Klassik Kobenhavn

My sweet husband dashed me away to Copenhagen for my birthday last week. We lucked out, as far as the weather was concerned, and enjoyed four days of sunny skies and warm breezes.

One highlight of our 7 hour train ride to Copenhagen was riding the ferry that carried our train to Denmark. We were in awe that a boat could accommodate an ICE train, cars, and passengers across the strait. I don't think J will forget that aspect of the trip for a long time.

What the city lacks in European "wow," it more than makes up for in it's friendly personality and laid back attitude. We couldn't figure out whether the people were really that friendly or whether we had adjusted to being consistently treated like crap in our own home away from home. Either way, it was refreshing.

It was great to see masses of people taking their meals outside on the water and lavishing in the sorely missed sun. I think we both agreed that four days was the perfect amount of time to take in the city by river cruise, visit a few museums (including the amazing "Bones" exhibit) and a castle, eating some great food, and do a little shopping on the longest pedestrian street in Europe. We also took a short trip to Christiana, the infamous squatters town that has declared itself a safe zone for misfits and hippies, as well as a separate entity from Copenhagen. It was also fun to come back to our cozy, little, organic hotel where my 31 beautiful roses greeted me everyday.

Besides the fact that you can see everything in this city over the course of a long weekend, staying longer might have permanently broken the bank as everything was about twice the price as things here. When we read a Londoner comment on the outrageous prices, we knew we were in for it. But for four days, drinking an $8.00 mug of hot chocolate--probably the best I'd ever had, as it should be--was just a welcomed luxury on a leisurely trip.

Summer in the City

Summer has come to Berlin!! It is amazing what a few days of blue skies and warm weather does, not only to the American spirit but also--dare I say it?--the Berlin spirit.

So, maybe they won't smile at a stranger but they won't glare at you QUITE so hard. The gray and black jackets that everyone wears here are peeled off to reveal gray and black skirts and t's. And the noontime beer drinking begins a few hours early in response to the welcoming sun. It's down right quaint.

To pay homage to this new found summer spirit, one of the neighborhoods--Kreuzburg--throws a four-day outdoor festival to celebrate the multiculturalism that defines Berlin. Calling itself the Karnival der Kulturen, it brings together eighty different cultures to set up booths, and decorate floats to ride through the streets giving the festive crowd a little, or alot, of a taste of what makes their heritage unique. Thanks to our friends, Frances and Tilman, we were invited to experience the Karnival and were so happy we did. Not only did it reinforce what others have said about how great Berlin is in the summer but it introduced us to the possibilities of what is yet to come.

Seventeen

I have nothing interesting to post today so I figured I'd post about the least interesting thing I can think of: my thoughts. Here are seventeen totally random things on my mind today:

1. I am loving this weather. There has been perfectly warm and spring like weather here for about two weeks. Every morning that we wake up and see the beautiful blue sky, we remark about how much a difference the nice weather has made on our psyche.

2. I made deviled eggs last week and again this week and I can not tell you how great they were. They were so great, in fact, I made them again today.

3. I am reading "The Virgin's Lover" by Philippa Gregory and I am having a hard time finishing it. I love Tudor history but this story about Queen Elizabeth and her affair with Sir Robert Dudley is so disappointing compared to "The Other Boleyn Girl." I think I've had my Tudor fill.

4. Don't you just love Matt, the new Bachelor? I had given up on the show because I usually only watch it because I like the girls but this season I watch it for him. He might be a tool in real life but he seems like such a nice guy. The accent doesn't hurt either.

5. If I could do anything knowing that I wouldn't fail, I would be a veterinarian or a broadway actor. How random is that?

6. I love my pets but they infuriate me somedays. When Josie peed on the rug this week right in front of J, I should have been blamed us but I was really mad at her. Totally not her fault. We should have taken her out earlier but it is too easy to assign human emotions to pets. I wonder what they must think of us?

7. How happy are we that the writer's strike is over? I know it has been weeks but I am so grateful that new episodes are on back on tv. It's kind of nice to have new shows to watch during this time of the year, too.

8. Crowds make me really nervous, especially parties where you are expected to mingle. I am a terrible mingler. I would much prefer to go to a seated dinner with strangers than to have to walk up to them to start conversations. I like my audience to be captive.

9. I could go to Paris every year and find something by which to be fascinated. The most amazing city in the world in my opinion.

10. I could go on safari in Africa every year and be equally satisfied.

11. I need a hair cut so badly. I wish I could just jet home for the weekend to get a chop. I don't want to have to find a new hair stylist AGAIN and yet I know that this is my life for years to come.

12. I'm starting to feel like we can like it here. It's nice to have friends who like you for you. Makes you feel like less of a loser when people like you.

13. Speaking of friends, why did I allow myself to be talked into taking another German class? I'm still convinced it is a lost cause even if it is nice to see a friendly face every Tuesday and Thursday night. There is just no cure for stupidity or short attention span.

14. I really want to make homemade cream cheese danishes but I don't want to feel compelled to eat them all by myself. J is no help in that department. I'll be the wife and he will be Jack Spratt. I should make the filling and slather it on my butt and thighs. That's where it will end up anyway. Why doesn't fat ever move to your boobs or to your eyelashes?

15. What's the deal with the German fascination with mullots? Oh, and older women with bright red or orange hair? Can someone explain the hidden meaning behind those fashion statements?

16. Speaking of hidden meanings, how do you explain it when a blog contains frequent posts about craving junk food, said blogger notices an increase in weight gain, trips to the bathroom and memory loss, in conjunction with the sudden urge to reevaluate the purpose of her life? Do you think I might be pregnant?

17. Well, you'd be right. I am 17 weeks pregnant today and, while still nervous, happy to report that baby bean is thriving. So, prepare yourselves to meet the newest Brave Berliner who will be coming to a blog near you on the 17th...of October, that is.

On Being Brave

Sometimes you just can't do it by yourself and no matter how many people congregate around you, offering to encourage you, promising to hold you up--it just isn't enough. Courage, bravery, determination are all nice attributes to have but they don't always cut it.

But it's okay not to be so brave all of the time. It's okay to want to give up. It's okay to be a little sad because in our lowest moments, the greatest opportunities for growth are presented. I our weakest moments, Jesus is strongest.

I'm feeling a little sentimental today and not the least bit dismissive of the fact that it is not me who has been Brave in Berlin these past months but God who has allowed it to be so. Thank God for a Father who is able. Thank God for always being exactly what we need. Thank God for His divine purpose and forsight.

So, if you are feeling less than brave today and need a little boost--even if you are skeptical that it can come from above--this one's for you:

"God can do anything, you know--far MORE than you could ever IMAGINE or guess or request in your WILDEST DREAMS! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:30

Thank God for miracles great and small.....in spite of the fact that we are not always so brave.

Coffee Anyone?

With Ramsey around, I also end up sharing my cup of tea even if I don't mean to.

That cat has laser like focus. The moment a cup of anything is left on the coffeetable she prances up, places her black, fuzzy face full in, and takes a sip or two or three. Not wanting to risk samonella or hoof and mouth disease or whatever nasty virus cats carry from licking themselves I end up throwing the drink away...even if I'm not sure she gotten into it yet.

Cats. There's just something about them. Istn't there? They simultaneously flabergast and fascinate you with their tenacity and cunning. Gotta love 'em.

Homemade

Sometimes toasting a bagel under the broiler doesn't quite do it for me; so this morning, I decided to saute a bagel in butter on a skillet and smother it with cream cheese. The slight saltiness of the butter mixed with the creamy, meltiness of the cheese is heavenly. The crunchy, sesame shell and the soft and springy inner core made for the quintessial bagel. It is breakfast perfection.

What makes it even more loverly is that I made it myself. Well, I made it with the help of my friend, Sandra, and we both agree that it is perhaps the best bagel we have ever eaten. Of course, we are a bit biased but I can't think of anything as rewarding as eating homemade bread straight from the oven. There is something so nostalgic and comforting in enjoying fresh food that I think the longer it takes to bake, the better--hopefully--it tastes to the baker. Baking bread and pastries is up there with getting massages and shopping for clothes, in my opinion. The therapeutic rewards are nearly immediate and the endorphine release is fantastic.

Yes, it took 4 hours of mixing, kneading, rising, shaping, rising, boiling, and baking before we were able to sample the fruits of our labor. But it was worth every second. We were absolutely giddy with enjoyment and accomplishment at the result. They were crispy. They were chewy. They were perfect. In fact, it turned out so well that we've decided to move onto other obscure culinary pursuits. We'll take on Baked Alaskas, norwegian cinnamon buns, and cheese danishes. Conquering a seemingly impossible endeavor like making homemade bagels has boosted our confidence. There is nothing we can't bake with a little time and determination on our side. The epicurian sky is the limit.