Un-American activities

This whole blog is about how life is different here, but sometimes I see something and think, "That is so un-American!"   I realize I only see a tiny slice of life so I'll have to make some generalizations.

As students were walking up the sidewalk toward school the construction workers decided it was the right time to back down the same sidewalk.  I thought, "That is would not happen at home."  The workers in the US would probably not be allowed to drink beer at break time, either.

The school uses and intranet program so parents and teachers can contact each other without using personal email addresses.  Parents use this method to let everyone know that their daughter or son has lice.  No anonymity, no notice from the nurse.

I don't remember advertisements for pork showing happy pigs.

Last time I visited the hand tool museum, which has an enormous collection of historic wood-working tools (to make things like wooden shoes, wooden carriage wheels, and wooden barrels), there was absolutely no staff around and I could try any tool, if I chose.  Today we visited the museum again and there was one staff person in period costume.  He encouraged us to use the tools!  No waiver to sign, no long list of instructions.  Very un-American.

Beer sold in the canteen where David works.  People walking around the locker room without a towel - just walking around naked.  As if it were normal!  Cars looking for cyclists before turning right.  Kids going on field trips without permission slips.  Life is different here!

The Royal Danish Mint

Sometimes good luck happens, but you don't realize until later.  When David and the kids were at Ledreborg Palace event they bought some treats.  David tried to pay with what he thought was a regular 20 kr. piece, but the person told him it was not a valid coin.  He wondered who had given it to him as change, but found a different way to pay.  The next day we looked up the coin and not only is it legal currency, it is one in a million coins made to honor the 1000 anniversary of the minting of the first Danish coin.   The Royal Danish Mint has a little more information here.

Throughout the year we have been collecting commemorative coins, with the help of a kind teller at the bank, but David has had great luck getting coins as change.  At the end of the day A. and I ask to see to his change in hopes of finding a treasure.  Recently he had the newest 10 kr. coin, which has a new portrait of the queen and a smaller coat of arms.  A description of the details and pictures of the older ones can be seen a The National Bank website.

A new 1000 kr. note was issued this week, but we don't expect to collect one of those since they are worth almost $200.

Copenhagen Marathon

Does this post look too long?  Here is the summary - I did it!  And like my paternal grandmother said about going to a baseball game, it was like three marathons - my first, my last, and my only.

the kids sitting with a 4:57 marathoner!

I am a little intimidated to write this up because in the process of looking for a course map I found the blog of someone who decided in May 2010 to run the Copenhagen Marathon in May 2011.  I decided on April 8 to run a marathon on May 22, giving myself six weeks and two days to go from a long run of eight miles to a long run of 26.2 miles (42.2 km).


While I was considering whether to run, David learned from his colleague that her nieces had signed up, but were unable to run because it conflicted with their finals schedules.  I debated to about whether to accept their entry and use it as mine, but then I learned that the organizers were fine with it and were even willing to switch it into my name and birth year.  Very generous!  And I never signed a single consent form.  Very un-American.


Surprisingly, once I made the decision, did some research, and chose a schedule, I felt calm.  The long runs through the forest, along the fjord, and on vacation near Aarhus were fabulous.  I am not sure how fast or how far I went, but it felt good and gave me hope.


Experts recommend training with as many similar conditions as possible, so I started running later in the day because the marathon start time was 9:30 a.m.  This was one of the biggest challenges because I naturally prefer to run much earlier and the sun rises before 5 a.m.  I practiced eating a couple hours before running, which was also hard because it was hard to relax once the day got started.  I would want to get a lot of chores done since I was already awake, but I also wanted to be rested.


The morning of the big day I woke up at 6ish and had breakfast (1/2 banana, 1/2 piece of bread with honey, scrambled eggs with salt, diluted berry juice - no coconut milk, sorry Susie K.).  I checked the weather, checked the Copenhagen Marathon facebook page (where people posted questions and got very quick answers - e.g, Q. Were the trains free for participants?  A. Not this year), and tried to relax.  I left the house a bit after 7 a.m. to cycle to the train station.  Several other runners were waiting, too, which was a good feeling.

Even though I had the seen the course map I didn't quite realize it was over two kilometers from the main station to the start, and a little farther since I did not take the most direct exit from the station.  I was able to hear the voice of reason, which told me to look at it as a good way to warm up and was very pleased that my initial reaction was to stay calm and positive, a trait that stayed with me the whole run.


The starting area was well organized with plenty of port-a-potties.  Once I turned in my luggage (a plastic bag with my train ticket, windbreaker, bike key, and regular glasses) I was given a plastic bag/raincoat to use as a windbreaker.  I hung out and chatted with a couple people.  I felt no need to warm up more, especially since I would have a 15 minute walk to the starting line.

And then it started!  I remembered the mantra, "Pass no one," so I would start off slowly.  I was a little surprised that my first 5K was a couple minutes slower than I planned, but I just listened to the voice of reason, which reminded me that it would be easier to negative split if I started off slowly.

I tried to enjoy the music (marching bands, belly dancers, gospel singers), the scenery, and the crowds.  People cheered and clapped out a beat using lots of things, including the cardboard with the map on one side and a place for a person's name on the other side.  They also said a lot of helpful things (I think) in Danish.

Since my longest run was just under 30km (yes, I know I am switching to metric, but I had to switch since I knew the route was marked that way - I had faith that it was the same distance and even though the numbers were larger, they would go by more quickly) I was surprised that I started to feel less-than great at about the 22 km mark.  Again I listened to that voice of reason that said it was all downhill from here, every step I took got me closer to the finish.  I found that calculating times and distances was a good distraction and started tuning out the surroundings.  Unfortunately I was so inwardly focused I was not able to give high fives or kisses when David ran down from the Marriot patio to cheer me.

Just before 28km (? - now I am not sure) I decided that there was no shame in walking.  I initially tried to alternate running and walking for 30 seconds, but found that it was better if I ran for one minute and walked for 30 seconds.  I was amazed that I could pass some people that way!  When the pacer leading a group trying to finish in 4:50 passed me I decided to join them.  I felt like I was practically sprinting and was amazed I could go so fast.  After a few kilometers with them I just couldn't hang on and returned to running my own race.

The last few kilometers were tough, especially since there were so many people (finishers, spectators, people out for Sunday brunch) all over the place that I felt like I was dodging them and running on my own.  At this point I knew I would finish and so I focused on my next goal of finishing under five hours.

I was so, so happy when I saw the MȦL (goal) sign that I almost cried.  This time I could see the sign David was holding and I could appreciate the kids running with me (until they were shooed off the course) and I could finish with a smile!

I didn't negative split and if you like to look at statistics you can check out my times here.  Professional pictures will be up eventually, but I haven't seen any yet.

Final injuries include a blister, a rash from my running bra, and sore, sore muscles.  I have been doing some recovery yoga and some moaning when I move the wrong way, and both seem to help.  I was able to ride my bicycle twice today, but when I tried to run to catch the green light my legs acted like they had put in the their time yesterday and were off-duty.  Maybe I'll swim tomorrow.

I am grateful to David who made it possible with his support the last six weeks (and 18 years) and by taking the children on adventures three days in a row (they had Friday off - see earlier blog post).  He helped me physically yesterday when I could barely sit down and stand up and he complimented me on setting a goal, working toward it, and reaching it.  I am so lucky to have him in my life!

Ledreborg Country Living - guest post

We attended a Country Living fair at Ledreborg Palace, and, while it was not quite to my tastes, I managed to have a good time anyway. The majority of the parts we visited were shops selling food, clothes, furniture, toys, and much more. Most of the food vendors had free samples. These varied from peppermints and candied almonds to olive oil on bread to cooked meat from a grill vendor. On the back of the program was an advertisement for a quality chocolate vendor. I say this not because of the ad, but from experience: My father was kind enough to purchase 4 chocolates to share with us. Also, at the trampoline vendor, you could have a turn jumping! There was also bungee jumping and spheres in an inflatable pool to get inside and walk on water in. 

There were peppermints and other homemade candies, which were amazing. There were several sculptures made with plants, stone, wood, shells, and more. One of the sculptures included a table and chairs people sat at.

We listened to a short organ concert in the palace's church.  Near the end of our visit, we roasted dough over a fire and purchased high-quality peppermint candies. While I would recommend visiting this event if you are in the area and enjoy shopping, palaces, or exercise, I personally feel that it was not quite what I enjoy.

St. Bededag

When I first saw the name of today's holiday I wondered who Saint Bede was, but since then I have learned two things.  While St. in English is the abbreviation for saint, St. in Danish is the abbreviation for store, which means large or great.  I have also learned that at bede is to ask or to pray.  Today is Great Prayer Day, during which Danes sleep in, work in their gardens, and laugh when I ask if anyone prays.

The holiday is the fourth Friday after Easter and three weeks before Pentecost.  It was brought about in the 17th century by a bishop from Roskilde and the timing allowed for King Christian the Fifth to celebrate in Copenhagen before heading out on his summer trips.

Some people credit King Christian the Seventh's doctor, Stuensee, with the holiday.  After reformation he helped eliminate the formal observation of half the holidays (such as the third day of Christmas and Epiphany) but retained the Great Prayer Day.  This happened a full century after the St. Bededag was created, but there is still confusion.

The only tradition we have learned is to eat white rolls the night before.  One story says the bakers had the day off so everyone bought bread the night before and didn't wait to eat it.

The library, bank, and almost all stores are closed today and everyone seems to be very cheery about a day off, especially since they know it is the first of several spring holidays.

Random spring pictures

The dandelions and tulips have very long stems.

Rain does not cancel cycling field trips.

Just one of the beautiful views on the commute to and from Risø (work and Danish class).

Felting workshop - guest post

This Thursday to Saturday I attended a felting workshop. I created several items, including a hat and some pins. For those who don't know, felting is the process of turning wool or other fibers into felt, a thick cloth that is generally rather warm and sturdy, but itchy. The way felting works is rather similar to the way wool shrinks in the wash. The scales on the wool fibers interlock when rubbed together, and have a hard time separating. Felting is generally done via two methods: Wetting the fibers with hot, soapy water and rubbing them together with your hands or bubble wrap, or by using a specialized felting needle with small gaps to hold fibers and stabbing it repeatedly into the wool. This is more tedious, but allows for far more detail; this method typically used for impressive felt sculptures. 

Our felt class had large bins of wool in various colors, and a little bin with bits and pieces. The bits and pieces are intended for needle felting. 

It is surprising how about ¼ of the people there were interested in the Periodic Table of Elements. I pointed them to http://periodictable.com/, which includes both useful facts and sample images, and entertaining "samples", including a Nitrogen pressurized golf club, a tritium glow-in-the-dark keychain, ear weights for dogs, and two burnt Barbie doll heads (¾ life size) to demonstrate the importance of safety goggles. 

One of the the students was making a Homer Simpson  model in felt, and another one attended a school that issued every student a MacBook. If we return to Denmark, I want to attend that school. Felting can be rather tedious, so I recommend listening to a podcast of your choice while doing so. 

I created a felt hat, which fits my head well, a felt Apple logo, and two halves of a sphere filled with little pieces of color that reminded me of the default PowerPoint color scheme. I highly recommend that you try felting.

Public transportation, around town

The London Oyster Card (the world is your oyster - you have the freedom to go where you wish, get it?) is popular because of its flexibility.  It can be used as a pay-as-you-go card with a daily cap, which is less expensive than the cash price per ride.  It can be set for a week-long pass and be refilled at the train station or even the convenience store.  To use it simply hold it near the yellow oyster symbol when you enter the train station or bus and swipe again when you leave.  I am not convinced we chose the most economical plan, but we were able to buy it at the airport and use it during our whole visit, so it was the most convenient.  There is talk of eliminating the card and replacing it with debit cards that can be swiped, but then there would be no collectible cards.

Initially we used the trains (Underground) and even took a boat between the two Tates, but we followed the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Beth B.) and tried the bus.  It was sometimes a longer wait, but it was definitely worth it because the view was fantastic and it was more fun.

central Amsterdam

A similar system exists in Amsterdam, but the cards designed for tourists are clearly disposable while the cards for residents are designed to be reloaded.  The only hitch I found was trying to use it on a bus instead of a tram, which the driver told me was not permitted.  Most people had their cards in their wallets and held these up to the readers without having to remove them from their wallets.  The trams were fairly easy to figure out, once you had your bearings (which was initially hard for me to do with all the canals and curved roads).

A. and I were in Paris for only 48 hours, but because we stayed a bit outside the center of town we knew we would be riding the metro.  It seemed a bit confusing that the train, bus, and tram all use the same tickets, but because they are separate systems a new ticket would have to be used to switch.  (Hmm - now that I researching this again for this post I am finding conflicting information about this.)  Tickets can be bought individually, but I chose to buy a carnet of ten tickets for each of us.  At the station the tickets are fed to the machine and retrieved before entering the turnstile.  The process is repeated when leaving and the ticket is valid for 1.5 hours.  Unused tickets do not have an expiration date.  We walked a fair amount and ended up with two extra tickets (which we could not use on the train headed to the airport), but it was more convenient than buying tickets each time.  The train system was very easy to understand, despite my fears about going the wrong direction.  I couldn't believe how crowded it was and can't imagine what it is like during peak tourist season.

a sample of klipkorts

Copenhagen has the readers for the Oyster-like cards, but I have not seen anyone use them.  It may be eliminated before it becomes popular and replaced with mobil phone card/SMS card.  Denmark's major transportation company, DSB, has been having significant troubles, both financially and with its leadership.  The transport minister has also taken heat, which may be a problem this election year.

clip your card here before getting on the train, or do it when entering the bus

We are unaffected by these problems and use the system without any issues.  We use a klipkort (shown above) based on the number of zones we are traveling, with two zones being the minimum.  Kids under 12 are free and older kids are half-price.  The half-price tickets can be purchased (they look like the adult cards but cost half the price and have the word barn on it) or a ticket worth half the zones can be punched (a four-zone ticket if it would be eight zones for the adult).  We can catch a bus one block from our house, and if we punch a card with eight zones we can use it on the train.  The higher the number of zones punched, the longer it can be used to transfer.  We are lucky to live within the zone system because once you are beyond it the price for tickets goes up significantly.

we haven't tried to take the quad on the train - yet

Understanding the system is fairly easy.  Between Google maps and the Danish travel plan site we can figure things out.  Sometimes it is hard to determine if the express train leaving later will be better than the local train leaving immediately, but the truth is both are efficient.  It is not much of an issue in the winter, but seats on the intercity (express) trains can be reserved, meaning there might not be a place to sit.  My kids prefer to take the local trains, which are slower, but provide more comfort.

Having grown up using Cleveland's RTA system and traveled in Europe before I had some confidence in my ability to figure things out, but it has been a new experience for the kids.  Maybe they have enough confidence to try the bus or Metrolink in LA.

Hvorfor er der flag på busserne i dag?

Why are there flags on the buses today? The President of South Korea is in Denmark for a state visit and is honored with the flags.

no flag on the bus because this was taken the day before the visit

His visit included a stop at Risø, accompanied by Crown Prince Frederik.  A sign was added to the main entrance and some plants were brought in (just like the British royal wedding).

David wasn't invited to meet the dignitaries, but he was hoping to hang out at his building so he could get a good picture of the royal license plate.  The police told him that was not possible, but we was allowed to stand at the bus stop outside the lab and watch the procession.

I hope they learned something about renewable energy, which is big business in Denmark.  Maybe next time they'll arrive in a solar-powered car.

Flowers - guest post

The street near our house has some of the neighborhood's more elaborate gardens. Naturally, these look best in spring. I saw some of these gardens on a walk, and found the lilacs and tulips to be the most interesting flowers in my path. The lilacs are notable for their size, scent, and ability to move a lot in the wind and wreck photos. The tulips are notable for their color; some are almost black. The lilacs' scent can be smelled from nearly a meter away. These flowers make almost any walk past them more enjoyable.

Transportation, from the airport to town

Finding the balance between affordable, efficient, and convenient transportation is something we try to figure out before visiting a new city.  Because flights are so much cheaper and so much faster than trains our first challenge is to figure out how to get from the airport to town or our hostel.  Combing what we read in the guidebooks (usually a little dated), the travel tips online (with a grain of salt), and the official websites we get a reasonable picture.  

Having landed in Copenhagen's airport five times it seems easy now, but the initial challenge was to know which of the two train tracks to pick.  The more obvious, closer track leads to Sweden and the less visible one leads to the main train station and other points west.  The next decision is whether to take a local train into Copenhagen and then switch trains, or wait a little longer and catch a train directly to Roskilde.  Often the trains going to Roskilde are continuing on to cities in Jutland, which means people can reserve the seats.  The first time we arrived we had help figuring out how to find unreserved seats, but in the winter it hasn't been hard to find one.

When we purchased plane tickets to London's Gatwick airport we were offered train tickets to town from the airline.  It was definitely a great idea to buy them this way because when we were on the train we overheard someone buying a ticket and he had to pay more for a one-way ticket than we paid for a round-trip one.  It also meant we didn't have to worry about setting aside enough pounds to buy tickets at the end of our stay.

We landed in Tel Aviv in December but were staying in Jerusalem, about 50 minutes away.  We opted for a cab, which was not the least expensive option, but we were happy for the convenience and not to deal with the main bus station in Jerusalem.

In Amsterdam I thought I had a plan for the train trip from the airport, but the person at the ticket window said it would be cheaper to buy a multi-day pass at the tourist office near the main train station.  We followed the suggestion, but I don't think it fell into the category of most convenient.

Paris's Orly airport was the most challenging.  I had read several things about trains and a free bus that stopped running 30 minutes after we arrived.  I could not find a sign of that bus anywhere and somehow the people who worked at the airport were unable to understand English.  It was a rough start.  I decided to forget the bus and take the overpriced train and got in line to buy a ticket.  The ticket seller took a break just before my turn (I think, since I couldn't read the sign in French), so I started to wait patiently.  Two rude people tried to cut in line and my polite excusez-moi and excuse me were ignored.  I gave up waiting, tried the self-serve machine, which I could not figure out, and looked elsewhere.  The person selling the museum pass suggested a shuttle bus, which was only a little more expensive than the train and dropped us off just around the corner from our hotel.  Sold! and money well spent.  I only wish I had bought a round trip ticket because on the way back to the airport I learned the tickets I carefully saved for the train ride were not valid on the airport train.  The price difference did not break us, but it was not how I would do it next time.

Next up, transportation around town.

My dad suggested this post and I would happily write on the topic of your choice.  Let me know what interests you.

9 May

This morning I noticed the buses had not only the Danish flag but also the European Union flag.  Today is EU Day, also known as Robert Schuman Day.  The links lead you to the 1950 proposal of the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, which led to the creation of the European Union.


I wasn't sure what kind of cake to bake or how to celebrate, but I was lucky to find this article, which is pasted below.

How Will You Celebrate Europe Day?
May 9, 2011 by Dan Mitchell 

You probably didn’t realize that May 9th was Europe Day. Yes indeed, this is the day that you celebrate European unity, at least according to the bureaucrats of the European Union, who get to celebrate every day since they unify themselves with the tax dollars of European taxpayers.
So what’s the best way of celebrating this historic day? Here are my five options, but feel free to suggest additional choices. 

1. Go on strike – This is the probably the leading form of celebration in France and Italy.
2. Spend too much money – This is a favorite activity all over the continent, though the Nordic nations are first among equals.
3. Appease evil – The Germans are doing a good job in this category, criticizing the United States for killing bin Laden.
4. Tax the rich – The supposedly conservative Tories in the United Kingdom have increased the capital gains tax rate and left in place Gordon Brown’s 50 percent tax rate on the evil rich, thus putting them to the left of Obama.
5. Bail out the profligate – Greece and Portugal are  leading the pack in getting reward for bad fiscal policy, but it’s just a matter of time before Belgium and Spain get added to the list.

Celebration

What a great day!  We cycled to the bird sanctuary on the quad.  In the US people roll down their windows and snap pictures and shout cheers or corny jokes ("The one in back isn't pedaling").  In Denmark maybe we hear someone say something to someone else ("Look at the four-person bike") but no one shouts anything to us (remember the Jante's Law).

Once at the sanctuary we walked along this path, which is raised above the swampy area and is covered with a metal grid to make it less slippery.

This is the lake we walked along to get to...

...this viewing tower.

There were windows we could open and a nice panoramic view, but I could not capture it with our camera.

Inside the tower there were a couple tables (so one could sit and draw?) and a notebook for writing observations.  There is a place online to record similar information and we know others had seen a white stork, but we saw only some ducks and gull-like birds.

We stopped at the restaurant at the Roskilde campground on the way home and enjoyed a special dessert in honor of David's promotion to full professor.

Mmmm

Dandelions

notice dandelions right in the front of the circle as well as to each side

For the past week I have been thinking of a friend in Ithaca who wondered why people thought of dandelions as weeds.  Rebecca C., you would enjoy spring in Denmark!  I have not seen a single Chemlawn truck or other signs of pesticides and I haven't seen the city workers digging up dandelions growing in the traffic circle near the park.

During our family ride we saw fields of dandelions, which may be plowed under before long.

out standing in the field

Cheese shop - guest post

cheese for every taste

Last weekend we went to a cheese shop near the train station. It had a lovely, cheesy scent, and OST [cheese] was written in tiles on the sidewalk outside. There were many different cheeses offered for sale, but we mostly stuck with those that had samples available. The person we were able to speak to was unable to help us in English, but we still were able to understand enough to buy good cheese. We purchased a mild, hard cheese and a raisin-laced, sweet, creamy cheese that was, unfortunately, gone in a few days. There was a stronger cheese that was tempting, but I was probably the only one who would appreciate it.  There were also many appealing blue cheeses. I hope to return there. We were the only customers at the time. It was much smaller than the Cheese Cave, and there were no magazines or seating there. I wonder what has happened to the Cheese Cave, and if it will still be around when I return home. If you know, please tell me in the comments.

Befrielsen

Yesterday at noon was the annual sounding of the emergency sirens.  Both yesterday and today full flags were flying, including on the top of the buses.  The helpful people at the security booth at David's lab had a sign saying it was for Danmarks Befrielsen, or Denmark's liberation in 1945 by the British forces.

Memorial anchor in Nyhavn section of Copenhagen

The celebration is very muted and while there is a ceremony in Nyhavn, the traditional observation seems to consist of putting lit candles in the windows, which is the same as the action taken when the blackout was lifted 66 years ago.

a stamp to mark the 25th anniversary of the liberation

Swimming pool

A year after closing for renovation, one of Roskilde's two pools reopened yesterday.

I am a tiny bit uncomfortable swimming right under the water tower, but I try to turn off that part of my brain.

If I had known it would hail on the way home I might have waited a day, but this morning I rode over to check out the situation.  The locker rooms are nice, the facility is nice, but the swimming situation is the same as the other pool.  There are no lane lines and people are swimming for the pleasure of the sport, not to become faster swimmers.  I heard the water in the fjord is only 12ºC (<54ºF before the hail storm), so I have not been swimming at all.  I think I will become someone who swims for the pleasure of it and put off getting faster until we return to California.