Rare Double Post

I wanted to share some thoughts from on board the ship, but it didn't quite seem to fit the Day #5 post, so the following ruminations get their own post.

After feeling a bit lonely and isolated, I was sent two gifts on Day #5.

First, I was in the ship's internet cafe when I heard someone say, "Oh shoot, I never know how to work these keyboards." Turns out, the soruce of the frustration was a nice couple from California I was able to help out and had a nice 30 minute conversation with. So far, at the hostels I've stayed at, it's been a steady diet of Germans, Asians, other Scandinavians, and one couple from New Zealand. Point being, it was nice to talk to some Americans.

Second, I watched the movie Angels and Demons on board the ship. MY other choice was Star Trek and I had only seen that one several times (and as recently as the flight over the Atlantic), so my choice was pretty clear.

Note: at this point, if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I'm about to spoil the ending for you.

I understand the Catholic church weren't big fans of this movie, I understand that in principle, but Ron Howard made some changes to the book that dramatically altered the ending, in a good way.

In the book, the four cardinals who were the front runners to be pope are kidnapped and all are killed. The new pope is the former great elector, being pretty much the last man standing.

But in the movie, RObert Langdon is able to save the last of the prefeti and it is that cardinal that is elected Pope, with the former great elector as his chamberlain. At the end, as the Pope is prepared to be annoucned to the world, the chamberlain turns to Langdon and tells him that he is happy God sent LAngdon to save the church. Langdon isn't so sure and tells the chamberlain that he doesn't think God sent him. TO which the chamberlain replies, "Oh my son, of course He did." And the movie ends as the camera pans to see the new Pope (who Langdon saved, remember) greeting the masses in St. Peter's Square.

The message to me was obvious, we may not know what we're doing and why we're doing it, but God has plans for us, all for His purposes. All we can do is do what we're doing to the best of our ability and know that soomeone else is looking out for the bigger picture!

Day #5: Travels

Day #5 was a travel day, going from the island of ærø back to Købnhavn (or copenhagen as we know it). One travel difficulty i've encountered is trying to look up train schedules for cities I could not find, only to realize they were listed somewhere else in the alphabetical listings.

Everything was going smoothly, caught the ferry to the mainland and then the shuttle train to Odense. Once I arrived, I noticed that a train was departing to Copenhagen in just four minutes. So I ran and hopped on a train car, just in the nick of time. What luck I thought to myself! In the car there didn't seem to be enough room for me and my backpack (which is bigger than it appears!). No matter, I'll just stand by the door at the back of the car, wait until the next stop, and then hop off and get on a later car that probably had more room. A clever plan, I admit....

One minor detail foiled my otherwise flawless and brillant plan. I was in suhc a hurry to make the train, I neglected to see any other detail other than it was going to Copenhagen. It turns out that instead of making the 10 or so stops between Odense and Copenhagen the train would nromally take, I had hopped on an express train that made two stops: one stop in suburban Copenhagen and one at Copenhagen central. Consequently, I would have to stand the whole 75 minute trip standing while wearing my increasingly heavy backpack.

To add insult to injury, where I was standing was right next to the bathroom, which seemingly every Dane on board had to use over the trip. GIven the popularity of the bathroom, a long line ensued. Several passengers asked me a question in Danish and I shook my head no. I thought they were asking me if I was in line for the bathroom. At least, I sincerely hope that's what they were asking. Thankfully, I arrived in Copenhagen no worse for the wear.

Once in Copenhagen, I made my way to the boat dock where I boarded the Pearl of Scandinavia for my overnight cruise to Oslo. It was a very nice ship where I had a nice buffet dinner, used the internet cafe, and took in a movie before turning in. Not bad for roughing it!

Day #4: Denmark's Town in a Bottle

I spent my fourth day abroad in the scenic village of Ærøskøbing. Denmark's self proclaimed fairy tale town definitely lives up to its name. Located on an island in the far south of Denmark, Ærøskøbing is only accessible by ferry. The town has basically remained the same since the 17th century, first by choice and now by Danish law.

I started off the morning by simply wandering around the village, enjoying the cobblestone streets and quaint houses, as seen here:


The main historical attraction us the bottle ship museum, which houses over 250 ships in a bottle. All of which were created by one man (called, wait for it, Bottle Peter) over the course of his lifetime. Peter boasted that he personally emptied the contents of all the bottles before he put the ships in, except for the milk bottles, for whatever reason. This particular bottle is my favorite, depicting a boat with a diver going down to a sunken ship.

In the afternoon, I rented a bike from my hostel and took a ride across the rural parts of the island, passing through little towns, pastures, and farms.


To end the day, I walked out to the beach where several Danes have beach "cottages." I put cottages in quotation marks because as you can see from the following picture, they are closer in size to monopoly houses than what we would consider a cottage!


As I walked along the beach, it got rather windy and the waves were kicking up as the tide came in. I saw one boat in the water that was being buffeted by the winds and the waves, but managed to stay afloat and in place, due to it being tied to a stake driven in the seabed.



I couldn't help but think of the boat as a metaphor for life. Because the boat was tied a firm anchor, no matter what the wind and the waves threw at it, it remained in place and did not capsize. Just like the boat needed the stake, so do we need something to tie ourselves to. God, family, and friends provide that steady stake we can tie ourselves to keep us tethered when the storms of life stir up around us.

I know that was a little heavy and philosophical for a light-hearted travel blog, but I thought it was worth sharing. Until tomorrow!

In Non-Travel Related News...

The last majority opinion I was assigned was released today in the end of the fiscal year purge. You can read it at the following link:

www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/historical/2009/aug/070815.pdf

Well, that didn't go as planned

I hit my first travel setback on Day #3. I had planned to tour the Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen and then take a train out. Well, after I purchased my ticket, I put my bag in a locker . . . and then promptly could not find my ticket. Lord knows where it went, all I know is that I didn't have it. The worker at the ticket counter was most unhelpful, declining to replace my ticket. Rather than buy another ticket, I left. (After using their free to guests bathroom first.) It didn't hurt me all that much monetarily, as I used my Baylor ID card to get a student discount and found an extra 20 kroner that someone left in the locket deposit, but frustrating nonetheless.

That was pretty much the highlight of the day. The train ride and ferry to the little island of ærø was pretty uneventful.

On a sidenote, please feel free to comment or send emails! It's a little lonely being by myself in a foreign country, so anything yall leave are much appreciated.

Edited to say: Apparently Legoland is on the far side of Denmark away from everything else and is really expensive to visit and to stay at. So I've audibled out of Legoland and instead booked a cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo.

Day #2: A Journey Through the Danish Royalty

If I had to sum up today, the title pretty much says it all. My day started by taking the S-Tog, which is a type of hybrid between a Metro and a regular train out to Hillerød, a small town about 45 minutes outside of downtown Copenhagen. I suspect it was this tranquil atmosphere that led King Christian IV to build his summer palace, Fredericksborg, there. Called the Danish Versaille, it definitely lived up to its billing.

My favorite part of the castle was the chapel, where royal weddings still take place.

It was wonderfully ornate and was covered with various family's coats of arms, including this one:




Also pretty cool was in the king's box, he had a number of paintings, depicting the life of Christ, starting with Gabriel informing Mary she was going to be the mother of Christ

And ending with the resurrection.

After a traditional Danish meal of a pølse (basically a sausage), I returned back to Copenhagen to tour the town some more. I also took a guided tour of local Christiansborg Palace.

The royal family does not live here and has not for quite some time, as it has burned to the ground twice, once in the late 1600s and once in the late 1800s. Accordingly, the current incarnation of the castle is less than 100 years old. It was fascinating place and I wish I could show you the interior, but Queen Margarthe II has forbid any video cameras or photgraphy within the castle itself. Especially fascinating was a large family portrait taken of King Christian IX (bonus trivia note: all of Denmark's kings from 1440 onward have been named either Christian or Frederick, except for King Hans in the 1500s). Christian IX is called the Father-in-law of Denmark because of his prowess at marrying off his children. Represented in the painting are: his daughter, Alexandra, who married King Edward VII of England, his eldest son who became Frederick VIII of Denmark and then Frederick's younger son became King Haakon VII of Norway, his youngest son became King George I of Greece, his middle daughter who married Czar Alexander III of Russia (their son, also represented in the painting was Nicholoas II, also known as the last Czar of Russia), and finally, their youngest daughter who married down . . . to the Crown Prince of Hanover. Quite an interesting family.

My day wrapped up with Dining with the Danes, a service that matches you with a Danish family for dinner and conversation. Danish people are really warm and welcoming, but only once you get to know them. They feel like they are intruding on someone else's personal space if they were to engage people that they meet in conversation, they are more reserved to strangers. I had a great time with my hosts, who served salmon and bread covered with white asparagus for a first dish, then followed up with a main dish of pot roast, carmelized potatoes, and red cabbage. We topped it all off with a turtle ice cream (like the chocolate caramel type, not the actual turtle.) I was joined by a couple from Seattle and college lecturer from Dublin. It was a great way to meet the Danish people and know a little bit more about Danish culture.

First Day!

I had a pretty good first day. Despite the fact I was pretty exhausted from the flight, due to getting little sleep. (Note to self: take sleep drugs for return flight).


I started out by catching a guided tour of the Old Town Area, led by a man impersonating Hans Christian Anderson. Here he is:

Then, I followed that up with a traditional Danish lunch, an open faced sandwhich. Then, after lunch, it was a tour of the canals and harbors, including the landmark Little Mermaid statute in the harbor. Although, as you can see from this picture, it was less in the harbor and more on the shoreline.

And to end my touring day, I spent a quite 2 hours in the natural cultural museum. Here's a favorite exhibit on runestones.

All in all, not a bad first day!

Last Post This Side of the Atlantic

Well, in less than four short hours, I will be on a plane for Atlanta and then onto Copenhagen. I managed to score exit row seats for the Atlanta to Copenhagen route, so I'm hopeful I will be able to get some rest, as it is an overnight flight. The next posting you'll see will be from Denmark!

As a testdrive of posting pictures to this thing, here's all that I'm taking on the trip.

FAQ: Why Scandinavia?

Scandinavia is a more out of the way part of Europe to visit and not one most people have on their "Must See" lists, especially if you (like me) are going to Europe for the first time.

But there are several reasons why I want to see it:

1. I was a big Lego nut growing up, spending hours happily constructing and then destroying buildings, starships, villages, etc. with Legos. I liked Legos so much, that I thought going to Legoland was a cooler trip than Space Camp. So how could I turn down the chance to visit the original Legoland in Denmark?

2. When I had my braces put on and then subsequently tightened, my Mom would sit me in front of the TV with a box of iced fruit bars and plug in a travel video. My absolute favorite videos were of Norway and Sweden.

3. I lived in Alaska for high school and Scandinavia reminds me of when I lived there.

4. Why the heck not? I'm going to be in Europe for ten weeks, might as well see it all!

FAQ: Have you been to Europe before?

This really isn't a frequently asked question (or even an infrequently asked question), but hey, it's my blog, I'll do what I want. And this is the first in a series, so get used to it.

The answer to this inaugural FAQ is a "Yes, but. . . ."

When I was six/seven, my Dad was stationed outside of Istanbul, Turkey for a year after the end of the First Gulf War. It was an unaccompanied tour, which meant that Mom, my little brother, and I stayed back home in Augusta, Georgia. We did, however, have the opportunity to visit Dad in Turkey for ten days over Thanksgiving.

(Sidenote: They did not have turkey available in the country for a perfectly valid reason that escapes my mind right now, so that led to the cultural oddity of us having chicken for the Thanksgiving we spent in Turkey.)

While 97% of the country is located in Asia, we spent the entirety of our trip in the 3% that is in Europe, including when we visited Istanbul (the only metropolis that spans two continents). We also had a day-long layover in Germany on the flight home, but most of that was spent on the Army post there.

So while I have technically been to Europe, for all intents and purposes, I have not.