[photo: Aleks and I were walking about when we found the coolest bike store ever. Danish design is not just for wealthy homes and museums, it's part of everyday life]Earlier this week a friend showed me Cafe Retro, a nifty little place near Nyhavn about 5 minutes from where I have most of my classes. This place is the definition of "Hygge", the Danish word for "cozy". In a country where clouds and cold weather dominate most of the year, creating a cozy indoor environment has become a big part of the culture. This cafe has huge wooden beams, old squishy couches, plenty of candles, and some of the cheapest soda in town. A great portion of the Cafe's profit goes to charity and the workers are all volunteers. Every time I grab a cup of coffee in there I feel like I'm saving the world, one sip at a time.
[photo: He looks just like Sammy! Ma & Pa - be sure to give the dog a big kiss from me]On Wednesday I visited the Carlsberg Brewery. Besides the usual "history of beer" type display, they also had the world's largest beer bottle collection, the Carlsberg stables, and the "aroma test", where visitors could choose which aromas they preferred and the bartenders would recommend a specific beer for them.
[photo: Ok, I promised I would go see her this week. I give you "Den Lille Havfrue", the Little Mermaid] 
[photo: I didn't cook a thing, but look how shiny the silver is! Courtesy of yours truly.]
Vibeke and Marianne threw a fancy party on Friday night complete with champagne and bow-ties. I think the Dane's reputation for being quiet and reserved needs to be reevaluated. There were plenty of speeches, wine, laughter, more wine, great food, even more wine, and finally music and dancing. The vicar was the last person to leave at around 4:30. I think everyone, with the exception of the cats, had a great time (Vibeke's brother is allergic, so they had to incarcerate the cats at the neighbor's house).
it sounds like you are having an absolute blast! I cant wait to hear all about it. You are doubling your story count daily!
ReplyDeleteI read incarceration the cats as "incinerate the cats."
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying your stories and photos, Mary! Your stories always make me smile...like the one about the "kitten sandwich"!! How about some photos of you, your host family and your house sometime? Oh, by the way, how's Flat Stanley doing? Have you been showing him the sights?
ReplyDelete