more likely for rain to fall than to have sunny days. But I still have not used my umbrella. And the air is fresh and nice--like the outdoors is air conditioned.
Note: I will be in the countryside for the next 2-3 days visiting friends at summer houses. Usually, there is no Internet there, so it's likely I will have to post my blog entries after I return to town on Sunday.
My friend Kurt was out of town earlier staying at a summer house in Jutland. He contacted me on Monday when he returned to see if we could arrange to meet, and we set today for the day.
I went to his place at 11:00. He said he had made a reservation for us to have lunch in Tivoli. We visited briefly about the problems he has been having with arthritis, and he showed me the changes that have taken place there at the apartment since I was here last time. Then we took the metro and train to town.
I've always found Tivoli to be interesting. It has existed since 1843, has rides that are based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, and makes maximum use of its space. In 1949, Walt Disney visited. Then 7 years later he opened Disneyland which has rides that are based on Disney cartoon characters and makes maximum use of its space. Everyone in American has always thought that Disney was so creative in coming up with the idea for his parks. All he did was observe a park that had already been in existence for over 100 years and build a larger version personalized on his own cartoon characters. The Disney parks are impressive, but Disney himself was more of a great adapter rather than an imaginative creator.
We walked around the park observing the people. It was very crowded. When I used to go in the afternoons, there were few people at that time. It has always been more active at night when the lights are on and people are off work. But Copenhagen has had a tremendous increase in summer tourism which can partially be attributed to the number of huge cruise ships that are either stationed here or make stops here.
There were many changes in the park since the last time I was there--new rides, new features, etc. Most of the restaurants, however, are still the classics which have been there at least for decades. We ate at Paafluglen which is in a glass house and specializes in Danish food--open-faced sandwiches, fish, meatballs, etc. We each had a plate with the fixings for 3 types of open-faced sandwhich and a fried filet of plaice fish.
After eating and catching up on news in each other's lives, Kurt excused himself to go home and left me to enjoy being in the park a little longer. I wandered around watching people and noticing the changes everywhere.
So far, I have been lucky with the weather. It's like winning at the casino, since it is usually more likely for rain to fall than to have sunny days. But I still have not used my umbrella. And the air is fresh and nice--like the outdoors is air conditioned.
Note: I will be in the countryside for the next 2-3 days visiting friends at summer houses. Usually, there is no Internet there, so it's likely I will have to post my blog entries after I return to town on Sunday.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
A Good Day
Wednesday, July 13, 2016--Copenhagen
It was a long and busy day. I left Grethe's apartment at 10:18 after reading the news, writing my blog, making my to-go lunch, and bathing and getting dressed. I walked all the way to town--a distance that took an hour. I went directly to Holmens Kirke, a church where I knew there would be a free organ concert at noon. I sat at a picnic table outside and age my lunch--two pieces of buttered bread--one with liver paste and thin slices of salted meat and the other with slices of boiled new potatoes and slices of Danish meatballs.
The organist was an American woman, Gail Archer, who teaches at Vassar College and Columbia University. She played music by Nicolaus Bruhns, J. S. Bach, Libby Larsen, Samuel Barber, and Jeanne Demessieux. The Larsen piece was much more contemporary sounding than the others. All were well played. This concert is part of an international series of organ concerts the church is having all summer--one each Wednesday, I believe.
As soon as the concert was over, I met my friend Claus at his apartment on Nicolaj Plads, a square in the center of town (about 3 blocks from the church). He served us Princesse Thyra Boller (dessert pastries that were cream puffs filled with a nice cream and topped by a thin layer of frosting made from rum and powdered sugar) which came from La Glace, one of the top cake shops in the city. We also had coffee, water, and fresh cherries.
After our dessert and visit, Claus took me on a walking tour in the area. We went through the gardens behind the old Royal Library which I have always enjoyed. There, he pointed out the new Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. We went along the waterfront where we saw the construction of Blox, a new building that will house the Danish Architecture Center. Then we walked through a couple of old courtyards within buildings from the 1600s within the area.
After wandering through some of the narrow back streets toward the center of the city, Claus and I separated. On the way back to the Grethe's, I walked down streets I still had not visited yet. I was very disappointed to see a new office complex called Axeltorv Square 2 under construction to replace an unsuccessful shopping center--disappointed because the design is quite ugly with gold-colored metal. It reminds me of construction from East Germany.
By the time I made it back to Grethe's, I had been walking about 4 1/2 hours today and was feeling quite tired! Her dinner, however, perked me up. She served fried scrubber, a type of Danish flatfish which her brother had caught and given to her. They were delicious--moist and flavorful and easy to eat without fighting with bones. We had boiled new potatoes, gravy, and a salad consisting of watermelon, feta cheese, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
It was a long and busy day. I left Grethe's apartment at 10:18 after reading the news, writing my blog, making my to-go lunch, and bathing and getting dressed. I walked all the way to town--a distance that took an hour. I went directly to Holmens Kirke, a church where I knew there would be a free organ concert at noon. I sat at a picnic table outside and age my lunch--two pieces of buttered bread--one with liver paste and thin slices of salted meat and the other with slices of boiled new potatoes and slices of Danish meatballs.
The organist was an American woman, Gail Archer, who teaches at Vassar College and Columbia University. She played music by Nicolaus Bruhns, J. S. Bach, Libby Larsen, Samuel Barber, and Jeanne Demessieux. The Larsen piece was much more contemporary sounding than the others. All were well played. This concert is part of an international series of organ concerts the church is having all summer--one each Wednesday, I believe.
As soon as the concert was over, I met my friend Claus at his apartment on Nicolaj Plads, a square in the center of town (about 3 blocks from the church). He served us Princesse Thyra Boller (dessert pastries that were cream puffs filled with a nice cream and topped by a thin layer of frosting made from rum and powdered sugar) which came from La Glace, one of the top cake shops in the city. We also had coffee, water, and fresh cherries.
After our dessert and visit, Claus took me on a walking tour in the area. We went through the gardens behind the old Royal Library which I have always enjoyed. There, he pointed out the new Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. We went along the waterfront where we saw the construction of Blox, a new building that will house the Danish Architecture Center. Then we walked through a couple of old courtyards within buildings from the 1600s within the area.
After wandering through some of the narrow back streets toward the center of the city, Claus and I separated. On the way back to the Grethe's, I walked down streets I still had not visited yet. I was very disappointed to see a new office complex called Axeltorv Square 2 under construction to replace an unsuccessful shopping center--disappointed because the design is quite ugly with gold-colored metal. It reminds me of construction from East Germany.
By the time I made it back to Grethe's, I had been walking about 4 1/2 hours today and was feeling quite tired! Her dinner, however, perked me up. She served fried scrubber, a type of Danish flatfish which her brother had caught and given to her. They were delicious--moist and flavorful and easy to eat without fighting with bones. We had boiled new potatoes, gravy, and a salad consisting of watermelon, feta cheese, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
A Lazy Day with Grethe
Tuesday, July 12, 2016--Copenhagen
Grethe was off work on Tuesday, so we had a lazy day together starting with a light breakfast of breads with cheeses and jam. Later in the morning, we both left to do a few errands--her to go downtown and me to go to a nearby supermarket.
We tried to watch a Netflix film in the afternoon. My subscription, which I discontinue when I travel but which continues until the end of the current subscription period rather than stopping and pro-rating the difference, doesn't expire until next week. I could pull up a film on my phone and on my computer, but neither could be connected to her TV due to a lack of compatible types of connections. Then we pulled out one of her computers that has an HDMI connector and tried to watch on TV via it. First we were told that it failed because a program needed to be activated on the computer. But after I activated it, the film would run on the computer but not on the TV. We just gave up, since watching together on a small screen would have been awkward and difficult.
Instead, we watched more of the Tour de France bicycle race. We've watched parts of it on at least 4 days now. Today, they were on flatter, farming-related terrain vs. the mountains of the Pyrenees the previous days.
Every visit I have had with Grethe on my returns to Denmark in the past 12 years, I have made hamburgers for us one evening. Last night was the night for this year. She loves burgers, but she never makes them. Last night I made us burgers stacked high with a thick patty of meat, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and lettuce on a multi-grain seeded bun spread with mustard. We had tortilla chips with them.
Grethe was off work on Tuesday, so we had a lazy day together starting with a light breakfast of breads with cheeses and jam. Later in the morning, we both left to do a few errands--her to go downtown and me to go to a nearby supermarket.
We tried to watch a Netflix film in the afternoon. My subscription, which I discontinue when I travel but which continues until the end of the current subscription period rather than stopping and pro-rating the difference, doesn't expire until next week. I could pull up a film on my phone and on my computer, but neither could be connected to her TV due to a lack of compatible types of connections. Then we pulled out one of her computers that has an HDMI connector and tried to watch on TV via it. First we were told that it failed because a program needed to be activated on the computer. But after I activated it, the film would run on the computer but not on the TV. We just gave up, since watching together on a small screen would have been awkward and difficult.
Instead, we watched more of the Tour de France bicycle race. We've watched parts of it on at least 4 days now. Today, they were on flatter, farming-related terrain vs. the mountains of the Pyrenees the previous days.
Every visit I have had with Grethe on my returns to Denmark in the past 12 years, I have made hamburgers for us one evening. Last night was the night for this year. She loves burgers, but she never makes them. Last night I made us burgers stacked high with a thick patty of meat, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and lettuce on a multi-grain seeded bun spread with mustard. We had tortilla chips with them.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Starting My Birthday with a Thud!
Monday, July 11, 2016--Copenhagen
Today is my 71st birthday. Grethe is back at work, and because we went to bed so early last night, I awoke soon after she left the apartment and couldn't go back to sleep. In a surprise move, I started my birthday celebration by falling out of the bed!!! I awoke, looked at my watch to see it was 6:30, and tried to go back to sleep. When I couldn't sleep more, I decided to get up. I was facing the window side of the bed which is the opposite side to the one where I needed to be. I just pushed the covers over behind me and rolled over them to the edge of the bed. That put me a little too close to the edge, and the covers under me started sliding off taking me with them!! My shoulder and head were near the small bedside table, so as my body plumped toward the floor, I was using my arm to try to brace the table to keep from hitting it and, more importantly, to try to avoid knocking the lamp off and breaking it. So my birthday started with a big drama!
I celebrated my birthday by going to places that were my favorites in our local neighborhood. I started by walking through Solbjerg Cemetery where Arne is buried. We both used to walk through there on our way to town or to the park. I stopped at his grave site and cleared off the numbered plaque. (His remains were cremated and were buried in a small plot about 1 foot x 1 foot x 4 feet. No tombstones are allowed; there is just a very small numbered plaque to find it. Because of the rain they get here, however, the plaque was buried under about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of mud and grass, so I had to dig with the key to uncover it.)
From the cemetery, I crossed into Frederiksberg Have, the park where I always went on sunny afternoons to sunbathe and read when Arne was working. Today was sunny, so people were out in their underwear enjoying the weather. The small stream where I once had baby ducks bite at my toes is still there (with baby ducks that are probably the great-, great-, great-grandducklings of the ones who bit me) still swimming as the viking-style rowboats take people on a ride through the park. The castle has its Danish flag on top and the back garden on the other side of the lake from where I most often sunbathed is still a lush green lined by huge trimmed trees.
I turned down Pile Alle as I left the park to walk into the center of Frederiksberg, the community that was our "hometown"--a separate city somewhat like Alamo Heights in San Antonio or Hyde Park in Dallas. I walked past the Town Hall where I had to go to the tax office to report Arne's death. I went by shops where we often bought things including 3 Falke Furniture which specializes in Scandinavian modern designs. I walked through the modern shopping center we often frequented. I peeked into the library where I used to read the International Herald Tribune each day before we had the Internet at home here. I wandered down Gammel Kongevej toward town noticing that many of the nicer shops that used to be there are now gone. I turned back toward home by going up Frederiksberg Alle, one of the most elegant boulevards in town and one that I have always thought should be lined with designer boutiques. I passed the Betty Nansen Theater where we once saw a great production of Woyzeck which ended up being performed at theaters around the world. I discovered that the pissoir Arne always appreciated has been replaced with an electronic toilet booth that requires a payment. I turned the corner at Federiksberg Kirke where Arne and I once attended a funeral and walked passed the three Gamle Familiehaver (old outdoor beer garden restaurants) which I was glad to see still exist. I walked through Soendermarken, the park where children slide down the hills in their sleds where it snows. That brought me back to Valby and Grethe's apartment.
In the evening, we went to a new section of Copenhagen that has been developed where factories used to exist. It is between the center of town and the airport. It is now full of apartment buildings--both high-rise and shorter ones. We had dinner with Torben and Erik who moved to their new apartment about a year ago. It takes up half of the 13th floor of a contemporary building which has a huge wrap-around balcony. The apartment has windows and doors allowing views in three directions--toward the center of town with its old towers piercing the sky, toward Sweden with Amager Beach just across the street, and toward the west where the convention center and other new developments exist.
Torben served very traditional Danish summer food--thick meat patties consisting of a combination of ground pork and beef with nice seasonings, creamed cabbage, and boiled new potatoes. For dessert, we had a delicious bowl of cold strawberry soup topped with a cream made from egg yolks, cow cream, sugar, and cinnamon and chunks of fresh strawberries. There were twelve of us there including friends I had not seen in many years.
________
I finished reading Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively yesterday. It was a bit uninteresting at first, but the last 2/3 of the book turned things around. Although the main character was difficult to like, she leads an interesting life and the reader gradually understands why she is the way she is. After thinking it would deserve a rating of 2 1/2 out of 4 at the beginning, I finally decided it was worth 3 out of 4 (or 3 1/2 out of 5).
Today is my 71st birthday. Grethe is back at work, and because we went to bed so early last night, I awoke soon after she left the apartment and couldn't go back to sleep. In a surprise move, I started my birthday celebration by falling out of the bed!!! I awoke, looked at my watch to see it was 6:30, and tried to go back to sleep. When I couldn't sleep more, I decided to get up. I was facing the window side of the bed which is the opposite side to the one where I needed to be. I just pushed the covers over behind me and rolled over them to the edge of the bed. That put me a little too close to the edge, and the covers under me started sliding off taking me with them!! My shoulder and head were near the small bedside table, so as my body plumped toward the floor, I was using my arm to try to brace the table to keep from hitting it and, more importantly, to try to avoid knocking the lamp off and breaking it. So my birthday started with a big drama!
I celebrated my birthday by going to places that were my favorites in our local neighborhood. I started by walking through Solbjerg Cemetery where Arne is buried. We both used to walk through there on our way to town or to the park. I stopped at his grave site and cleared off the numbered plaque. (His remains were cremated and were buried in a small plot about 1 foot x 1 foot x 4 feet. No tombstones are allowed; there is just a very small numbered plaque to find it. Because of the rain they get here, however, the plaque was buried under about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of mud and grass, so I had to dig with the key to uncover it.)
From the cemetery, I crossed into Frederiksberg Have, the park where I always went on sunny afternoons to sunbathe and read when Arne was working. Today was sunny, so people were out in their underwear enjoying the weather. The small stream where I once had baby ducks bite at my toes is still there (with baby ducks that are probably the great-, great-, great-grandducklings of the ones who bit me) still swimming as the viking-style rowboats take people on a ride through the park. The castle has its Danish flag on top and the back garden on the other side of the lake from where I most often sunbathed is still a lush green lined by huge trimmed trees.
I turned down Pile Alle as I left the park to walk into the center of Frederiksberg, the community that was our "hometown"--a separate city somewhat like Alamo Heights in San Antonio or Hyde Park in Dallas. I walked past the Town Hall where I had to go to the tax office to report Arne's death. I went by shops where we often bought things including 3 Falke Furniture which specializes in Scandinavian modern designs. I walked through the modern shopping center we often frequented. I peeked into the library where I used to read the International Herald Tribune each day before we had the Internet at home here. I wandered down Gammel Kongevej toward town noticing that many of the nicer shops that used to be there are now gone. I turned back toward home by going up Frederiksberg Alle, one of the most elegant boulevards in town and one that I have always thought should be lined with designer boutiques. I passed the Betty Nansen Theater where we once saw a great production of Woyzeck which ended up being performed at theaters around the world. I discovered that the pissoir Arne always appreciated has been replaced with an electronic toilet booth that requires a payment. I turned the corner at Federiksberg Kirke where Arne and I once attended a funeral and walked passed the three Gamle Familiehaver (old outdoor beer garden restaurants) which I was glad to see still exist. I walked through Soendermarken, the park where children slide down the hills in their sleds where it snows. That brought me back to Valby and Grethe's apartment.
In the evening, we went to a new section of Copenhagen that has been developed where factories used to exist. It is between the center of town and the airport. It is now full of apartment buildings--both high-rise and shorter ones. We had dinner with Torben and Erik who moved to their new apartment about a year ago. It takes up half of the 13th floor of a contemporary building which has a huge wrap-around balcony. The apartment has windows and doors allowing views in three directions--toward the center of town with its old towers piercing the sky, toward Sweden with Amager Beach just across the street, and toward the west where the convention center and other new developments exist.
Torben served very traditional Danish summer food--thick meat patties consisting of a combination of ground pork and beef with nice seasonings, creamed cabbage, and boiled new potatoes. For dessert, we had a delicious bowl of cold strawberry soup topped with a cream made from egg yolks, cow cream, sugar, and cinnamon and chunks of fresh strawberries. There were twelve of us there including friends I had not seen in many years.
________
I finished reading Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively yesterday. It was a bit uninteresting at first, but the last 2/3 of the book turned things around. Although the main character was difficult to like, she leads an interesting life and the reader gradually understands why she is the way she is. After thinking it would deserve a rating of 2 1/2 out of 4 at the beginning, I finally decided it was worth 3 out of 4 (or 3 1/2 out of 5).
Monday, July 11, 2016
Lazy Sunday
Sunday, July 10, 2016--Copenhagen
After being up so late cleaning after the party Saturday night, I slept in. Grethe and I had a simple late breakfast of nice crusty and seeded bread rolls with cheeses and marmalade. Then we just skipped lunch.
There were so many leftovers from the party, that Grethe invited our friend Claus to visit us for a late afternoon "early" dinner. He arrived at 3:30, and we sat on the balcony in the sunshine visiting for about an hour. Then we had more pork roast with potatoes which greater had cut into chunks and pan fried.
Claus, who likes to attend concerts and visit art galleries and who takes extended trips to explore small areas shared some of his more recent experiences. He has recently been to western Jutland in Denmark to explore some of the villages along the coast and told us about that trip. Each winter, he makes a trip to Nice for at least a month makes daily outings to explore that area of southern France and western Italy.
We were so tired that we went to bed last night at 9:00 while everyone else in Copenhagen remained up to watch the Portuguese football (soccer) team defeat the French team in the European Cup finals for 2016.
After being up so late cleaning after the party Saturday night, I slept in. Grethe and I had a simple late breakfast of nice crusty and seeded bread rolls with cheeses and marmalade. Then we just skipped lunch.
There were so many leftovers from the party, that Grethe invited our friend Claus to visit us for a late afternoon "early" dinner. He arrived at 3:30, and we sat on the balcony in the sunshine visiting for about an hour. Then we had more pork roast with potatoes which greater had cut into chunks and pan fried.
Claus, who likes to attend concerts and visit art galleries and who takes extended trips to explore small areas shared some of his more recent experiences. He has recently been to western Jutland in Denmark to explore some of the villages along the coast and told us about that trip. Each winter, he makes a trip to Nice for at least a month makes daily outings to explore that area of southern France and western Italy.
We were so tired that we went to bed last night at 9:00 while everyone else in Copenhagen remained up to watch the Portuguese football (soccer) team defeat the French team in the European Cup finals for 2016.
Saturday, July 09, 2016
Observing Changes and Meeting Old Friends
Saturday, July 9, 2016--Copenhagen
Grethe was out early to buy a few things for the dinner she is having tonight--a special bread for the salmon open-faced sandwich, her favorite breakfast bread, and a Danish pastry that I like. Then she went out later to buy the freshest potatoes (dug up this morning) possible. While she did things she needed to do, I went out to explore the old neighborhood.
Unless someone from another continent returns to the same city in Europe over and over, I think there is probably the tendency to think that everything in the older parts of town has been there for a long time and stays the same. And it is true that there are shops and restaurants that have existed for decades and even centuries. But things are also constantly changing. I was first surprised by that myself when I used to return to Copenhagen twice a year. Even though I had been gone only 4 1/2 months, I would walk down the streets in the center parts of the city noticing what was gone and what had replaced it. I remember people here being surprised that I noticed the changes.
This morning I walked through Valby, the neighborhood near where Grethe lives and the one that was closest to where Arne and I lived. This time, it has been 8 years since I was here, so there were quite a few changes. Most evident to me was that Arne's favorite shop--Hansen's which sold kitchen wares--has disappeared to be replaced by a Netto low-priced grocery store. I was sad to see it gone, but I figured I knew the reason. Valby had a huge piece of land between the main street and the train station that had been occupied by a chocolate factory and a porcelain factory. Those properties were being redeveloped into new shopping areas and housing developments the last time I was here. Sure enough, as I wandered through them I found two chain stores similar to Hansen's which have opened in the shopping area. So another long-time, locally-owned neighborhood shop has been displaced with modern chain stores.
There were other changes--a new Indian restaurant where a branch of a bank used to be, a new Irma supermarket where a Kvickly supermarket used to be, a modern building where a gypsy van used to be, a new performance hall in one of the old chocolate factory buildings, etc. Of course there were many of the old stores that have been there as long as I have been coming to Copenhagen (since 1984) as well as ones that had risen as new shops during the years I was here and remain in business.
Although it makes me sad to see it, I did walk by our old apartment building. The lower floor of it had been a small shopping district for the neighborhood. It has deteriorated greatly. Gone are the electronics store, the bank, the furniture store, the laundry, the pharmacy, etc. The supermarket, a flower shop, and a small convenience store are all that remains. Even the apartment offices are gone. Much of the indoor ground-level area is boarded up and looks abandoned.
Returning to Grethe's, I walked through the nearby cemetery where great change was evident. In Denmark, there has been a program for years to gradually turn cemeteries into parks. They do this through a policy that restricts grave maintenance only to the length of time that someone who remains alive continues to pay for the maintenance. The original period is 10-15 years, and extra periods that can be purchased may be for even shorter periods of time. When maintenance is not renewed by anyone who remembers the deceased, the administration removes the gravestone and the plants and it becomes a patch of flat, green grass. Eventually, almost all of the cemetery becomes a park. Only a few graves of highly respected citizens or graves with truly unique sculptures or headstones are allowed to remain as a part of this process. The nearby cemetery seems to be at the level of 40-50% parkland, whereas it was probably only about 20% parkland 8 years ago.
In the evening, Grethe had a dinner party with 6 of our common friends as guests--Ejgil and Preban, Jens and Robert, and Torben and Erik. Jens and Robert came early, because I had brought their iPad back with me to try to figure out how to get their e-mail on it. It was a complicated process due to the language on the iPad being French, the language of their Internet provider being in Danish, and the fact that Robert did not have complete information regarding accounts. (The man at the store where he bought the iPad set it up for him and gave him only his account number for the Internet provider rather than also giving him the user name and password he needed to use to connect to the service.) Anyway, I had already figured out the simplest way to read the mail would be to log onto the webpage of the Internet provider rather than doing the more complicated process of entering all the details of the mail provider. Therefore, when they came early, we called the service and they confirmed his account number we gave them and set up a new temporary user name and password. Then we had to go into the account and establish new ones of his choice (since the temporary ones would last only two hours). On a daily basis, they read all their news on the iPad. They sometimes don't get on their computer more than once in 2-3 weeks, so having the iPad set up for reading e-mail will make it easier/faster for them to communicate.
Fortunately, it was warm and sunny for the party, so the eight of us sat outside on Grethe's balcony after everyone arrived having a gin and tonic along with pork rinds, garlic-flavored potato chips, and roasted peanuts and catching up on the news about each other. Then Grethe served a DELICIOUS Danish dinner--smoked salmon with dill over a special seeded bread as a starter, then roast pork with salted crispy skin with brown gravy, boiled new potatoes, pickled cucumbers, pickled rhubarb, and green salad. Dessert was a generous slice of strawberry-topped cream pie with a thick layer of marzipan below the cream. Then she served coffee with after-dinner liqueurs and floddebollers--another type of sweet that has a thin wafer cookie on the bottom, a huge pile of fresh, creamy marshmallow on the cookie, and the whole concoction dipped in a dark chocolate coating.
The whole night was a great success with good conversation, wonderful food, and old friends catching up on things in each others' lives. Everyone left about 11:45 so they could catch buses and trains back home before regular service for the day ended. (Danes do not typically drive to parties, because they want to be free to drink alcohol and enjoy the evening to the fullest.)
With Grethe and me working together, it took only about 30 minutes to clean up the place and wash and dry all the dishes and put them away. Therefore, we were able to go to bed by 12:30 and have a good night of sleep.
Grethe was out early to buy a few things for the dinner she is having tonight--a special bread for the salmon open-faced sandwich, her favorite breakfast bread, and a Danish pastry that I like. Then she went out later to buy the freshest potatoes (dug up this morning) possible. While she did things she needed to do, I went out to explore the old neighborhood.
Unless someone from another continent returns to the same city in Europe over and over, I think there is probably the tendency to think that everything in the older parts of town has been there for a long time and stays the same. And it is true that there are shops and restaurants that have existed for decades and even centuries. But things are also constantly changing. I was first surprised by that myself when I used to return to Copenhagen twice a year. Even though I had been gone only 4 1/2 months, I would walk down the streets in the center parts of the city noticing what was gone and what had replaced it. I remember people here being surprised that I noticed the changes.
This morning I walked through Valby, the neighborhood near where Grethe lives and the one that was closest to where Arne and I lived. This time, it has been 8 years since I was here, so there were quite a few changes. Most evident to me was that Arne's favorite shop--Hansen's which sold kitchen wares--has disappeared to be replaced by a Netto low-priced grocery store. I was sad to see it gone, but I figured I knew the reason. Valby had a huge piece of land between the main street and the train station that had been occupied by a chocolate factory and a porcelain factory. Those properties were being redeveloped into new shopping areas and housing developments the last time I was here. Sure enough, as I wandered through them I found two chain stores similar to Hansen's which have opened in the shopping area. So another long-time, locally-owned neighborhood shop has been displaced with modern chain stores.
There were other changes--a new Indian restaurant where a branch of a bank used to be, a new Irma supermarket where a Kvickly supermarket used to be, a modern building where a gypsy van used to be, a new performance hall in one of the old chocolate factory buildings, etc. Of course there were many of the old stores that have been there as long as I have been coming to Copenhagen (since 1984) as well as ones that had risen as new shops during the years I was here and remain in business.
Although it makes me sad to see it, I did walk by our old apartment building. The lower floor of it had been a small shopping district for the neighborhood. It has deteriorated greatly. Gone are the electronics store, the bank, the furniture store, the laundry, the pharmacy, etc. The supermarket, a flower shop, and a small convenience store are all that remains. Even the apartment offices are gone. Much of the indoor ground-level area is boarded up and looks abandoned.
Returning to Grethe's, I walked through the nearby cemetery where great change was evident. In Denmark, there has been a program for years to gradually turn cemeteries into parks. They do this through a policy that restricts grave maintenance only to the length of time that someone who remains alive continues to pay for the maintenance. The original period is 10-15 years, and extra periods that can be purchased may be for even shorter periods of time. When maintenance is not renewed by anyone who remembers the deceased, the administration removes the gravestone and the plants and it becomes a patch of flat, green grass. Eventually, almost all of the cemetery becomes a park. Only a few graves of highly respected citizens or graves with truly unique sculptures or headstones are allowed to remain as a part of this process. The nearby cemetery seems to be at the level of 40-50% parkland, whereas it was probably only about 20% parkland 8 years ago.
In the evening, Grethe had a dinner party with 6 of our common friends as guests--Ejgil and Preban, Jens and Robert, and Torben and Erik. Jens and Robert came early, because I had brought their iPad back with me to try to figure out how to get their e-mail on it. It was a complicated process due to the language on the iPad being French, the language of their Internet provider being in Danish, and the fact that Robert did not have complete information regarding accounts. (The man at the store where he bought the iPad set it up for him and gave him only his account number for the Internet provider rather than also giving him the user name and password he needed to use to connect to the service.) Anyway, I had already figured out the simplest way to read the mail would be to log onto the webpage of the Internet provider rather than doing the more complicated process of entering all the details of the mail provider. Therefore, when they came early, we called the service and they confirmed his account number we gave them and set up a new temporary user name and password. Then we had to go into the account and establish new ones of his choice (since the temporary ones would last only two hours). On a daily basis, they read all their news on the iPad. They sometimes don't get on their computer more than once in 2-3 weeks, so having the iPad set up for reading e-mail will make it easier/faster for them to communicate.
Fortunately, it was warm and sunny for the party, so the eight of us sat outside on Grethe's balcony after everyone arrived having a gin and tonic along with pork rinds, garlic-flavored potato chips, and roasted peanuts and catching up on the news about each other. Then Grethe served a DELICIOUS Danish dinner--smoked salmon with dill over a special seeded bread as a starter, then roast pork with salted crispy skin with brown gravy, boiled new potatoes, pickled cucumbers, pickled rhubarb, and green salad. Dessert was a generous slice of strawberry-topped cream pie with a thick layer of marzipan below the cream. Then she served coffee with after-dinner liqueurs and floddebollers--another type of sweet that has a thin wafer cookie on the bottom, a huge pile of fresh, creamy marshmallow on the cookie, and the whole concoction dipped in a dark chocolate coating.
The whole night was a great success with good conversation, wonderful food, and old friends catching up on things in each others' lives. Everyone left about 11:45 so they could catch buses and trains back home before regular service for the day ended. (Danes do not typically drive to parties, because they want to be free to drink alcohol and enjoy the evening to the fullest.)
With Grethe and me working together, it took only about 30 minutes to clean up the place and wash and dry all the dishes and put them away. Therefore, we were able to go to bed by 12:30 and have a good night of sleep.
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