Christmas in Denmark

Phew, Phil's very first 'cold' Christmas and my first in eight years. It hasn't been too bad, as we mostly have spent time indoor, but it's certainly a whole lot different from NZ summer Christmas! It's all about family time and food. I haven't even had any time to sort photos or blog until now.

Sophia is back in Langkawi in Malaysia in a really nice marina with swimming pool and everything, which makes me almost jealous she 'gets to be there' but without us! It's a really safe place and that's what matters though.

In one week we're back again and then my friend Louise from Denmark comes for a visit, so we're really looking forward to that.

Phil thinks the white spots looks a bit like sheep in NZ. It's swans!

Why it's so quiet here

It's been ages since I posted anything, but time in Denmark flew by. I have now been back in Brueni on Sophia for a week, but unfortunately I'm alone. Phil was going back here two weeks before me, but while he was underway, his dad died, so he detoured straight to NZ where he will be for another two-three weeks yet. This is when international relationships are a bummer and the long distances suck. Feeling are just really hard to convey on skype and email!

Being alone on the boat is another interesting challenge for me, especially since it was so unexpected. The really nice thing is that I'm feeling very much at home here in Brueni having been here for such a long time before we left and everyone are very friendly and helps me out if I need it.

One often discussed cruising subject is pink and blue jobs. On Sophia we're very traditional, mainly because Phil is the traditional male not being very domestic in the cooking, cleaning and laundry department. And since I do almost all those things exclusively, it's only fair that Phil does the typical blue jobs such as engine maintenance, hauling heavy stuff and so forth. He's also the most technical/computer minded, so he also does navigation.

This coming week we're having visitors (yeah, we love visitors), Sarah and Anton found time to come see us while they were here in Asia anyway. Obviously this was planned a while ago. I'm going to take them cruising around here and that's main challenge. The 'funny' thing is if it was Phil who was alone here, it would be much more 'normal' and not cause anyone to thing twice. My main worry is the engine, if something happens with that, I'll have no idea what to do.

The only problem that has arisen this week was the outboard engine, another blue job. It lost a part of the fuel on/off valve and was therefore leaking fuel. Luckily I got help the first night, so I could get out to Sophia. Then I did a really silly blond thing, I went to the yamaha store in town. The problem is our outboard is a mercury! How stupid can one be... Anyway, they didn't have the part, or actually they did, but they couldn't find it. Phil will get one in NZ and bring back here. I made an alternative solution (inspired how the guy fixed it the first night) with some hose and a ball squeeze thingy directly into a jerry can. It does the trick, it's just not very weather proof.

I'm skipping July and August's cruising budgets as the far majority of that time was spent in Denmark, but will be back in a month's time with September.

Below are more picture of our Denmark holiday, including a little mini holiday to Goteborg, Sweden.

My twin and I, her boys and our parents. The green thing is a Kaj cake, very yummy :-)

My twin top right, little sis top left. Centre pic includes my friend Theresa's two girls, the one whom we stayed with in Singapore. 

Mini trip to Goteborg, Sweden. We got a 24 hour city pass so did lots of things, including a boat tour and Liseberg (amusement park). Bottom is me in heaven in a Swedish lollies shop :-)

Martiman Museum was really cool, a collection of various ships, including a submarine and a destroyer!

 

Universum is Scandinavia's larges science museum, also super cool, in the hot and humid jungle section we felt very much at home...

On holiday from the holiday

We don't really considering our cruising adventure a holiday, more like a lifestyle, but in a way it's like a holiday. And at the moment we're in Denmark visiting my family, so therefore a holiday from the holiday.

Time sure flies when you're having fun and we have already been 2 1/2 weeks away from Sophia. You could also call this visit a tour of new babies! Being 32 years old ALL my girl friends and family are having babies at the moment, and many even have several already! It's been over two years since I last visited Denmark, so a lot has happened in that department. My twin sister's youngest son is already a year old, and my little sister was due the day before we arrived in Copenhagen. Six days overdue she finally had a beautiful baby girl, the first niece after four nephews :-)

My little sister (holding her until then only child, another boy) before she's about to pop and below us is the baby girl she then had, check out her amazing hair! The other two babies, Bastien and Mila, are other friends', funny enough with Danish mums, but respectively French and Kiwi dads.

We spent the first week in Copenhagen. We also choose to come at exactly this time because Phil's parents were going to visit Copenhagen on their round-the-world-cruise (like we visited them in Singapore), but unfortunately Phil's mum broke her ankle in three places in Rome two weeks before Copenhagen, so that was the end of the trip for them, very unlucky! My parents were also in Copenhagen as they were supposed to have spent the day with them, so we still did some touristy stuff together.

Our first couple of days in Copenhagen, mixed weather. Phil's parents' cruise ship (without them onboard unfortunately)

More Copenhagen stuff. My legs are the tanned ones next to my little sister's white ones.

Visiting Kronborg in Helsingor north of Copenhagen. Shakespear was inspired by Kronborg to write Hamlet (to be or not to be). Holger the Dane is sitting in the basement waiting to come into action if the Swedes invades Denmark!

Visiting Roskilde and the viking ship museum, fun and interesting! Also Roskilde's cathedral.

We're now in North Jutland where I come from and where my family still lives (minus little sis in Copenhagen). My twin sister has three boys, four, two and one, so they keep us entertained and busy most of the time. Denmark has had exceptionally good weather, so we have enjoyed lots of ice cream, been to the beach and played in the garden lots. Many have complained about the unusually hot (for Denmark!) weather, but of course to us it's quite pleasant, and often even on the cool side, but we do enjoying not sweating. And sleeping under a duvet, lots of showers and other simple pleasures like that.

Around North Jutland. The dark picture is taken at 11.30 pm when there's still a sliver of light on the sky. I love the long light nights.

My twin sister and her three boys.

One funny thing was when I was packing for this trip in Brunei I looked at our long pants and warm clothes and I just couldn't bear the thought of wearing such warm clothes (because I was stinking hot at the time) even though logically I knew it would sometimes get cold in Denmark, so only Phil got one pair of jeans with him! Luckily I fit clothes with my mum and sisters.

Phil is going back to Sophia in a week, but I'm staying two weeks longer than him. When we come back we'll keep going along the coast of Borneo, then to Singapore, Western Malaysia and Thailand.