The Emerson European Experience : 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. :)