Tag Blog: Vordingborg

We packed up our things and said goodbye to Marion and Harold. For some reason, it was harder to fit everything in the trunk, even though we had slightly less stuff. I guess we didn't pack our bags as efficiently as we had in Gainesville. It was quite a drive to Vordingborg from Hals...by European standards. About as far as you can drive in Denmark. Kind of like driving from Seattle to Miami, only on a much smaller scale.

We left Hals around noon, cooler loaded with a picnic lunch, which we ate at a rest area. Rest areas in Denmark are much nicer than the ones in the States. For one thing, each parking place has its own picnic table and trash can, and the little space is somewhat secluded by bushes and plants. The restroom wasn't going to win any loo of the year awards, but it was nearby and adequate.

We ate our smørrebrød of tomato, cheese, pickle, and lettuce (I accidentally left the chicken breast at the Hals cabin). A sliced up apple and a few bottles of water, and we were good to go.

One of the curious things about Denmark, other than the extreme cleanliness and beauty, is the lack of visible law enforcement. At no time so far had I seen a police car. Weird. And though Danes are known as rule-followers, especially when it comes to the roads, there were plenty of people speeding. But no disco lights.

We crossed the $42 bridge again, took our obligatory photos, and headed to new territory: south on the Zealand island towards Vordingborg.

The trip east had a better view of the lighthouse

Trine (pronounced Tree-na) Bradshaw is Danish, but she married an American, who is a captain for Southwest Airlines. Her family live 10 months of the year in Mesa, Arizona. We first met her (or more accurately, Cristina met her) when we lived out there. They were both La Leche League leaders. Years ago, when Cristina told her that I had a hankering to visit Denmark, she told us to let her know when we ever made it over. So part of this grand summer epic journey included a few days with Trine and family.

Trine met us at a Netto grocery store near Vordingborg, so we could follow her to the summer house where we'd be staying for the next few days. We grabbed a few grocery items at Netto before Trine arrived. Trine and her parents (who own the summer house) are vegetarian and prefer no meat in their house, so we bought only veggie stuff. Trine found us in the store and said she figured we were here because she saw a big black BMW with a fancy camera on the front seat, and that had to be the Americans. Guilty as charged.

We followed her back to the summer house, which was gorgeous. Seriously. All of Denmark is pretty, but this summer house area is calendar material.

We met David, her husband, and the kids, Charlie and Anna. The kids played together while the adults chatted and Trine cooked an awesome make-your-own burrito buffet. Cristina and I figured we'd be staying with Trine's family, but as it turned out, they were giving us the summer house to ourselves while we were there. So after dinner and conversation (and dessert of strawberries with fresh whipped cream that is like no whipped cream in the States), Trine and family headed back to Nykøbing and we settled into our new home.

One of the first things I did was plug in the power strip that Trine had suggested we bring, and it immediately blew a fuse. I found the fuse box, which had actual fuses rather than circuit breakers. Two of them had red tips, so I figured those were the blown ones. Nothing critical was affected (like the stove or fridge) so I just let it be.

Even though we mainly drove all day, Cristina and I were exhausted.