The boys and l flew up to Copenhagen, then caught a train to Karlskroner in Sweden, to spend a few days with our friend Gitte at her holiday mill in early August. Jayne had to go back to Australia, as her sister was ill, and also to see her aging parents.
So the trip started well, there was no issue with the larger than normal carry on luggage, they take it from you as you board the SAS flight, as the plane is small and it all goes into a special locker. The service was lovely, in fact all service in Scandinavia is lovely. We arrived, the airport at Copenhagen is excellent, and you can easily get on the connecting trains to central, but in our case we were going across the large bridge that connects it to Sweden. the train trip started well, you get free wifi on the train, which is something that should happen on every train in the world. But shortly after leaving we were told we would have to get off soon, and catch a bus for one stop, as there was some work on the track, .We would then resume our travels on another train. So we did this, got on the next train and plugged our phone and ishuffle into the charge outlets near our seats ( something else all trains should have) and travelled on. Well then the train slowed down, stopped , took of, slowed down, took off, etc etc. Then we were told to move to the front carriages of the train, as it was going to split. We did this, but the shuffling along continued, meanwhile l am texting, emailing Gitte and telling her which stations we are passing. The three hour trip took 5 hours in total. The reason being apparently was an incident with a bird, and the week before Gitte's friend was delayed with a incident with a cow. And just to add to this, a week later when we were traveling to a museum (Louisiana) north of Copenhagen, the train was delayed again, because of an incident with a person!!
So we arrived finally, after catching the last few stops on a bus, in all the hustle and bustle, sadly l left my ishuffle and charger in the train, and after living in Italy for so long you become used to the fact that it would be stolen straight away. I was told later, not in Scandinavia, they are honest there, and someone most likely turned it in. So if you are even around Karlskroner, go into the train office as ask if they have a red ishuffle and charger!
Well the old mill where Gitte has her holiday house, was absolutely terrific, the boys had the best time ever. Thankfully Jayne did not come, as it is rather rough living, and in the middle of restoration, so there are health hazards everywhere, but somehow the boys realized that it was not a good idea to fall over the edge of the building where there was no wall or fencing. The toilet is a wooden lean-too, with a hole in a piece of wood, that drops down over some rocks with gaps in. The kitchen is simple by any stretch of the imagination, but somehow Gitte was able to prepare amazing meals for us.
The boys spent most of the time, fishing in the river, crossing the river to the forrest on the other side, building a motorbike out of wood, burning of scrap wood on a campfire, that we used to cook on, and collecting worms to fish with.
I did not really pack accordingly, but we survived, and we left Bologna in 38 degrees, to a 23 degree Sweden, with rain. We bathed in the near by lake every day, as there was no shower, the lake is like a picture from a book. It also had a toilet, but we never took advantage of it.
Gitte had built an art project in the near by town, which is like Longwood, in fact it makes out old town look big, as there was no pub or general shop, just a hardware store, that really was not a hardware store. But there was a bus stop, and this is where Gitte had produced a herb garden with editable biological plants, and a wooden structure that looked a bit like a small house that could be carried away, it was infact an open structure that you could prepare food on, and cook on, as it had a gas bottle and cooker attached, and a sink with water container above. So we went down and picked from the garden all sorts of lettuce, flowers and herbs and made vietnamese rolls with rice wrap. Cooked some meat on the cooker and washed up in the sink, while waiting for a bus that comes twice a day!!
This project works very well in showing people what they can grow and eat for themselves, as well as bringing the community together, of course ideas like this seem foreign to most people, as they think its easier to drive to the supermarket and spend money, and create pollution, brava Gitte!!
Sweden is a beautiful place, especially where we were, it was a picture everywhere. Everyone was friendly, thought there is a feeling of american style industrial shopping areas popping up. And the trains seems to attract animals to commit suicide!
After a few days we left back to Copenhagen by train rather nervously, but it went without a hitch, except that at Karlskroner we were told to catch a bus a few stops to get the train. The driver told us he was going to try to get there in time, otherwise he would drive us an hour further to get it there. Meanwhile he chatted away to some people, and then when he drove, held his hand over his eyes, as he could not see well into the bright sun. For some reason he had no sunglasses, or visor. So we arrived in Copenhagen that early evening, and checked into the Ascot Hotel , near Trivoli. The hotel was fine, its expensive, but so is Denmark, the position was great, and the apartment was large and on the 6th floor. The breakfast was good, and you had free wifi everywhere.
The next day we got to the entrance of Tivoli at 10.30, opening time is 11am, and were one of the first in. We went on rides all day, played games, dodgem cars, lunch, saw music, a pantomime. Hunter is by far the bravest, and continually made me go on rides that my mind said don't, Ewan did not go on many of these. Finally Hunter wanted to go on the Demon, a red wriggling, turning rotating high track that went ridiculously fast. He went by himself, and had a great time, making friends with the three kids who sat with him. As the day went on, Ewan got braver, finally going on a ride with Hunty and me that tips you upside down, 20 meters above the ground then drops and turns you around while spinning in circles. One ride we went on about 20 times, you buy an all day unlimited ticket, which is well worth it, and a must.
The boys won lots of points on the games, like basket ball, hitting a gofer, knocking down tins, etc, and ended up using them to get two stuffed animals and a pack of playing cards. We ended up going for dinner at Peder Oxe, which is a restaurant l went to over 20 years ago, and loved it, and its still going strong. You have lamps above your tables which have a switch on that you turn on when you want service, the salad bar is superb, and the food perfect. After dinner we went back to the Tivoli, until closing at 11pm, in the end we spent 9 hours at Tivoli, and were exhausted, but happy.
The following day we spent walking around, looking at the lego shop, and all other kids shops, with me trying to show them the sites, the weather was cool and rainy but we did not get that wet as we spent alot of time in shops.
That night we had dinner with Gitte at Madklubben which was also great, packed on a monday night, seating about 200 people or more. The food in Copenhagen is excellent, and it makes you realize how much you miss out of in Italy, though it is always good in Italy, it is only Italian. And the service in the shops and cafes and on the street is remarkable, l cant say enough about the service in Copenhagen. You can see why it is a growing city, and why you would want to live there, it is just expensive. But compared to Melbourne, it is better for my mind, much more artistic, restaurants are similar l suppose, but the service is excellent as l say in Denmark, and the ocean bay is a bit more than Port Philip. They also speak english very well, which is not the same in melbourne!
The next day we caught a train to Louisiana, one of the best art museums in the world, it lies about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen. It has a huge collection of Giacometti works, and an impressive sculpture garden, as well as a collection of American 50's,60's artists, and Danish artists. It looks out over to Sweden which l think is cool, and is a relaxing place to spend the day, children up to 18 are free, well done!
That night we had dinner at Gitte's house, which is much more glamourous than the mill in living standards. We had dinner with David a friend from London, who the boys loved and as terrific fun, and Louisa who is a near by neighbor who l had met, 20 years earlier. Again a great meal, and strangely a train trip back to the hotel without any occurrence.
The next morning we left early and got back to thankfully a cool Bologna, and l must say better coffee, and ice cream. I must say, though Jayne was not with us this was one of the best trips we have had, the boys really enjoyed getting back to nature in Sweden, and the Tivoli is just what they needed on their holiday, and for me catching up with my old friend Gitte and visiting Louisiana and Peder Oxe again was terrific.
