Holiday Weekend Recap

Erin's birthday weekend was four days long because of the Easter holiday, so we got out of town for two day trips. The festivities started on Thursday evening with a special birthday meal cooked by yours truly along with some small desserts I picked up at a nearby conditori. Here's a pic of Erin having a nice time:

Kullaberg Nature Reserve

On Friday, we rented a car and drove to Kullaberg Nature Reserve with a couple of pit stops along the way, including the Höganäs Saluhall, a super cute shopping area that is kind of like a tiny old mall filled with adorable shops, a cafe, and a restaurant. We did a little fika in their cafe, and I had a bun filled with lemon curd that was YUMMY. We also stopped in a town called Krapperup -- yes, that's what I said -- and walked around a building that kind of looked like old horse stables but which housed a museum, art gallery, cafe, and butik.

At the nature reserve, we hiked a bit through the woods, had a picnic lunch on a fallen tree, and then drove to the very tip of the park where we saw some truly spectacular sights. I'm including a few photos here, but they don't quite capture the beauty of this place.

 

We are planning to return to the nature reserve to visit Nimis, the driftwood labyrinthine sculpture that is part of Ladonia (a very interesting thing to read about).

Copenhagen

On Saturday, we took a train to København. I love that city! It is vibrant, historic, exciting, beautiful, progressive, and diverse, and I cannot wait to go back. We first walked past Tivoli, an amusement park in operation since 1843, and onward to Strøget, the main shopping district. The streets around Strøget were packed like sardines in a can, and there were people playing music and performing magic in different spots all around. After having a Tuborg pilsner at a cafe just outside the shopping district, we made our way to the famous little mermaid statue at Langelinie pier, near which we walked past a uniformed soldier with a machine gun slung over his back. The result of the recent terrorist attack, maybe?

After seeing the statue and complaining about the yahoos climbing all over it, we walked down to Oscar Bar Cafe for a glass of wine and then pressed onward to Nyhavn for dinner. The last pic above is of the Nyhavn area. Our travel book defines this area as "the city's default postcard image," and I'm sure you can see why. 

As an aside, we saw an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations which claimed that the best restaurant in the world, Noma, is located in Copenhagen. Apparently, it takes several months to get a reservation there. 

Fredriksdal

On Sunday, we took a short 10-minute walk from the apartment to Fredriksdal museum and gardens. While the gardens are not yet in bloom, it was still incredibly beautiful and I cannot wait to go back. One really amazing thing about Fredriksdal is that they house endangered or threatened livestock that are indigenous to Sweden which they call "landraces." Not only did we see pigs, horses, a cow, sheep, goats, and chickens, but we also saw two baby lambs and a calf. None of them wanted to be friends with me, but you can bet that I tried very hard.

It was around this time that Erin started to get sick with an ear infection and fits of coughing, which brought the weekend of fun to an end. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for my girl!