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...

Southern Migration

Here in Denmark, week 7 is "Winter Holiday", which you need because everyone needs a holiday from Danish winter. Surprisingly, though, most opt to increase the winteriness by taking ski vacations in Norway or the Alps. Not us, though! We headed south to warmer climes. Specifically, Berlin. And specifically, only marginally warmer. Here are some pictures of things that happened.

C makes sure we don't forget her

Please look after this bear

C and E ready to head out for our first day of adventuring

We really like Schloss Sanssouci, in Potsdam. Here is one view in the park

And here are C and B at the baths in Sanssouci

This is one of the smaller palaces at Sanssouci

Sightseeing can wear you out

Back in Berlin! We saw the Reichstag

Alexanderplatz

Still Alexanderplatz. C really got into the "former East Berlin feeling"

Near our hotel, the Zoo Station and Gedächtniskirche

We went to the zoo! C liked it a lot

Also the Aquarium, where there were some big fish

 

Collecting sticks in Tiergarten

Checking out the Siegessäule

Ka De We - a massive department store

Exhausted

December 5--Advent at ADAFT 2012!

You might have seen it coming, but I'll tell you anyway.  This year I'm feeling all emotional and nostalgic.  So even though our blog is ostensibly about exciting foreign (especially Danish) stuff, this Advent I'll be bringing you some of the best stuff from the desert too.

To start off, I'll tell you about the single area in which Phoenix beats Tucson--Christmas lights at the zoo.  Yes, the Reid Park Zoo is great, and it has fun holiday evenings, but the Phoenix Zoo just blows it out of the water when it comes to breathtaking light displays.  Plus they have a talking giraffe.

Today I'm specifically feeling nostalgic about the time R brought me home to her family at the holidays and we checked out ZooLights together.  It was a blast!  And she even got Jenga the Talking Giraffe to give me a personal greeting.  With that in mind, here are some photos (not mine) of ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo.