Copenhagen Week 1

Not that I will be posting every week!!  But we've been here since Friday (after adding a day of traveling due to snow, natch), and I have some things to report.  (Also, click on the pics to make them larger!)

1.  Danish is really just J's (my nephew) English, according to Max and Maggie.  According to the woman who helped us get settled, to speak Danish you simply don't pronounce any consonants, smoosh all the vowels together, then throw up a little.  I'm looking forward to learning more, and I feel like I can understand a little (written) already.  The kids have Danish in school.

 2.  You do indeed have to watch your head in our 4th floor walk-up.  We are living in the very heart of Copenhagen…a most amazing spot where we can easily walk a few blocks to things like:

 3.  Rosenborg Castle (c. 1600s) and gardens.  It has a moat.

 3.  Torvehallerne: an indoor/outdoor marketplace with the most beautiful food.

 3.  Many bakeries.  Danish pastries are delicious!  And you must go to a bakery that has the Queen's Royal Warrant symbol hanging outside.  Also, there is delicious bread everywhere you turn.  A bread lover's dream!!

 4.  They put stars in the cobblestones.

 5.  Nyhavn (pronounced New-how, translating as Newport) is as ridiculously charming as expected.

 6.  We get to walk through Diagon Alley on our way to the bus stop to school.  (Actually it's called Jorck's Passage.)  It leads to the Strøget, a long pedestrian area lined with shops, including about 34 H&Ms.

 7.   Max looks cute looking up our stairwell.

 8.  One Direction can speak Danish.

 9.  The Danish restaurants (which are absolutely EVERYWHERE in our neighborhood) put blankets on their outdoor tables so you can stay warm while you sit outside.  And people do sit outside even now.  Admittedly, it is generally in the 40s these days.

10.  M&M's school is very relaxed and accommodating.  They are letting Maggie use her math book from home (she needs to be sure she keeps up with her Grinnell class).  They don't manage every moment of the students' time like they do at home.  Rather, they seem to expect them to be more self-reliant and to exercise more self-control.  I had read about Danish children being more independent, partly because they are in state-sponsored daycare from the time they are small.  And it is clear…Danish kids are on the city bus to school alone at a very young age!  At the same time, it seems this is a very kid-friendly culture.  I also love seeing many, many dads pushing carriages around town (solo).  It's clear they are  either staying at home or taking full advantage of family leave to be the primary parent for a while.

There is more I want to write about the school and transportation and whatnot, but I'll wait for another post.

11.  Everyone does ride their bike everywhere, all the time, and it is awesome.  Very few helmets, though!!  I hope we can get some bikes!

12.  They make good coffee!  This is from Cafe Paludan, which is a really hyggelig (special Danish word…means cosy and warm; inviting, perhaps?; candles play a big part) cafe lined with books.

This feels like a really cursory introduction to being here.  It barely scratches the surface of my thoughts.  But it's already long and it's almost 10pm here, so more soon!  We  love and miss you all!