December 24-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Så er det Juleaften!  Merry Christmas and Glædelig Jul from the Daring Trio!

December 23-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Because we live a car-less life in Denmark ("car-free" depending on who's talking and what the weather's like), we ride the buses and trains a lot.  We also walk a lot, but that's not very interesting.

Trains, though, trains are very interesting!  C is a consummate train connoisseur, having ridden both small local trains--they're green-- and long ICE trains that take you right out of the country.  She's a star traveler and reminds us to stamp our tickets and to remember all our bags when we get off.

Besides riding trains basically every time we go on holiday, we like to watch them drive past on their regular routes.  Since our apartment is near the train tracks and on the pedestrian path to the main train station, we have lots of opportunities for train-spotting. Most of the year we see the small green trains, the long grey trains, and occasionally freight trains, if we're up early.

But at Christmastime we also keep our eyes peeled for "the pink train!"  As an advertising stunt, the Danish chocolate company Anthon Berg pays for several weekend trains to take students and elderly people home for Christmas-- for free.  Also to be nice, of course.  Notably, though, Anthon Berg also arranges for several of the local trains to be fully covered in advertisements, such that the train closely resembles one of their famous chocolate-marzipan confections.

C adores the pink train and strongly feels that we should ring B up and tell him about it every time we happen to see it.  She's pretty much a sucker for all trains, though, and was possibly even more delighted to ride this little number at Zoo Lights tonight.

It actually looked even cooler, since the whole train was festooned with Christmas lights, but I don't have a photo of that.  I think C will back me up, though, when I say that it was most definitely a...

December 22-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Danish grocery stores close for various holidays, both major and minor (like Store Bededag and Second Easter day). This leads to what we call "food droughts", which requires careful planning, especially since our kitchen has enough storage space for about 2 cans of beans. So, for us, Danish holidays are always preceded by frantic list-making and hauling home a bunch of groceries from various stores.

Before we learned about some of the more obscure holidays (and in those days, stores were usually closed on Sunday), we'd often find ourselves cobbling together a day's food out of rice cakes, half a jar of peanut butter and some leftover broccoli. There was a Thai place by our first apartment that was usually open during food droughts, and they also saved our Pad Thai a few times.

December 21-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

For the first time in a long time, E, C and I aren't in the (approximately) darkest place in the world on the darkest day of the year! Aarhus will have a 6 hour and 54 minute day. But it's all downhill from here!

December 20-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Cinnamon is a big deal in Denmark, featuring prominently in baked goods. This caused a friend from South Africa to comment on how Danish baking all tasted like Christmas baking. A year or two ago, this proud tradition came under threat when new EU policies (based on some evidence that eating too much cinnamon can cause some health problems) limited the amount of cinnamon that can be put into baked goods.

Fortunately, member countries could apply for exemptions for seasonal items and cultural significant baked goods. Denmark sought an exemption for their cinnamon snails. We all breathed a big sigh of relief when it was granted.

Anyway, this time of year, some baked goods use a bit more cardamom. That follows in a tradition from Sweden, where cardamom features heavily. I had the opportunity to try a Swedish cardamom bun a while back, and let me tell you, it's not for the faint of heart. After eating it, I felt like I had a cardamom pod tucked into each cheek for the next three hours. Crazy.

December 19-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

You might have been worried, after that last post, that C is not enjoying our trip.  She is, though.  I present photographic evidence:

December 18-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

As if jet lag on its own weren't enough, our tiny C is suffering from "nothing is familiar and I don't know how things work" syndrome.  We know it well from our first days in Denmark.  Of course we speak English at home, and she's been to the US before, but she was too small to remember it.  And anyway, it's the little things that get you.

I recently asked another American-in-Denmark friend of mine what she most looked forward to about her upcoming trip home for Christmas.  She said, "Grocery shopping.  Just buying the things I know, and eating food I like...."  That's really something, since Denmark is assuredly a first-world country, with plenty of well-stocked supermarkets.  There's no shortage of good food.  But I can understand the desire to wander in and buy a granola bar or maybe some Grape-Nuts or even just a can of root beer.

For C, everything is wondrous and new and mystifying.  Why does the kale look different?  Why do the toilets all have handles, instead of buttons, for flushing?  Why are the light switches so small?  What happened to the electric sockets?  What is a drinking fountain?  What's a stop sign?  What are mountains?  Why are the plants so prickly?  Why isn't anybody speaking Danish?

I couldn't help but think of this last night as we wandered through Tohono Chul park, enjoying the Christmas light displays.  For B and me, it's lovely and familiar and delightful in every way.  For C, it's fascinating yet foreign.  And no wonder, when comparing what we saw last night to what she's used to seeing at Christmastime.

 

December 17-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Danes love the sun. It's clearly a case of "absence makes the heart grow fonder". The best way to enjoy moments of sunshine it to run out into your garden and take off all (or most, if you're shy) of your clothes. It doesn't matter if it's only 50 degrees and weak, watery sunshine.

So, imagine our parental pride this morning when C asked what we were going to do today. We told her that it would be warm and pretty sunny, so we might spend some time in the garden. C thought about it a bit, and said: "And we'll take off our clothes!". She's leaps and bounds ahead of us in adopting Danish culture.

December 16-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Santa Claus (or, the Julemand) comes to Aarhus every year on a boat. C and I went down to the new library at the harbor to watch his arrival, along with hundreds of other people. It was pretty cool! And after that, he leads a parade through town. It looks something like this:

December 15-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

ARoS is a modern art museum in Aarhus that often has cool stuff. Here are some of our favorites from years past:

How to Hunt - Trine Søndergaard & Nicolai Howalt

 

Your Atmospheric Color Atlas - Olafur Eliasson

New Nordic:  Flickering Lights by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg

Pas de Deux Royal by Dronning Margrethe II and Prinsgemalen Henrik

Cardiff and Miller (especially the Cabinet of Curiosities)

The Golden Age (especially P.S. Krøyer's Skagen paintings)

December 14-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Today we are inviting audience participation! Normally on Christmas Day, we go for a walk along Tangkrogen. But this year, we will be in Tucson! Where should we go?

Tangkrogen

December 13-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Today we turned out as a family to see a small theatrical production, Skovnissernes Jul.  A local company that specializes in participation-based theatre for small kids puts on a free Christmas show each year, and this year we were treated to "The Forest Elves' Christmas."

B and I agree that the clear highlight is the song "Og de gik" (and they walked) which the audience is requested to sing several times during the course of the 30 minute production.  Text is as follows:

Og de gik og de gik og de gik og de gik og de gik og de gik og de gik og de gik!

Even C got in on singing this one.  She, however, felt the best part was when the troll family hid in the elves' own home and nobody could see them.  (Actually a lot of the audience could see them, but C was astonished by what she believed to be their complete disappearance).

Here's a few photos of recent productions of this delightful show.

 

December 12-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Today, a brief introduction to some notable baked goods from the Danish Christmas!

Pebernødder
Very small cookies with cinnamon and some pepper and other spices.

Klejner
Bits of fried dough, somewhat sweet, and sometimes with a bit of lemon.

Berliner
Basically a jelly-filled doughnut, and the source of funny JFK "Ich bin ein Berliner!" jokes.

Honninghjerter
Gingerbready, honey-ish bit of cookie, covered in chocolate!

Æbleskiver
Round pancake things made in a special pan. Apparently used to have apples in them, but usually don't anymore. Usually served with jam and powdered sugar.

December 11-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

C's weekly music class has become a big part of our lives.  We've learned many Danish songs and rhymes, which we often sing at home.  We also regularly discuss who came last time, who we might see next time, and whether we will get to sing the best songs--like the one about the little green train-- next time.  One thing we can count on is singing "Sigurds godnatsang" at the end of class each week.  It's a sweet lullaby, which was recently voted the #6 best Danish lullaby by Danske Radio listeners.  We vote it #1, though.

Here's the Danish text, followed by my English translation:

Nu er solen gået i seng
uden for står natten på spring.
Vi skal sove nu,
vi skal hvile vores krop,
for i morgen skal vi op!

Nattens stilhed sænker sig ned,
alt bli'r roligt, alt ånder fred.
Vi skal sove nu,
vi skal hvile vores krop,
for i morgen skal vi op!

Til en dejlig dag med musik,
kammerater, leg og lidt slik.
Vi skal sove nu,
vi skal hvile vores krop,
nu er månen stået op!

Now the sun has gone to bed,

Outside the night is waiting,

We must sleep now,

We must rest our bodies,

Because tomorrow we're getting up again!

The quiet of the night sinks down,

All is calm, all breathes peace,

We must sleep now,

We must rest our bodies,

Because tomorrow we're getting up again!

To a lovely day with music,

friends, playtime, and a little treat.

We must sleep now,

We must rest our bodies,

The moon has already come up!

Here you can hear a bit of the Danske Radio girls choir singing the verse-- just scroll down to #6 and click play on "Sigurds godnatsang."

 

December 10-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

I know you've all been waiting for this.  What is Advent at ADAFT without Gunther, Hansi and Fritz?  (Don't tell me you didn't remember their names). 

Yes, the charming nisser from The Julekalender are back today to give you "The Boot Dance."  Enjoy!

December 9-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Just some pictures today, from around Aarhus (We can't help ourselves when it comes to pictures of our kid + Baltic Sea)

December 8-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

I can't talk about winter in Denmark without talking about the darkness.  People always ask us if it's really cold-- because Scandinavia makes everyone think polar bears and reindeer and furry boots-- and seem disappointed to hear that it isn't that cold and the real problem is the dark.

If you think the dark is not a serious problem, you are sadly mistaken and probably live somewhere very far south of us.

B was recently in Boston for some work stuff.  The Bostonians asked how much daylight we were getting, and then said, "Oh, not bad then.  Your sunrise is just about an hour later... and sunset an hour earlier... or so..."  Yes.  That's two hours less daylight than them.  And that was in November, a month before the Solstice.  The length of day here, today, was 7 hours.  And it's still getting shorter.

I know no better way to illustrate this than to tell you that this afternoon C got out our flashlight to shine on her solar-powered calculator. 

That, my friends, is dark.

December 7-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Julehygge

December 6-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

A fine Danish tradition is that of Christmas beer - a special brew that is only sold this time of year. It's a big deal - the day it is first available to buy (the first Friday in November) is called "J Day", and marks (for some at least) the beginning of the Christmas season. It's got some pretty interesting flavors going on, but one key one is licorice (if you've been paying attention, you'll know that Danes love licorice!). This is the classic Tuborg Christmas beer - it even comes in a festive can.

Here's another one that I tried this year, with good results:

December 5-- Advent at ADAFT 2015!

We've talked before about nisser, the little elves who run around being both mischievous and helpful all winter.  You may remember that they prefer to eat gruel, specifically risengrød-- rice gruel.

Danes use the term "gruel" to refer to any sort of cooked, soft grain or legume.  For instance, oatmeal is havregrød, and I've recently seen dhal referred to as "den klassisk indisk linser grød."  The classic Indian lentil gruel.  The concept is so popular that there's even a restaurant in Copenhagen called "Grød," which serves up fancy oatmeal, dhal, congees, and, of course, risengrød, which for our purposes (ie, not sounding gross) I will call rice pudding.

I tried making (and eating!) risengrød for the first time this year and was pleasantly surprised.  I guess it's like a boring risotto, but it's actually really good and comforting.  On its own, it isn't sweet-- the traditional way to serve it is either with butter and salt, or with butter and cinnamon sugar on top.  

Having heard that I'd made my own risengrød for the first time, a Danish friend of mine said, "So!  It's happened!  You are now a real Dane."

Who knew that was all it took!

December 4--Advent at ADAFT 2015!

This time of year, when Denmark is shrouded in darkness and the night is nearing 17 hours long, we become very aware of how Danes light their houses. Here are some rules you can follow if you want to light your home like a Dane:

1) Hang a lamp about 12 inches (sorry! 30 cm) above your dining table. It should feel like part of the table setting. You'll know you have it at a good level when you can't see the person sitting across the table from you.

2) When choosing a lamp, people often wonder how much they should spend. Like an engagement ring, a good rule of thumb is two month's salary. (Don't believe me?)

3) When all the lights in a room are on, you should just be able to identify your spouse from across the room. If it's possible to read a book at every location in the room, it's too bright, and not cozy enough. Americans often mistakenly believe that the purpose of indoor lighting is to be able to see things. Danes know that the purpose is to create coziness. Being able to see things is a nice but expendable side effect.


Alternatives, if you are a cheapskate:

December 3--Advent at ADAFT 2015!

C goes to a music class for small kids every Wednesday afternoon, where we've learned lots of Danish children's songs.  At this time of year we often get to sing about nisser, the little elves that live in Danish homes and sneak around at night.  Nisser like Christmastime.

Yesterday we learned a new little ditty: Der bor en lille nissemand.

Der bor en lille nissemand
på loftets mørke rum, bummelum.
Der bor en lille nissemand
på loftets mørke rum.
Han stamper rundt, han tramper rundt,
han spiser grød, for det er sundt.
Der bor en lille nissemand
på loftets mørke rum.

(A little elf lives in the dark attic, bummelum!
He lives in the dark attic.
He stomps around and eats gruel, because that's healthy.
A little elf lives in the dark attic).

C's teacher played the drums and we all danced and sang.  It's fun to change the verb-- so the elves can dance or hop or spin instead.  C picked running (because hopping had already been taken). 

Here are a few (admittedly old) photos of her music class so you can get a feel for it too!

December 2--Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Danish Christmas decorations often involve folded and/or cut paper. For example, julestjerner or julehjerter. 

E and I really like folding Christmas stars. It's repetitive and relaxing. Every year, though, we have to re-learn how to do it, which means that the first few times are a bit rough.

We're less expert on Christmas hearts. So, when we're in the mood, we have to refer to our favorite-ever instructions. Here is the text:

"You du have needs of thinly shiny Paper, by two colours. You do fold they and do outline a square and a halv semicircle, on them. Do Cut it (square + semicircle) out by a DOUBLE layer of paper. By the semicircle opposite to the fold.

 1. Do cut strip in the square, but little in the semicircle. Do not to many strips, and the strips have needs to been little longer as the square.

2. 3. Do woven the strops inside and on the outside each other (not up, not down)

4. Do glue the handle on.

Symbol by templet: Small arrow saying: "Please, do start here" 2. and 1. saying: "Please, do start by os together"

December 1--Advent at ADAFT 2015!

Well, dear readers, it's that time again.  That special time when the Daring Duo regrets not having blogged more all year, and resolves to make up for it with 24 posts in 24 days-- in other words, it's Advent at ADAFT!

This year we're taking a bit of a different approach and going back to our roots.  Instead of focusing wholly on Christmas, we're focusing on Denmark.  When we started blogging, we regularly wrote about the oddities of Danes and about the trials and tribulations of being ex-pats.  And then we stopped doing that, and just started posting pictures of our European travels and our semi-naked baby in the Baltic Sea.  And you know, it's not just because we had a baby (adorable though she surely is).  It's because after a while you get used to things, and really, not that much about Danish life seems unusual or remarkable anymore.

Still, I miss the days when we told you about our struggles to buy groceries, or our astonishment at the enormous scarves that are de rigeur here.  So this year for Advent you can expect lots of anecdotes about our Danish life-- like language mishaps and bilingual toddler stories-- but also pictures of the lovely Danish coast, recipes for Danish delicacies, and obviously, singing, dancing nisser.

Klar, parat, start!  Og god Jul!

Decorating the Juletræ means you need lots of Julestjerner.

Also you need lots of lights up here in the far North.

Stay tuned later this week when we review how to fold Julestjerner so you can make your own!

 

Happy Halloween!

It's true that Halloween isn't traditionally a big deal in Denmark, but that's no reason why we can't indulge in all kinds of pumpkin-y festivity at our place!  And we did-- we carved a jack-o-lantern, cooked a delicious pumpkin curry, and ate pumpkin cupcakes while listening to Khachaturian (just to get in that spooky mood).

There is one place in Denmark where you can really get in the Halloween spirit, and that's Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen.  We took a trip to Copenhagen two weeks ago while we were on "fall holiday," and stopped in at Tivoli in the evening.

I stand by my belief that the best thing about Tivoli is the way they light the place up in the evening.  I've seen the midsummer bonfires and lanterns, and the Christmas lights in the snow, and the Halloween decorations were no slouch either.  Our own pictures were not the highest quality, so I'm including some here from the Danish newspapers and Tivoli themselves. 

Interested in making the same curry?  Here's the recipe.  I like to throw in a few cups of baby spinach at the end, just to hearty it up a bit.