"In My Opinion . . ."
August 20, 2000
At the end of our romantic and fun Bike and Barge trip through the Netherlands, we docked for two days in Amsterdam. There we finally met up with Meg who had been in Europe studying and traveling since March. It was wonderful to see our daughter again, and we had much to discuss. We wanted to go somewhere new to us all, so we chose Brugge in Belgium. It is on everyone's "must-see" list.
It is truly a gorgeous example of a medieval town, and charm and history exude from every corner. However, the Centrum is overrun with every tourist shop imaginable, and there are too many bistros, bars, and cafes to count, all within meters of each other. Do not go to Brugge at the height of the tourist season unless you enjoy milling around with thousands of others. Surprisingly, Meg had no trouble finding a room for us using "Rough's Guide" (an outstanding resource). We faced a few complications (the Brugge train station is a bureaucratic disaster-Do NOT try to do any of your trip planning there), but after two days together, Bill and I headed to Denmark and Meg went off to Paris.The last week of our vacation meant something special to me. It was a chance to refresh old friendships and do what I love best: talk.
Martin and Benedikte met us with coffee and fresh bread in Aarhus, one of my favorite cities in Denmark. Aarhus is Denmark's second-largest city, a university town bustling with young people attending all the different colleges there. The mix of old and new buildings works well. We walked through the old cathedral, along the river, and down the main walking streets before picnicking in a park across from the Queen's stately second home, Marselisborg Castle. We strolled through the lush grounds of the castle and peeked at the queen's swimming pool. It is amazing how different life for Danish royalty is compared to British royalty (the Danish Royal Motto: "God's help, The People's love, Denmark's strength"). Martin and Benedikte were the perfect hosts, and after another day of sight-seeing, chatting, and eating (Benedikte and Martin's mother proved that the Danes are great bakers), we went on to Nibe (near Alborg) and family Jacobsen.
Alborg's fascinating art museum took up half a day of sight-seeing, but my main objective was to catch up on all the news of my close friend Jane and her family. Bill wisely went biking one day (a good 50 miles or more) to avoid our ceaseless chatter. It was like being with family; it just happened to be somebody else's family. We drank and ate and drank and ate at Jane's and at Jonna's (Jane's mother-in-law who was graciously letting us sleep at her house). We loved seeing the kids again (they've grown so, and they're all so nice), and after 3 days it was hard to say good-bye, but we had one more destination before heading back to Seattle.
Copenhagen: our last stop and Denmark's grand dame city. Christian, a good friend who lived with us as an exchange student, met us at the train station and spent dinner with us twice. Karsten and Denise played host to us, sharing their apartment, their time, and their good humor. We went to Roskilde to see the Viking Museum and the cathedral where all the kings and queens of Denmark are buried.
We sauntered through Copenhagen's downtown area, taking a ride on the new water taxi to the Royal Library, a magnificent amalgam of old and new architecture. We wandered the streets (VERY slowly and not very far because of me, I'm afraid) and just had fun. karsten, Denise, and I even watched the last 10 laps of the Tour of Denmark Bike Race while Bill did his own biking (he even returned to us on the same path as the racers). We watched movies at night, and of course, we talked.
The plane ride home was uneventful, and now I'm over the emotional and physical jet lag. I miss all my friends more than ever and do not intend to let too much time pass before visiting them again. I know there are many places in Europe I have not yet seen, but as long as I have friends is Denmark I will always want to return periodically to that lovely little country.