København to Göteborg

Where to start and what to say? I think I will just begin by sharing some fun biking protocol in Copenhagen, and then share some of the things that we've done and add anything that comes to mind as we go along.

I must add that Tina has fallen asleep watching A River Runs Through It with Swedish subtitles, so I now have the SOLE privledge of determining what to write! Hahahaha. I suppose any spelling errors you glimps will be solely mine, though...

This sign warns people commuting by bike that the area they are entering contains bikes going in both directions. Watch out!

These pedaling Danes are stopped in a bicycle left-turn lane! Fancy that. I can't think of a place in the USA that I have ever thought about needing one of those, but here you can tell that it is very useful!


This Danish postman was whistling while pedaling his company bike. When he stops he can flip down the front racks, which functions as a two-sided kick-stand. Imagine that, Coni and Julie!

A shot of public bike racks in downtown Copenhagen. Almost all of the bikes have locks that are built into the bikes near the rear brakes and when locked the bike cannot roll because the spokes are in the way. Very smart and convenient. With so many bikes everywhere I think that the chances of your bike being stolen are so low that a simple lock such as this will prevent all but the most determined theif. Bente has said that in recent years she has heard of more stolen bicycles, though.

One of the museums that we had planned on visiting is called the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. We took the train for about 25 minutes north of Copenhagen to the small town where the museum is. It was one of the most best museum experiences of my life because there were two spectacular exhibits and the layout of the museum kept us walking through courtyards and giving us chances to get fresh air and stave off the frequently experienced "Museum Drowsyness" that can comes with prolonged standing and staring. The Matisse exhibit combined his drawings and paper cut-outs with his own letters, creating a fascinating view of his art. The second exhibit was of Jean Nouvel architecture, and combined pictures and slides of his buildings. The ironic thing was that one of the buildings under construction on our bike ride through Minnesota (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5160/1166/1600/Twin%20Cities_022.jpg click here and look for the navy blue behind my ear) So it was neat to see pictures of the construction site after biking right by it.

The courtyard of the train station allowed us to play peak-a-boo with the camera.



After dinner went took the new metro downtown.

On Friday we went downtown to check out the library building. Quite impressive!

Unfortunately, there were strong winds and even though these bikes had kickstands, they were no match for the wind! Look closely at the kickstands pointing up into the air!

Just outside the library is a statue of Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher. I rather look like him, don't you think?

When we returned home from a day of shopping and walking downtown, we went out on Bente and Steen's sailboat. It was a perfect day for sailing, as you can see how much the wind is blowing!

Steen sat back and gave directions to Tina and I, who did nearly all of the steering.

The Danish flag.


You can see the line of wind generators planted out in the water. In the distance you can see the bridge that connects Denmark with Sweden. The water here was very shallow, and in fact I never saw the depth gauge go over 10 meters.




I must say that while steering the boat I kept thinking of vikings!



On Saturday we packed a backpack and headed for Sweden. We took a train over the bridge that was in the picture above. Here you can see that even when you are lonely, you can always count on your backpack for company.


We arrived in Göteborg and were greeted by Jack, who picked us up at the station and drove us to his mother's house. Kristina knew the Rolkas from St. Peter. They just moved into this house in March, and I wish I had taken more pictures because it is absolutely beautiful.

Kacka and Ellen (who speaks swedish and english) pose for a picture.

On Sunday we took a long walk through the Swedish country side. Ellen found a snail, among other things.

Primarily we were not looking for snails, but for wild blueberries, which were growing everywhere. The Swedish word for blueberries is blåbär.

This pile of wood has been included just to show Peter Liljengren that not everything in Sweden is perfect! Apparently some of the wood that is chopped down in this area needs to sit out for two years before it is any good to burn, so here is a giant pile of aging firewood (uncovered!!!).

Another view of Mark and Kacka's house! The driveway is going to be poured in a few days.

Crayfish Parties are the big thing in Sweden this time of year. (kräftorfest, i think) So, we made our own.

Jack looking tough as we relax at his wonderful apartment.

Kristina and Emma (Jack's girlfriend) before we hit the town.

Alex, Kristina, Sonny and Emma with the Swedish flag.

A cloudy view of Göteborg.

Here he is: Gustaf Adolph II "On this point, we will build Göteborg."

Tack så mycket! heydå! Vi Ses!