Vroooommm!

This week's good news is that I passed the driving test and will now have an official Danish driving license (when it arrives in 2 weeks). It's valid until I turn 70 years old and can be used in any EU country and Norway (not in EU). The test was fine. For those who don t know, as of May 1, 2006, non-EU citizens have to take the driving tests in order to be granted a Danish driving license (required after 14 days of residence). I received a temporary license after turning in my Texas driving license. I took the theoretical test then the practical test which was last Monday. This would have been pretty trivial except that I had to do it in a manual transmission car. After a few lessons over the last month, I went for the test in Helsingør. Providence may have intervened because when the policeman asked me to turn right at one point, construction blocked the way. I then turned left and wound my way along some coastal and country roads until I returned to the police station. Had I turned right, I would have headed into the medieval streets of Helsingør full of vacationing Danes and Swedes buying alcohol. The only challenging things on the test were the roundabouts, but there was no problem.

Today is our guests' last full day here. We're going to the ballet. Over the week we have kept a fairly leisurely pace, but we've managed to see a lot of things. We went to the viking ship museum in Roskilde, did a harbor tour, some walking tours, visited the Jewish museum, the Karen Blixen museum, and the DGI Byen swim center. I know I'm forgetting some things, maybe I'll add them when I remember. We've had a great time, and welcome all who would like to visit.

Vacation

This week we're on vacation with AL & UM. Yesterday we visited the Viking Ships Museum in Roskilde where viking ships excavated from the Roskilde Fjord are on display along with replicas built using the same techniques. Also lots of Viking history. Other plans for the week are still flexible (weather-dependent), but we've also done a fair amount of walking around town.

Friday was Kulturnat (culture night) in Copenhagen. For 100 kroner you can get a button which gets you into museums, galleries, tourist attractions and also onto public transportation for free (well 100kr isn't free, but it's only $16). We didn't go for that (we will next year) but instead just chose to wander with the crowds, window shop, and enjoy the evening. AL & UM arrived that morning, so we thought we would go easy on them the first night.

This week is efterårsferie (autumn vacation). All the schools are closed and many people travel. There are lots of children's and family activities this week in Copenhagen. There is also a winter break in late February, a reward for those who make it through the darkest days.

We're back!

Finally. We have the internet connection at home, so I can kick off the blog again. The question is, where to start?

We're in our 'permanent' (is anything permanent?...) apartment now. It's mostly furnished (thanks to Ikea) and most of the boxes are unpacked (I'll post a furnished picture once everything is put away - don't hold your breath). The tricky thing is that we have only one (very small) closet, so it has been a challange to find a home for some of our stuff. We do have a storage room in the attic of the building where we can stash things for longer term storage.

The next step is to get rid of the remaining cardboard and packing paper, and then do some decorating. In the US, we we're more able to deal with large volumes of trash, just pile it out on the curb in some manner and it gets taken away (more or less). Here we recycle nearly everything, so that we can only dispose of things that fit into a 15 liter garbage bag that will fit into a hole maybe 15" in diameter. On occasion, the apartment owner can rent a dumpster to allow people to throw out larger items, that happened in mid-September. Recycling of cardboard and paper is done in bins down on the street level, but one has to be quick as the the cardboard bin rapidly fills up with pizza boxes, milk cartons, cereal boxes, etc., leaving little room for the large packing boxes and Ikea cardboard we've accummulated. I'm glad we're able to recycle, and I hope it's being put to good use.

Our apartment location is very nice. We're close to several embassies, near a lake that is ideal for running, walking, and evening strolls (in good weather). We're also close to one of the three main train stations which makes travelling in the greater Copenhagen area very easy. There are also two parks within short walking distance. Still, we're only a thirty minute walk from the center of Copenhagen.

Thanks for checking back, and expect to hear more from us soon!