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.