Great Danes

So sorry that I’ve been off for awhile. All’s well but there has been a lot going on in the last week or so, and I haven’t had time to connect with you all. I’m taking a few minutes to let you know I’m alive.

I think Denmark is my heart-home….or at least one of them…so I really want to do it justice here, Let’s see how far I get with this post, and then I’ll add to it as I can.

To begin: We took a train from Hamburg — about 4 hours, give or take — to Copenhagen where we were met at the station by our dear friends, Hans and Birgitte. Without going into too long a story, we were introduced to Hans by LIsbeth — our first pair, who was from Denmark — 40-something years ago when Hans first came to the U.S. to study the flute at Yale and Manhattan School of Music. Hans studied the flute in the U.S. for years, on and off, and played as lead flute in Broadway orchestras and NY concerts, so before long, he was family to us. We were blessed to have him in our home, where he lifted the roof with his prodigious musical talent on more than one occasion.

Doug and I have visited Hans and Birgitte quite a few times over the ensuing years, and they have come to see us as well. We’ve also traveled with them over the years, which is a guaranteed good time. Anyway, we love them……a lot.

Since there were seven of us traveling, I reserved a (relatively) nearby Airbnb for my family, while I chose to crash — and I do mean crash — with Hans & Birgitte. In spite of my best efforts, my feet were still in need of some recovery time, and I’d already been to all the places the kids were headed for.

The Airbnb turned out to be a wonderful traditional Danish summer house with a living roof, on a lake with….yes!…paddle boards. It was surrounded by meadows and woods (see photo) and was only about a 10-minute drive to Hans’ and Birgitte’s house.

As you can see from one of the photos, our Boston boy, Silas, figured out how to get the Red Sox on the TV, so the kids did a bit of crashing as well. We had been running hard, and there were more people to see and places to go.

A friend of Theo’s was spending time in Sweden so she came across the bridge to Denmark for a short visit. The kids pumped up the paddle boards and had a short paddle before the thunder and lightening started!

Hygge (pronounced “Hew-geh”)

“Hygge” has become kind of a thing in the US lately — lots of cookbooks and decorating magazine articles — but it’s always been a thing in Denmark, and it has certainly been a constant theme of our visit. For boundless hospitality, coziness, comfort and thoughtfulness, you can’t beat the Danes….at least the ones I know. As I said, we were met and hugged at the train station and then were treated to cocktails on the deck and a family supper around the table with Hans and Birgitte, their son, Sebastian, and his adorable girlfriend, Sille. The day ended with a beautiful sunset over the lake behind their house.

Beautiful, Beautiful you-know-where….

On our first day, the kids hit the ground running….or rather biking…..around Copenhagen on a 3-hour bike tour. They loved bike-touring, and it proved to be a good way to see places close-up. Unfortunately, it rained a bit in Copenhagen, but they still had a really good time nonetheless. Gotta start with these classic photos of Copenhagen harbor and the little mermaid.

Lunch after the bike tour, included a nap. This is what the beginning of a third week of late nights and active days looks like.

After the ride, Adam, Lauren, Elizabeth and the kids met up with Jesper Cramon and his family, more beloved members of our extended Danish family. Jesper came to us as an au pair as well…..lucky us. And then he married Mai…..lucky us again, and they had two beautiful, amazing kids…Pascal and Jasmine, who we have known since babyhood.

Adam and Jesper are quite close to the same age, so they became good buddies way back when Jesper was our (last) au pair. Our families have stayed close over the years and — like Hans and Birgitte — they came to see Doug when he was sick, which was a huge gift to both of us. Jesper’s wonderful dad passed on from the same horrible cancer (glioblastoma) that took Doug, except at a much much younger age…..only about 60…so Jesper knew first hand, what we were dealing with. As I mentioned much earlier in this blog, this trip has been about touching the people we love who have so touched us.

Here is a photo of Jesper and Mai.

Jesper and Mai hosted the Rankin/Flanagan gang a good bit during their week in Denmark, seeing to it that they got around and experienced yet more Danish Hygge. In this photo, Mai is to Adam’s left, then (around the table): Philip (Jasmine’s German boyfriend), Jasmine, Olivia (Pascal’s British girlfriend), Pascal, Theo, Sylvia, Elizabeth, Silas and Lauren. Great group. (Jesper is taking the photo.)

Now I’m just going to kind of randomly share some of the photos of what the Rankins/Flanagans did over the next few days. The first ones are from the visite to “Hamlet’s castle” otherwise known as Kronborg Castle in Helsingor (Shakespear’s “Elsinore”). It was built in the 1400s and originally controlled the entrance to the Baltic Sea. Nowadays — with absolutely nothing “rotten in the state of Denmark” — it’s apparently a good place to sit down for a game of chess and try stilt-walking on cobblestones.

I’m going to publish this now but will add more to this blog later. Love you all!

Tivoli, the Viking Museum and another very special party

So, of course Tivoli Gardens was high on the list of things to see in Denmark. Walt Disney visited the park in 1951, and as the story goes, it was one of the places that inspired him to create Disneyland. It’s a beautiful place with lovely gardens, restaurants and some wild rides. Interestingly, it’s pretty much right in downtown Copenhagen. Kids had a blast….another late night but worth it!

And then there was the Viking Museum in Roskilde. Not only did they have original VIking vessles from the 11th century, but they had some fun interactive things to do as well…..like have a sword fight, the key rule being that whatever body part was touched by the sword could not be used again in the fight. Theo and Silas were reduced to fighting on their knees with one arm each and no more shields either…..not too effective but definitely fun!

Viking lunch was served on wooden planks.

A little beach, a little pool and some BBQ too.

One of the nicest things about a people trip is being able to balance tourist activities with hang time. Good conversations, different points of view, home-cooked foods that are different from what’s cooked at your home….. time to soak in different cultures and get a feel for them, person to person, a 360-degree experience that’s more immersive. A soak in a hot tub and some immersion in a pool isn’t too bad either.

And there was a (chilly) bit of beach-time as well as a BBQ with a different take on hot dogs. (The cheese is baked into them.)

More about Denmark coming soon In Part 2! Hint: It’s a party !!!!!

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