August 14 – 27, 2019
After Greece, we were off to Denmark to spend a couple of weeks with my mom and deda Heinz.
Whoever makes it to Denmark to visit my mom will be treated like royalty. Hosting is one of her superpowers (I didn’t inherit). Baba and deda once again created a real playland for their grandkids. They set up a large trampoline for the kids, ping-pong table, numerous outdoor toys, provided bicycles, etc. Our kids love going to Denmark which is evident in the photos that go along with this post.
My mom cooked the best meals and we overate every single day. Once for breakfast, we counted 9 different types of cheese, 6 different types of breads, 5 jams and 5 different types of meats, and all sorts of other goodies all set up for just one meal for the seven of us. As soon as we would finish with breakfast, my mom would start thinking of a fancy snack to serve us with coffee or tea, in their outdoor seating area. I was feeling a bit like we are visiting some royalty with daily set dining schedule of all the fancy meals I could think of.
Baba and deda introduced us to a new Danish board game called Partners, a bit like Sorry! with strategy and team play. We played enough games of Partners that Pedja dreamt about strategizing for the game in his sleep. The kids learned it too so we played it amongst us in every possible combination of partners.
Since my dad died, my mom has transformed their home in Ans By to an impressive modern dwelling that is suited for the fanciest of the guests. She has certainly discovered an incredible talent for improving living spaces. In addition to completely turning around her own home, she and deda Heinz acquired two smaller vacation condos in a seaside touristy town of Ebeltoft. They turned these condos into one beautiful space, superbly remodeled to be creatively functional and equally beautiful. I keep telling her that she should use this newfound superpower and start an interior design business. She is lucky that deda Heinz equally appreciates beautifully designed spaces as he ends up helping with making her creative ideas come to life.
Petra loves to get into my mom’s closet and play dress up. She is lucky her baba has a great figure and even better taste in clothes to be able to raid her closet. This time around, Petra ended up spicing up her wardrobe with a few new pieces from baba’s collection. It gives baba special pleasure to see her only granddaughter growing up into a beautiful girl that can, and likes to, wear her baba’s clothes.
After a week alone with baba and deda, my sister Dragana and her boys Landon and Mason joined our Danish party. Party starts when Dragana arrives because she is one chill woman. Kids were so happy to finally see their cousins after 6 months apart. Petra and Landon are two peas in a pod, and so are Maksim and Mason. Baba Mila was on cloud nine having all the grandkids and both daughters under the same (Danish) roof. To make the party even livelier, if that was even possible, our neighbors/friends Durdles (Kevin, Amy, Ethan and Adel) from Seattle that have spent the last 2 years in Ireland joined us for a portion of that week. We spent a few action-full days in two amusement parks (Legoland and Sommerland), enjoying beaches and long walks and most of all my mom’s ‘way-better-than-Martha-Stewart’s’ hospitality. Baba Mila does all that’s humanly possible to provide the most memorable and tasty experience for all her guests, especially the (grand)kids.
Two weeks passed by in a blink of an eye and it was hard to say goodbye to everyone. Kids were nostalgic for Seattle and more time with cousins and friends. We’ll be back in Denmark again next spring and before we know it, it will be time for us to go back home back to Seattle.
2019/08 – Denmark – Ans By and Ebeltoft
Refresh Journey 