How to buy a bed in five minutes or less

We are settling into Colorado. A lot has happened in a week. After about five trips to Target, a kind coworker helping us get a table from Craigslist and a bed delivery on Saturday morning, and Owen's purchase of a couch at Target, our apartment feels more like home everyday. Thursday L and O had their first day of school and they both came home with huge smiles which is all I could ask for. My first week went well and I look forward to getting to know the staff and students better next week. Tomorrow morning I should finally get to go for a walk and I will try to take some photos to share. It is really hard to believe we have only been here a week. It already feels so much like home. The only thing missing for now is Daddy! Nana came to visit our first week and she did a great job of getting the kids all settled and ready for school. Justin will arrive around my birthday and Grammy will visit soon after that. This photo below is a view from the walk I took Sunday morning. I have been composing this tiny blog all week so that is why the time references are off. At any rate today is our one week anniversary of living here and so far, so good. You likely won't hear from me for awhile since I am quite busy getting L and O off to a good start and adjusting to a new job.

One last day

This morning we found a bakery with smaller Danish so Owen could try more variety. But both of us still find our favorite to be the sesame/poppyseed/ buttery, light with a hint of sweetness. I need to find out if I can bring these home on the plane... What better treat for Justin and Laurel than a Danish made by the Danish?

Many good trips have some sort of theme... Some people visit stadiums at each city, others focus on fine museums... One of my favorite themes is microbrews but not so interesting to a ten year old. As I look back on this trip I would say it was somewhat of a sweets and treats theme. While we were on the night train our Swedish roommates said that while they do not have Swedish fish, they do have some of the best candy in the world. Owen and I had to look into this for ourselves so we took a short train ride to Malmo Sweeden in search of the perfect candy. We were not disappointed when we got there and saw just about every shape and flavor of gummy candy. My favorite shape were these tiny monkeys. Owen really liked the tennis ball gum and mushroom marshmallows.

When we got back to Copenhagen we had one "must do" left on Owen's list. He really wanted to get a bike to ride around this bike-loving place. We walked over to the tourist place to get a place to go. The. We walked about a mile to the place suggested. He told us there were not any child-sized bikes left. Who would think a place filled with bikes would have so few rentals? Owen was really disappointed but I told him it is always good to leave something for the trip back. We managed to find a positive side by coming across a really cool park that we never would have enjoyed if we were on a bike. Then we leisurely walked around the pedestrian area and enjoyed street performers and people watching.

This photo was one of our last stops. We passed the station of Hans Christian Anderson daily but this time Owen hopped up on his lap. Time to pack up now and head back to the states- a quick stop in NJ to change bags and then off to Colorado!

Exploring Copenhagen

First off I forgot to finish my notes about our first night in Copenhagen. We arrived at our B&B which turned out to be an excellent pick even though I pretty much just went online and picked whatever one was available for my dates. We are staying in the front part of a Danish couple's beautiful apartment. We are in a large room with a private bath. It is closed off from the rest of their place so we have our own space but they are only a knock away whenever I have a question. We went out for a quick bite to eat and found a bank to change our money into Danish Kronners. Then we got picked up by Ben's friend,Thomas. (They met while studying abroad in Australia.). We went to a BBQ with Thomas, his wife Susan, and their two younger children. There was so much to enjoy about this BBQ. First off, Thomas and Susan are both incredibly friendly people and it was a pleasure to chat. I also really enjoyed seeing how friendly the teens were. They would come up and shake hands with every single adult and say hi. The children start learning English in the third grade so Owen was talking to many of the children. They were all so friendly and incredible at speaking English. It was just such a wonderful way to start off our visit to Copenhagen.

The most appropriate way to start a morning in Copenhagen would of course be with espresso and a Danish. They were so good Owen had to go back in for another.

Next we started to walk off our breakfast. One of our first stops was to see the changing of the guards. While it was not on the scale of Buckingham Palace, it was better in some ways because there were no crowds and we could practically stand along the guards as they paraded around. This entertained us for close to an hour.

We continued to walk around Copenhagen and enjoy popular and less popular sights. The little mermaid was crowded and we both enjoyed the genetically modified mermaid further up the path. At this point we hoped to ride the free city bikes around but they only had one size and it was too big for Owen to safely maneuver through the heavily used bicycle lanes. So we moved onto plan B and hoped on one of the many boats for a harbor cruise.

While on the Harbor Cruise we noticed a sand art display so we walked over to take a closer look. This was AMAZING. There were dozens of sculptures - with each one more incredible than the one before. At the end they had a huge area for children to build sand castles of their own. So I enjoyed a coffee while Owen played in the sand.

We finished off our day with a visit to Tivoli. This is a unique amusement park/ garden/ eatery place. It is hard to explain unless you have been there. But we loved it. The rides are fun and sometimes a little too thrilling. The restaurant choices are endless and delicious and there are areas of gardens and paths that are so magical you would think fairies live there.

Copenhagen

This morning we woke up and went down to the dining car for breakfast. Owen had hot chocolate and a croissant. I had coffee and a roll. While we were eating we learned that the train was three hours behind. So it turns out we did not wake up in Denmark after all! But now it is 9am and we did just cross over to Denmark. This extra time on the train gave us the chance to catch up on blogging. So next time we have Internet access I can put the last few days up.
Yesterday I got good news from Colorado Department of Education. The email said: Your application has been approved. I am licensed to teach elementary classroom, k-12 library and 7-12 Social Studies. I am happy and relieved to know that my paperwork is in order, I now have an official offer from my new school and I will begin working at Longmont High School on Monday.

Savour the Journey

The title of this entry is the German train (DB) slogan. It is a great piece of advice for life- enjoy the ride and don't always focus on the destination. Getting there should be as wonderful as being there.

This morning Owen and I walked up to the store to get a few items to bring home to Laurel. I will miss this supermarket. I love going to food stores in other countries and just browsing. I admit I find the candy aisle most intriguing. After that all seven of us went to Freiburg so the children could play with boats in the canals. They enjoyed this for hours.

Then we walked around, enjoying all the charm and beauty of Freiburg. These photos are just a sample of the beautiful buildings and stone mosaics that make up Freiburg.

On our way home we stopped at an ice cream store to get spaghetti ice cream. Not sure if you can tell from the photo but it is vanilla ice cream pushed through a spaghetti machine and there there is strawberry sauce and white chocolate on top. We ordered a big one to share and it must have been good because while I was chatting with Renate, Owen ate it all up!

After ice cream we stopped at two parks and played in the creek a bit. Then we came back for a final packup. Renate made a delicious dinner of toast with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese- I sure will miss her meals. Then we all headed to the train station for a final farewell. We had a great time and I tried to just smile and think of the fun-filled week but it was not possible to say goodbye without a few tears. I know it will be some time before we save up for another round of plane tickets. But it is so great to be with Renate and her family, I also know we will figure out a way to get together again sometime. Our train came, we hugged, said chuse and waved goodbye out the window. We were sure to get on the right part of the train since the front cars are splitting during the night and heading to Moscow. We are in a full sleeper car: mother and thirteen year old daughter from Denmark, young man from Sweeden, Owen and I and a quiet man of unknown origin. So goodnight for now and when we awake we will be ready for the next part of this European adventure - Denmark.

Guest Blogger Owen in Paris

Bonjour! Today we went to Paris. We got there by taking three trains. A train from Freiburg to Offenburg, Offenburg to Strasbourg and then TGV high speed train to Paris. When we got off the train we started to walk towards Notre Dam. On the way we stopped for a nice French croissant and elephant ears. Then we got on a hop on, hop off bus to see the sights. It was very fun. First off we saw the Arc de Triumph. We did not go up but it looked really cool and we took lots of photos. Then we saw the Eifel Tower. It was really awesome. I got some ice cream at the Eifel tower.

Next we went to the park near the tower. After that we got back on the bus and went to the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa. My favorite artwork was Hercules fighting the three headed Hydra with his club. My mom was surprised that the line for the bathroom was much longer than the line for the Mona Lisa. After that we got crepes which were delicious. While we were eating our crepes a group of girls ran up to us. Apparently they were pickpocketers and they asked us to sign a petition. My mom put her hand on her wallet and said no so they did not take anything.

Then we went souvenir shopping. I got a little Eifel Tower, a beret and a little surprise for Laurel. We got back on the bus to our next stop- Notre Dam Cathedral. We went inside and I lit a candle and said a prayer. Then we saw really cool big stain glass windows. We headed back to the train station. I enjoyed a delicious ham and cheese sandwich. We also discovered an excellent candy store. They had coffee flavored gummy candy. We got on the train to head home and ate our candy for dessert. We did not get back to Renate's place until almost midnight but it was a supercalafragelisticexpealadoudiuos day!

Sunday Funday

This morning Owen and I went down to the creek for more playing with the boat. Later Rahel and Renate joined us. Then all seven of us used a car-share to drive to Glottertal for a Summerfest where Daniel's band (Renate's brother) was playing. We also met up with her parents. It was a fun, restful way to spend a Sunday.
Since this is a short blog I will also comment on two things: Travel and Children and Books as Friends.

Travel and Children

As much as I miss Laurel and Justin, I am so happy with Owen. So many times a day I see that brightness in his eyes as he sees a new sight or enjoys a simple pleasure. It is easy to enjoy the details with just one person to keep happy. I am also grateful to be with Renate and Andy and their wonderful family. They have the pace to their life that I will strive to achieve. Everyday Renate prepares a wholesome meal that always includes that secret ingredient-love. Owen and I have only been here a week but already I have seen Owen's confidence with new situations improve and a better sense of adventure for trying new things. Today he waited on line for face painting and asked for a Schnurrbart- if you are not sure what this is, check the photo below.

Books as Friends

Thank goodness we went to the bookstore before heading to the airport last week. Owen has already finished his first book and is reading his second- Greggor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. (Btw- thank you James for the suggestion.) My friend Wendy gave me the perfect book for this trip. It is called The Power and it is a follow up to The Secret. At a time when there are so many unknowns and big changes going on, it is the ideal thing to be reading. So many parts are like the advice friends would be giving me if we were walking or hanging out. Most important, it reminds me that a positive attitude is the biggest factor so whenever I start to get nervous I repeat my summer of 2012 mantra- everything is going to turn out wonderful. What I like most about this book is that there is a lot to practice and think about. So I can read for five minutes and then think about it for the rest of the day. This is not the first time that I have read a book at that "just right" time in which the message in the book is almost like being with a good friend- but maybe even better since I can underline the sentence or dog-ear the page and go back to "visit" whenever I need to.

Exploring Freiburg

Today we enjoyed the city of Freiburg. This is my third time in this city (1989, 1995, 2012) but pretty much everything I did today was still new to me. First we want to a small farmers market near the train station. Then we went to a much larger one near the Münster Cathedral. Owen got some Wurst. Then he bought a little boat so he could sail it down the small canals. According to Wikipedia: Bächle are small canals which crisscross the streets of the inner city. These canals were once meant as a way to fight fires in medieval Freiburg. The locals say that if you accidentally fall or step into one, you will marry a Freiburger. While he played with his boat I sat at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed some potatoes and vegetables with cheese. Next we went to a large German department store to get a kitchen gadget that I like that Renate has. We also looked at a large display of Swiss chocolate and the children's toy section. Next we walked over a bridge to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. From here we went up an incline railroad to a path that went upward further to lead to a lookout tower. The tower spiraled up about 160 steps for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding mountains. When we came down Owen got a few more canal runs in with his boat while I enjoyed the street musicians. Then we took a tram a couple of stops to the river. Here we went to a little cafe along the river and I enjoyed my first beer in Germany. It was a beautiful place to sit and chat and people watch. Then we came back to Renate's apartment and finally got to FaceTime with daddy.... The first time all week since he was in Boston for work. After we caught up with him we joined Andy, Rahel and Noah for a bike ride to a very fun outdoor pool. Owen must have gone down the waterside at least thirty times. And each time his grin was as big as the first time. I love seeing him so happy and enjoying this special trip.

Basel Switzerland

This morning we went to the bakery for breakfast. Then we took the train to the bank to exchange some dollars. The rate was a dollar gave me .78 Euro.... Not like the good ole days but at least slightly better than six years ago. We took an hour train ride to Basel Switzerland. And again we headed to the bank to change Euros into Swiss Francs. Even though the Euro is quite standard it happens that for this trip it will only work for France and Germany. Owen was hoping to get some fondue while in Switzerland but we were quickly reminded of the same thing I think every time I come to Switzerland- this is a cool place but BOY is it expensive. The menu said just plain fondue would be almost $50 per person! Renate came up with an excellent solution- buy Swiss cheese at the market and go home and make our own fondue. So we went back to the market and Owen got lamb sausage for lunch instead. Then we started what was supposed to be a 45 minute walking tour. But of course I got lost. We crossed over the Rhine and chose to take a very cool ferry back- no motor- it simply uses the current and a cable to keep it from going down too far. It was fast and quiet and totally worth getting lost and walking for an extra half hour. When we got back on track Owen said- Mom- this is where we started. But I was determined to find this really cool fountain so we kept walking and thanks to the many kind English speaking people, we made it Tinguely Fountain. I had never heard of this fountain or artist but we loved watching and hearing all the ways that the water moved and sprayed. I tried to add a video to my Facebook because the still photo just doesn't show how cool it was. After awhile we walked back to the market square. Renate bought fresh swiss cheese- half pound swiss, half pound Gruyère and then we got on the train returning to Frieburg. When we got home Renate made fondue feast that was certainly better than anything a restaurant could have prepared. Owen and I hope to make this for Laurel and daddy.

Today on the train we started a list of Awesome Things We Love about Europe
Seeing Renate, Andy, Noah, Rahel, and Timo
Fresh baked bread
Trains that go everywhere
Swiss chocolate
Fondue
Fountains
Architecture older than the USA
All of the nice people who help us even though we cannot speak their language

Europe with Owen Guest Blogging

Today the ticket lady came and woke us up at 5:30 AM. She said we were twenty minutes away from Freiburg. We got off the train and took a tram to Renate & Andy's apartment. We saw the nice apartment and the happiest person to be home was Timo who laid on his bed and played with his feet for quite a long time. We went to a store and got fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I picked out a kiwi and noodles. From there we went to the bakery to get fresh rolls. Then we came back and ate breakfast which for me was a buttered roll and grapes. After breakfast we went to the park and climbed on the big potato rock. Then we went on the big swings and followed the daycare kids to a river path. After that we went into the back yard. Rahel and I found two pieces of rope and a board. We made a swing out of it. Next it was time for lunch. My mom loved the broccoli and sauce. I ate rice and milk and a kiwi. After lunch we went to a zoo. We enjoyed watching the gibbons family. Then something crazy happened. A teenager went to take a picture of the lemurs and there was an electric fence. She accidentally shocked herself and then she dropped the camera. A monkey got a hold of the camera. The monkey started swinging the camera. Then he went to the pond...and dunked the camera into the pond. After that he dropped the camera from a tall tree. That camera was definitely broken but maybe the monkey took a few good photos first! After the zoo we came home and had dinner and showered. We are going to bed early so we will be well rested for a great day tomorrow... Check in tomorrow to hear what fun we find!

Heading Towards Freiburg

This morning we woke up an enjoyed a nice breakfast. Then we packed up everything and started biking towards the train station. We stopped for lunch at a park. Owen finished his beef jerky and had a buttered roll. I enjoyed Renate's yummy brown bread sandwich with butter and parmesan cheese.... It just isn't Germany without a cheese and butter sandwich! We returned the bikes at the rental place and enjoyed a nice ice cream cone before heading on the first of three train rides. In Lübeck we got on a double decker train to Hamburg. Then in Hamburg we boarded a night train to Freiburg.
While waiting for trains we made a list of some German words that Owen knows. Here they are but most are spelled the way they sound so we remember how to say it:
Ich Mac stein- I like stones
Banhoff- train
Vas is tas- what is this
Zug - train
Chuse- goodbye
Ve gates- how are you?