Sleepless in Denmark...

I took this picture of the sunset (solskin, solskinnet) sitting on the window in the living room while I did some writing. The words in parenthesis are Danish translations so I can share the language with you and also learn myself! Anyway, it was not the Key West sunset I am use to...but beautiful none the less. It is strange to realize that as we are saying goodnight to the sun and watching our day come to a close, somewhere else in the world the sun is welcoming a new day. A new start. Ahhh, and that is the beauty of the rise and fall of the sun! A reminder that each day is new. There will be a point in all of our lives where there will be our very last sunrise and sunset. Perhaps we can find it in us to be more grateful for the days we are given. I wondered what all of you were doing as I was watching the sunset tonight. Distance doesn't unravel the presence you all have in my thoughts. Ok, now on to some Denmark news! lol

SAY CHEESE! or (OST)

Ok, so this isn't the best picture of us but I figured so far there hasn't been any people in my pictures and I had to show we were really here! We went for a pretty long walk today through town. We were on a search to find this little hole in the wall office. Because unless you own your own washing machine or better yet "vaskemaskine" then you need special tokens to wash your clothes. So you go to this office and tell them what street you live on and then they give you special tokens for that street. I personally think it is really silly. So depending on what street you live on, that dictates what tokens you get to operate the washing machine and dryer. So 12 kroners a token later...we were off to find the physical therapist for Brandon's ankle and then get lunch. Ok, ok...I know, enough about food...but lunch was really good! Everything here is just super duper fresh. And you get little sugar cubes when you order coffee, which I think is really cute. Oh yeah, Brandon's ankle is getting better. Which is good because his first game is next Saturday! =-) Brandon is doing really amazing out here. He won a dunk contest out in Copenhagen a few weeks ago. If you go to http://www.gam3.dk/ then click on the main picture on the opening page, then click on gallery, then click on videos...there are like 6 videos of the dunks that he did to win the contest.

COBBLESTONE AND CRUTCHES

This is a picture of one of the roads that leads to the center of town. The buildings on the sides are apartments, restaurants and stores. There are a lot of roads here that are made out of cobblestone. And I can't say that cobblestone roads are very good for Brandon's sprained ankle! I have been looking for the perfect car to take a picture of that would reflect the "typical" car driven in Denmark. You very rarely see SUV's here and people that do decide to drive one have to pay a lot more money because you pay by the weight of the vehicle. So you actually have to pay a lot more to drive an SUV. Also, the amount of taxes you pay here is dependent on how much money you make. The more money you make, the more you get taxed. You can get taxed over 6o% but everyone here is covered and taken care of. You pay nothing for medical expenses, they give you money to help raise your kids until they reach 18, if you lose your job or are unemployed then they help you until you can get on your feet again, etc. I have not seen any homeless people since I have been here and there doesn't seem to be a big divide of the rich and the poor. In the states there are thousands of mansions and then thousands of projects. Here, there is a middle ground that most comfortably live at.

BERRIES OF SUNSHINE

This is a random picture but I loved the colors in it so I thought I'd share. There was a huge bush of them along the side of the sidewalk as we were walking. I have noticed that most people here either have a lot of plants and flowers growing or fill their window sills with potted plants. I think it can make a difference in someones day. Things seem a little more inspiring when you can see beautiful things growing all around you. It makes me think of the journey from seed to bloom, symbolic of life and the common thing we all share. And hopefully, the blossoming we are all in search of.
GOT LOGS?

While we were walking, we went down a more industrial area and saw thousands and thousands of stacked logs. I liked the angle of the shot and the texture of the view. Across the street was a recycling plant. Which reminds me, Denmark is a much more environmentally conscious country. And the land shows the rewards of the people taking care of it. Wake up America!

FISHING BOATS

These are the first boats I have seen since being here!! I can't wait to see the coasts of Denmark. It might be strange to be standing on a beach while feeling like you should be standing on a pile of snow!

It's time for me to sign off now but I will write soon! I love and miss you all!

With love,

Rebecca