Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

Okay, there's really nothing to do with "Bruisin'" in this post--it just rhymed with "Cruisin.'" I just wanted all to know that we will be flying to Italy this Sunday and then starting our cruise of the Med. on Tuesday. We're not really sure what the internet options will be, so I may be out of touch for a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post when we get back!

Finally, A Social Life?

So this week Institute started. I am registered for a class on Wednesdays that teaches Danish and a New Testament (the four Gospels) class on Thursday. The sister missionaries teach the Danish class and there were two Chinese girls in it with me. I think my biggest problem with this class is going to be that it's only once a week--I don't get enough practice and reinforcement. The Thursday class in taught in English by a man from England. He has a charming accent but the only other person in the class is a girl from Thailand. Don't get me wrong, Deng is great, she's in my ward so I already knew her--I just don't feel like there's a whole lot of socialization going on here. Oh well, I've only been once, right? It can only get better.

Also, I went to the temple last Friday with a group of older single adults. Afterward we went to one of the girls' apartments, ate and played games. Let me tell you that playing Pictionary in Danish opens an entirely new perspective to the game (especially when everyone else is guessing in Danish, and half of the cards are random references to Danish culture). It was fun but I feel a little bad for making them speak in English the whole time. Come to think of it though, they didn't. As soon as the discussion would get heated, they'd switch back to Danish, and I'd sit there, nodding, smiling, or making other appropriate facial gestures--and not getting any of it. I tell you that Danish is nothing like a romantic language. Just wait, when we get to Italy next week, I'll feel like I have a leg to stand on. Except that almost everyone here does actually speak English, whereas in Italy, they don't nor do they in Greece or Turkey or Egypt. Ah, the trials of travelling.

I know I had several run-on sentences, you'll just have to deal with it.

Feeling the Loss

Just wanted to let you all know that I am aware that I've now missed the first week of season previews. I don't know if any of you can truly feel my pain. I've tried to watch them online but because of international laws & stuff, the shows can't be streamed to people out of the United States. (Daniel, I checked Hulu and they say they're working on it but no cigar as of yet.) I know that most of you have more of a life than me so you may think this is just my worldly nature coming out--but if a single girl doesn't have her shows, what has she got?

Some of you have asked if I've been homesick at all. Well let me tell you, there are times when I think, "What was I thinking? I know that I love being surrounded by my family. I loved the majority of the people that I worked with. I must be crazy." Especially now that Lynette and Anthony are back and Joey has his mission call, I'm realizing all that I'm missing and it hurts. So, mostly I try not to think of all that I'm missing (this doesn't mean that I don't want to know--that would really be worse). I don't really like to complain, so I probably won't write much about homesickness any more--also, it seems to make it worse or more real or something if I write about it. I just wanted you all to know that I miss being there (and "there" means "wherever you are") even though I am having a great time here.

Sightseeing Solo vs. Goin' with the Gang

There’s been a lot of sightseeing around here. I can’t decide if I like going alone or going with a family of six (plus me makes seven) around Europe. Each has its pros and cons. Let me know which you think is better.

A few weeks ago I went to Helsingor castle. You may know it as Ellsinore from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It turns out that there really is some historical background for the story of Hamlet. Boy, people in the middle ages were somewhat crazy. One of the coolest parts of the castle is the dungeon.
This is the chapel, about the only part of the castle that wasn't ruined in a fire. And thus the only part which retains the original ornate carvings and decorations.
The dungeon is still intact and there is a Danish myth that Holger Danske, a Danish warrior, lies in sleep here until the Danes need him to fight for them. They've even made a statue of him down there. The fun thing about this trip was that I was by myself and could take as much time as I wanted to look at the different rooms/paintings/dungeons. Actually, I probably would have spent a little more time exploring the dungeons if someone else had been with me but alone, it was a bit eerie.
This is the view from the top of the castle.
Also, I listened to my iPod pretty much the entire time—this was pretty great but there just wasn’t anyone there to share the joke when “Play that Funky Music White Boy” came on as I was walking around this medieval Danish castle. I wonder if anyone noticed me chuckling to myself. Overall, it was a very satisfying day, although somewhat lonely.

Yes, this is the castle after which Walt Disney modeled Cinderella's castle. This last weekend we went down to the south of Germany (we=Scott, Angie, me, and the four kids).
Arlo, Kara, look! I stood on the same spot that you did—and just a few weeks after you were here.
We’ll have to talk about what you guys thought of the castles—they were pretty interesting. The whole story of the family who built them is pretty intriguing. And Neuschwanstein was only being built in the 1840s—it was never finished as the king, Ludwig II, was declared insane, taken to Munich, and died under questionable circumstances soon thereafter with his doctor.


We also went to Rothenburg (above). This town still has a wall that dates from the times of the Roman Empire. They also have some fun cobblestone streets and fun shops. Here you can see two of the gates out of the town, one upper and one lower.

We stayed in Regensburg—fun town (below). And there was a fair in town this weekend. We didn’t frequent it but there was a ride called the ‘Wilde Maus’ which looked a heck-of-a lot like the Wild Mouse at Lagoon—maybe they took the old one and donated it to the traveling fair in Germany. This is a picture of a street in Regensburg.
One of the hard things about traveling with seven people in Europe is that there isn’t very often a big enough table at restaurants. Europeans don’t frequently travel with kids (and when they do it's not four of them)--so people are often a little bugged when the kids are noisy or disruptive. The kids themselves don’t always enjoy everything that the adults want to spend time doing and seeing. And the somewhat cramped quarters in the car are another story entirely. I loved Germany. I think I'd like to go back and do some more exploring and sightseeing. It's so clean there, and people are very willing to help!

I’ve also found the cemetery here in Hellerup—I like to go there and read or just walk around. I am also enjoying Nutella (I know you can get this in the states but there’s something about being in Europe and enjoying it here that’s pretty great), I’ve found that there really aren’t lots of bakeries but I can buy some pretty great baguettes that freeze well and warm up well. Oh, and I’ve found some cheese that I like—I think that it’s Havarti but I could be wrong, my Danish is a bit weak. Dad, don't worry, I'm all scheduled to go to institute when it starts next week, I'll let you know how that is (never fear, there is an English class for international students).