Well, we made it safely to Denmark. The flights were great and took less time then I expected. The seats on the first flight were the most comfortable I've ever sat in! The food was great and we watched "Juno" (an excellent film!). So, I recommend Icelandair:) We changed planes in Iceland, but there was nothing to see. The area where the airport is located is flat as flat is, and it was really foggy:( So, no pictures of Iceland.
From Kastrup Airport, in Denmark, we dragged our luggage 3/4 of the way to our cousins house. We could go no further. We were so spent that we could only take a few steps at a time with our luggage. What would have been a 20min took over an hour. A nice lady named Rie picked us up and drove us the rest of the way. Yes, we hitchhiked!!! That was so sweet of her. When we arrived, no one was home, so we could not get onto the property! We had miscommunicated about our arrival, AND, we had all of our contacts in a database on our computer which could not be accessed:0 A man drove up into the driveway with our cousin's car. He gave us the phone# to call. In the end, we got the code to get through the gate, dropped our luggage, changed in openair, and walked away to find food and a toilet.
We ended up in what is called a "værkshus"...a small, dim, pub, with middle-aged people who like to play on one of two slot machines, drink beer, and chat. So, we sat, ordered a beer, and chatted with some of the local people. They were sweet to us. Afterwards, we bought groceries, went back to the house, and, since family had arrived, went in to make dinner.
Since we were not expected, Line, our cousin's girlfriend, had guests: a family of 4, visiting. We set up camp in the office. You can see the picture. That night, after having been awake for probably 35hrs (with 20min nap on our first flight), I headed for bed. That's when I noticed a wet spot on my bed. Molly, the cutest little puppy, had peed on my bed!!!! *oy* Why didn't she pee on David's side? Neways, I changed my sheets and fell to sleep.
The next morning the sun came up at 4:30am. I didn't notice, but Dave was suddenly wide awake! The birds were singing and chirping. Have I mentioned that the weather here has been amazing! 30C, not a cloud in sky. Fortunately, Amin and Line have some A/C, which is comfortable.
So, yesterday, we headed over to the "Borgerservice", an office where one begins the process of living in Denmark. We both got our CPR #'s (which is like a SIN card and OHIP card together). We were both given doctor's (yes, we have family doctor's here now...and I paid over $600 for health insurance!!) Then off we went to the bank where we opened our own accounts. We'll get our cards in the mail soon:)
Finally, we talked to a cellphone agent about cellphones. He was SO nice and informative and, unlike most agents in TO, he did NOT pressure us to buy. Instead, he gave us a book of information to look over. Did you know he gets paid $24/hr to sit and talk with ppl about cellphones? Plus he gets commission. He didn't go to school to be a salesagent either. He was horrified when we told him how much a person might get paid in TO for that job!
We also visited Mormor yesterday. She was SO happy to see us, and very surprised. She loves her new place, and she seems to be one of the sharpest people in the home. She often helps her neighbours communicate with the nurses or their families. They will talk to her, but often are shy to talk with other people. She's convinced that they do not have dementia nearly as bad some people think. She thinks many of them simply lack some social skills (and have SOME dementia).
Finally, we went into the city to have coffee with good friend Joy. She is here on vacation and to do ballet performances in Kongelige Teatret. It was so nice to see someone from TO!
Well, that's all for now. Monday we begin our job searches. I'll let you know how that goes:)
Heather:)
And then, of course, there is Line's slang (snake), a boa constrictor. It's probably about 4ft long so far. We never let these pets play together *smirk* Molly, the dog, will chase the hens, though, when Amin lets them roam around the yard.
