We're off to Denmark

We left Tucson on Sunday morning and arrived in Aarlburg Monday afternoon (Denmark time). The flight took us up over Canada, Iceland and finally Denmark. It was a long, butt numbing ride.

Leah and Morton live in Arhus which is located on the east coast, toward the southern end of Denmark. They rented a "Summer House" in Skagen (pronounced Skane) for the first week of our visit. Morton picked us up in Aarlburg, which is about an hours drive from Skagen.

Skagen is in the northern coast of Denmark and has a population of about 9,000 people. It's a quaint town with most of the buildings and homes sporting red tile roofs and a yellow/gold paint color. It is packed with history, as is most of Denmark.

Here is how Wikipedia describes Denmark, which is about the size of Vermont.

"Denmark, with a free market capitalist economy and a large welfare state, ranks according to one measure, as having the world's highest level of income equality. Denmark has the best business climate in the world, according to the US business magazine Forbes. From 2006 to 2008, surveys ranked Denmark as "the happiest place in the world," based on standards of health, welfare, and education. The 2009 Global Peace Index survey ranks Denmark as the second most peaceful country in the world, after New Zealand. Denmark was also ranked as the least corrupt country in the world in the 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index, sharing a top position with Sweden and New Zealand. The national language, Danish, is close to Swedish and Norwegian, with which they share strong cultural and historical ties. 82.0% of the inhabitants of Denmark and 90.3% of the ethnic Danes are members of the Lutheran state church. About 9% of the population has foreign citizenship—a large portion of those are from other Scandinavian countries."

I can attest to it being a great place. Everywhere we went, the cleanliness was remarkable. Even the farms we past on the road were all freshly painted and nothing was rusted. The people are wonderful and almost everyone will gladly speak English once they see that you're an American.

They do have a large population of immigrants from Middle Eastern countries and the government has taken steps to limit their numbers.

Having gotten to know Morton, I don't think Leah could have found a better man and she has a great life in Denmark. We are happy for her and very proud of her.

They took us on so many great day trips that I've tried to sort them out in seperate sections below.

Skagen, Denmark: The Summer House

Sam plays on the floor. He is just learning to crawl and is getting stronger every day.

Enjoying the patio and watching Max play.

Me and Sam.

Peg works on a puzzle with Max.

Peg and Sam watching Max chase bubbles.

Max is helping Morton with his shoes.

Morton checking Max's bump on the head. The kitchen is visible in the background. This is a very nice place to vacation. There is an upstairs loft and small bedroom for the kids and a bedroom downstairs for Peg and I. It also has a dishwasher and a clothes washer.

Okay...I'm King of what?

Max tries out his new swim goggles.

Grandpa giving Sam his bottle. It's De Ja Vu all over again!

Grandma's turn.

Breakfast for the kids.

Max used a chair cushion for a makeshift tent.

Morton bought Max a super light tent to play with on the patio. Unfortunately a super strong wind is more than a match for it.

Max is in there somewhere...

He's almost won the battle, but...

Dang! There it goes. Looks like it makes a better kite than it does a tent.

Peg is going to make soap bubbles so Max can catch them

Max discovers that a head start is advisable when there is a 30 mph wind blowing.

Now he has a head start, about 50 feet away!

The vacation resort has all kinds of activities for kids, including this huge jumping bag.

Leah has Sam in the pool, which is designed with kids in mind. It's pretty shallow for a good distance. Note the stone work behind her.

Morton has Sam while Max floats off by himself.

Have you ever seen a beach this empty? The tourist season ended a couple of weeks before we came.

Lots of nice clean sand. The water can be dangerous though, with drop-offs and rip tides. Besides, it's darned cold.

We went into town to buy tickets so Leah and I could ride the train to Arhus, while Morton and Peg take the kids in the car. Annie and Jens will stay in the summer house for the weekend.

Oh yeah, the train. It's unlike any we find in the states. The seats are like one would find in a nice cocktail lounge, arranged so that a table sits between four seats, two on a side. There is little or no engine noise and the ride is smooth and nearly silent. I could easily see taking a train for a long distance trip.

Typical street in Skagen.

Centuries old hotel, which is still popular.

Skagen is known as the place for artists and a famous one built his home on these grounds. Now there is a museum for his and his wife's art works and this small coffee shop. Clockwise above is Leah, Peg, me, Annie (Morton's Mom) Sam in the baby wagon, Jens (Morton's Dad) and Max.

Annie lets Sam take his first taste of ice cream. He's not sure what to make of it.

Hmmm, this is pretty darned good!

Also cold!

Clouds aren't looking good, so we pack up and head for the train stop near the Summer House.

Skagen, Denmark: The "Point"

We parked the car and went to the common area, where there were various small shops. We all enjoyed a sandwich and drink, before boarding the Sandormen for the ride out to the point. It is also called Grenen (The branch). This where the waters of the Bering Sea and the North Sea clash, each coming from opposite directions.
Aboard the Sandormen for the ride out. It takes the huge tractor to pull the trailer through the sand.
Leah and Max share a laugh on the way out.

The air is cool and the wind blows at a constant 40 to 50 mph. Sand comes with it!

Max watches Morton wading out into the water and decides to join him.

The Point. Water from the Kattegat (Cat's gut) and the Bering Sea come from the east and water from the Skaterrak and the North Sea come from the west. To the east is Sweden and to the west is Norway.

Morton and Max in the (very) cold water.

Sam plays in the sand.

Sam says "You're cold? Oh yeah, you're not a Viking"

The waters collide. I can't imagine what it must feel like in a boat.

A wind blown family photo.

One last look before we board the Sandormen for the ride back.

Max appreicates Daddy warming him up.
It was a great trip and something that can't be seen in many places of the world.

Skagen, Denmark: We visit the Vippefyr

"Vippefyr" translates to "Fire basket". Built originally in 1692, the structure suspended a basket that was filled with burning coal or wood. It was then raised to be (hopefully) visible from the sea. It wasn't terribly effective and after a few years, a more conventional lighthouse was built a short distance away.

Max is climbing over one of the massive beams that make up the framework. It would have been interesting to see how the workers of the time would have raised them into position. Each beam is the size of a large tree.

Peg and I stand on the platform. It was cold and very windy. It would have taken more "than a little dab will do ya" on that day!

As Max climbs the timbers, the town on Skagen is seen in the background. The red tile roofs and yellow/gold paint is consistent throughout the town. Also visible are the sand dunes, now covered with grass to stabilize them.

Morton holds Sam, who mugs for the camera.
Another view of the very cold and choppy sea.