Something is NOT rotten in the state of Denmark, actually, its quite delicious!

Saturday May 9th I got the chance to sleep in while Grandma and SM went to an anniversary breakfast. Apparently in Denmark, it tradition for the friends and family of a couple to wake them up with music and decorations the morning of their 25th wedding anniversary. I thought it was a very cute tradition, but because I didn't know the family very well, I didn't want to impose, so I made the sacrifice to stay at home and sleep in.

Once Grandma and SM came home to pick me up, we got in the car and headed to the Frilandsmuseet or the Open Air Museum. This museum is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world! The entire museum covers 40 hectares of open land (1 hectares= 2.47 acres) and had buildings laid throughout all of this open land. However, these buildings were not like the ones you and I see today, no, many of these buildings are centuries old were refurbished by very skilled artists. These buildings were brought from all over Scandinavia and reassembled brick by brick to sit in these 40 hectares. 

Unfortunately I didn't take these pictures, I pulled them off the internet. But I wanted to give you a general idea about what the buildings looked like.

I even made GM and SM pose for some pictures:)

They even had some live stock living on the grounds. 

This horse didn't like me very much, once I approached it, it turned its back on me. RUDE!

They had two windmills on the grounds, this one was the more impressive one.

We spent a couple of hours there enjoying the cool weather until it started to rain. We then headed inside the restaurant and had some lunch. (I, of course, had some delicious fish and chips!)(Just goes to show that you can get decent fish and chips outside of the UK) 

On our way back home we stopped at the market to pick up a Danish treat (I don't remember what it was, but it was triangle and something I didn't like it too much) and we also stopped at the Turkish market for SM to get some cheap Marabou (Swedish Chocolate). And because we were already so close, we made our way over to the Danish temple which unfortunately was closed:/ But I still got some pictures anyway. 

Once we piled back in the car we drove to another island, Amager, to go to a tasty gelato shop that SM and GM were bragging about. It was called Ismageriet and let me tell you it was AMAZING. 

Let me tell you, if you are ever in Denmark and want to try the best Gelato every, go to this place! I think it was better than the Gelato I had in Italy, and I did try quite a few places! 

We made our way back home to snack on chocolate and pastries for dinner and played some more Nines (in which GM and I kicked SM's butt!). Once again my favorite part was listening to SM complain about one move or another that lead him to failure. We didn't last long, GM and SM had had an early morning and I was pretty tired from all the sugar I'd eaten, so we turned in for the night. 

The next morning was Sunday and Mother's Day and I was excited to be able to go to a different ward where they spoke in a different language. (Plus I was really excited to see if there were any cute guys there). Church was only 2 1/2 hours long and had only been changed to that recently. It was a small ward and I think a reason they shortened it was because there were only so many times people in that ward could speak in sacrament or in lessons. So they shortened it to make it easier. 

During sacrament, a lady in the ward had signed up to translate and was handing out headphones that were connected to a mic she held in her hand and spoke into while she translated. There were a few speakers as normal, but what wasn't normal was that one of the speakers was a girl about 8 or 9 years old I felt and one of the others was a member of the Bishopric. 

Thankfully, the Sunday School lesson was given in English by one of the young adults in the ward. It was a small class which included: GM, SM, the teacher, two visitors from somewhere else in Denmark and a young man who had grown up in San Tan, but had moved to Denmark a few years ago. (I think it was something to do with his parents?) Relief Society was taught by a beautiful young woman who, I was told by GM, used to be a ballerina and you could tell. (Not in a bad why of course, but dancers always move with such grace and poise, something I wish I had.) She taught about the Book of Mormon. This lesson was also in Danish, but the same lady who translated Sacrament meeting also translated Relief Society. 

After church, we headed home to have a light lunch a relax a bit before heading over to a members house for dinner where we had a typical Danish meal. Unfortunately, I can't remember any of the dishes, I do know there was some Salmon, two types of salads and some potatoes while dessert was a tasty raspberry treat. The couple who hosted were a cute older couple who had invited their son and pregnant wife over as well. We ended up spending several hours there, the husband of the older couple kept trying to set me up with different young men he knew from his ward. After dinner it was a 30 minute drive home where I kept dozing in the backseat and then finally off to bed!

The next morning was quite a lazy day. Grandma's hip and back were bothering her, so we decided to rest up for our long journey to the center in the afternoon for FHE. I spent my time reading while GM  did her Danish homework and worked on a lesson she was going to give on Thursday night. Around noon we had lunch and prepared to leave to go to the center. Thankfully, this time we didn't have to prepare any meals. We arrived at about 5:00 and I continued to read while GM and SM went over her Danish homework. 

They were really quite cute, I couldn't quite hear all they were saying, but let me tell you there was quite a bit of laughter and smiling going on. All in all I'm not sure how much homework got done;)

Because it was May, lessons were winding down, so instead of having a full lesson, they just had a discussion about what they would like to learn about in the summer months. There were suggestions written all over the board as different kids put in their input. Thankfully, a young man translated the discussion for me while he inputed some suggestions himself. Quite the multi-tasker. 

After an hour or so we went on a walk around the area as our activity. The walk lasted about 20 minutes or so, while the whole time I ended up talking to some of the missionaries who were there. They were elders from the US, so we had a fun time talking about what it was like living in a different country. (Let me tell you their experience was so much different than mine!) 

After the walk, we returned to some of the kids gathering around and playing games. I found out that there was even an old SET game stashed away which I pulled out and started to sort through. Thankfully, the adults didn't stay very long and we were heading home by 10:30. Once we got home, we changed into PJ's pulled out some chocolate and sat down to play some Nines:D

Tuesday, May 12th we were in a bit of a rush to get certain things done. Grandma and I went on a walking tour of the city using the app called Strayboots, a fun scavenger hunt that takes you around the city and gives you a bit of background that you wouldn't originally see. We ended up over by the Parliament building and took a picture in the guard's station. 

It's kind of hard to see, but on the right side above my head, is a cut out heart in the wood panel. I don't remember the reason why, but a heart was a big symbol in Denmark. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to go inside all of the places that the tour took us to. We were in a bit of a rush to get everything done so that I could make my plane on time at 4. But we did manage to stop in a famous cake shop which has been making cakes for the Royal Family for hundreds of years. 

I ended up with a tasty chocolate treat while Grandma got something she'd never had before. It was tasty and HUGE! as you can see from the pictures. 

On the way back to the flat, it started to rain pretty hard and we knew that we'd have to pull out the umbrella to go to the train station. We had about 20 minutes before we had to head out again, so I got the chance to toss my jacket into the dryer for a bit to try and remove some of the dampness that had settled in on our way home. 

We ended up leaving to the train station around 2:15, that way I would be on time and so that Grandma could ride the train on her senior pass before 3. We said our goodbyes before I took off to security and made my way back to the gate that would take me home to England. While I enjoyed my time immensely with Grandma and SM, I was ready to be home and not have to live out of a suitcase for sometime. 

D-D-Denmark!

FYI, this post will probably be a two parter because it was a busy week filled with fun!

Tuesday May 5th was a wonderful day! One of my now favorite books came out! And I was able to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark to visit my adoptive Grandma M! (She's there serving a mission with her husband SM, they come home at the end of August)

I had later flight thankfully, so I didn't have to worry about fighting rush hour getting to the airport. When I arrived, it was raining and our plane was docked farther out on the tarmac, so we had to walk in the rain to get into the terminal. Once I walked through the gate, Grandma M was waiting for me! (Unfortunately I was dumb enough and didn't take a picture at the airport, which I should have!)

We headed down to the metro where we met one of her YSA's who had just gotten off the same plane from London that I had! It was about a 20 minute ride to the central train station where we got off and walked to the flat she and SM were sharing. While in the train station she pointed out the Dunkin Donuts that had just been put in. (Apparently people were so excited that they had waited in line for a couple of hours just to get the donuts! Which is a little weird because the Danish have very good pastries, there is no reason to be obsessed with Dunkin.)

We arrived at their flat (thankfully it had stopped raining, so we were only a little damp) and they showed me the cute room where I would be staying including a cute gift basket with some goodies that Grandma had gotten me:) Once I got settled I went downstairs where the three of us chatted until it was after midnight and we turned in for the night.

The next morning Grandma made a delicious breakfast of eggs and bacon and toast! (It was nice to have real bacon, since the bacon in England is technically ham).

She wanted to take me on a tour of the city center (called Stroget) of Copenhagen afterwards! The city center was a large walking only area with shops lining the road. We walked around the shops and stopped by a cute little Christmas store that was open all year long. We also stopped by a large lego store that was on the block (The Danish invented legos! Unfortunately they were still just as expensive though)

Pieces of home can be found even here:)

After we walked around the city center, Grandma M took me to the Church of our Lady where the original Christus is! This little church is simple, but beautiful. 

When you walk in, there's a large chapel, which is mostly the entire building. Pews fill most of the room, and 12 large statues (representing the 11 apostles (minus Judas) and Paul) line both of the walls leading up to the alter. Behind the alter, sits the original Christus! Created by Bertel Thorvaldsen, this is the statue that the LDS church uses to portray Christ in Time Square and visitor centers around the world. 

We spent some time just sitting in the church and enjoying the peace and quiet until a large group of school kids came in and we figured it was time to leave. We wandered around Copenhagen for a bit, making a stop at another church that was quite desolate. Until we finally made our way to a tasty looking bakery and bought a snack. 

Mine just so happened to be a delicious cinnamon roll!

After we sat and ate our treats, we made our way to Nyhavn, one of the more recognizable places in Copenhagen. 

Forgive me, I may have gotten a little carried away with the pictures of Nyhavn:D

We took some selfies and then decided that taking a Harbor tour would be the quickest way to see all of the sights! Our tour didn't start for some time, so Grandma took me to see the Hans Christen Anderson shop where they had all sorts of items that revolved around his stories. They even had a mannequin of him reading. 

Our harbor tour lasted about an hour. The tour guide spoke in English (Thankfully) and in Danish. (I still think it would be pretty amazing to know more than one language. I think that'll be a new goal of mine, to learn to speak another language). We saw a lot of things on our tour, the Little Mermaid

She's kinda hard to see, but she's sitting on the round rock in the center. 

We saw the Black Diamond

This is actually a very large library shaped like a square and made out of dark glass. 

This is the Christiansborg Palace. This is the seat of Parliament and housed the Prime Minister's office. 

We also passed the Opera House, which had a huge roof that hung out over the water. 

We also managed to float down a canal and pass by another island. (Denmark is made up of hundreds of different islands that are all connected by bridges or fairies. Copenhagen sits on the island of Zealand, but it sits on the edge, hence the harbor. 

After our tour it was time for lunch, which we found at a hot dog stand on the way home. 

This hot dog was not only quite long, but had pickles and fried onions (like the type you put on a green bean casserole). But it was really good! The Danes sure know how to do hot dogs!

We made our way back down the Stroget and pass the flat so that I could stop by the fabric store and get a memoir of Denmark. Once we arrived at the flat it was nap time for the both of us. (Well I couldn't fall asleep, so it was reading time for me!)

Afterwards, Grandma, SM and I headed out to Tivoli, the famous theme park in Copenhagen! SM had a family pass, so we were able to get in without having to buy tickets! While we didn't ride any rides, we were able to walk around and take in the beauty of the park. They have 4 peacocks that they let walk around the park and it was cool because I had never been that close to a peacock before! 

The park was full of beautiful flower beds and I couldn't resist taking pictures of them:)

While we were at the park, I purchased some candy floss to snack on while we walked around. 

SM even stopped at one of the arcade games and played. 

It was sooooo cute to see them interact with one another. It was probably one of my favorite things of the entire week was to see their cute moments with one another. I only hope that someday I can have the same thing!

We walked around for a bit deciding where to eat dinner, and finally decided that we were going to go to the Danish version of McDonald's (of course much healthier and tastier) called Max. The bad part was it was quite a ways to walk and when we arrived, there was a bit of a queue to wait for food, but it was worth it. 

It was time to head home, after dinner we walked back to the flat to relax and change into some PJs. SM pulled out a stack of face cards and proceeded to teach me how to play Nines (a fun card game that mostly relies on luck) where I promptly kicked his butt! I think I won 2 of the 3 games that night, with Grandma winning the other. 

The next morning (May 7th) was a day we spent preparing. After having a wonderful breakfast once again prepared by Grandma with a little help by yours truly, we sat down for another game of Nines. (My luck wasn't as good as it was the night before, but poor SM kept losing the game by one or two cards.

We went shopping later in the morning to make sure we had all of the items we needed to prepare for dinner at the YSA center. Thankfully we didn't have to walk with all the groceries, Grandma and I walked with SM drove to the center where we unloaded the groceries and then he took the car back and walked back to the center. We were having Taco pileups which we quite easy to serve, but needed a bit of time to prepare. 

We had a wonderful lesson in Danish that night about the blessings that the Gospel gives to us. And I know what you're thinking, no I was not blessed with the Spirit of Tongues during that lesson, thankfully a newly returned missionary from Salt Lake took the time to translate the lesson for me. 

It ended up being a very late night. Some of the YSA didn't leave the center until 11:30 or so and by that time I was pretty much dead on my feet and we still had the walk home. Thankfully, it was a pretty uneventful walk home. The weather was perfect and the streets were quiet with little traffic. As you can imagine, I passed out very quickly once we arrived home. 

The next morning, SM went and rented a car so that I could ride in it! (They have a rule in their mission that they're only allowed to drive missionaries around in their car) We started off our day by driving out of the city to the Frederiksborg Slot, a castle that sits on its own little island (not sure if its manmade or not). 

This castle's quite lovely, even if the front of it is under construction (Just my luck right?) 

Grandma and I paid to go in and see the rooms, while SM opted to stay in the car and take a nap. We were able to walk around and see on the magnificent rooms! One of my favorite rooms was attached to the chapel. It's the King's room (the place where he sits during a service and worships there so he doesn't have to mingle with the rabble). This room is full of Carl Bloch paintings or the paintings that are often used by the LDS church to portray the Savior. You can see a collection of his work here if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Carl Bloch paintings

The chapel was pretty fantastic as well. 

Another one of my favorite rooms was where the dresses of the Queen of Denmark were held.

 I love my dresses! 

Afterwards we spent time walking through the garden, which was kinda bare since it was still springtime. 

Afterwards we headed back through a small town to get some lunch, unfortunately it was a windy road and I ended up getting really carsick. We headed back to the flat where I went and took a nap to try and sleep off my sickness. 

While I was napping Grandma and SM went shopping for food to make some food for a party we had been invited to that night. One of their YSA's had graduated and they were throwing a party to celebrate. They had some tasty food that I got to try such as Danish meatballs and a weird salad or two. (Someone was even kind enough and brought Swedish Fish to munch on). We were there for 3 hours or so, it was weird to be at because mostly everyone spoke in Danish, so I mostly talked to Grandma or SM, but overall I enjoyed it! 

We headed home and ended up opening some chocolate and playing another couple of rounds of Nines where SM once again lost badly. Thankfully he was a good sport about it:) He kept mentioning that he "hated this game" and I kept reminding him that he was the one who wanted to keep playing! 

Cambridge

I haven't decided if I'm going to be writing two posts today, needless to say this post will be pretty short!

Monday May 4th, TP and I made plans to go to Cambridge and take a walking tour! Unfortunately, when the time came to head out, TP was not feeling well and I headed off on my own. Because there was no bus that took us directly from London to Cambridge, I ended up taking a train to Cambridge. It wasn't a very long train ride, only about an hour or so, but it was nice to be on the train instead of the bus. (I had no chance of getting carsick that way.)

It was a bit of a walk between the train station and the tour meeting spot. Thankfully, I had quite a bit of time to kill and so I made my way to a Starbucks to eat a muffin and drink some tea. At 10:45 I took off to the meeting point which was across the road from a beautiful building that looked a bit like a castle.

At that point I just figured that each of the buildings in Cambridge and Oxford were just old and beautiful and regardless, would just make me feel inadequate to be there. (Mostly because everyone was rich, smart and had posh accents)

Now, I don't remember many of the colleges of Cambridge, but it's set up around the same way that Oxford is. The campus is widely distributed around the city, and each of the colleges represents a different academic pathway for the students. 

One of the first stops we made was to stop at strange looking clock.

If you can't tell, that's a grasshopper on the top of the clock. I know it doesn't really look like one though does it? (I think it looks more like a locust)

Anyway, Stephen Hawking unveiled it in 2008. It's made out of 24-carat gold plated stainless steel. It's called the corpus clock or the time eater. As you can also see, there aren't any hands on the clock, you're supposed to be able to tell the time from the ticks in the clock (don't ask me, I have no idea). And, not surprisingly, this clock cost over £1 million to make and it breaks down consistently. 

This were some of the buildings that we passed while on our tour. 

I love these types of buildings:)

This was the entrance to Queens College. The cool thing about Cambridge was that there's a King's College (Which we got to later) and a Queen's College. Of course the Queen's College wasn't as elaborate because the Queen wasn't given the same funds that the King had access to. 

On the other side of Queen's College that crossed the river Cam (technically the bridge of Cam or Cam-bridge), was the Mathematical Bridge.  The reason this is so cool is that all of the wood that was used to build the bride is straight timbers, but the bridge is curved. Weird concept right? People say that Newton designed the bridge, but he died 2 years before the bridge was constructed. 

We walked behind the buildings and took a picture of one of the most recognizable sights in Cambridge. (Unfortunately we couldn't get closer because we weren't students or members of the college)

Our last stop was on the other side of these buildings, at King's College, where our tour finished. 

As you can see, it's definitely a lot more grand than Queen's College. Also fun note, this is where Prince Harry went to school, while he was at school, he had body guards trailing him to classes and when it was time to take final exams, they received permission from the headmaster or board members to take the exams. I believe it's said that they actually did better than Prince Harry! 

After our tour ended, I headed back to the main square were a market was going on and I stopped and hand a lunch of a hot dog and a strawberry & banana smoothie:) On the way back to the train station I passed this awesome looking church.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long for the next train and I headed back home to pack for my flight to Denmark!