Halfway done in Denmark

This week marked the halfway point of our time in Europe. We actually feel like we've been here a long time because we've done so much!

Todd has been in the Christmas Spirit like crazy. I told him it's not allowed-- it's not even Halloween yet! There's something about being in Europe when the weather is getting cold and there are no Danish holidays between... he periodically bursts out in "it's beginning to look a lot like Christ-mas!"

Denmark has only recently begun celebrating Halloween. Copenhagen's beloved little amusement park, Tivoli, gets really decked out. We enjoyed a walk through it at night, super charming.

Earlier that day, we went up to Dyrehaven to see the leaves. It was glorious! 

I mean, I've seen better leaves, but the park is beautiful and the weather was ideal. We walked basically a big loop around the entire thing.

This week I also went to my first movie with a friend from our ward. Luckily, the Danes use subtitles instead of dubbing. Movie theaters here look like theater theaters-- chandeliers and staircases and marble! And the movie we saw was in a little tiny room, hardly larger than some home theaters. And very clean. Love Scandinavia.

Confession: going to church in Denmark is hard. We dread going every week, but of course we do it because it's the right thing to do. The translation is sometimes good and sometimes deplorable, though we always appreciate it. Todd thinks the people aren't very friendly, but I think they've been very nice! Neither of us is particularly social, but it's hard to strike up a conversation with someone if you're unsure whether there's a common language. We don't feel part of the ward at all--we don't have callings or visiting/home teachers and they asked us if it was okay to assign us to home and visiting teaching (though the still haven't). It must be a cultural thing: Danes are just as nice as anybody else, but they're very private and unobtrusive. It would be so much better if we spoke Danish, but, alas.

I've been behind on writing in our blog/journal the entire time we've been in Denmark, which makes me very sad. I wish I had been better about documenting our amazing experiences-- a travelogue is one thing, but I haven't been good at capturing what it's really like to live here daily. We are so blessed to do all of it, especially together! 

In honor of our halfway mark, here's some random stuff we're up to lately:

EATING

M makes potatoes with bacon and eggs every morning except Fridays (when T has carrot, apple, and ginger smoothies at work) and Saturdays (when we get pastries). We eat a lot of Nutella, Castus fruit bars, and the most delicious salad with field greens, pine nuts, avocado, feta, dried cranberries, apple, and chicken. T has also been slicing up fresh garlic to put in the container with cheddar cheese... it may be the crowning idea of his life. When we go out, our favorite place to eat is an Indian place around the corner called InDish. Mango Lassi and Butter Curry--SO GOOD.

READING

Together: Doctrine & Covenants (almost done!)

M: Anne of Windy Poplars

T: Last of the Mohicans, Jesus the Christ

PLAYING

M: I've discovered Spotify-- loving Imagine Dragons (a year+ late), Miley Cyrus (against all judgement), and John Mayer (always). Also Lorde, for which I blame H&M.

T: FIFA on Playstation. It has pretty good music, too.

WATCHING

M: I watch "Lark Rise to Candleford" and "Downton Abbey" sometimes during the day when I'm working, just for some background noise.

T & M: How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family, which we watch nearly every night. We're such homebodies and don't care.

LOVING

M: Being near so many parks, castles, and a charming old city! I also really like taking the trains.

T: It's easy to just walk out the door and see stuff. There's so much history. And we can get to so many places in Europe easily. Figuring things out, like the grocery stores and the trains, is all kind of fun... especially when I have a wife to do it for me. ;)

MISSING

M: My clothes! American shopping, the ability to read grocery labels.

T: Our car, football & ESPN, the selection of food at grocery stores, my Young Men's calling, cheaper prices on everything.

SURPRISING

M: That I'm already looking forward to returning to America! I thought this would be like Charlottesville, where I dreaded leaving from the moment we arrived. I will surely miss Denmark, but home is good, too. :)

T: How easy it is to get around Europe and do things even when we don't speak the languages. Also, how much green space there is in Copenhagen. I didn't expect that of an old European city.