name that house

We have come across several houses that are named. Most Danes love caring for their home and yard and I think naming their home is representative of that, although I don't think it's common to do so any more. One thing that stands out here is how well kept the homes are, inside and out. People spend a lot of time in their homes in the evenings and weekends and having a tidy but cozy (hyggelig) atmosphere to live in makes a difference. I know I feel more content when my surroundings are well cared for and comfortable.
Here are a few of the houses that I pass by regularly on my way to and from work...

Højbo

Solhøj- terrible picture I know
I had to zoom in cause it was high on a hill

Fredensborg

Lykkeseje

Sonja

Bagely

My house! This one isn't actually on my commute
 route, it was one that Rus took a picture of for me on one of his many bike rides.
This house is in Christiansfeld, a small town south of Kolding.

Rus' return to Canada

After a few unexpected complications, Rus made it safely back to our home in Lethbridge.
On Monday, Rus and I left for Copenhagen, leaving all five of our kids alone together overnight for the first time ever. We stopped in Slagelse to visit my cousin Martin, then continued on to Copenhagen where we wandered and strolled, enjoying each other's company and our childless freedom.
On Tuesday morning, Rus began the long journey to Calgary with stopovers in Amsterdam and Toronto. He missed his connecting flight in Toronto. He arrived at the gate 15 minutes before takeoff and WestJet wouldn't let him board the plane. A few others were in the same situation. KLM, the airline he was with from Copenhagen, stepped up and took care of the situation, getting him food and a hotel room. He was able to get on another flight early Wednesday morning. He had a ride lined up from Calgary to Lethbridge which he missed because of his late arrival, but thankfully, another traveller who had gotten stranded in Toronto with him was going to Southern Alberta too so Rus was able to catch a ride to Fort Macleod. From there, a friend picked him up and brought him home to Lethbridge. Another friend brought him food. Friends are great. He now has to be in quarantine for two weeks, staying in the house and yard.

Rus and Martin, Slagelse

looking out of our hotel room window

watching fish in a moat

the famous Little Mermaid statue

the not so famous Genetically Modified Little Mermaid statue

big ole church

some tourist

some street

Skt. Aleksander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church, 1885. I am reading a nonfiction book about a danish princess, Dagmar, who marries the son of the tsar of Russia who eventually becomes tsar himself and she becomes empress. She ends up having to flee to Denmark after her husband's death. Her two sons and their families are killed by Bolsheviks. She attended this Russian church and her funeral was there. She was buried in the Roskilde Cathedral until 2006 when she was moved to Russia to be laid next to her husband, Aleksander III. 

where the Queen lives

snazzy window dressing

sitting at the very front of the metro is so fun

picture Rus sent me of sculpture in Amsterdam airport

Rus' farewell

With Rus leaving for Copenhagen tomorrow morning, we made sure to get together with some more family today. We had big plans to meet at a beach somewhere but were pretty tired from our week of excursions, so we were happy to stay in Kolding for afternoon tea and a walk to the harbour.

Ila and Dean at the harbour

the jellyfish are getting bigger...

the walk

Rus and the family

Vejle 2.0

We all went to Vejle again today, except Freya and Liam, who needed a break from family time. We met my cousin Lars and his family at the environment museum, Økolariet, in the morning and had a picnic lunch with them in the park. We then went to the Vejle Culture Museum where the bog body that we tried to find last weekend is located.

Mei  - Økolariet

Rus following the advice to eat larger portions of vegetables

a video and simulator to let you feel what it's like
 to be a poop going through the sewer system

artifacts - Vejle Museum

We finally found her!
-the body of a woman from the 200's, preserved in a bog

just something pretty to look at after that bog body
- flowers we saw on the walk back to the train

Ila and Mei and the little birds
at the Vejle train station

Geografisk Have & Miniby

When we first moved to Kolding, we were given a booklet as a welcome gift that gave us free admission to many of the local attractions. We didn't get around to many of them before Rus and Dean left for Canada back in December and now they are finally open again so have been using them this week.

Today we went to the botanical gardens (Geografisk Have) and miniland (Miniby).

Ila in goat heaven - Geografisk Have

Freya and Dean in the bamboo forest - Geografisk Have

Freya and Dean - Geografisk Have

Miniby - miniature model of the city of Kolding containing 400 buildings
with another 300 planned and expected to be completed by 2026,
all built by volunteers
(the castle on the hill in the background is Koldinghus
as it looked after the big fire and before its resoration)

one of my favorite buildings in Kolding in miniature

the same building in real life as it looks today
(actually, as it looks a few months ago when I took the picture)

back to the goats one last time before heading home
-this is where we spent the majority of our time

fluffy chicken

Koldinghus

We were finally able to see the inside of the old castle in Kolding.

There is a long and interesting history behind Koldinghus.
It has a very unique look to it because a lot of the original ruins have been left alone instead of being completely restored. This was a deliberate choice by the architects in charge of the restoration as they felt that it would take away from the original historical "wisdom". To some it might seem unfinished or confusing, but I really liked the character and authenticity of it.

Koldinghus - the wooden "patch" is the restoration

Dean and I in the courtyard

Originally a chapel in the castle during the reign of King Christian III, who saw
Martin Luther, became very impressed by him, and introduced Danes to
 Lutheranism in the mid 1500's. Currently a two-storey lecture hall.

Children's play area built around the ruins

The pea, from the Princess and the Pea fairy tale. Dean wouldn't believe me.
 He laughed and said it looks fake.

The Library Reading Room - original use and layout of this room is unknown
- pieces of the Danish National Library were transferred here in 1915-17

I just loved the carvings on this

just another cool old cabinet

a royal suitcase

interior castle walls

not part of Koldinghus,
 just beautiful doors that we passed by on the way home