Danish Diary Entry no.5

Friday was the start of 'Family Weekend,' a rather exciting but nerve-wrecking day for me. You see, I was set supposed to spend the day with my mom's brother, Lennart, and my cousin Emilie. I hadn't seen my cousin in TEN YEARS, and she's a lot different than I remember from when we were little, so I was a little nervous as to the two of us being together again.
So Lennart and Emilie came down to Dronningmøle, and the five of us had some coffee and cakes, talking a bit and getting comfortable. Emilie and I were obviously a bit awkward at first, with her purple hair and lip piercing, and my dorky Old Navy jeans and big glasses. After listening to my grandparents and uncle make small talk and discuss politics and whatnot, I put my weekend bag in the car, said goodbye, and rode with Lennart and Emilie to Roskilde. The car ride was filled with my uncle's funny jokes, and me talking about everyone back home. In Roskilde, we saw an old church, and stopped at a little outdoor cafe for lunch. I spent some quality time connecting with Emilie, talking about school, work, fashion, and everything normal teenage girls discuss. Even though the two of us hadn't been together for a decade, it appeared to everyone else that we'd grown up side by side.
We then drove out to the FAAAAR end of the countryside to visit my great-aunt Kate, dubbed 'The Hippie.' Reasons for this nickname are quite obvious and self explanatory (Mommy warned me not to touch, smell, pick, eat, or bring on the plane ANYTHING growing in her 'herb garden'). We spent about an hour there, eating Danish lemon tarts (nothing homemade, of course), and assuring Auntie Kate that I don't have a boyfriend nor do I need her to set me up with a Danish pothead thank you very much. Aunt Kate said that I wasn't rebellious enough....DOES THIS WOMAN KNOW WHO SHE BE TALKIN' TO?? xD
After leaving Aunt Kate's, sans-any funny smelling sustances, the three of us went grocery shopping fo dinner. Let me tell you, a Tikotzki, a Jacobsen, and a Tick in a grocery store...not a quiet, calm combination! We ran around, making weird noises, talking in strange accents, throwing food around, and just causing enough general chaos to get a few weird stares.
We then drove to the new Tikotzki residence of my uncle, aunt, and younger cousins in Holbæk, where I got to be Santa Claus and get re-aquainted with Victoria and Oliver. We had dinner, danced to some new CDs (courtesy of mommy to Lennart), and watched 'Talent' (the Danish rendition of 'America's Got Talent') before Lennart drove Emilie home. I spent my night in the 'Lene Suite.'
The next morning was spent walking around inner Holbæk shops helping my aunt and uncle pick out gifts for everyone. Afterwards, I spent some quality time with Oliver and Victoria: we broke some language barriers, played on the trampoline, built a fort, and they helped me overcome a huge fear: DANISH DISNEY CHANNEL. (Still makes me shiver)
On Sunday, we drove into København to take part in the ultimate dorky turista experience: CHEESY CANAL TOUR. We met up with Nichlas, the giant, and Emilie, my new BFF, and then proceeded to seat ourselves between dorky Italian tourists. The bigger cousins and I spent more of the our cracking jokes, made fun of Emilie picking her brother's teeth, and talking in funny accents than paying attention to the tour guide. It was good to see that my big cousins had that happy attitude I loved and remembered. After the boat tour, we went to a small pizza shop (where Emilie's ex-boyfriend worked) and got sandwiches. We sat in the park, people watching, listening to Nik's crazy college-boy antics, and just spending quality time catching up.
After parting from my awesome cousins, we went back to the house and lazed around:the kids napped, and I attempted to tackle my summer reading. We watched 'Man of the Year,' but nobody really liked it much.
Monday was school for the kiddies so I said goodbye to Victoria early, and accompanied Oliver to Kindergarden. It was Oliver's birthday, so I helped Lisbeth bring the homemade cake to his classmates and took pictures: they sang, gave a class gift, ate some cake, and raised the Danish flag. I said goodbye to my last cute little cousin and auntie, Lennart and I made the long drive back to Dronningmøle. We stopped to get schwarma for lunch, and had a lot of time to really talk a lot of things out, a BIG deal for two goofballs like us. We then stopped by his friend, the jewler, to pick up some last gifts for my family. He insisted that I have a present from him, so I got my very first Danish Skagen watch, which I absolutely love and will take good care of. When I got home, we walked to a local store to buy some postcards for my friends back home.
Tuesday was shopping and finishing day, Morfar and I went to see an old monastary which used to be the biggest building in Northen Europe. We then proceeded to buy all of the various snacks I listed to bring home: remoulade, solbært tea, franskevafflen, and of course, LOTS OF LICORICHE.
We then went to Hornbæk to buy some Tshirts for the family, and then watched some more sappy British soaps.
I REALLY don't want to go home yet. ;(

Danish Diary Entry no.4

So, Monday was kind of a day for me to get over my train trauma. Mormor and I went to the beach where we sat together and taked about her childhood, my mom and uncle growing up, and a bit about myself. It was nice to just have some time for the two of us to talk and try to understand each other better. We must have sat there for an hour, just spending time trying to fix the rift that had developed between us. Then we drove through town a bit, going to the smaller houses and older buildings.
On Tuesday, we went to various little grocery stores, trying regional specialty foods. My mom had suggested that I try the Danish variation of fish 'n chips, and my grandparents wanted to buy it pre-packaged at a GROCERY store! I insisted that we go get it fresh from a stand on the docks, and no other way was acceptable. I didn't want to sound demanding, but if you're going to be eating something tha fattening, it must be eaten properly. So we went down to the docks at Gilileje, and ordered it fresh from the friers on the grill. I must say, if I had died on the spot, I'd go straight to heaven. Happiness is a basket of fried fish and potatoes, NO FORGETTING THE REMOULADE!!! :D Afterwards we did some more driving and walking around the area, seeing churches and buildings.
Wednesday morning, Morfar and I got up extra early to go to the local store for an early-bird discount on shirts for Mormor. We waited early in the mornin for about twenty minutes, and when the doors opened, we realized that we'd read the wrong date in the paper! The discount was on flash drives and printers, not shirts! So Morfar dragged me away from drooling over the gogeous moniters and into the Gilileje harbor to see all the old and new boats that were coming in. We even some some Greenland boats, that was interesting! After we came back and ate some breakfast, we drove through the countryside to get to Fredriksværk, a town founded as a gunowder factory. We drove to a commercial buffalo farm, where I saw my first live buffalo! Quite the experience, here as opposed to in the US. We saw the REAL country side of Denmark, lots of commercial farming and rural homes...very picturesque. We walked around the town and saw the old gun powder factory, now a theater. We then drove to Helsingør, where we ate at an all-you-can eat BBQ grill, and stuffed ourseleves silly. Morfar then showed me the local, summer-only, synagogue. (He's the unofficial caretaker.)
Thursday, we had to take the dog to the vet in Farum for a surgery to remove a gland. Morfar and I drove up, dropped of Tør, and went for KØBENHAVN DAY! We first saw the park where Hans Christian Anderson is buried, and then the Jewish cemetary where most of my family is buried. We then went to the art museum: Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, where they had a special exhibition on masks from around the world that was fascinating. They also had a fantastic gallery with Danish and French painters, as well as ancient mediterranean art. My favorites were the Degas and Renoir pieces. We then went to the public botanical gardens run by the university. They let you climb to the top of the main greenhouse, humid as back home, but with a fantastic view! I also FINALLY ate my solbært (blackcurrant) sorbet that I waited four years to eat! <3 When we got home after getting the poor dog, I walked by myself to a shop I had seen earlier where they were selling some cool-looking Danish clothing. I spotted a black and purple scarf with stars on it that was selling for about 80 Danish Krøner, so I decided to get myself something nice to remember the trip by. By that time, the weather was so perfect, so I decided to walk by myself to the beach. I didn't swim, (actually good, because later I discovered that the oceanside had a sewage leak @_@) but I spent some time on the sand alone with my thoughts...wondering about a multitude of things, and avoiding getting stepped on by some local horseback riders. xD

Danish Diary no.3/Swedish Diary Special

Wow....do I have a lot to talk about!

So, Thursday was 'Museum Day.' We drove into main Københaven and saw the city itself with a drive-by tour. I'd seen most of the castles and buildings when I was younger, so instead we went to two museums: The Danish Resistance Museum and The Danish Jewish History Museum. The Danish Resistance Museum showed how the Danish government and people reacted in resistance to Hitler's Nazi occupation of Denmark during WWII. It had a lot of artifacts used by underground groups to sabatoge German operations within the country. The Danish Jewish History Museum obviously discussed Jewish History in Denmark from he 1400s to present day, and the building itself was interestingly constructed. I got to see the royal library and a little more of inner Copenhagen.

Friday was 'Traveling Day.' We took a ferry from Helsingør to Helsingborg, Sweden, and then drove the 2 hours from Helsingborg to Gothenburg (pronounced yoo-teh-bore by the locals). I was spending the Shabbat weekend with my co-worker from camp and friend, Mushky. I met her parents, 5 sisters, and 2 of her 5 brothers. Their house, the chabad house, was situated across from the park, where free music from the sommerkoncerts played from early morning to midnight. I wasn't the only person spending the weekend at the chabad house, two other families stayed there too: first, a Swedish couple who were moving to Israel with their three children, and an Israeli family consisting of a young couple, their two young sons, the husband's two sisters, and the wife's mother, who were touring Europe. This family was not your average yuppie-duppie bunch of Israelis, as I first thought. The husband's and sisters' father, mother, younger brother, and younger sister had been killed by a terrorist's suicude bomb in a Jerusalem cafe, while the two sisters suffered major burn injuries. Seeing the strength and faith of this family made me really think about my own life: wondering if I am happy, if I told the people I loved how much they mean to me, and if I appreciate life's frailty and make the most of it.
Shabbat was a memorable experience in that tiny but cozy home in Sweden, one of the most beautiful I've had.
After Shabbat, Mushky helped me book a train ticket back to Helsingborg, where I'd meet my grandparents and go back to Denmark. The direct trains were all full, so I'd have to stop and switch a few times; I was a bit nervous about doing that on my own, but Mushky reassured me that it'd go fine.

On Sunday, after the other families had left, Mushky and her sister Chava took me through the Gothernburg area, on the metro, and to the boats: where we met her family for a quick boat ride to an island before taking me to the train station.
Then it all began.
We looked at my ticket in the station, and it said I had to switch from a train to a bus in a station called 'Laholm' and then back to a train in 'Angelholm' and then get to Helsingborg. Seemed simple enough. They put me on the train, and said goodbye. The train ride was scenic and pretty, not too bumpy, and only one creepy Swedish man tried to talk to me, but I gave him a mean look and he walked away.
I got to Laholm and got off, looking for a bus. I didn't see one, so I asked a conductor where the bus would be. She told me that I didn't have to take a bus, so I hopped back on.
Then I got to Angelholm. I got off, looking for the train I was supposed to switch to, but it wasn't there. I figured it'd arrive in a few minutes, so I sat and waited. Another train came, but it didn't match the number on my ticket. I asked a conductor when a Heslingborg train would come by, and got some garbled Swedish answer.
So I waited in this seedy and scary station. There was nobody in the station, only ticket machines, and the cafe and bathrooms were closed. I figured a train would come by. So I sat for fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, a half hour, and then an hour. Night fell, I was worried, alone, cold, and I had to pee REALLY badly. I was starting to seriously freak and wonder if my family was worrying about me, and if I'd find a way back.
After a little over an hour, I heard something coming along the tracks. I was thankful to see a train, ANY train, I didn't really care where it was going. It said 'Malmo,' so I figured if I at least made it to Malmo, I'd get to a station with real people who could help me. I got on board, and looked for a conductor. Nobody was on the train except the driver. In all honesty, I was surprised because this meant that there was no way for tickets to be checked: anyone could hitch a free train ride! I looked around for a bathroom, and I thought I spotted one, but the door to the bathrooms were LOCKED! I was so frustrated, I pulled the door open in a Hulk-esque scene, and to my shock found that I hadn't forced open the door to the bathroom, but rather the pilot's room! He started screaming at me in Swedish, so I shut the doors and RAN! I'm lucky he didn't throw me off the train for acting like a terrorist! I found the actual bathroom, but the door there was also locked! Once again, I forced the doors, and was finally able to use the toilet after almost 2 hours. After that I figured that I should ask one of the other passengers where the train was stopping. I found a seat near an older woman, and asked her if she spoke English: she didn't. Through my broken Swedish, I managed to ask if the train was stopping in Helsingborg. To my amazement, she nodded yes, and I screamed for joy and hugged her! How's that for good fortune?
I made it back to my proper, where my poor grandfather was waiting at the platform (six cigarettes and five phone calls he made before I came kept him sane). We determined that my ticket coresponded to the old system during construction on the railroads, and somehow got to me through a bug in the system: I never really had to get off the train! I went home, ate, and fell asleep immediately.
For 180 Swedish Krona, I definitely had an adventure! But I'm staying away from trains until the nightmares stop...

Danish Diary Entry no.2

Weather is ok....it's been raining a lot...

Last night we watched a French film of 'The Three Musketeers' with Danish subtitles, so you can imagine how much I actually understood! They do have some BBC programming here, as well as American shows, so it's alright.

I met my grandfather's cousin, her husband, and my step-third cousin (iI don't know if that's even how we're related) who's seven from LA. He was the cutest little chatty thing, reminded me of myself at that age! We went to Horbæk, Helsingør (where Hamlet takes place) and Gilleleje today to shop and walk around, it was a good place to take pictures. The owner of one of the stalls was an Israeli guy selling Danish designer bags, so I got something there (and got my horrible Hebrew criticized...AGAIN.) We also went to a pharmacy, and they have free scales (to encourage healthy weight) and free gum (to help people quit smoking). My morfar made me weigh myself, because he was worried that I wasn't eating enough! Typical Jewish grandparents... We checked ticket prices so I can get a train ticket back from Sweden this weekend.

So we're pan-frying fish for dinner, and then we'll walk my new bonde Danish boyfriend to the beach...Tør needs to stop chewing my ankle, though...it gets annoying!

Danish Diary Entry no.1

So...I'm really here. What a trip it's been so far, but let's start from the beginning...

My flight, the last plane leaving the nternational terminal left O'Hare at 10 PM Central time, so Dad and I made it around 7 PM. We checked in all my crap, but they wouldn't give him a gate pass to walk me through. There was an Royal Jordanian flight leaving that evening too, so the place was swarming with pregnant Muslims! We ate some dinner, then I walked through to security. Leaving Dad was hard, I cried a bit because I've never really done this before.

So I checked myself in, and managed to switch to an aisle seat on an overbooked flight (proof that God exists). When we actually boarded the flight, they took SIX, yes six, headcounts. Some lazy butthole didn't make sure that he was at the right terminal... So we waited almost an hour for this shmo.

As for the flight itself: the toilet made a noise like a gun every time you flushed (and scared me shitless every time), the stewardesses gave me coffee instead of tea, a 2 year-old British kid stole one of my shoes, my neighbor snored, the kosher meals tasted terrible (as expected), and the entire flight was nausiatingly turbulent.

I'd say it was a good plane ride. :D

I only slept for about 2-3 hours of the 8-hour ride, but it was around 1:30 PM Copenhagen time when I arrived, so I felt okay. There were no problems in passkontrol, and my grandparents picked me up as planned. They showed me everything as we drove through the city: kosher butcher, old family-owned shops, cemetaries, etc. We went to the local grocer to pick up some essentials, and back to the house in Drønningmulle.

And there, I met "uncle" Tøre: the half-labrador, half-somethinguberlygigantic doggie. Mormor says he has a crush on me.
I'm expected to take short showers and also not supposed to flush the toilet paper due to plumbing issues.

We spent the afternoon on the porch drinking tea, talking, and shooing Tøre away from the cookies. Now I think I'll watch the news and have a nap.

mmmm~kooken...