Rainy Denmark

Hooray for Herbstferien! (= fall break) + ridiculous rain! + ...dashing(?) Denmark! (if you hadn't noticed before, I enjoy alliteration)

We came up north for a change of scenery. The rain isn't much of a change, but we do have different walls, a different sea at our doorstep (North instead of Baltic) + a different language on the signs :) In fact, thanks to signage I'm becoming fluent (haha ;-P) in Danish.

Uh oh..is this Danish? "dla zdrowego snu!" Nope. Not sure what it is though...

The most important words are: Genbrug (secondhand shop!), Fodboldgolf (football/soccer golf) (try saying that 10 times fast!) + sænk farten (lower your (driving) speed). I'm pretty much set.

We have already been to 3 Genbrugs (thanks to a tip from friends, who live in Flensburg, close to the Danish border). Apparently when someone dies, the belongings get donated to the state and then are sold at these secondhand shops. (This one was super classy, big, color-coordinated and awesome!)

Our friends like to buy cheap games there. That's what we got too (for my classroom),

This one we didn't end up buying, although it looked really cool--Spelling Connect-4! (I worried that they'd have way too many Ks and Vs and not enough things we need in German (although...German uses those letters a lot too)..or English :) )

When telling my parents about these, they said "Oh! We had those games when we were kids!" :) Oldies but goodies. (And yes 2 of the same game -- that way more kids can be playing at once!)

+ one of my common DVD cravings: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" :).

I managed to pay for the items without revealing my non-Danish-speaking identity :) (i.e. I had totaled up the amount beforehand, so I knew how much to hand her. When asked if I wanted a bag, I shook my head and mumbled something between no + nein, smiled + left :) )

This worked out one other time too, but otherwise I have had to reveal my German-speaking identity--surprisingly enough, when I initially tried English, they answered in German! So, German it is. I'm okay with that. :)

We've also seen a few churches with rather blocky, square steeples,

and a very interesting graveyard.

(These pictures are both of the same graveyard! There's the little-hedge-around-it-with-gravel part and then the wild-dunes-and-grass part...huh. Do the plots cost different amounts? What's the reasoning for the two styles--right next to each other?)

One of these days I'm going to have to write a "Graveyards I have known" post. They are just fascinating!

We also visited some bakeries (="bageri") + saw some funny signs :)

Don't you just want to "slip" through that little "El slippen" alley? Hopefully it's not "slip"pery... :) 

And F makes sure that we eat well :) We've had fondue twice (might as well, with all the preparations!),

turkey + sauteed pumpkin, pumpkin pancakes, etc. And triangle bread. Go figure :)

Here was a nice park with cool windy (as in twisted form, not blown air) trees (reminded me a bit of Rivendell)

and there was a duck date going on (with jealous lover in the reeds? + a duck photobomber passing by...)

and funny leaves that were pink on one side and yellow (!) on the other!

Stay tuned for Part 2!