School's (not) in session.

The rack on top is advertising www.surfskole.dk. I'm guessing that enrollment is a bit lean at the moment.

And away we go...

The taxi arrives to take us to Copenhagen International Airport tomorrow morning at the unholy hour of 4:30 AM. We're off to spend two weeks in Texas with family and friends.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Climate Clash

At least this time we weren't tear-gassed.

Last Saturday, a large COP15 protest made its way down the high street just around the corner from our flat. Local estimates place the number of protesters between 50,000-100,000 (the BBC story linked cites a lower number). All told, it was a relatively peaceful affair.

Throughout this week and the last, Robyn and I have felt relatively removed from the COP15 craziness unfolding at the Bella Center just down the road from where we live. Spending most of your time in the Ivory Tower of academia tends to breed that sort of dissociation.

Anyhoo, check out a few pictures here, as well as the short video below. Note the decidedly non-threatening Chaka Khan soundtrack.

Edit: Facebook doesn't show videos linked through Google Blogger, so click here for video.

Bad Bloggers

Yes, we've neglected our blog for quite some time. Sorry 'bout that. We hope to resume our regularly scheduled programming shortly.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of a heart-meltingly adorable kitten, won't you?

Out and About (Slowly!) with Marsha and Si

Having my parents live in Copenhagen for a few months has afforded an unaccustomed luxury: being able to spend some extended leisure time with them.

Normally, trips back to the US are rather frenetic affairs. Enjoyable, yes. But there's a palpable pressure to pack as much high-speed "memory making" into our brief visits as possible, knowing that we'll soon be very far away and not likely to return for quite a while. We often come back to Copenhagen feeling that we blasted through our visit in fast-forward. So, it's been wonderful to actually spend some slow motion time with Marsha and Si.

For example, one of their first weekends in Denmark--during an uncharacteristically warm stretch (thank you global warming!)--we enjoyed a relaxed picnic on the beach near our flat. Pics here.

More recently, we dined at one of our new favorite Copenhagen haunts: Nimb Vinotek, a cozy wine and tapas restaurant just around the corner from Tivoli. Deliciously slowmo pics here. 

   

Ted and Courtney's Copenhagen Chronicles

As I type this, I'm currently sitting in a pub in Durham, UK. 

Why is this relevant? Because the last time I met up with Ted and Courtney abroad--prior to their recent Copenhagen visit--was in the UK. Specifically, it was in Oxford, Fall 2005. They were in London working; I was in Oxford to give a paper at a philosophy and psychology conference. The two of them graciously took the train up to spend the day with me prior to my conference. After a happy reunion, we quickly found our way to my favorite pub in Oxford--and only emerged many, many, many hours later, parting ways at the bus station. Good times. End of story.

Oh, yeah: except for the part where I stumbled back to my room, fell into a semicomatose state for twelve hours, and missed my talk the next morning. Totally Ted and Courtney's fault. But I digress.

Anyhoo, fast forward to Copenhagen, Fall 2009. The Balakers have now come and gone, leaving a trail of laughter and empty wine bottles in their wake. It was, indeed, a jam-packed visit: a trip to Tivoli, where we watched our opera singer friend perform (and receive a very prestigious award!); a visit to my ever-exciting place of work to see precisely where all the philosophical magic happens; multiple forays to some of our favorite local bars and restaurants; much ambling about town, with an occasional bout of strolling and meandering thrown in for good measure; catching the Sunday morning service at the International Church of Copenhagen to see my father preach, followed up with a trip to Charlottenlund beach and a BBQ at the church house.

Of course, a visit from the Balakers isn't a mere occurrence. Rather, it's an event--a happening, if you will. Accordingly, the Balakers cannot be contained within a single picture set. Feast upon the pictorial narratives found here and here.

American football expat style!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!

Thanks to my awesome sister who sent us the ESPN info, we can now watch American college football on our laptop!!!

As much as I love living in Denmark, I do miss football. Autumn just doesn't feel right without football. And, now we have it! Our Saturday nights are now booked... and with the time difference, well, we may be a bit late for church Sunday morning. That is okay, God is a football fan too :)

And, here is a little picture for our Texas family... Hook 'em! (Just ignore the other hand...)

Props to Marsha and Si

Hello Everyone! This is Robyn taking the opportunity to give a shout-out to Marsha and Silas…

Just 4 short weeks ago, Marsha and Silas took on the daunting task of pastor and family for the International Church of Copenhagen. Silas is serving as the interim pastor for several months. They moved into the Church House, which serves as both Church office and pastoral residence 4 weeks ago and Silas began preaching and leading Bible Study. As you can imagine, there were a number of ‘hiccups,’ challenges, and problems with the transfer, but Marsha and Silas came through with flying colors. In fact, they are doing an incredible job. It is hard to start a new job, especially when you are replacing a beloved pastor; it is hard to move, especially when you are moving thousands of miles; it is hard to live in a foreign country, especially when you don’t speak the language. It is especially difficult to do all three at once! So, props to Marsha and Silas for an amazing 4 weeks! I am confident the next four will be just a bit easier.

Oh, and the picture was taken at the beach... we live just a short walk to the beach and we were making the most of the beautiful weather.

The Company Cavalcade Continues...

A mere three hours after we said "Farvel!" to Ron and Michael, we bid a hearty "Hej!" to our dear friends, Ted and Courtney. 

Ted and Courtney had been in Stockholm the previous week. Ted was attending a conference, and Courtney--taking some rare time off from her day job of being a Big Player in the world of Hollywood cinema--busied herself being fabulous. Word of their arrival quickly spread throughout Scandinavia. Needless to say, we were excited to welcome them to our city! We'd last seen them back in May, when we attended Matt and Ashley's fantastic wedding in Beverley Hills, California (Matt is Ted's younger brother).

Their visit was marked by much hilarity and fun. More to come soon.