Coping in Copenhagen

Traveling and being away is not all lollipops, rainbows and dancing unicorns. I'm going to recount some of our tougher moments. This week the novelty of travelling has worn off and the breaking of my magic bullet has made me miss all the luxuries I had at home. Hopefully this post will prevent you from someday making the same travel mistakes or give you the knowledge that you are not alone. Hopefully this does not deter you from ever wanting to travel with a lil one as the rewards far out way the difficulties.

Jet lag
Jet lag. The first 2 weeks of our stay we suffered from jet lag. My arms felt heavy full of exhaustion as I would look to Cam and see if I could escape the grown up train and sleep. The only problem was that Cam was doing the same look. Expect 3 am wake up calls for play time with a baby who is also jet lagged. We had to gently help Etta get back on the sleep wagon. It was about 3-4 sleepless nights but some quiet days as she slept hard while we were out and about. About 2 weeks it took before our Etta was consistently back to nights full of sleep and happy days.

If she could, Etta would be yelling. "PLAY!!! PLAY WITH ME NOW!" at 3:00am...

Managing a smile even though I remember being so exhausted I hardly could raise my arms.

Travel Day Conundrums
If you have ever travelled abroad especially in a country that has no English signs and even worse does not speak English you are bound to get lost, go the wrong way and struggle buying transit tickets. Add in a baby and you need to figure it all out amidst the diaper changes, naptimes, feedings and crying. A few times Cam and I have missed a train. One train we missed and had to wait another 20 minutes for another train. Another time we went the wrong way for a good 15 minutes, then figured out we had to get off and go the other way. In our first week in Copenhagen we were using 10 card punch passes to ride the train. We punched them as usual and boarded the train. When the train officers came by to check our ticket we showed them with certainty that our pass had been clipped. Except it hadn't. Apparently the machines do not always clip your ticket. They can even make the sound without actually having been clipped. Apparently there are signs that say its your responsibility to make sure 'the system' works.... IN DANISH!
With no compassion and a crying baby we were given a $200 ticket. Needless to say we almost did not go check out Kronborg Castle in Helsingor that one Saturday. Thankfully we still went and had a great time. We also fought the ticket and got it reduced to $20. Still lesson learned. Don't trust the system and always double check/ask when buying/using transportation. In each of our instances we had to work together, trust the other person and forgive them if they made a mistake.

Another exhausting travel day. We still manage a smile.

No support
We have no immediate family in Vancouver either but we have an amazing network of friends to hang out with. We even have friends who will watch Etta and give us the occasional date! The lack of support has been hard as you are never given a break. Sometimes I just want to have an all day movie or t.v. show marathon. Hmm I guess I probably wouldn't get that even with the support. However living in the tech age, Skype has been a great way to have Etta entertained by family members abroad.
To help keep Cam and I connected when he is at work we got sim cards for our phones. This is especially nice for when I am out and about with Etta and want to meet Cam somewhere after his work. This would be nice if you could count on them working. Unfortunately our phones only occasionally decide to work. I miss having a working phone in Vancouver!

Change tables
Unfortunately the world becomes your change table when traveling. I remember being out with some moms in Copenhagen and I changed my daughters bum right beside me. I got a funny look and at first wondered why. This is because Cam and I have been caught in so many situations where there is no proper place to change a baby anywhere. I have changed her on her changing mat on the floor in tiny bathrooms, in her stroller and even outside! With these Danish moms I lost all proper mother baby etiquette.  Needless to say when I am with others I now always try to ask where the best place is to change a baby.

Confused by this? So was I.... Cam said" I know where I can change her without the wind." He proceeds by grabbing the changing mat and plopping Etta in this circular cement cheerio. He then begins changing Etta. The funny thing is that right behind us there were public bathrooms, even ones with change tables. Unfortunately they were locked!

Money mayhem
The other day Cam was skyping with a good friend and he asked us what we eat on a regular basis. Pretty much everyday for dinner we eat lentils, rice and onion or veggie pasta ($1.50 pasta sauce, noodles and usually one veggie). This is because it has become our cheapest option. Every week we try and map out what we would like to do and how much that will cost. Wanting to explore, go out for the occasional coffee ($8 each) or ice cream ($10 each) we are trying to find any way to save on money. Funny actually.... as we try to make sure that Etta gets the nutrients she needs, she actually eats the best out of all of us!

Luxuries Be Gone!
Two examples of simple luxuries I had in Canada that I did not have or lost in Copenhagen.
1. Before going to Copenhagen I had figured out how I wanted to introduce foods to Etta. I was planning to introduce food that was blended along with finger food of a good variety. I had just gotten in the groove with a great combination of introducing new foods while keeping with the old goodies. We were introducing more texture along with finger foods. I was just getting to the point where I could make a family meal then blend it for Etta. It was awesome. Then I had to say bye to the magic bullet. Why did I not buy an energy converter. The breaking of my magic bullet caused me to crash, cry and miss all my kitchen tools including Etta's high chair with a tray! No longer being able to grind food meant that I had to find new alternatives. Specifically meat alternatives. What's worse is that without a high chair tray finger food would only last seconds before going on the floor.

Shepherds Pie for the whole family.
Already have to be creative with our own meals and how to cook them!

2. Laundry is another example. First of all we had to figure out the tech system with our swipe key. After about 2 weeks trying to figure out the system we FINALLY realized that you need to reserve the machine before you use it unless its after 5pm. Badly needing clean clothes, a washer finally opens up at 730pm. This will give us just enough time to wash and dry our clothes, linens and bedding by the time the machines close down at 930pm. Unfortunately when we went down to put our clothes in the dryer at 845 pm the machine was not working. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to get it to work when a lady came to grab her clothes and said "Even though it only takes 30 minutes you need to get it in the dryer 60 minutes before closing, otherwise it will not let you dry it."


Trying to find places to dry all our stuff. This is in our kitchen/living room/bedroom/office!

Baby philosophy 
Its really important to remember that most parents are doing whatever they can to raise their baby in the best possible way. This can also be very different from how you would raise your child but does not mean that it is wrong. There may even be research that backs up certain methods but there is also research that may back up another method as well. It is important to be open minded to other peoples baby philosophies especially when you are travelling as other places tend to raise their babies differently. On the flip side it is also important to stick to your gut and raise your child the best way it is for you and your family.
Some interesting differences between the cultures that I have noticed are: 
(For the record I share these because I thought they were interesting and not because I specifically agree or disagree; Also I do not know if ALL Danish people think this so do not quote me)
- They do not believe in giving baby cereal with iron as they say there is links to cancer but rather they give 6 iron drops a day.
- They believe that a baby should have every nap outdoors.
- They leave their babies sleeping outside the restaurant/coffee shop/pub while they are having coffee or a beer inside.
- They do not have exersaucers because they believe they are bad for the babies back.
- They do not stand their baby up until they are able to do it by themselves as they believe this is also bad for the babies back.

Showing some love to our beautiful baby girl!

Copenhagen Daily

I thought I should dedicate a blog post to the everyday Copenhagen life.

What does Cam's week look like?
During the week Cam goes to the University to do what he does in the astronaut world (inside joke with teacher friends). Now don't go thinking he is an astronaut it's just that sometimes it gets confusing what he does but in simple, my language terms, he is a kinesiologist/neurophysiologist that does research primarily for people with spinal cord injuries and stroke. One thing that is pretty cool about being in Denmark is the opportunity to be a part of experiments you would not be able to run in Canada. It seems that the Danish people and Danish research ethics boards are a little bit more inclined to experiment with certain mind-altering anti-psychotic drugs. As I write this, I realize it sounds kind of bad, but don't worry it's all safe! Cam also enjoys Wednesday Cake Club and Friday Breakfast Club with his temporary labmates. He is also starting to create his own smorrebrod sandwiches at lunch, just to fit in (and also because they're delicious!)

What does Annika's week look like?
Etta and I embark on many different adventures during the week, especially since I feel the need to regularly get out of the house. I highly recommend if you are ever moving to a new city, going for an extended trip somewhere or just plain looking for a group of people with similar interests you should look on the meet up website for a group that suits your needs. I joined a group called Copenhagen International Parents meet up group here in Copenhagen. Through this group I go to a few activities a week. For example Etta and I will meet up for coffee with other international parents and their children or go to a song a dance class in English. When we are not meeting up with other international parents or our awesome German neighbours that are students as well here in Copenhagen, Etta and I go explore. With our transit pass we hop on and off buses and trains and then find unique streets to explore.

We play in the grass
This was the first week there. It was such a beautiful week. Etta and I hung out outside near Cam's work in front of this church. A lot of people come to this piece of grass in front of this church and just hang out.

We walk the streets of Copenhagen.
We especially like nice and hot sunny days.  Sometimes we hang out in coffee shops if we have the extra $8 (!) but mostly we walk the streets and check out shops. I do spring for the $1.50 chocolate croissant often. mmmmmmm

We eat food.
A lot of our day surrounds food. Making food, eating food, playing with food. Etta loves food. It always takes her a good few days to adjust to something new because she is a little touchy. However after a few days she is all in and eats like a champ!

We hang out with other babies and moms.
 Etta and I met some moms at a play place. Etta was probably too small for the play centre but really the meet up was not for her but for me. I enjoy the adult conversations I get to have when being around other adults. Etta enjoyed the ball pit the most. 

We enjoy nature baths*. 
Ducks... It was a beautiful day and I really wanted to go for a nature bath with Etta by the ocean. Etta had a different thought in mind for how she wanted to spend the nature bath. As soon as she heard the ducks she protested until I took her out and she got to hang with the ducks. 

We go to the park
Etta loves parks and specifically two things about the parks.
1. She loves the swings. Could stay in the swing forever.
 2. She loves watching the other kids. Etta is a social butterfly and loves being around the action. 

There you have it folks. Regular daily life in Copenhagen for the Mang's.

*See blog post Eat, Drink and Be Merry! (Part 1) for nature bath description

Saunas, Oceans and Onion Domes

This past weekend we decided to venture into our homeland Sweden. This sounds like it would be a big deal and to us it was! However, the 30 min train ride meant that it was closer to us than Squamish is to Vancouver and is ideal for a day trip!

Saturday we woke up and had the regular debate of whether to stay for Etta's first nap or leave before her first nap. We decided to leave before her nap and head to the train station. On the train Etta was smiling and charming all the passengers. That is until it was naptime, on the train. This was the only moment all day that I felt stressed. Cam took the role of chilled out dad saying 'don't worry honey' as we tried to put her in the stroller. Our thought was that she would just fall asleep like she does at home in her crib for an hour and a half. Did this happen? Nope. 4 agonizing minutes went by of her crying and I caved. Off into the carrier she went and immediately crashed for a short 30 min nap. Phew! Following this I remembered to change my mindset to be easy and go with the flow. What I needed was hygge*.

Anyways here is the rest of our Saturday in pictures.

Etta having her 30 minute snooze in Malmo, Sweden. Cam and I are so excited to be in our homeland. I can't stop saying 'I can't believe we are actually in Sweden" and I keep thinking of dad, Leonard and Crystal doing one of their
 Sven, Ole and Lena jokes with a Swedish accent. These jokes were frequent in my childhood and occasionally they would be performed at gatherings when I was little. 

Øresund is the famous bridge behind Cam and Etta. This is the train that goes across and in the ocean from

Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. Riding this train offered beautiful views of the ocean. Spectacular!

We stopped by this castle so that Etta could have breakfast. It was a beautiful day which made it easier to do things with Etta. Etta was hungry and we could easily take her out of the carriage and feed her without worrying about
finding somewhere indoors. The other day when we were at the little mermaid statue we did not have this luxury and therefore spent alot of time in the washroom. Today the problem was the 30 ducks surrounding us who then started squacking at invading birds. Needless to say Etta loves ducks and therefore we enjoyed a good hour eating breakfast outdoors with those ducks.

On our way to the beach, in the distance,
we saw the Turning Torso.
The only tall building in Malmo and
a popular tourist destination. We were not so
 interested in seeing all the sights in Malmo.
What we really wanted to check
out was the saunas.
 So we just continued towards the beach area.

The beach in Malmo. There were hundreds of people either running, playing in the park or partaking in an exercise work out on the beach. I was once again in a euphoric state loving Sweden and my homeland. I am now understanding where my inner need for physical activity and exercise is rooted from. At this moment I was immediately disappointed I did not bring work out gear to go running while Cam was in the Sauna. 

This is the Sauna. Probably our favourite thing to do since we have come out to the Nordic countries. This is how it works. You go into the sauna that overlooks the ocean for about 15 minutes. Then you go into the ocean by the stairs that lead into the ocean. This seals your skin so you stay warm. Then you sun bathe on the deck. You repeat this as many times as you like. There is a men's only section, a women's only section and then a co-ed section. Since we did not take Etta, Cam went first for an hour. After his hour was up he was pretty pumped with how awesome it was. I was definitely skeptical as I do not usually like saunas all that much or cold water however... it was probably one of the coolest experiences being in a sauna looking at the ocean and then sunbathing in 8 degrees weather without being cold!! 

While Cam was in the Sauna Etta and I played on the beach!

Having a beer!

After having spent time in the sauna we had to make the decision of whether to return to the sauna after lunch. This was a clutch time family decision and we decided that it would be best to have lunch,
walk around Malmo and then head back to Copenhagen. As much as I was sad to say good-bye to the sauna for the day it was a game winner decision!

                                            

The end to our day in Sweden. Back to Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sunday we decided to have a more 'normal' day and I will keep it short. Since we were both missing church and had finally felt settled, we decided to go to the Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen.

A couple of nice surprises were that the church is on the tourist list of places to go which means that it was beautiful. There was a wide range of different cultures because there are many different people from different countries that move to Denmark. There were also many children, young adults, adults and seniors. It felt like being back at church back home minus the Russian. It was really beautiful to be halfway across the world praying and meditating with the Danes knowing that our church was doing the same. We are looking forward to returning to the church in the future.

The Orthodox Church in Copenhagen, Denmark

*Hygge is a term by the Danes that reflects not only a state of being but a way of life. Apparently the term is originally Norwegian but has been seen in Danish writings as early as the 18th century. "Hygge means creating a nice, warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people around you." This means even enjoying doing your laundry by reading a book while waiting for it do be done. In my case it was enjoying the my family in whatever situation we were in. This information was derived from people we have met here and the website linked above!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry! (Part 2)

Sunday turned out to be another foodie day. Sunday was the day we decided to try out Smorrebrod. Smorrebrod are the famous open faced sandwiches that the Dane's eat a lot. In fact they have those pretty much at lunch everyday where Cam is working. A co-worker of his recommended Aamans. At Aamans you can eat on the deli side which is cheaper than the restaurant side. Since everything is expensive in Denmark including the 'cheap side' we ate on the deli side.



First Etta had to get ready. I decided to try out some of the 12 month outfits that I had brought. I found out she already fits them!! They were my 'big' outfits so that she could grow into them by the end of the trip. That would decrease the amount of clothes for her I would need to buy here. I brought these outfits because two weeks ago they were huge on her!



After a good 30 minute train and then 30 minute walk we arrive at Aaman's.



The Smorrebrod. We got 4 smorrebrod and shared each one because we wanted to know what each one tasted like. We got a herring, halibut, pork and beef one. My favourite was the beef and Cam's favourite was the halibut. Seeing as about 4 years ago Cam did not even like fish he has come full circle!



This is right before Etta spilled the rubhard juice that we got to share :) The server asked it we wanted another one. We politely declined as it was $9!!!!



In a nice park that we walked through to go home from Aarman's. I loved how all the buildings had different colours and this tree was in the perfect place!



Etta and I having a mother/daughter moment enjoying the epic scenery because in front of me was actually..... A CASTLE!



BAM!!! Walking home from the smorrebrod through this park we come across a.... CASTLE!!! No big deal... just a regular day! In this castle are all the crown jewels in Denmark. For our next weekend in Denmark we have now found another activity. Tour the castle! I have to say that Castles are one of my favourite things to visit.



The way into the castle across the bridge!




Concluding our day exploring Denmark with a Danish in a square in Stroget! There was a street perfomer that we did not stay to watch. Etta was napping and it was time to go home.




I was very excited to have nachos that evening. I was missing home and friends. So cam and I decided to create out own evening out with special nachos!



Unfortunately I burnt them :( But we did manage to have a few!



I feel like I cannot leave Etta out of our food weekend. Besides milk, Etta is now scarfing down mild curried lentils and rice. It honestly tastes so good that I keep stealing spoonful's of her meal.... 



Ending the weekend with a veggie stir fry and wine. Wine is the cheapest thing in Copenhagen. Since being here we have had 3 bottles of wine. This bottle was delicious and only $6.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry! (Part 1)

"Drinking a beer is no simple task for your brain. Tasting a beer challenges and activates all your senses" author unknown

This weekend we decided to stay and explore Copenhagen. It turned out to be a series of food and drink tastings as we experimented with the culture of Copenhagen.

About 4 nights ago we went out for one of our regular family walks for a Nature Bath*. As we were exiting a beautiful park about 10 minutes walk from our place we saw a big sign that read Carlsberg. That got us thinking.... Were we 10 minutes walk from the Carlsberg Brewery? Yes we were! At that moment Saturday's plans came into fruition.

The day started with breakfast. Actually today was when we taught Etta about breakfast in bed! We told her that this is when we all just eat and hang out nicely in bed. Take out the nicely and she did pretty good with breakfast in bed. For breakfast we had a combination of two random oat packages with yogurt. One random oats with nuts and banana and the other with chocolate oats with white and dark chocolate. Then we had eggs with veggies on top of salad. I had a cup of coffee and Cam had a chai.

Muesli. The contents are unknown but we have noticed
oats, chocolate, dried banana and a variety of nuts. 



Breakfast in bed, in the living room. Our two single beds pushed together are in the living room!

Following breakfast we hung out, had a little dance party and then Etta went down for a nap. At 11:00 am we got ready and headed out the door for a nice 10 minute walk to the Carlsberg Brewery. It was pretty amazing as far as brewery's go and having happy hour at 11:00 am and 12:00 pm was also fantastic. I will let the pictures tell the story of our Carlsberg Brewery tour.



A cart they used to transport the beer by horses. They still keep the magnificent horses in the stables. Cam thought he captured a perfect picture of Etta touching the horses.... This picture is not where to be found. However families with kids can come and just visit the horses for free whenever they want. We will have to save the horse picture for another day.



They had the largest collection of unopened beers. 22,250 total. Guiness world record.



Etta not as interested because the bottles did not contain milk :)



So many beers.... Different kinds and in different languages.



Here is a bust of J.C. Jacobsen and his son Carl. Father J.C. Jacobsen started Carlsberg. He named the company after his son Carl and mountain which is Berg in the Danish language. Down the road his son started a collection under the Carlsberg name and named it after his father J.C. Jacobsen. Skål!



Etta and I are working in the laboratory trying to come up with the perfect beer. The Carlsberg laboratory worked under the idea that anything discovered in the lab was meant to be shared with everyone including rival companies. Apparently through his research in the Carlsberg Laboratory J.C. Jacobsen found the a perfect method for creating beer. This was a revolutionary discovery for beer. He shared this method with anyone who wanted to learn as he did not believe in keeping great beer making a secret. This method is still used in a lot of beers that are made today.



J.C. Jacobsen was a huge fan of the Arts. He has donated tons of money to preserve buildings in Denmark. He also loved the story of the lil mermaid. He commissioned the sculpture, the little mermaid, in Copenhagen (featured in another blog post). This one is a copy that he had made for his brewery and is situated in the sculpture/garden area of the brewery.



This is a copy of the old entrance to the brewery. I recently came across the actual entry.



Having the rest of our beer tasting in the restaurant area. Etta is a little impressed as we told her that we were going to a milkhouse instead of a brewhouse. She realized now that we tricked her so that we could enjoy the brew tour.
Anyways, jokes aside. Before tasting the beer you go to the aroma room. Here you smell different types of beers. Some smell of chocolate and caramel while others smelled of sulfur and made me gag they were so disgusting. Actually another guest was smelling it first and he gagged so of course I thought I should smell it as well.

After the Carlsberg Brewery tour we walked home for Etta`s second nap of the day. During her nap Cam researched a place to go for afternoon tea. We were looking for a place to go for dessert as Danes are big on dessert. Apparently the Dane`s consider most desserts here Danishes. At Cam's work they have had some pretty in depth conversations on what a real Danish is. Apparently the ones back home are NOT Danishes.

Anyways.. Usually I am the meticulous one about good food and drink places but Cam had the task of finding a place. I am pretty sure Cam was nervous to pick the place and that`s why he got me to approve the place before going. All I can say about the place is that Cam nailed it. It was AMAZING! It can even have Amangzing status! The place is called `La Glace`. It might be more french than danish but it has been there since 1870 which is only 3 years younger than Canada! It turned out to be a historical learning opportunity about decadent dessert. Once again I`ll let the pictures tell our tale but don't please don't read on if your on a diet...



Right when we got to La Glace there was a huge line. That's how we knew it was good. I waited in line and Cam took Etta for a walk. We were a little worried because Etta was starting to get a little fussy.



The display case with all the different cakes. Each cake is based on one of their original cakes that they made. We had two and they blew my mind. We had the 'HC Hat' which is a caramelmousse, lemon-caramel ganache with chocolate layers. We also had 'Luck You' which was meringue with caramelised and salted pumpkin seeds. Chocolate mousse, raspberry, mascarpone cheese and chocolate ganache.

Inside it was like we were in the late 1800's having afternoon tea and cake.



`Cake and Art and Love each Day Make all Troubles fade away' La Glace.
Although it was past Etta's nap she enjoyed charming
 the other customers and staff. This kept her happy till we left the café.
Just long enough for everyone to think she is an angel!

After a long day touring Copenhagen we have decided that we like it here. ALOT! Etta is enjoying the sights and the people but is starting to find us a little boring. I guess it just means I need to go out more often between naps.

*A Nature bath has nothing to do with a water. It is when you go outside to enjoy the great outdoors with all your senses. The idea is that it engaging with the outdoors and you will feel healed physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Ideally you would want to be surrounded by completely natural surroundings. However if one opens there eyes they will see nature as soon as you open the door to your house. I always call it a Nature Bath and Cam gets annoyed because there is an initiative in Japan where they call it Forest Bathing. Unfortunately that would mean that you are unable to get the benefits of the outdoors if you were say just by the ocean for example and there was no forest around.