December started off great with Mom’s nearly two week visit. She and I were able to enjoy each others company while exploring Christmastime in Denmark. She’s traveled to Europe a few times, but this was her first time in the country, and I think she was impressed by the sites and the hospitality of our friends.
She arrived in the afternoon, so we started her stay with a walk down Kongensgade, which is the pedestrian street near our apartment. Christmas huts were set up in the square, along with an ice skating rink. We figured a bit of coffee was in order for the drizzly day.
The following day was the one day where rain was not forecasted, so we took the ferry to the island of Fanø. Once there, we walked the streets of Nordby, admiring the thatch-roofed homes and seals.
Cook & Talk
I am so very grateful for the Esbjerg Newcomer Service. This sector of the municipality is essentially Esbjerg’s welcome wagon. They help you settle in, point you in the right direction for services and they assist us with getting to know one another. In December they had a “Cook & Talk” event where we made a traditional Danish Christmas dinner with other newcomers.
The menu consisted of a Danish pork roast called flæskesteg. The pork is fatty with the skin still on it. We made slices through the skin and fat, salted generously and put bay leaves in between the slices. The fat and skin made very nice crackling, almost like pork rinds. It is different than anything I’ve made, but it is quite tasty.
Christmas in Ribe
John and I have visited Ribe a few times, but we have never seen it at Christmas. Plus, mom was here to enjoy it with us!
New Friends
It was also special for Mom to meet some of our new friends.
the lighthouse and have lunch in Hjerting.
And, I shouldn’t forget one of the highlights, my choir performance. Ha! Due to the spurring on of Stine, I joined the International Choir with her, and we had a wonderful time. We met once a week for about 10 weeks. The end of the session fell at the beginning of December, so we did a concert. Even though our meetings / lessons were in Danish, the songs were English, sans Silent Night, which was in English, Swedish and Danish. The other songs we learned were Mamma Mia, Let me Entertain You (Robbie Williams – never heard of the guy!), Ain’t No Mountain and Sound of Silence.
This post has gotten quite long, so I’m going to leave our adventure in Copenhagen for another time.
Matthews' Travels 