Tales of Copenhagen

I don't think my telling of our time at the larsens can do justice to how wonderful it was. Not only was I thrilled to be back with them, but we spent the whole time being hygge, playing games, eating delicious food, partying, laughing.

Friday, upon arriving in dk, m and I made our way on the stog to bagsvaerd, the place that was my home 2 years ago. The larsens were home and I was fortunate enough to get to meet Rosie, the larsens exchange student for the past 4 months. She is a wonderful girl from California and I was so happy she wasn't upset that I was invading her space. Quite the opposite, she seemed very happy to meet me and said it would make her goodbye a tiny bit easier. Friday was actually her last day with the larsens. We all bid her farewell at the train station later in the afternoon and she was on her way to Sweden to visit friends before heading back to the US.

Friday night was meget hyggeligt, with bread and cheese and fruit and salad and wine and candles and good conversation. Couldn't have asked for a better welcome back dinner.

Saturday was one of the most fun and relaxing days I have had in a long time. Around 11 am, Michael and his host parents came to the Larsen's house and we all headed out to Bagsvaerd lake. It was a gorgeously sunny day, but not so hot as to elicit much sweat. We rented canoes and spent the afternoon exploring various channels of the lake. At the end of one we stopped and had a picnic lunch, after which the kids and M and I (that'll be my shorthand for Andreas, Rebecca, Michael and I) played hacky sack for a while and then the kids taught m and I to play "dåsen", a game similar to the American "kick the can". It was fun to be 12 again.

After the wonderful afternoon on the river, the Larsen's hosted one of the best barbecues I have ever been to. There were fun neighbors, good music booming from the stereo system inside the house, all kinds of delicious grilled meat and fancy salads, a plethora of beer, wine & liquor, along with an adorable child that we played with a lot. Later on in the evening, one of the highlights was the Eurovision Song Contest, which Denmark won. So that was incredibly fun.

Oh! And floating fire lanterns. That's right, we had floating fire lanterns. You light this peice of burlap that's on a wire at the bottom of the lantern and then hold the sides and top of it until it inflates enough and starts floating, then you let it go and hope it doesn't catch on the tree. Which a few did. And I thought we were going to burn down the tree and the house. But we didnt.

We let probably 6 float into the sky at the same time and then we all stood back and oohed and ahhed until they faded from sight.
The party raged with music and a bonfire and alcohol and lawn games (lit up with an extension cord and a powerful outdoor light from a neighbor) until 4 in the morning, when Michael and I finally gave in and went to bed