Interesting road rules of Denmark....

In a recent study, Danish people are the happiest in the world. With that in mind, I thought it was especially interesting how well they take care of all different types of people in their country. A handicapped driver is assigned an exact parking spot----that's someone's license tag number on a sign next to their specific spot on a big road. I think this would be in front of their apartment, and then there are loads of general handicapped spaces downtown and near the shops.
Not sure how well this will show up, but all the roads have bike lanes---one in either direction. Tons of people cycle too---from 5 year olds to 90 year olds can be seen pedalling along. As a driver, it is really hard to drive having to constantly look over your shoulder if you want to turn right. But it's great for the bikers and encourages people to drive less.

Getting settled in........

We came to Copenhagen because Chris was granted a study desk in the Kierkegaard Centre where they have a library of the books Kierkegaard once owned and many of the 'great minds' about the philosopher/theologian. 4 days out of the 23 that we were here, Chris went to a conference that brought scholars from all over the world (including his advisor from Oxford). The centre helped find us an apartment for our time here----it belongs to a single woman who is on holiday while we take over her flat. She asked that we not wear shoes while inside. This was something Luke was very happy about. He got into a great routine of banging (and banging and banging) his shoes outside on the front step.
It wasn't the most child-friendly apartment I've ever been in, but we made do. This was our make shift high chair.
Did I mention we totally took over her flat? This was the dining room, den, and children's bedroom!
This is the kitchen where I retreated as often as possible to read Harry Potter or newspaper articles from Mary Jordan.

The Adventure Begins.......

On July 31, we drove to Harwich, on the eastern shore of England, and waited in line with a zillion other cars to board the huge, white boat you see on the horizon. The boat pulled away from England around 6 PM and we arrived in Esbjerg, Denmark the next afternoon around 1:00.
This was our room----with 2 sets of bunkbeds and our own little bathroom. It was an interesting ride on the boat. Our plan was to hang out in the room, maybe walk around the boat a bit, then get them to bed ASAP; then we would wake up early and play and really explore what the boat had to offer. This was a disaster plan! Luke was way too excited to go to bed any time soon, and Caleb had no intention of sleeping in a foreign place with all of us around. Needless to say, we have amended our plan for the return trip home.
The next morning, after I realized I was going to be on the verge of throw-up regardless of medication, or position on the boat----we all headed down stairs to drink Cokes and hang out with the clown. In this picture, Luke is up front about to enter a hool-a-hoop contest (which thankfully he ducked out of at the last minute). It's been a VERY rough start, but we feel fortunate and happy to be setting out on this adventure.

p.s. I've been without internet access for a month now, so I'm writing about this retrospectively. We're currently on the last leg of the trip so hopefully I'll catch up soon. I've got lots of pictures.

The Fort

It has been the rainiest summer in 60 years.....or something like that. All I know is that it is CONSTANTLY raining, and therefore we are constantly trying to come up with new and fun indoor activities. Chris had a brilliant idea to build a fort and it entertained Luke for a good 20 minutes. He moved all of his clothes and toys into the space you see above. Our only mistake was that we should have taken it down before bed. Instead, he was afraid of what was in the fort at 3 AM and that's when it had to be taken down. Live and learn....

The Gruffalo

We went to see a play on Saturday morning called "The Gruffalo's Child." It's adapted from a book by Julia Donaldson, England's most well-known children's author. We've probably read the book a million time in the past 2 years, but the play was a first time experience. It was WONDERFUL!
Luke was a bit scared at first when the lights went out, but after a minute of screaming and crying (along with most of the other kids in the theater), he remembered the gruffalo is a "nice character." Our budding thespian has been pretending to be the gruffalo ever since.
Caleb (and Chris too) did incredibly well during the performance and was all smiles (as ever) whenever he could get his eyes on Luke.

Celebrating seven years together....

We had a very nice night out together eating Thai food and drinking Mint Juleps. Mysteriously, ever since, we've both been very itchy. Maybe it was the strange combination of Kentucky Derby drinks with Southeast Asian cuisine??? (It's late and I'm tired so maybe the pun isn't working well here----I'm trying to make a joke of the 7 year itch!!) :)

Oxford with the Kennons

The Kennons, from First UMC in Charlottesville, came to England for a tour. They were in Oxford for about 3 hours and we got to walk around town showing them various sites and catch up with them at the same time. We also got to see Evelyn Jones, but she somehow evaded our camera. I doubt Luke remembered Harry, but he certainly took to him instantly. He wouldn't hold anyone's hand but Harry's.

Apparently, Gale and Harry's grandkids (yea, right---the grandkids) are big Harry Potter fans. Chris took them into Christ Church dining hall to see where some of the movie was filmed.
Luke and Caleb were wiped out from the excitement of having friends in town......it's hard to serve as tour guide, eh, Luke?