Our last memories.



In just a day, our year of living abroad in Denmark will come to a close.  I didn't want to leave without writing to you all one last entry from Copenhagen before life gets REALLY busy once we get back on US soil  (things like moving into a new home, Sophia starting at a new school, Leah getting ready/leaving for college in Chicago, and just plain re-adjusting to living in the US again in the midst of all that, which I think will be the biggest challenge of all).  I speak for all of us saying that living this past year in Denmark has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience in learning about another culture, learning about ourselves in the process, appreciating life and all that it has to offer, and realizing the benefits of seizing opportunities that come our way. 

Mike and I had one such experience last week when we took our last European excursion in the way of a road trip to central Sweden.  We had always wanted to see that part of the country as it boasts beautiful lakes and forests and now after being there, I can tell you it looks a lot like our home state of Minnesota! :)  We left Copenhagen (minus a GPS. . . that proved interesting at times), crossed the Øresund Bridge which took us over to Sweden from Denmark and drove up the coast to Karlstad, Sweden where we stayed at a cute/very cosy Bed & Breakfast for a night.

Another reason for our trip was to go and see a friend that I knew back in high school who lives in this central area of Sweden (which is otherwise known as Värmland).  Ammi was a foreign exchange student from Sweden my senior year of high school and thanks to Facebook, I was able to connect with her (32 years later) while here in Denmark!  She invited us to come for a visit sometime, and also told me a fun fact that 150 years ago Swedes from the area where she currently lives had emigrated to the US---many of those ending up in the area of my home town in Minnesota.  We took Ammi up on her invitation to visit and maybe find out more about where exactly my ancestors came from. It was so very exciting to meet up with Ammi after so many years. . . this time in her home country of Sweden!  There was much to catch up on!! 

Prior to our visit, Ammi was very thoughtful in doing some 'ancestral digging' for me with the help of her historian friend, once I sent her names/birthdates of some of my relatives.  When we arrived in Karlstad, we met this historian and together we were able to get some information that gave us a good idea of where some of my ancestors lived in an area.  We were in the Swedish-American emigration office when I happened to notice a book on a table in the waiting room area called Stockholm's of America.  It was an interesting title, given that I grew up in the area of Stockholm township in Minnesota.  I picked up the book and just happened to open it up to the pages about the very Stockholm township where my family grew up!  I saw many familiar pictures of the area in the book, including one of my uncle!  That was unbelievable to me.  Here we were in the middle of Sweden and I open up a Swedish book written in Swedish with my uncle's picture in it.  What are the chances?!  It was just one instance where I felt we really were in the area where some of my family had come from.  So amazing! 

We spent the next two days in Sunne, Sweden, on a beautiful farm where Ammi and her family live.  The drive up to their home was very picturesque as we traveled along a large lake, bordered by tall pines and groves of birch trees.  Lupine flowers in white, pink and lavender colors framed the roadway so beautifully.   The sight of all the red barns and houses that dotted the landscape, the cows and horses grazing in the pastures immediately took me back to my childhood days and memories of my Swedish grandpa Ernie and his love of all things red. :)  


Beautiful Lupine was everywhere along the countryside!

   

 

Part of Lars and Ammi's farm. . including the forest! 



We so enjoyed spending time with Ammi, her husband Lars, and their two children during our stay. To get a taste of 'life in Sweden' and being able to join in the tradition of making a Maypole (a Swedish tradition) for the much anticipated midsummer  celebration was an unforgettable experience.  Midsommer (Swedish spelling) ---a celebration of the longest day of the year, which indeed I think it was, being that I don't recall seeing the sky anywhere close to being dark that night!   

For their Midsommer celebration, Ammi and Lars hosted about 15 other relatives at their home, plus us.  We had an incredibly delicious Smörgåsbord [Swedish buffet]. Their relatives were saying, "So these are the Americans . . ." and then wanted to practice their English with us, since some of them said they get so little opportunity to ever speak English.
(See additional pics below)
 
Soon it was time for us to head back to Copenhagen . . .
My little 'high school class reunion' didn't end there because two days after our return to Copenhagen, I was able to reunite with another foreign exchange student friend from my high school days---Annette, from right here in Denmark!  We were so, so happy to be able to connect before we had to leave Copenhagen.  It was a fun day of catching up with her over lunch and just seeing her in person.  Annette was my 'go to' Dane during our stay here in Denmark. :)  With the help of Facebook I occasionally would pepper her with questions about living life here.  While that capability is nice, it is so much better to be able to actually greet one another with a hug (especially after so many years!) and to talk face to face.  We are thankful to have seized that opportunity to connect in person. 

Two weeks earlier, with Annette's advice, we had gone about an hour and half south of Copenhagen to a place called Møn's Klint, a wonder of nature that I can only describe by including photos.  We had packed a lunch, so once we made the dramatic descent down to the beach, we found a cozy, shaded spot, spread out our blanket, and had a picnic, enjoying the sunshine, waves, and beautiful scenery.

These are just a few of the wonderful stories we have tucked away in our memories, to be reminisced about in the years to come.  These last weeks have been busy with preparing for our move back to the US and includes a whole lot of strategic packing and also making the most of last outings with friends.  So thankful for the many new friends made here, and to think that we would have missed out on our paths crossing had we not come to Copenhagen!  New friends, old friends---they are all priceless gifts.  

We look forward to reuniting with family and friends in the U.S!  



This church believed to be the parish
my ancestors belonged to in Östmark, Sweden.


(Below)  Strawberries. .
an essential part of celebrating mid-sommer in Sweden!

 

 

While the men went into the forest to collect birch branches
for May pole decoration, us ladies (Ammi, Ingebrit (Lars' cousin) and I picked wild flowers, with a stop at Ingebrit's summer house for coffee. :)

Decorating the May pole with birch branches and

wreaths of wild flowers.



The raising of the May pole!

Mike and Lars shaking on a job well done--good teamwork!

A great visit with Lars, Ammi and their two children,
Felicia and Edward.



AROUND COPENHAGEN. . .

A Sunday afternoon church picnic with friends.

Beautiful church doors while
on a Sunday afternoon walk.

Last get together with some of the sweet ladies in
my women's life group/Bible study. 

 

Nørreport station--where we would catch
the train near our flat. 

Tivoli Gardens in the springtime.
 



Father's Day 2014



A day trip to Møns Klint in Denmark. . .spectacular!   

                                                                             

 Those rocks were tough to walk on. 
Dad to the rescue to give a piggy back ride!

 




Stairs leading down to the base of the cliffs.
 

Exploring Kalundborg, Denmark with these two lovely ladies. :)



Bright yellow fields (this is where canola oil comes from).

The only church in Northern Europe with five steeples.



A beautiful spring day to hike along the coast.

Underwater beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring holiday in London, England

 

Easter week was also the spring holiday week for both Michael and Sophia from their perspective schools and we had planned long ago to spend the break in London, England!  Even though Michael was on 'spring holiday' with his teaching responsibilities here at DIS, he still had teaching responsibilities in London while we were there.  He has been teaching a course periodically throughout the spring semester to Rice students who are studying abroad in London. Thankfully, on this particular week, Michael only had to teach one day for three hours so that gave us plenty of time to do some sight-seeing!
 

Being this was our first year living in Europe, we were unaware of where people tend to go for their spring holiday. . .I would venture to say many go to London because there were tourists everywhere!  We used 'The Tube' (underground subway) to get around--very efficient, as long as we weren't going at rush hour times.  It was unreal how many people would squish onto the already crowded train cars.  Certainly no room for personal space issues in this situation!  We just had to laugh a few times, at the craziness wall to wall people. The saying, 'packed in like sardines' was our real life experience on the tube, to be sure.



 The loooong escalators going up from the Tube.  Notice we are being good tourists and following directions by staying to the right, lest we get in the way of the fast-moving people zipping up the stairs  on the left! 

 

We began our London experience by taking the girls to Herrod's (the famous London department store) for afternoon tea at one of the restaurants there.  Finger sandwiches, scones, cute and tasty bite size desserts decorated the 3 tiered tray.  We each had our own teapot filled with a flavoured tea of our choosing--just lovely.  It all made for an enjoyable time together.  I feel very fortunate to have a husband who really enjoys having tea time with us girls. :)  Afternoon tea has become a regular part of our days here in Copenhagen, one of the traditions we would love to hold on to when we return to the states. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second day, while Michael taught his class in the morning, the girls and I went to the London Eye--an elaborate 'ferris wheel' of sorts that offers amazing views of the beautiful city in all directions as it slowly moves around in a circle.  

 

 

 

 

 

Going to Chinatown was another highlight for us since it was our first opportunity to have Chinese food since we left Houston last June!  Let's just say we were a happy bunch when we got our meals.  

 

London's Chinatown!!

 

 

Something that we noticed about London is that the people walk FAST!!  Evidently they have places to go and people to see. . .NOW!!!  It is in such stark contrast to the relaxed, easy-going walks we do here in Copenhagen each day.  By the time we returned back to Copenhagen, I noticed how tight my calf muscles were. It had to be from all the fast walking we did!  We now appreciate the slower pace of Copenhagen all the more.   

 

One day was spent doing all things 'Royal'---going to Westminster Abbey to see where Prince William and Kate  MIddleton were married in 2011, walking through the beautiful St. James Gardens that led to Buckingham Palace, getting a small glimpse of the changing of the guard, on to the Royal Mews tour where we saw the horses/training stable/carriages used by the Royal family and finally making our way to Kensington Palace. 

 

       Westminster Abbey

 

Springtime beauty as we walked through St. James Park on our way to Buckingham Palace.

 

 

             Buckingham Palace---while you can't really tell from this picture, there were hundreds of people there to see the changing of the guard! 

 

 

Up close and. . well, not personal since we are on the outside of the gate! 

 

Tour through the Royal Mews--the stables where the Royal's horses are trained and where the Queen's carriages are kept(including this Gold State Coach). 

Did you know:  The carriage weighs 4 tons, it takes 8 horses to pull it, and Queen Elizabeth has been known to say it is the most uncomfortable ride!

 

Vienna was nice enough to pose for a picture for me. 
She is one of the horses at the Royal Mews.

 

Almost to Kensington Palace (off in the distance).  But had to stop and rest the tired feet first! 

 

 

(Above right)  Being that Leah and Sophia are big Harry Potter fans, we visited the 9 3/4 Platform at King's Cross train station and picked up Harry Potter books to read.  

 

 

 

On Friday, the girls and I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience in a couple of ways:  First, we spent a day traveling with a personal tour guide through some of the English countryside, an hour and a half outside of London in an area known as the Cotswolds.  It was as if we stepped back in time as our guide shared with us fascinating accounts of famous people in history as we traveled to the places where they lived  (the Mitford sisters, C.S. Lewis, Charles Winchester), not to mention the buildings/churches we learned about along the way as well. You know the saying, 'If walls could talk'?  Well, our tour guide, Ray was their voice--he was a wealth of knowledge and a gifted story teller who could bring history to life.  We weaved in and out of quintessential English villages, driving through beautiful, hilly countryside dotted with sheep and their new baby lambs, brilliant yellow colored fields (where canola oil comes from), seeing endless stone 'fences' that divided the land, and springtime flowers were everywhere---it was simply breath-taking!  Let me take you there in pictures. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting story:  For those of you who are familiar with Pinterest, I had pinned this photo onto one of my boards long ago--one of those places I would like to see someday.  I was giddy with excitement when I actually did get to see this for myself while on our tour!!  Two very large Yew trees were planted long ago and have grown to now flank the church doors. WOW!!

(This is at St. Edward's Parish church in the town of Stow, in the region of Gloucestershire.

 

ATTENTION DOWNTON ABBEY FANS:  (BELOW) This is the church/church doors that Mary Crawley entered when she walked down the aisle to marry Andrew!  Next picture is the site of the hospital (which in real life is a library). 

 







 
(ABOVE) We stopped to have a light lunch next to this peaceful stream that ran through a small village--so restful.

 

(BELOW) Walking along this same stream, we came to this cute English cottage and nearby water mill and shops.

 

Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace - Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England (1874-1965)

 

'Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.'

- Winston Churchill

 

 

Now on to the area of Oxfordshire. . .



Christ Church is one of the largest colleges in the University of Oxford. 

 

(BELOW)  The home of C.S. Lewis



The pub where C.S. Lewis and his brother would often go.

 

The church that C.S. Lewis and his wife attended.

We took this picture from C.S. Lewis' gravesite.

 

Ray telling the girls about this specially made stained glass window with the Narnia characters beautifully displayed.  It was placed near the pew where Lewis' would sit each Sunday. Unfortunately, the church was closed so we

couldn't see it from the inside. :(

 

 

 Our awesome tour guide, Ray, leading the way

to what used to be C.S. Lewis' backyard, now

a nature reserve.

                                        

      A tranquil woodland that is thought to have been a place of inspiration for the writing of the Narnia classics. 

 

'There was a reason why you were brought to Narnia,

that by knowing me here for a little while, you may know me

better there.'            - Aslan

 

 

 

As if that day trip to the Cotswolds didn't make it an amazing day already, the girls and I were then excited to head back to London in time to see the musical 'Wicked' on Friday evening!!  We are so grateful to Aunt Ann who had gotten us tickets for this show months ago, in anticipation of our spring break visit to London.  It was magical, wonderful, and a very memorable mother and daughters outing.  A great way to end the spring break.

                           

 

 

 

During our week in London we were ever mindful, always prayerful of the declining health of Michael's father, Neil, back in Minnesota.  He had been battling multiple myeloma for four years and in recent months had developed various complications to his illness.  It is extremely hard to be away during these difficult times but we did our best at keeping up-to-date with how things were going via Skype meetings with the family and the doctors--so thankful for that capability!  Neil was always in our thoughts throughout our week traveling around London and each day, by late afternoon (London time) we were anxious to get back to our flat and Skype with Mike's brother Rick and sister Ann to get updates as to how things were going for their dad.  It became clear that Michael needed (and most certainly wanted) to be at his dad's side.  The girls and I stayed in London, returning to Copenhagen on Saturday while Michael was able to catch a flight back to the states on Good Friday to be with his dad and the rest of the Emerson family. 

 

We are so thankful Michael was able to be there, to have the chance to talk with his dad and say good-bye to him with the reassurance that one day he/we will be reunited with his dad in heaven. :)  Grandpa Neil passed away Easter Sunday night--how very fitting that he should pass from this life on Resurrection Day, the day we so joyously celebrate because of the hope of eternal life in heaven that we are promised through Jesus if only we believe. 

 

 

WHEN CHRIST DIED, HE DIED FOR YOU INDIVIDUALLY JUSTAS MUCH AS IF YOU HAD BEEN THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD.  

- C.S. LEWIS 



 



Thank you to all our family and dear friends for the many heartfelt thoughts and prayers over the past weeks.  We appreciate them all so very much.  It was an Easter week that we will never forget for so many reasons.  Neil left us a legacy of much love and laughter--and it's pretty safe to say that his legacy will be kept very much alive as the Emerson family continues to love and laugh together in the years ahead. :) 



 'Joy is the serious business of Heaven.'

--C.S. Lewis