Photos above are: Copenhagen canal, Maureen and Casey at the entrance to Tivoli, Casey and I at the "Pagoda" in Tivoli, Casey and her Great Aunt Maureen at the Pagoda and, last photo, Maureen with her beloved Great Aunt Sorine at the same Pagoda! I loved when Sorine and her sister Karen came to visit the U.S. from Aalborg...they were delightful, happy, wonderful women and I wish I'd been old enough to have shared more memories with them.Though we returned from our trip last week, I've not gotten around to posting about it...I was facebooking pretty obsessively while we were still in Europe, so now it's time to update this poor neglected little blog. My daughter, Casey, (15, nearly 16), my Aunt Maureen (not much older than I am, therefore more like a big sister) and I were a very compatible trio, which made traveling really pleasant and stress free. We were able to see SO MUCH in two weeks...my grandmother's beautiful, fairy tale like birthplace Nykobing Mors, the amazingly clean and happy city of Copenhagen, the huge world cup fueled party in Amsterdam and even made it to Bruges, for a day! Never mind spending a weekend in Germany! We used our time well and Maureen was an excellent tour guide/travel agent/family historian!
Before we left for this holiday, I found myself asking the question, "will this trip be able to meet my hopes for it?" and I am grateful to say it not only met my expectations but far surpassed them. It was a strange sense, landing in a country I'd never been to yet feeling like I was home...Denmark went straight to my heart and I hope to return many times in the future. It is, for me, a sort of DisneyWorld, a place which seems nearly too good to be true. And that is a wonderful thing. I feel like Peter Pan, urging everyone who believes in fairies to clap their hands...save Tink. There was an amazing sense of wonder for me, visiting Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe, site of my Great Grandparents meeting each other (they were at a dance and pulled the same number, 13, which sent them dancing together, not only for that night but the rest of my Great Grandmother Valborg's life...) and having my sweet daughter with me...I felt a lightness, a pure happiness which I embraced and am trying to hold on to. Again like Peter, I do believe, I do believe... More to come on our trip, just wanted to touch base and put a few photos up. xoxo
