Sort of Flower Friday

The trees lining the path in the cemetery in Copenhagen.

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Be sure to stop by on Tuesday for a very special day!

Traveling Thursday - The Baltic Adventure - Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of the Man and Lady's Baltic Adventure. 

Day 3 of our trip, we did more sight seeing in Copenhagen. 

We visited the the National Museum, which was not air conditioned so was fairly warm. Most of our visit we did with a free guided tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting. 

We then spent time checking out Christiansborg. This palace is in the heart of the city. It also has burnt and been rebuilt 2 times. One time a steward would not allow firefighters in as the floors had just been waxed! It is now the home of Parliament and some official events. 

We wandered in the stables where there was a display of the horses and kings for the past 400 or so years. 

Then into the palace itself.

This was in one of the halls.  I loved the row of these statues

We need this table! 

A new tapestry

The royal kitchen that is not currently used for events

After the palace we spent more time exploring the streets.

From the Round Tower (Rundetaarn) we looked out at the city.

Copenhagen is probably the most bike friendly city I have ever visited. The number of bikes and bike lanes is amazing! Here is one bike parking lot we passed.

Day 4, we left Copehagen and headed north to Kronborg. We had purchased the Copenhagen card which covers the cost of all transportation and entry into 86 sights. We found it to be well worth the money. We went to Kronborg because my BFF said it was one of her favourite places in Scandinavia (she visited it about 20 years ago). I must say, it was well worth the trip (about an hour via train and bus from the city), and was one of my favourite places on this entire trip.

Kronborg is famous for the castle, which is the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. 

Walking up to the castle we passed this art piece, which I loved! 

Also in this moat (and others on this trip) we saw a heron. Herons are my favourite bird.

What made Kronborg very memorable is that 2 times a day a cast of actors act out Hamlet. They do this in a very approachable way, mixing Shakespeare's prose as written (for example when Hamlet is giving the "to be or not to be" speech), with everyday English and audience interactions. The story takes place in scenes throughout the castle, sometimes with 2 scenes happening at once. We spent over 3 hours at the castle.

The cast

In the castle

Under the castle - Holger the Dane sleeps until he needs to save his homeland again

In the chapel

While in Kronborg we also visited the Martine Museum. There I learned about sailors in popular culture, how tattoos were brought to Denmark, how STDs were treated among sailors, as well as about shipping routes.  It was an odd museum.  Our favourite part was this . . . .

We also passed this statue, which I loved. (Warning, I love statues. I think it is my favourite form of art).

Day 5 of our trip was a half day in Copenhagen before heading onto our ship.  First, the day started with the Man eating a Danish in Denmark (gluten free Lady could not partake).

I was not left out as I dragged the Man to one of my favourite places, a cemetery. I love to see how different parts of the world honour their dead. The cemetery in Copenhagen was green and beautiful. People were walking their dogs, biking to work through it, doing tai chi in it, it was a place filled with life.

We found Hans Christian Anderson's grave.

This wraps up "phase one" of our trip, traveling in Denmark, and brings us to phase 2, cruising. Come back next week for some funny on the ship stories. 

Wordless Wednesday - Zaphod and Emma

Don't Believe Her

Dear Blogville,

I wanted to dispel a horrible rumour I hear my Lady is spreading about me. You all know that I love my Lady very, very much. She is my very special person. I am very special boy. She says I may be her heart dog (I am not sure what that means but is sounds important). However, she is going around saying I am a huge suck-a-bear. She is telling people how extra sucky I have been since my time at camp.  Here is my side of the story.

Several nights ago, it was windy and rainy. I could tell my Lady, who loves storms, was very nervous. I came up to her around 2 am, and kissed her hand to tell her it would be ok. I only jumped up on the bed and slept glued to her for the next 4 hours because I was worried she was not feeling safe. It is my job to make her feel safe.

Then a couple nights later, when Uncle Chris and cousin Emma were visiting, I only stayed on the bed most of the night, because I wanted to make sure cousin Emma didn't get lost and end up in the wrong bed. Again I was keeping everyone safe. I see it as my duty as the guard dog to do so. It doesn't matter that for the past 6 years I have rarely spent more than an hour on the bed per night and usually only while Lady is reading before she goes to bed. Her need for guarding has changed and I therefore changed my guarding. I am not a big 80 lbs suck. I am a very fierce and big guard dog.

I just wanted to clear this rumour up.

Zaphod

Not So Mischief Monday - You've Come A Long Way LeeLee!

Taken mid-party

If you had told me  a year ago that I could host a party with 18 guests, 7 of them being children under the age of 11, and Miss Hailey Bug would be calm and great, I would not have believed you. However, I am thrilled to report that my girl made me sooooooo proud of her on Saturday when such a thing happened. Yes, she did bark a little when people arrived, and she barked a little more at the people she didn't know. However, it was not obsessive and it was not really bothersome.People were not scared of her. She actually spent the parts of the party she wasn't waiting for kids to give her chips etc. in a pose very similar to the one above. She just slept in different places. She never hid. She never appeared scared. She was very relaxed It was amazing.

We aren't sure if it is age, her meds, exposure or a combo of all 3, but my Lee has become an amazing dog. People who don't know her now can see why we love her so. We couldn't be prouder of her!  (We will overlook that she spent part of her pre-party morning trying to dig a groundhog out of its hole). 

Flower Friday - Copenhagen

We join Rosy for Flower Friday. 

Travel Thursday - The Great Baltic Adventure - Part 1

Some of you may have seen sneak peeks of the later part of our 3 week vacation at Bertie or Yam-Aunty's blogs - and I will talk about our lovely time in Scotland. But first I am going back to the beginning of the adventure - Copenhagen. The timely visit to this city allowed me to correctly identify the location of Teddy's Teaser Tuesday this week for like the 3rd time ever.

After a brief stop in the airport of my beloved Iceland, we headed out to Copenhagen, Denmark for 4 days.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and after a brief stop at our hotel - Hotel Alexandra, we headed off to Tivoli Gardens. 

Our hotel

We ate dinner on a pirate ship under a shark! 

Then we waited 3 hours (and having a lovely nap in the dirt while people stepped over my head as I had slept maybe 4 hours in 30), we were treated to a free A-HA concert (that is right, the one hit wonder band from the 80s). While the band sounded great, I must say they lacked energy.  They were kind enough to point out the eclipse that was happening behind us. That was very cool. 

Around midnight, and 36 hours after getting up the day we left, we collapsed into our hotel beds. We didn't set an alarm. I was awoke with a start as the Man declared it was after 11 am! By 11:20 we were out on the streets exploring Copenhagen.

Here are some of the highlights from day one (total steps walked this day was over 22 000, and it was about 40C/100+F and no where in Denmark (including hotels) is there air conditioning. 

From a canal tour

There was a random street trampoline

A royal library

The first of so many domes on this trip

Cobble stone is very hard on your feet . . . I have no idea how people did it without proper footwear. 

Sitting in a fort, letting our sore and tired feet rest

Beer bike - saw it a lot and noted their were never any women on it . . . . .

Christiania is the famous Copenhagen commune.

It has become very famous for Pusher Street (if you look toward the end of this picture you see a no photo sign). Pusher Street was the Man's least favourite place to visit on this trip as it is where all the illegal drugs are sold in the open. Apparently it is raided very often by the police and can be considered dangerous. We had a short jaunt down part of it without any trouble or interest in the wares. 

Back out of the commune. 

As we were about half a block from our hotel, we spotted this on the ground. I had to take a picture of it! It was sort of how I felt! 

Come back next week for the next few day in Copenhagen.