Fastelavn Party

Today our lovely neighbours organised a Fastelavn Party.  Fastelvan is an old Danish tradition which occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday. Originally a religious celebration, nowadays it is more like a Nordic Halloween with children dressing up and gathering treats for the Fastelvan feast.


The main even was the slå katten af tønden or 'hit the cat out of the barrel'.  This involves children lining up and hitting a wooden barrel full of candy with the image of a black cat on it. Historically (and as recently as 100 years ago) there was a real black cat in the barrel, as beating the barrel was superstitiously considered a safeguard against evil.  


After the barrel is broken, the game continues until the last piece of the barrel falls down.  The one who breaks the barrel first causing the candy to pour out becomes kattedronning or "queen of cats", and the one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes kattekonge or "king of cats".


To enable the very young kids to participate a second barrel was made of cardboard. See some pics below.  


While the kids were battling it out the adults were enjoying hot drinks and cake, including the traditional fastelavns bun or shrovetide bun, a round sweet roll covered with icing.  It was a lovely afternoon!

Northern Exposure Part 3

Northern Exposure Part 2

We had a fantastisk time in Tromsø Norway!  We were so lucky to see the Northern Lights two nights in a row, even though it was heavily snowing.  We tried two local guided tours, and frankly I think this made all the difference between seeing the lights and not - I don't think we would have been so lucky if we set out to see them by ourselves (or just stayed in the city).  We can thoroughly recommend Guide Gunnar's tours.  His tour was relaxed and cosy (only 12 people), and he impressed us by using his local knowledge and 'intel' to find the best site - calling his contacts on the ground across Northern Norway for the latest weather updates!  His hot cranberry drinks and Norwegian goat cheese sweets were also fantastisk!


When we weren't chasing the Northern Lights we were enjoying the local scenery, especially the fjords, and checking out some of the local museums.  We have a new found respect for some of the first Arctic explorers - how they survived in those conditions is amazing.

Northern Exposure Part 1

We saw the Northern Lights!  More pictures to follow soon...

Norway Weekend...

We're off to Norway this weekend - Tromsø - to try and see the Northern Lights.  There is never any guarantee so fingers crossed!  Above is a photo from our last trip to Norway - Bergen.  

No such thing as bad weather...

There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothes.  I have heard this saying quite a few times since moving to Europe.  I am not sure I am convinced, but I do agree that having the right clothing makes a big difference.  In Australia we never had to consider thermals, two layers of gloves and socks, etc., whereas here it is all necessary this time of year, especially if you are going to be outside for a lengthy time. Casey's latest purchase is his balaclava, which, whilst keeping him toasty when cycling, is both hideous and terrifying!

Der er en mus i huset - Learning Danish

This has been a very busy week for us with work and our Module 1 Danish language exam.  We started Danish language lessons at our local Kommune in October 2011, not long after arriving in Copenhagen.
  
After several months of attending classes two nights / week it was time to sit our Module 1 Test. The test was oral and involved having to talk about one of five topics, followed by being given a picture and having to ask questions about the picture for two minutes. I was very nervous but am delighted to share that we passed!! So chuffed!

Learning Danish has been challenging but so rewarding and a great way to meet new people (our class is fantastisk!).  

It has also been very interesting for me to note how similar the Danish language is to Scottish. When living in Scotland I thought Doric / Scots language was slang, but after starting to learn Danish it has become apparent to me that many Scottish words are derived from Danish following the Viking era. There are so many similarities it is crazy, and it actually quite nice to hear some of my favourite Scottish words / pronunciation here in Denmark, like 'mus i hus' (mouse in the house). See below link for a very interesting article on the topic.

The Scots Language and its European Roots 

Sikker vs Ikke when ice skating in Copenhagen

The cold snap has turned the city's lakes, canals and even harbour into outdoor skating rinks. However not all are safe and sometimes the signage is confusing, especially for us non-danish speakers. "Sikker" is safe and "ikke" means not - important distinction!!  

In addition to signage, the Copenhagen Kommune (council) publishes updates on whether lakes are safe for ice skating on their website.  It says in part:

When the temperature for a few days has been below freezing, we measure the ice thickness on the city's lakes. If the ice is sufficiently thick, approx. 16-18 cm, it is possible to open for traffic. We would stress however that the thickness is only suitable for general use as ice skating and walking, and that dangerous situations can occur if many people crowd together in a small area and, for example jumping or dancing.

We're looking forward to trying it out (though no crowding together or dancing!!).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It doesn't show signs of stopping

And I've brought some corn for popping

The lights are turned way down low

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It has been such a mild winter so far, so it was a lovely surprise this morning to wake up to snow outside!