Curb cuts

In our neighborhood there are no curb cuts to get from the sidewalk to the bike lane or to get from the bike lane to the street.  Instead asphalt has been added to create a ramp.

bits of asphalt to create ramps instead of curb cuts

I don't have a problem with this going up onto the next level, but I haven't figured out how to see where they are when going down a level.  The curbs are low and my bike has large tires so it isn't a problem, but I wish I could figure it out.

Cars

I knew cars here would be smaller because the 180% tax discourages the big vehicles typical in the US, but I had forgotten that familiar manufacturers (Honda, Ford) make models not driven in the US.  Even though it is very common to see station wagons, I haven't seen a single Subaru wagon.  I have seen more Fiats, Daewoos, Peugeots, and Citroens here, in addition to the ones I never heard of, like Skoda.

Out and about

We played tourists today, made possible by a friend of a friend.  Thanks to some good footwork and good luck, we had seats on the two trains to Humlebaek.  We were picked up at the train station (first time in a car in over a month!) and taken to Louisiana, which is a beautiful modern art museum.  It did take some energy to look at the art, to think about it, but it was great to see something new.  And speaking of new, I saw something I had never seen before.  Across the Baltic Sea was Sweden!  I hope we'll get to visit, but our wish list is longer than our budget, so we'll see.

Google Street View Camera Car!!!!!!! by Robin

You would not believe this... I found the Google Street View car. It is slow, and I was able to bike after it and get some photos.  It was a hard ride and I am rather sweaty, but I got several photos and the driver congratulated me on finding him. He also asked why I wasn't in school. Good thing school gets out early on Fridays! It was so fun! I think I will remember this for quite a while. I got several photos. Ha ha, photographing a camera car. I wonder if I am on the map. I hope so. That would be amazing! I can't wait until the new street view is posted so I can see if I am on the map. This was such an exciting day. It will be a little weird to talk about Google Maps using Blogger, a service that is part of Google, but I think that just adds to the fun.

Grocery shopping

There is a farmers' market in town, but it is a little odd to me because half the people are selling little antiques (lots of old plates), about a quarter of the people sell food they did not grow (pineapples, bananas, etc.) and the remaining people sell food that they probably picked that day.  This season there are enormous cabbages, corn (not very sweet), new onions, carrots, and potatoes.

Close to our home is a little market, Spar, that has all the basics, but not much more.  A longer walk (15 minutes?) or ride (5 minutes?) away, past the sheep and up a hill is a traditional market, Super Best.   Part of the ride is on this road, which has bike lanes on the sides and planters to slow the drivers, who take turns going around them when there is traffic in both directions.

A two-way street on the way to the market (note the vimpel flag, a style that dates back to Viking days)

In the center of town (5 minute ride, 15 minute walk, but no sheep and no hill) is a pedestrian mall with a smaller version of Super Best,  Kvickly, which is half-grocery store and half-general store, Irma, which is also a traditional market, but is more American in its display of produce and its sale of non-perfumed soaps and other non-food items, and Netto, which is a lot like a 99 Cent store.  Both by the train station (a bit past the center of town) and farther east in a small indoor shopping mall is føtex, which is just like the Kvickly, but seems a little nicer (Walmart vs. Target?).  In addition to all these options, there are shops on the side streets that sell fruits and vegetables.    Almost every one of these stores has a bakery with a fairly wide selection of fresh bread and pastries.  We were surprised to learn that the gas station by our house also has very good bread.

Most stores are not open after dinner, they close early on Saturday, and are closed on Sunday.  Small stores are allowed to be open on Sundays and many stores are open on the first Sunday of the month.  You are expected to put your groceries into your own bag and to buy one of their bags costs about a dollar.  Some grocery stores have shopping carts that require a coin to be inserted into the handle to separate it from the others and then the coin is returned when the cart is replaced.

And speaking of money, I have been slow to figure out the change.  Even though I know the value of each coin (20 dkk, 10, 5, 2, 1, and 50 ore) it is difficult to get out of the US mindset of 25, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins.  The bills are 500, 200, 100, and 50, which also requires a little thought.  I am starting to understand numbers (said with the hundreds first, then the ones, and then the tens), but I tend to look at the cash register readout and then fumble with the money.

Kost og Motion -- Nutrition and Exercise, tirsdag 24. aug by Robin

When I started school, I quickly heard that the reason school started late on Tuesdays and Thursdays was because the Nutrition and Exercise [literally Food and Motion] teacher had not arrived yet. I was curious, and soon found out that this class was where one went to school at 7.30 in athletic clothes without eating breakfast, exercised for half an hour, ate a school breakfast [dry oats, milk/substitute from home, half a banana, raisins], and then showered and changed. Unfortunately, everyone was behind schedule today, so the 6th grade girls and a mixed sex second-grade class had to change in the same room, which was rather awkward. Other than that, things went rather well. Yesterday, I had special dansk lessons, in which I learned about hverdag [everyday life] for the familien Jensen [Jensen (most common surname) family]. All in all, things are going well. More later!

Our neighborhood

A few blocks from our house is this sign about the history of our neighborhood.

In the lower right is a bit in English.  Using Google Translate I figured out the captions.  Starting on the left is a fresco from a church with styltetårn (tower on stilts) from circa 1200.  The center caption is about the reconstruction of Harold Borg, as it would have looked like in the 1100s.  The artifacts are the items from Harald Borg cache found in the Harald Borg mounds in 1890.  Apparently our neighborhood was a violent place in the early Middle Ages, but it seems tranquil now.

Hus til salg

Today the real estate section arrived with the newspaper.  The most interesting thing is that the common picture is not taken to show curb appeal, but to show how the backyard could be enjoyed. 

Ad for house, which features view of outdoor eating area

We have been eating out on our deck when we can, partially because it is easier to clean up and partially because we are so happy it is not raining.  Maybe we'll get a picnic table when we get back.

Yippee!  After a little research I learned that the city will deliver a compost container to us.  The instructions do say that if we decide to discontinue using the container we have to wash it and return it.  I think we'll keep it.

So many people have apple trees laden with fruit and more on the ground.  We look over the fences longingly and wonder if we have the  nerve to ask them if they want help picking their apples.  Today we met a neighbor around the corner who had painted a beautiful sign and set it next to a basket of apples.  She was encouraging people to enjoy the beautiful day and take an apple for their walk.  When she saw us trying to decipher the sign she came out and we had a wonderful chat.  Can you knock on someone's door and invite them over for coffee after meeting just once?  Sure!

Cycling

Cycling in Denmark could be a topic for a whole blog instead of one post.  It could include a discussion about helmets, parking, regional bike routes, national bike routes, parents and kids on one bike, innumerable cycling shortcuts and paths, and on and on.

Close to our house is a traffic circle that I thought would be wise to avoid, but instead it is my favorite intersection.

The drivers really, truly give the cyclist the right of way before entering and exiting the circle.  The one down side is that they slow down without completely stopping, which could be a little uncomfortable, but I have seen it work every single time.

Another wonderful bike lane idea is a little left-turn lane.

If you are cycling on this narrow street and you want to turn left from the bike lane, instead of pulling into traffic you pull over to the right, press the button, and when the light turns green you cycle across the street.

At home I used to wave to fellow cyclists because I felt like I was a member of a special club.  Here I am one of the masses, which is a good feeling, too.  Maybe before I return I'll master getting on and off my bike while it is still moving.

More about school

Sorry, no pictures today, just updates about school.  We have no complaints because they are allowing the children to attend despite their lack of official papers.  However, it is so odd to peek in on Robin's class and see that she is the only one in a classroom filled with backpacks, but no people.  The office told us she was supposed to be at woodworking class, so off we went.  We found some kids in the class, but only a few of Robin's classmates.  It turns out Robin's class is separated into four groups and two groups take woodworking this semester, either morning or afternoon, and next semester the other two groups have the class.  So this semester Robin starts Mondays at 9:50 and gets out at 12:45.  Good thing there are 200 days of school.

On days when Robin has p.e. (nutrition and exercise), she is supposed to get to school early, participate in the class, then shower and have a breakfast provided by the school.  Let's hope she comes to love raw oats, milk, and fruit.

Tonight Arlo read to us from his primer featuring Søren and Mette.  He also brought home a note from the teacher, which Google Translate didn't understand.  A parent helped us figure out that the teacher needs 100 dkk to help buy a refrigerator for the classroom (to store lunches and milk).  Also, the class was divided into groups and each student will take a turn hosting a play group of classmates.  The big news was that the class will have a trip with their families to stay in a cabin overnight.  I am trying to imagine how this will work, but no one seemed to think it was unusual.  I suppose we'll let the kids run around while the parents have coffee and bond.

The method of payment for things like the class frig or field trips is to transfer money from a personal bank account to the one listed on the notice (from the teacher, from the school, from the photographer).  I can see that this could be more convenient than checks and cash, especially for people who track their spending electronically.

Another surprise has been blankets.  The tradition here (as in Germany and Austria, I think) is that each person gets his or her own blanket, even if you share a bed.  I haven't made up my mind about this yet.

København

Errands can wait so we decided to head to Copenhagen for the afternoon.  A lot people park in the uncovered area, but the sky was dark so we decided to try the double-decker parking area.

After figuring out which train was headed our way, we punched our tickets and boarded.  We realized we still hadn't figured out how to reserve seats, or how to figure out which reserved seats had not been claimed.  Lunch on the train was put on hold so we ate like backpackers at the station.

Just outside the station is Tivoli Gardens, which was enticing, but we decided to save it for another time.  We strolled through town and eventually found the Danish Jewish Museum, which has an interior designed by Daniel Libeskind.

Before heading home we took a canal tour, which was probably the highlight of the trip, despite the rain.  War ships of many countries were in the harbor to help celebrate the 500th anniversary of Denmark's navy, and we were amazed by the size.  The tour was a good way to learn some history and see what we'd like to visit when we return.

Our bikes were safe and dry and we arrived home similarly.

Weather

For months before we arrived I watched the weather in Roskilde to get an idea about what we were in for.  An online view just isn't reality, so even though we own rain boots, rain pants, and rain coats, I think we are in for a challenge.  How can I be motivated to leave the cozy house when it is pouring rain if I don't have to?

Today I cycled with Robin to visit an afterschool club.  The kids can take care of horses and rabbits, work on go-karts, do art projects, participate in theater productions, play on the computer, or work in the kitchen.  After the tour of the facility it started to pour so we decided to hang out until it passed, which was optimistic.  It is now long after dinner and it is still raining!  I know it rains in LA, but I had forgotten about the logistics of dealing with it.

Maybe the point of the post is less about weather and more about transportation.  Dealing with the logistics of rain are more significant without a car.  I consider myself a bicycle commuter, but I have realized how often I would use a car if I had one.  The wonderful thing is that not one family member complained about the weather or being wet!

Skole tirsdag den 10. august 2010 by Robin

School started on man 9. aug, and it went really well! I am learning
more dansk each day, but my classmates and teachers speak plenty of
engelsk [English]. I met two nice girls [pigene], one of whom is my
neighbor. Whoops, make that neighbour. Here, they use British English,
not American English. One of the girls I met, I met partially because
she had the triangle-circle-line symbol that represents the
Invisibility Cloak, the Stone of Resurrection, and the Elder Wand. We
started talking about Harry Potter, and, as it turns out, she read the
books in Danish and English. That was amazing. I gave her some book
recommendations, and she gave me some. Today, school got out early
because our teacher had a meeting. They didn't even notify our
families that we would be home early, or that school would start at
8.45 on Tuesdays until the 24th, when Kost og Motion [Nutrition and
Exercise, literally Food and Motion] will start. That was confusing.
Our Nature and Technology [Natur og Teknik] (science) teacher was
willing to tell me the main rule, "No running in the science lab!",
which was nice to know. Also nice was that words like pH, atlas, and
many element names, are very similar in English and dansk. All in all,
school is great!

Afterschool activities

We were told 98% of the kids go to the afterschool program, which is held next to school in three separate locations.  Arlo's group uses the area shown in the 31 July post and today we learned what the fire pit was for - a fire!  Right there with the kids with no waiver form, no fence, no anything.  After the fire burned down a grill was placed over the coals in order to cook the hotdogs and buns for the afternoon snack. 

Another surprise was the activity to enjoy while sitting around the fire - whittling.  Arlo was happy to have a large knife in his hand and was proud to show me his sharpened stick.

The last surprise was a donation from a local resident - the skull, skin, and two legs from a small roe deer he had shot.  The kids were going to add something to skin to prevent it from rotting, once some of the afterschool people had removed the remaining fat and muscle.  I am not quite sure what lesson was being taught, but we are certainly having a chance to have different experiences than we would at home.

Another difference was Robin's school day.  When she arrived this morning there was only one other student because everyone else knew that the first class had been cancellled.  The teacher will be gone for a few weeks and apparently they don't hire substitute teachers.  When Robin arrived home ninety minutes early she said it was because another teacher had not shown up and her class was dimissed.  I wonder what Danes attending school in the US think of the concept of set school hours.

A day of firsts

We knew things were different when the administrators told us to show up fifteen minutes before the first day of school and that was it.  They didn't ask for a copy of immunizations, they were not interested in information from the previous school, and they didn't mind that we don't have our Danish identification numbers yet.  We have not signed anything or filled out one piece of paper.  Maybe I should worry?

Today was the first day of school for the kids and the school year runs through the end of June.  Danes have about 200 days in the classroom, but the number of hours of instruction is significantly less.  There is a week-long break in the fall, a break at Christmas time, a February break, an Easter break, and a couple other days (some Christian holidays and a Danish holiday).

We live only a few blocks from school, so I don't know if we'll cycle.  There are two (!) covered parking lots for bicycles.  Incredible.  About ten percent of the people wear helmets.

Robin has sixteen kids in class and Arlo has eighteen.  They both sit at desks that are set in small groups facing the front of the classroom. 

Both kids were given textbooks, which are traditionally covered with something like thick wrapping paper.  We enjoyed going to the school supply store to see all the beautiful pencils and markers, but we bought only paper (photo to follow).

The other first was my first pool swim in almost two weeks.  I was pleased to find my way to the pool (a few roads, but mostly little paths here and there) without getting lost.  The group had three of the six lanes with about four swimmers in each.  It had been a long time since I had swum inside or had swum in a 25-meter pool, but those were easy adjustments.  It is hard to imagine riding to the pool in the dark and in the rain, but I'll worry about that later.  For now I am happy to be in a pool where I can see the bottom.  I also have to confess that it is nice to swim with people who wear swimsuits.

Birthday celebration

For a birthday celebration we were going to visit a castle.  The Ledreborg Palace doesn't quite qualify, but were able to walk the grounds of this palace/mansion.  There is a family living there (hard to imagine) so we couldn't take a tour inside.

Next we cycled to Old Lejre, which is a lot like Williamsburg, only dating back to before the Iron Age.  In addition to a great movie about archaeological experiments conducted there, we enjoyed paddling around in a dugout canoe and trying archery.

The trip is a bit more than 30km round trip and there are great bike lanes, but many them are definitely not prepared with a quad in mind.  We end up walking the bike through gates and very tight turns.  Despite that, it is faster and more convenient than taking the train and bus.  It certainly more cost effective than owning or renting a car, although that would give us a chance to practice converting liters to gallons and krones to dollars.

Rose hips

My younger sister was fed rose hip baby food when we lived in Hungary because it was the only prepared baby food available.  I was reminded of that when I saw women picking rose hips from the wild rose plants close to the grocery store (uphill from the sheep).  We weren't able to communicate very well, but I think they were going to make jam or marmalade with it.

Another new-to-us device has been the slanted walking sidewalk/no-stair escalator.  Between the up and down sections are items for sale like sponges and balls.

Wilder wildlife

While it is good to explore new things, there is something comforting in a familiar place, even if we have been there only once.  The kids and I headed back to the beach and this time I brought my prescription goggles.  Arlo swam out to the dock and I joined him before having a little swim on my own.  Just as the kids said, there were gobs of jellyfish (jellies).  It was very spooky, even knowing they are Common Moon Jellyfish, which don't sting humans.

Tomorrow I'll swim with a group of retirees who gather three mornings a week for a little dip in the fjord.  It is free to swim with them in the summer, but in the winter there is a fee because after breaking the ice and having a swim, they use a sauna set up for them.  I haven't asked what they wear in the sauna, but there is definitely a different level of modesty here.

In other news, I saw the mailman, who rides a motorcycle with side bags.  We were told the mail might not be delivered if we didn't have our full name on the mailbox.

our mailman

Daily life

This is the trash container that stays by the door.

  Today is trash day (weekly) and paper recycling (monthly).  The bins stay by the door and the trash collector takes the full bag and replaces it with an empty one.  If you need more bags it seems that you can get them, but I am not sure if there is an additional fee.

The collected trash bags are put by the curb and eventually get picked up.  The recycling containers are closer to the driveway, which we share with three other homes.   You might be able to see that the cyclist is on the bike path, which is between the sidewalk and the street.

In the neighborhood glass is collected in these containers, which seem as common as post boxes.

In other excitement, we all have bicycles now.  I hope it won't be too hard to part with them next summer.

Just as we had been told, the flag and pictures of the flag are every where.  I couldn't resist buying these, but maybe I'll save them for when we return.

15 dkk < $2.75

Cykel -- fredag-lørdag-søndag den 30-31-1. juli-august 2010, posted by Robin

In the previous post, I told you about how I don't have my own bike here yet. That information is no longer correct. After playing at various campus playgrounds and stopping in at the younger children's daycare center, we went home, and took some glass to an appropriate bin. Then, Dad and I rode to a bike shop on the tandem. Although Dad spoke no Danish and the shop owner spoke very little English, with enough gesturing they were able to talk and buy a bike for me. My bike is very Danish -- it has a special lock that is built into the bike. On Saturday, I went to the library. They have an excellent selection of English books there. I really enjoyed reading new books and wished that I had my SuperID number so that I could check one out. Today we went for a long bike ride on the quad to nowhere on a road by all these fields that were not very entertaining. My parents said that I should enjoy the bike ride just because it was a bike ride, not because I would get something out of it. They really just don't get how bike rides aren't inherently fun for me. Later we visited some people from the States who had lived in Denmark for 10 years. That was more fun, because they had a trampoline and were happy to have long conversations in English. Trampolines are fun. Here, the playgrounds are more fun, and are not built to avoid lawsuits. They are also a little less safe, though. I will post again soon!

Quad ride

Nothing says Europe like thatched roofs.  I am not quite sure where we rode, but it traffic was light and the views of the water were great.  We didn't pass any donut shops, but we did find a store that was open on Sunday.  Outside the store was the place for dogs to wait.

On the way to Herslev.  Check out the thatched roofs.

 

 

We stopped at a bridge that I think is part of a medieval farm, about 1315, that belonged to the Galen Family.

By part of a medieval bridge.

Translated:  Woof, woof, bow-wow.