Snapshots

Project Night at Noma- Ducks and Plums.

Amazing winter sunset (3:40pm).

The first frost.

The morning commute.

Winter morning sunrise as I rode to work (8am).

Christmas is in the air.

Æbleskivers!

Sunrise over the neighbors house.

Chez Moi (the tenant entrance).

Thanksgiving in Sweden with the Hardlund Family

 I took the train to Karlskrona, Sweden on friday to celebrate Thanksgiving with my good friend Linnea (whom I met in Uppsala) and her relatives. We both arrived Friday evening and that is when the baking began. First on the list were the pies; we baked 2 pumpkin and 1 apple. The next morning we got up early and after a light breakfast we were right back in the kitchen, chopping, slicing, mixing and stirring.

On the Menu-

 Pumpkin Bread Rolls with a Buttery Walnut Crumble.

 Brined Turkey rubbed with Spice Butter and Stuffed with Apple and Herbs. 

 Swedish Kantarella Mushroom, Celery, and Onion Stuffing with lots of fresh herbs.

 Two Sweet Potato Casseroles with a Walnut Crumble. 

 Lingon Berry "cranberry" Sauce with Earl Gray and Clementine Peel.

 Warm Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad.

 Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Toasted Almonds. 

 The whole spread including the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Rutabaga, and Roasted Carrots. 

The proud cooks.

 The excited cooks!

 mmmmm Thanksgiving!!

 

After packing up the leftovers (the rediculous amount of leftovers Linnea and I took home), it was time for Dessert. 

 My oh my, that is a lot of pie. 

The eight of us enjoyed a slice of each of the three pies- 2 different pumpkin pies and an apple pie, as well as some cookies and ice cream.

 All in all the dinner was a HUGE success, nothing burned, no fingers were chopped off, and we managed to time everything perfectly. It was all to-die-for delicious and it was a lot of fun sharing a deeply rooted American holiday with a bunch of Swedish people.

You can put the American Thanksgiving meal on the table, but you cannot put the American Thanksgiving spirit in the people. Linnea and I were the only two who ate so so so much we felt sick, going back for seconds and thirds; the rest just ate a little more than they normally would.

I'm looking forward to the leftovers :)

Crash, Bang, Boom

On thursday evening as I was riding to Danish Class some jerk (also on a bicycle) crashed into me. We both fell from our bikes, he lightly bumped his head, and I ended up with an inch long gash just above my eyebrow. I was not knocked unconscious and remember the entire event.

 I remember hitting the ground and thinking 'oh shit, I probably just lost all of my teeth.' After a quick sweep of my tongue I realized they were all still there. Phew. A women came rushing over and tried to stand me up. With blood gushing from my head, I looked and her and said "I think I want to just sit right here." Another woman came over and started blotting my head with hand wipes and then another came with a clean towel to absorb some of the blood. The accident happened just in front of a grocery store so someone ran inside and brought a bag of frozen spinach to ice my wound while we waited for the ambulance. Both a doctor and a nurse where there as well as two other ladies who just kept shrieking at the sight of my injury (clearly not helping the situation).

While siting, waiting for the ambulance, tears welled up in my eyes. A woman came over and sat next to me; she asked if I needed anything. I told her, with a quivering voice, that I was teary-eyed because I was so far from home. She asked where home was and I told her upstate New York. She said she had just been studying in upstate New York and with a slight inclination that she would say she was studying at Cornell, I asked her where. Sure enough she had just been at Cornell so, we bonded over classic Ithaca things like CTB and Gimme Coffee. Having her there was just what I needed at that moment.

I was taken to the ER and stitched up by the plastic surgeon. After the procedure which, with all the waiting included took about 2.5 hours, my friend and colleague Justine (who met me at the hospital) and I left the hospital in search of some dinner. Just like that, we got up and left. Oh, socialized health care, how I love you. 

Best moments from the accident:
Meeting the woman who studied at Cornell.
The paramedic locking up my bike so it wouldn't be stolen.  
Snacking on chocolate covered raisins and nuts with Justine in the ER, a little gift from our other friend and colleague Guillemette.
An elderly man with blood stained white hair and oxford shirt wandering around the ER in search of a doctor.
The Egyptian doctor telling me I had beautiful eyes.
Not paying a cent to be transported to the hospital and treated.
Walking home from the Hospital on that cool, crisp, early winter night.

Getting a discount on a new helmet because the sales guy felt bad for me.

Moving Day

I am sad to say the day has arrived for me to move off the boat. Although I didn't really want to leave, I think it will be best in the long-run. I am now living in a room in a small villa owned by two wonderful elderly people. I share the place with four other tenants who all seem quite nice. 

I packed up my bags and fully embraced the Copenhagen life style and moved by bicycle! 

Photos of my new room to come. Stay tuned.

Snap shots

Because everyday is an adventure, it is a bit overwhelming to write a full post about everything that I am doing. Instead, I will be sharing my adventures though 'snap shots.' I will post a collection of funny, interesting, beautiful photos of what I have been up to with the occasional longer post full of more detail.

Pulling hop infused caramels.

 Cooking Staff Family Meal.

Eating Insects.

Diminishing Daylight.

Broken Bicycle.

Bread Baking.

The cutest darn cow.

Winning.

The Storm of the Century.

The Morning After.

Holiday Gathering.

Hop Flat Bread with Smoked Cheese, Pickled Radish, and Smoked Mackerel.

Event sponsored by Jocobsen = 120 bottles of free craft beer!