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Published: September 20th 2007
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Inge's Grandmother's Party
Us with Jesper, Inge and her Grandmother at her birthday party... What a wonderful break we've had from travelling! We have stayed in Denmark with our friends, Inge and Jesper, who we met on our honeymoon in Fiji. Inge, Jesper and both of their families have been so generous and made us feel so welcome it is hard to move onto the next country. We've been to Danish birthday parties and seen the sights around Vejle (pronounced "Viyla") where they live, eaten home grown/home made food and even relaxed on the lounge with takeaway pizzas and dvd rentals.
We arrived on Thursday night and had tacos for dinner, YUM, and gave our friends a slideshow of our trip so far. They both had Friday off work and showed us the sights of Vejle, even the ones they haven't seen before. We saw the grave mounds of the King Grom and his queen at Jelling, which felt pretty strange standing ontop of what was meant to be a grave. We also went into a free museum which told us about the Jelling rune stones next to the mounds and outside the church - one of the first in Denmark. The stones are meant to be the 'birth certificate' of a united Denmark
Lego Copenhagen
Who needs to see the real thing now? and they are just sitting out in the open for everyone to see and touch. The museum also had old tools and jewellery and some replicas of a gold horn. We found out today that we were lucky to see the gold horns as they were stolen last night! We also visited an old store that used to be on the main road through town and has been kept the way it was with old style lolly bags and tea and coffee and the upstairs has been made into an antique museum. Last of all we hit Legoland. After 4:30pm it's free entry and the rides go till 5pm so we got to go on the spooky boat ride, and 2 rollercoasters. We could then walk around the minature towns until 6pm so pretty good value really. That night we ordered 3 huge pizzas takeaway and hired 3 dvds and relaxed on the lounge with microwave popcorn and icecream.
Saturday we walked through the local town and bought a Holly Bar (chocolate) and tried to find some souvenir type places but no such luck. We went to Inge's parents' place for a tasty lunch and had herring on brown
Viking Ship
Well a replica one anyway... rye bread (home baked) and egg salad then pork meatballs (from their own pigs) with potato salad. We were so full but had to work up an appetite for dinner so we walked around the property. It's farmland of wheat on a peninsular and the land at the edges is slowly sinking but the beach is lovely and everything was so fresh. We then headed to Inge's grandmother's house for her birthday party along with all of Inge's aunts, uncles and cousins. We had a delicious dinner of chicken salad with fresh rolls followed by roast deer with potatoes and gravy. Had 2 servings each and felt so full afterwards but it was worth it cause it was so tasty. All the cousins then went for a walk to see the pigs in their pens and then the minks in their cages on the neighbours farm. It was amazing hearing Inge tell us how each Christmas growing up they would sit around as a family stretching the skins of the minks over tapered sticks to dry them out for sale (she told a more innocent but gruesome version than that though). After the walk was coffee and cake. A Danish
Harald Bluetooth's Runestone, Jelling
Inscribed with "... Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian"... Marking the time when Denmark was converted to Christianity tradition is to have the birthday cake (more a pastry decorated with lollies) made in the shape of a girl or boy (depending on who's birthday it is) and the first cut of the cake is to cut the head off and everyone screams so loud! Don't know if that will catch on back home but it was very interesting to see.
Sunday was a day for cleaning up and shopping and getting the place ready for 17 guests (in a 1 bedroom flat) for Inge's birthday. It was just for hot chocolate and rolls but it was still a challenge to fit so many people in. After lunch we again went for a walk at a nearby deer enclosure to walk up a further appetite for icecream and fruit for dessert. After all that eating in meant once everyone went home we couldn't be bothered having dinner so we finished watching the dvds and had popcorn for dinner.
We were going to leave on Monday morning but decided to stay an extra day (who wouldn't after all that?). We slept in and Inge and Jesper went to Nursing school and work. We picked up Inge from school
Pretty Old Shop Muesum
Had many old bits and pieces from another era... at 2pm and went to see Koldinghus, an old fortress turned castle first built in the 1400s. Half of it is more museum than old building but there were some beautiful old rooms and some great exhibits of doll houses, silverware and cake displays. Tonight we had one last big meal back at Inge's parents' place. We had trout and potatoes and vegies (all home grown). Even the trout was caught by their neighbour who fishes at night with spotlights and a spear! We were going to go with him but the weather has been too windy for good fishing so we missed out. Everyone has been so generous and we have ended up coming away with about a weeks worth of homegrown fruit and vegies, leftover trout, frozen pork meatballs, home made jam and homebaked rye bread. We also have a stash of Lego, 2 Lego men keyrings, some oven mitts hand made by Inge's cousin, a cheese cutter, a danish potato peeler and a gorgeous Hans Christian Anderson book of fairy tales. To top everything off, Inge's dad filled up our van with diesel from the tank he has on the farm! We really don't want to leave
Inge and Jesper
At their place on the first night we arrived. Taco's for dinner, yummo! but we have to go and see Holland and Belgium before Oktoberfest in Munich. So tomorrow we head off again and hope that Inge and Jesper and/or their family come to Sydney soon so we can try to repay some of their kindness.
Cheers,
Lew and Holly
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