More Tales From a Faraway Place

I suppose it has been awhile since my last post so I shall post some more information for all of my readers out there J 

As far as food goes, I have decided the Danes enjoy anything that is gross to us Americans.  I have added a link below that shows pictures and gives descriptions of some of the food they eat.  Yes, they do have some good things but many are strange.  I haven’t had the pleasure of eating many of these things yet but my husband does get to try a lot of things in the cafeteria at work.  He says some days are good, some are not, and mostly he has no clue what he is eating.  We’ve noticed that many businesses/offices have their own cafeterias if they employee enough people.  The Danes believe in working hard during working hours so they can go home on time.  My husband usually works 9am to 5pm with a half hour lunch break.  No one shows up before 8am, and by 5:30 everyone has left (very different from the US where he last worked).  It’s very convenient for him to pay the $40 a month for breakfast and lunch every day.  He said they get fresh bread and fruit every morning for breakfast as well as a warm lunch each day.  Wednesdays are “Cake Day” (just at his company, I think).  I stopped in to meet everyone with Emily one day and was treated to some cake.  Danes love their cakes and boy are they delicious!
http://www.copenhagenet.dk/CPH-Eating.htm

We haven’t eaten out much here because it is rather expensive.  To get a hamburger and fries here costs around $25-30.  Waiters and waitresses are paid a salary so you don’t need to tip here.  The service is really poor because they don’t have to work for their tips (and remember the Law of Jante too).  We tend to get takeout because it’s faster and easier to eat at home with a little one.  I did have one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant with a friend recently (yes, in Copenhagen!).  It is considered rude to pick up a hamburger and eat it here, so I have had to try to master the art of eating a burger with the fixings on it with a fork and knife.  Even after all the work of eating it, it was a delicious burger.  The other night we got burgers to go from a place down the street.  We took them home and picked them up to eat them….we haven’t had the guts to do it in public yet though J

My husband and I have been walking and exploring a lot during the weekends and I have been taking the baby and the dog for a walk during the week too.  We explored the neighborhoods right next to the ocean and was able to find a really nice park to let our dog play in.  The houses next to the ocean are gorgeous and have been around for a long time.  They are old stone houses and have beautiful architecture, stained glass windows, and tall fences to keep snoopy people like myself out J  They have private beaches so you can’t walk right next to the ocean through that neighborhood.  I can’t wait for the weather to warm up a bit.  It’ll make walking and exploring so much more fun.  The weather here can change very rapidly.  The sun shines so brightly one minute, followed by a snow or rain shower the next.  I find myself taking advantage of the sunny and nice (aka, no wind) days when we get them.  I like to take my walks right around naptime so the little one can sleep in her stroller as I walk and enjoy the weather.  While out walking, people tend to smile and say “Hej!” which sounds just like “Hi” in English and means the same thing.  To say goodbye, you say “Hej hej”, or “Hi Hi”.  I can say thank you in Danish as well (“Tak”) and that is the extent of my Danish.  I find myself being able to read and understand more Danish than when it is spoken to me.  Words look very different written compared to when someone speaks them.  The grocery store ads have been the most helpful to me.  It’s nice to have a picture and a word next to it to help you learn Danish.  Slowly but surely, a step at a time….

Life is starting to become a routine here.  It feels a bit like home.  Soon I hope to find a few friends to make it a little more fun.  We watch the ships come and go and we see the cruise ship come and leave each day at the same time.  There is a cruise ship that goes to Oslo, Norway and back every day.  We hope to take it one day to go visit a friend.  It leaves in the evening and comes back in the morning. 

Hopefully you are all able to following my meandering tales of life here.  If not, please let me know!  I would love to hear back from you if you have questions or comments about anything.