Copenhagen in December, really?






Copenhagen Christmas Market - 2012 was a Russian Theme



Where do we come up with these ideas? Seriously who would want to go to a cold, snowy, dark land in December? We did. We are planning on visiting Sweden and Norway next summer when the sun peaks and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous, so we thought why not see what Scandinavia is like during the opposite time of the year? Copenhagen was also supposed to have a great Christmas market so we decided to take a quick weekend trip earlier this month.

We flew out on Friday afternoon and all went relatively smooth, well the flight was delayed by about 30 minutes, but that seems to be what you should expect when flying these European discount airlines, at least in our experiences. Once we arrived in Copenhagen it was one of our easiest trips into the city to find our hotel. So far in our travels when we arrive in a city it either seems to go really well or it is a difficult long process, so we were happy that it was relatively quick and easy, especially with Emma's bedtime on the horizon.

With the help of very friendly staff at our hotel we managed to find a great Thai place for dinner. Just as Indonesian food has a stronghold in Amsterdam we came to quickly find that Asian food is extremely prevalent throughout Copenhagen, which is about as different as you can get from more traditional Danish food that includes open faced sandwiches, cold fish, hot dogs, meats, potatoes, and of course Danishes at breakfast (but they are actually called Viennese bread in Denmark). However, no matter what type of food you find in Copenhagen you can be guaranteed it will be good. Copenhagen restaurants are known to be some of the best in the world, and you certainly pay the price too! However, in general Scandinavia has a very high cost of living just like Switzerland so pretty much everything is expensive.



Dad & Emma ready to take on Copenhagen!

As we headed out on Saturday morning with our first stop at the Nationalmuseet (National Museum) I quickly noticed how very comfortable and at home I felt here. From very friendly and helpful people most everywhere we went, to the bitter cold and snow, and the accent these people spoke with I realized I felt like I was back in Minnesota. It was a welcome feeling and one that made me very excited to be headed there soon!

We decided to make a quick stop at the Nationalmuseet mostly because we wanted to learn about the history of the Vikings. Unfortunately we were a bit disappointed because the museum held much less information on the Vikings than we were led to believe, but we did learn some interesting things about the Danish people. Additionally, the museum was free and warm inside so we couldn't complain!



Entrance to Tivoli Gardens

The next stop on our agenda was Tivoli Gardens and the Copenhagen Christmas Market. Tivoli is in the heart of Copenhagen and is a 20 acre amusement park and garden. It is the second oldest amusement park in the world, originally built in the mid-1800's. In addition to the rides and games you can find many nice restaurants and even a hotel inside the gates of Tivoli. And for the month of December it is transformed into a winter wonderland with their Christmas Market and decorations. It was an absolutely beautiful setting, so much that we had to come back at night to see it all lit up. But it was very different from all of the other European Christmas markets we had visited to date. Other markets consist of small wood booths filled with local crafts. In Copenhagen there were little huts or tiny stores set-up throughout the gardens. Many appeared to be actual Danish retailers simply selling their products in a different setting. There were many nice things to buy, but it was nothing like we had come to expect.




Enjoying the beautiful Christmas decorations inside Tivoli

Copenhagen's Christmas Market was much more upscale, especially their booths as each was more like an actual store.

Beautiful hotel inside Tivoli

Not sure the story behind this giant reindeer on wheels... made me think that must be what the Trojan Horse looked like



Tivoli looked magical all lit up at night

We made a stop midway through our shopping for lunch at a nice restaurant inside Tivoli. They were promoting a traditional Danish Christmas buffet, but after deciding it didn't look quite our style (especially for the price) Steve quickly opted for the other item heavily promoted on their menu - ribs. You can ask him, but I still don't think he'll say the beef was quite as good as American beef, however I think they made up for the difference in quality in size!



Now that's a rack of ribs!

After making our way through the rest of Tivoli and watching the people crazy enough to ride the roller coasters in 20 degree weather, we headed down the city's main thoroughfare. It was clear that the Danish were out in full force to do their Christmas shopping as she street was packed. We are quickly learning that just like in the U.S. it's best not to do your Christmas shopping on a Saturday.



Beautiful street decorations



View over Copenhagen from the top of the Rundetarn.

Anxious to get out of the commotion we headed to the Rundetarn, which was supposed to provide great views of the city. It was only about 120 ft tall, but all the viewing points were outside, so Steve decided to go up and snap a few photos as we figured it would not be the best spot for Emma in the cold. While we waited Emma and I were going to go to a coffee shop just across the street, but we noticed there was a sign on the door that said no strollers. Many places in Europe are not the most stroller friendly, but you just make it work, or there is a place to leave the stroller by the door, but rarely do you actually see a sign at a restaurant/cafe saying there are no strollers allowed inside. There are obviously many reasons why this could be but I couldn't help but to think it is because everyone in Copenhagen has huge strollers! When we were looking for strollers we tried to find one of the smallest types possible that would still fit our needs in attempt to make it easy to get around all of these places in Europe, clearly the Danish don't have that mentality. It must have had something to do with the need for all babies here to have five layers of snowsuits and blankets on top of them. In fact, I noticed that all kids here seem to wear snowsuits for everyday errands - I concluded that Copenhagen in winter is not about trying to look good, but simply stay warm.



Taking a break from her snowsuit and showing me she knows how to stick out her tongue.



Staying warm is what we were trying to do as well as it quickly started getting dark. We were all starting to get worn out from a busy day so we made one last turn back towards Tivoli to see it lit up before grabbing a quick dinner and heading back to the hotel to make plans for Sunday.





The bike "graveyard" as Steve called it, after a winter storm...
looks like the Danish like their bikes almost as much as the Dutch.

When we went to sleep on Saturday night we were both hoping we would wake up in the morning to find out the weather report was wrong, but unfortunately it was not. Bitter cold, snow, and wind had arrived just as forecasted. Although we had hoped to see several sights on Sunday we knew it would be next to impossible. So the top spot on our list was to at least see the quaint suburb of Nyhavn, which is famous for its canals and brightly colored townhouses. We opted to take a canal boat tour ride as it was covered and heated. It would have been a great tour had it just been cold, but the heavy snow and wind made it very difficult to see. So we enjoyed the ride and saw what we could, including a quick glimpse at the famous Little Mermaid statue. As soon as our boat docked we made a dash for the closest restaurant we could find. Lucky for us it offered several good local dishes including the Smorrebord (open faced) sandwiches that I had been wanting to try. One of the sandwiches in my selection even included a caviar substitute, which is popular and commonly used in Scandinavia, tasting similar, but significantly less expensive. It wasn't bad, but I can now feel pretty certain that I don't have any need to buy the real stuff.



It certainly felt like Christmas in Scandinavia... very cold, very windy, and snow blowing sideways.
Wish we could have seen the canals on a nicer day.

Family photo in the bus stop staying warm

If the weather had been nicer we would have made a few more stops but instead we opted for the warmest route of simply heading to the airport. And of course, as we should have guessed, our string of bad luck traveling on Sunday nights continued. After train delays coming home from both Venice and Salzburg on Sunday nights we had hoped we would have better luck flying. Of course not. We boarded the plane on time only to sit on the runway for another hour waiting to be de-iced. Oh well we should know better by now. At least it gave me the opportunity to change Emma's dirty diaper instead of getting stuck holding her during take-off until we reached "a safe cruising altitude."

All in all, our trip was short but fun. Cold but welcoming. I'm not sure Copenhagen was quite what I had hoped for (and my opinion would probably change with better weather, which is the same assessment people can make about many different European cities), but I am without a doubt excited to get back to Scandinavia and see what else it has to offer!



Famous Nyhavn Canal

Do, a Deer, a Female Deer... Salzburg, Austria!

Since we're in Europe, in December, it would be unacceptable to not make it to at least one or two Christmas markets. Last year we loved visiting the markets in Dresden and Prague. So earlier this year I did my research on the top ten markets in Europe and we eventually settled on visiting Salzburg and Copenhagen.

Our first stop at the beginning of the month was Salzburg, which is about a five hour train ride from Zurich. We headed out on Friday night with a late arrival scheduled in Salzburg, so we knew we would have to make Saturday and the better half of Sunday count to get the most out of our short weekend trip. And you guessed it, first up on Saturday morning was the Sound of Music Tour! As I quickly came to find out Salzburg is famous for music. It is a relatively small city (population of only about 150,000) in comparison to how famous it is, but Mozart and the Von Trapp family made this city a popular tourist destination, especially for Americans. I know I called Vienna the "City of Mozart" in a previous blog, but Salzburg may actually have more history as Mozart's birthplace. However, it did not seem to play it up quite as much as Vienna, which is where Mozart is popular for living much of his life and performing many of his masterpieces.

Having fun on the Sound of Music Tour!

First, as we headed out our hotel on Saturday morning to meet up for the start of the Sound of Music tour we stopped in a small cafe to grab a quick coffee and muffin and we met a man that makes my running look like a joke. While we were waiting for our order I noticed some newspaper articles posted and only being able to decipher parts of the German report I figured it was something about this man who looked like the man at the counter running long distance races. Well long distance was an understatement - he ran 700 mile races! He spoke english well and so he started telling us about all of his training, races, etc. He was a serious runner! Don't worry I won't be getting any ideas...

Yes, that was seriously our tour bus!

So, the Sound of Music Tour. Yes it may sound a little hokey, and it was indeed, especially with our goofy tour guide who had clearly been doing this tour 15 years too many (he said he had done the tour for 16 years and I can only imagine what listening to that music everyday does to you...). However, we decided to take it less for the fact that we would be visiting spots around the city and countryside where the movie was filmed and more for the reason that it was supposed to be a wonderful tour of the area. It was indeed a very nice tour, but unfortunately the weather was not as nice as we had been hoping as parts of the countryside just outside of Salzburg are supposed to be gorgeous under clearer conditions. But since Steve made me watch the movie the week before we went (I knew I had watched it before but honestly remembered very little of it), we were intrigued to also learn many details of the movie - what was true and what was not, where they had to did some filming tricks and how in fact they did not simply hike over the mountains into Switzerland in the last scene of the movie. Rather perhaps what I found most humorous was that if they had hiked over that particular mountain range where they had filmed them they would have gone straight into Germany!

The back side of the Von Trapp house in the movie... they actually filmed a different house for the front side.

View of the Salzkammergut region outside of Salzburg, scenic area and
famous for the precious salt mines during the Habsbug era.

Wedding church in the Sound of Music actually located outside Salzburg in the town of Mondsee

The Mondsee church was beautiful on the inside.

A Sound of Music painted cow - Emma seemed to think it was funny!

After a morning of hearing Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do over and over again in a bus of American tourists (the movie is not popular at all in this part of the world), we were ready to venture out and get a taste of the old historic heart of Salzburg. After meandering through the town we made our way to the funicular that brought us up to Hohensalzburg Fortress, which towers over the entire city. While impressive in appearance from the city below we were a bit disappointed once we got to the top (I think we're starting to get spoiled as we compare it to other castles we have seen throughout Europe, so don't get me wrong it is still very impressive). From there to finish off the day we visited one of the smaller Christmas markets as there were several throughout the city and got ourselves geared up to go to the main one early on Sunday.

View of the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the distance

We were glad we got an early start on Sunday as it was nice to make our way through the main market without the crowds that we saw late on Saturday where you could barely push your way through the squares. Regardless of the time of day, it was easy to see why the Salzburg market made the top ten list. It was first of all in a beautiful setting with the Dom Cathedral and part of a palace surrouding the market squares. It was also a bit more organized than others we had been to and easy to get around and all of the booths had beautiful decorations and crafts to sell. And like all good Christmas markets they had ample booths selling hot mulled wines (gluhwein) and liquors, but to our surprise there was very little real food as we expected to see the typical sausage stands that are popular throughout this part of Europe. Yet, we found lots of sweets including a monstrous soft pretzel covered in a chocolate coating and filled with a fruit jam - talk about spoiling our dinner!

Salzburg Christmas market early in the morning before the crowds

Steve & Emma enjoying the market and views of the Dom Cathedral

And while the bulk of Sunday morning and early afternoon was spent enjoying the market, we got to sneak inside the Dom Cathedral for a few minutes and take a look around yet another beautiful European church. We also briefly visited the Panorama Museum which holds a panoramic painting of the city of Salzburg from the 1829. Evidently there were many such paintings of various European cities at one point in time, but most of them have been destroyed or lost. It might have not been anything amazing it was still a pretty impressive piece of artwork. And although we were surprised to see what was in the rest of the museum, we should have guessed that the majority of the museum was dedicated to the Sound of Music (funny thing was none of the tour books we read even mentioned that!).

Enjoying Mirabell Gardens with a view of the Fortress

Sunday certainly went way too fast as we found ourselves headed back to the train station by mid- afternoon, but we felt we successfully managed to fit a lot into our 48 hours in Salzburg. And although we did not try any extremely different foods as much of it was quite similar to Switzerland, my favorite was our last stop on Sunday when we tried the Salzburger Nockerl, which is a very sweet souffle made with stiff egg whites. I'll just be sure not to order such a large one next time!

It said it was for two people, but for good reason Emma wanted to help her parents out!

And with a successful trip of touring, exploring, eating & drinking we were headed back to Zurich. Unfortunately Emma's travels were a bit more difficult this time around then it had been on her last trip. I believe much of this is simply due to her growing curiosity as she seems to even hesitate to take a nap because she is so worried she might miss something going on around her. Yet, I have learned that when we travel I'm doing everything I can to ensure Emma has socks that stay on her feet. She often kicks them off and that was the case on Sunday night on our way home as I stood holding her for awhile in a corridor on the train trying to get her to fall asleep. Just about as she was asleep some crazy lady felt the need to not only come up and give me a lecture about how one of her socks wasn't on (it was in my hand as she had just kicked it off and it was plenty warm on the train) but she proceeded to have to feel Emma's toes and act like she was keeping them warm. Of course Emma woke up crying just as she had started to fall asleep...

And so goes every trip, not everything can go perfectly. Somedays Emma does better than others, but we always enjoy them. It's so much fun to explore new places with her and the more and more she becomes aware of her surroundings it is fun to see her reaction as she sees and experiences new things. No doubt traveling is different with her and a bit more work than it was with just the two of us, but most days it really is more fun too. Can't wait to continue to watch her be amazed as we explore new places!

Cold and snowing but beautiful view over the Salzach River

About a year ago...

Just us and two cats on our way to Zurich last December!

About a year ago everything changed. In a matter of a few months we sold our house and cars, I left my job, we decided to leave our dearly loved dogs with Steve's parents, and we packed up a small portion of what we owned and boarded a one way flight for Switzerland. It's still absolutely crazy to me and there are many days I don't think it's reality. There are also many days when we've been traveling frequently that I get confused as to where I am at, and then I step back and think about it in complete amazement and realize where we are at and what we are doing. Throw in the mix that when we left the U.S. at this time last year we were just beginning to tell people that we were expecting and I realize just how very different our lives are now than they were a year ago.

We absolutely love living abroad and many of the experiences we have had along the way, but it has not been without it's challenges too. Here's a quick look at some of the things I have learned about living abroad, specifically in Switzerland, over the past 12 months.

• Switzerland is ridiculously efficient, clean & safe. I doubt there is anywhere else in the world that is so meticulous in its work, dedicated to keeping everything operating and orderly, and with such an extremely low crime rate. These traits are easy to quickly take for granted, and I am sure it will be something I will miss when we leave.
• The Swiss would prefer to not be your friends. They like to keep to themselves and they're taught to be independent and strong. It creates for an interesting culture where you either know and are good friends with someone or you are just passing acquaintances, there is less middle ground. And it is especially difficult for foreigners to break into these bounds. It was after all, just a couple of weeks ago (after 11 months of living in this apartment), that I finally exchanged formal introductions and conversations with some of my neighbors.
• Quality over quantity when it comes to eating. People often comment that the Swiss eat healthy quantities of cheese and chocolate, yet they are one of the thinnest populations in Europe, if not in the world. Although there are plenty of things to be attributed to this, like a healthy active lifestyle that involves a lot of walking (see next point), but they also know how to eat in moderation and rather than ordering super size meals they get a reasonable size meal with high quality food. There is also very, very little diet and reduced fat foods to be found in the store. Instead you will find products with higher quality ingredients and much fresher. While it may be frustrating when food does not last as long, I know why, and know it's for good reason.
• It is good to walk further than from your car to your front door each day. Public transport and walking places is a way of life over here. There is no hesitation that when a place is a few blocks away you will walk there, not so much as a thought of going there most any other way. Although there are days where it is cold, rainy/snowy, windy, etc. and I would rather not have to set foot outside it definitely has taught me to enjoy being outdoors even more and the health benefits of walking more are quite obvious. This is without a doubt in my mind one of the reasons I did not gain as much weight when I was pregnant and also lost it much more quickly. Just talk to most any expat here and they will tell you that without trying they lost weight the first few months of living here.
• The Swiss love to smoke. If there is one thing I could change here it is the extremely high rate of smoking, I hate it. And not only that, but it affects everyone else around them since (directly related to my point above) you are constantly out walking everywhere and not couped up in your car. Although it is banned in restaurants and other public places, it seems I can never escape it. And I still haven't gotten over the lady that threw her match carelessly after lighting up and it almost landed on Emma's stroller...
• Europeans actually use their vacation time. There is no hesitation, it is not frowned upon. There is a reason your employer gives you vacation days, and that is for you to use it. Although, they are not big proponents of three day weekends. When they go on "holiday" they go on "holiday" for several weeks at a time. I love it. It helps to emphasize that it is in fact a job and you have a life and family outside of work.
• Switzerland is expensive! No doubt about it, Zurich was the most expensive city to live in the world last year and I think three other Swiss cities made the Top Ten list! Luckily we have a cost of living adjustment otherwise we would have been broke after our first month here. Although there are days where my mouth still falls open when I see the price on something, I have also learned just to ignore it and buy it, especially at the grocery store. We have to eat and that's that. There are a lot fewer options of brands, products etc., so if you know there is something you need, just buy it and don't even bother looking at the price. I certainly save some time as there are virtually no coupons to be cut, and very little time required in the store to compare prices between brands! 

Switzerland is expensive, which means it's residents are rich. Our neighbor's car for example...

• I am going to miss the Swiss healthcare system. There were many different reasons why we considered having a baby while we lived here, the Swiss healthcare system never made it onto the list, but it definitely should have. Every experience going to the doctor has been as laid back and relaxed as is possible for a doctor's appointment. For both my appointments during my pregnancy and Emma's well baby appointments the doctors' offices have been quiet and calm. No hustle and bustle of patients in and out and we see the doctor for virtually the entire appointment! I love how much time they take with us and I am not nervous to ask a question or two as they seem in no hurry to get to the next patient. And just refer back to my blog about my hospital experience when Emma was born, I don't think it gets much better. Although I don't have anything to compare it to, I'm already expecting to be greatly disappointed by the experience in the U.S. when we have another child.
• You are supposed to spend time with your family. Just like taking vacation the Swiss and most Europeans seem to make a more dedicated effort to spend time with family. This is specifically demonstrated by almost everything being closed on Sundays. You are not supposed to do your shopping, and in some cases (depending on your apartment building) even your laundry on Sundays. Sundays here are still a day to rest and spend with family and friends.
• Buy only what you need (that day). I'm serious. Somehow when I go to the grocery store I am always buying more than everyone else. Why you ask? Because I only go to the store every two or three days, not every day as many people do. It's a great concept when it comes to eating fresh food, but I also find it tiresome and cumbersome at times. Perhaps my opinion is skewed as the entire time we have lived here I have either been pregnant or had a small child, hence making it more work to carry groceries home. Those are the days that I would like a car. The days that my back is sore from carrying heavy bags. I still don't know why my biceps aren't any bigger yet...
• This country is gorgeous. I had suspected it before, having been here twice briefly and done plenty of research and seen photos. Yet, nothing can prepare you for the jaw dropping moments when you witness the sheer beauty of nature and God's work. I know that what I have seen here will be difficult to be surpassed by many other places in the world.

That's just a small taste of some of the things we have learned living here, as the list is never ending. Although there are things I miss about living back in the U.S., mostly being close to our family and friends, there is no doubt in my mind that my life is richer and more complete for deciding to take a leap of faith and go on this adventure. I think Steve and I have both learned and grown as individuals and as a family (and not just because we added Emma). We have learned the value of our time together and the importance of communication as we have faced so many new challenges. I am sad that a year has already passed us by, but I am excited for the adventures we will have in our remaining time here!

Here's to many more adventures in 2013 as a family of three!

I think our counting is off!









Last month when Emma turned five months old I literally could not believe it. Some days I am convinced that I miscounted and when people ask me how old she is I have to double check myself. While we sometimes have frustrating days that go slowly, so often at the end of the week I don't know where the time has gone, but I do know that I was spending it with one pretty cool little girl. Considering I can't keep track of her age now, I can only imagine I will continue to struggle for the rest of my life as I watch her grow. Good thing for now I can put stickers on her shirt...



Sitting so properly beside her monkey





Can't stop herself from smiling





Five month smiles



Laying on her back lasted for approximately 15 seconds... she doesn't really sit still at all



Showing off how strong she is for the camera



With a little assistance from dad...

If you hadn't already figured it out based on past blogs, Emma's fifth month was filled with meeting family and traveling. There were only a few days that were just the typical stay at home and play days. As you can guess that certainly has not helped our hopes of getting on a schedule any better when it comes to sleeping. However, I'm willing to take the good with the bad right now. Even if all of the traveling does not help her with developing a perfect routine, I don't think it will do any long term harm, and rather I think it benefits her in so many different ways. She clearly loves to be outside, seeing new things, meeting new people, and is just curious about everything around her and I think the traveling continues to encourage her to learn more from her surroundings. It becomes quite obvious quickly on days when we don't get out and do much that she gets cabin fever. It truly is so much fun to watch her take everything in for the first time and simply amazing to know that she has never before seen or done this or that. While we get to experience so many once in a lifetime opportunities living here, Emma certainly helps us to appreciate the little things in life like never before.


Love this face!

Aside from traveling and meeting people, at the end of the month Emma started a few solid foods. It seems like they encourage starting a bit earlier here in Europe than they do in the U.S. for various reasons as our doctor encouraged us to start as soon as she turned four months old. The first few days were relatively unsuccessful but hopefully she'll start catching on soon!



First time sitting in the high chair - having fun trying to find her balance



First day... looking at dad wondering what mom is making her do



Focusing hard on that chugga chugga train delivering her food



Day two... trying to help



Happy for this bite, probably because I gave in and took her bib off when the only place it was was in her mouth!



Sweet potato mustache



Emma loves sitting in her high chair like a big kid at the table

While we were keeping Emma busy this last month, Emma was still busy on her own growing and developing. It became quite clear that she really loves her feet, pushing up even higher when on her tummy, gaining ab muscles as she gets stronger sitting upright, babbling, and smiling for other people. She loves to catch the gaze of most any stranger and see if they will interact with her. It is fun to see how people respond to her and who smiles first! Many people have commented that she seems very attentive and curious for her age, and although I don't really know any better I would have to agree. She clearly loves to learn and I am afraid is going to quickly outsmart her mother and father. I guess I will have to savor my limited days!

Sorry for all the photos, but it was a fun fifth month!

Checking out those kneepads

Will be good on these hard floors once she is ready to crawl

The second those pants come off her hands are on her feet!



I bet she's the only kid in these parts wearing the M



Posing with her beautiful new gift from Grandma & Grandpa Souders

 

Where's Emma? She thinks this is a fun game to be piled under all of her toys...

Someone is a little excited today!

 

She loves to explore new noises she can make!