More discoveries

While D. and A. were off getting a bicycle found on a craigslist-like site, R. and I went to the library even though we can't get a card yet.  On the way through the park close to the library we passed a big, carved owl with covered openings, which we learned was a book-trading spot.
 We found the English magazines, novels, and children's books, including a sequel R. hadn't read yet.  I was so proud of R.'s willingness to find her way home on her own.

Today was the first sunny day since our arrival so we headed to the beach that is about two miles from our house.  Even though the water looked cold and it was windy, three of us jumped off the dock and enjoyed a swim.  There was sand and clay for building and A. joined some kids using permanent soccer goals on the grassy area.  I hope we see more sun so we can enjoy this spot again.  Maybe one day the kids will ride there on their own?

We jumped off this dock.  Can you see the Roskilde Cathedral in the background?

School

By a stroke of good luck we ended up living very close to the school.  The school year is long but each day is short  - Robin gets out at 1:30pm three days a week and earlier the other days.  Arlo gets out at 11:20 three days a week and a little later the other two.  Each week is a little different and is posted on the website.School website

There are wonderful afterschool programs and most kids get picked up by 3:30/4:00pm.  The older kids have clubs, but these may be off-campus.  I am sure we'll learn more when school starts in a week.

We checked out the playgrounds.

The kids had fun on this playground, but it may be part of the afterschool programs.

It seems that every school has its version of the tire swing.

There were three little houses like this.  Can you see Robin?

Wow - a fire pit at school?  I can't wait to learn what happens here.

I am not sure what these represent, but the large pole toward the left has many bird houses on it.

blog post 30. jul 2010 by Robin

Pacifier Tree

When we got to Denmark, I was wowed by all the plant life -- we weren't in a desert! I know for a fact that I said more than once: Wow, it actually rains here! Everyone seems to bike, but nobody seems to use a helmet except for us. We only have Dad's single, a tandem, and a quad right now. Our quad attracted a crowd of onlookers while we applied for our super-IDs. Now it is fredag den 30. juli 2010, and we have been here over 24 hours, most of them spent awake in the sunlight that appears to be there 24/7, but it probably is there more like 18 hours a day (maybe it is on 24/7 under the solar simulators in the national energy lab my dad works in). Our possessions are unpacked, our computers are plugged in, our date-and-time preferences are set to Danish, and our Skype and MagicJack are working. Today we actually experienced that wonderful rain, which was not all that wonderful when you were out walking to and from the grocery store that's farther from us ("Super Best" is its name), but we did see some wonderful things on the route. First: The preschool and the pacifier tree that was near it. No, I'm not kidding. Somebody had strung pacifiers and bags with other infant items onto a tree by the preschool. Later, we saw the black sheep, which had just been shorn. I was very surprised to see a pasture in the middle of town. Maybe it was for the university. At the store, we bought fruits, vegetables, bread, jam, pickles, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, and this bottled yogurt beverage for me. (I am getting worried that I am lactose intolerant.) All of these you can buy in Denmark. What you cannot buy, with a few exceptions (like peanut butter), is legumes. At the bakery section, I had my special moment. I am very good at saying "Jeg taler ikke dansk", which sounds something like "Yai tailer ekay [rhymes with eBay] dansk", and means, "I don't speak Danish". It was my turn to say that, and I got it right! Later today, we will have an allowance and chores discussion. Goodbye, that's it from me until my next post.

Wildlife

I braved the rain and wind for my first run.  I saw enormous snails and crows that weren't all black.

Evening stroll

This is why we came to Denmark.  I know California is great, but it is wonderful to be close to the water.

Safely in DK

Thanks to friends who were able to keep the kids busy, the last-minute things got done and we were taken to LAX.  Despite the fact that I had bought the tickets in March we did not have see assignments so I was pleasantly surprised that Air New Zealand was able to find seats for the three of us to sit together.  We happily said good-bye to our luggage and found our gate.  We met a family from Denmark that had just finished living in Brooklyn for a year and told us a few of the differences (no bagels in Denmark).

hanging out at LAX

our Air New Zealand plane

On the plane we each had our own screen with a wide selection of movies (Nanny McPhee, Singing in the Rain, The Devil Wears Prada), television shows (cooking, gardening, The Big Bang), music, and games (miniature golf, Suduko).  The vegetarian meals were better than we had been eating while cleaning out the frig so the kids were both happy.  We had a long stretch at Heathrow and then a short flight on SAS to Copenhagen.  Arlo was excited that all the kids on the flight received a small Lego gift.

Customs was quick, and not just because I used my Hungarian passport.  Even though I had been happy to leave our luggage, I was happy to see it all again.  We knew we weren't in the US anymore because there were unlimited free carts for luggage.  Finally we went through one more set of doors and saw David almost jumping and down when he saw us!  It was a quick reunion because we had to catch a 20:40 train so we could go directly to Roskilde without changing in the Copenhagen central station.

We learned that you can reserve seats on the train, which we hadn't done.  We also learned how to spot a seat for which there was a reservation made but that gone unclaimed.  Although he hadn't learned it in time to help himself, David did know were the elevators were at the train station and where to find the taxis.  The taxi driver filled us in a bit of the history and his upcoming trip to the States to see some American Football.  David made it home on bicycle as quickly as we did by car, which a sign that we live close to the center of town (and that David is fit).

And now we are home.

The kids each have their own room and we are getting use to having one room with a toilet and sink and another with a shower and sink.  For Arlo there are a lot of Legos and balls.  Robin's room has lots of shelves and the Danish versions of her favorite books. 

This morning we rode the quad downtown and registered our arrival and will hope to get our centrale personregister (CPR) number soon.  With this we'll get our health care, library books, and be able to register the kids at school.  We also looked at used bikes, stopped in a coin store and saw coins from the late-Viking era, and bought stamps.

Next on the list is to visit the elementary school, walk to the Roskilde fjord, and go grocery shopping.  We'll keep you posted.