They breed them tough in Scandanavia!

February 17th-20th:

Neil and I took an amazing trip to Copenhagen, Denmark to see Henrik & Ellen, and to meet Baby Sofie!! Such an wonderful time! We arrived late Thursday night, and got our first cuddles with Sofie, and then off to bed shortly after.

Friday morning we had the traditional European continental breakfast of porridge, bread rolls with chocolate (yum), and tea. After breakfast Sofie was ready for her morning nap. Now, this is not your typical nap time on the sofa or in the crib, Ellen bundled Sofie up really warm, placed her in their American sized stroller (literally it is the size of a boat, I could sit in it!), piled blankets on top of her, and wheeled her outside on their balcony. Note: it is 26F outside!!! Neil and I were very skeptical at first.., 'um, what are you doing??' But the Scandinavians pride themselves in these outdoor nap times. They believe in the benefits of fresh air. And much to my surprise, Sofie slept for about 2-3 hours out there. Completely undistrubed and content. We brought her in, and she was a toasty as a ski lodge. So, in short, Neil and I are now believers of the fresh air nap!

After Sofie's nap, we loaded up their new fancy Scoda (type of car) and headed for a drive up the coast of the island. It was absolutely frigid there, about 26F, but the coastline was breathtaking. Driving along you could see these deserted piers that jutted out into the ocean, and they had these beautiful windswept icicles swooping off the sides. It was so picturesque. And there is something about the sea that is so calming. I could have starred out for hours, however, we parked up and were out for a stroll. We walked around the forest/park for awhile and then up to this abandoned plantation house that used to be the King of Denmark's residence. It was at the top of a gradual hill, and looked out over the pasture land and then out the other direction to the sea. Very peaceful and tranquil. We had lunch at a quaint little pub/restaurant in the park and I had venison for the first time. Yummy.

The whole trip was exactly what I needed. Relaxing with good friends, and celebrating new life. It was perfect :)