A (small) taste of jazz

Copenhagen is currently in the grip of its world famous jazz festival: http://www.jazzfestival.dk/Start.aspx. Since we missed it last year--we'd just arrived in Denmark and were a bit tired and disoriented--we decided that it was time to get a taste of jazz, Danish-style. During the week of the festival, the city is literally bursting with jazz: from tiny backstreet pubs all the way up to well-known performers playing in the city's glamorous opera house, the air is thick with saxophone and shuffling rhythms.

After work on Friday we made our way to the city center to meet up with Dorothee, one of my colleagues at the Center. The plan was to grab some pizza and beer, sit in the sun in Kongens Have (Copenhagen's oldest park, right in the middle of downtown) and soak up some free jazz. The first two parts of our plan were actualized; the last part, not so much. It turns out that the free outdoor concert series we were expecting to find in Kongens Have didn't kick off until Saturday morning.

So a bit later, swollen with pizza and Carlsberg, we decided to wander around and enjoy the lovely weather and late sunlight. Eventually we did happen upon an outdoor concert not too far away, down near the water in Nyhavn ("New Harbor")--which lasted all of half a song. Or rather, the concert likely consisted of more than half a song but that's all we caught before it ended. At least it was an improvement over last year. And I managed to get a picture of both the band (including some barely conscious drunken reveler leaning on the stage, rockin' his straight from the '80's denim) and the audience. It really looks like were right in the thick of things, enjoying the jazz fest in all its improvisational glory. Oh, well. At least we tried.

Though we didn't hear much jazz, we did later get to see a guy juggling fire whilst teetering around on an extra-tall unicycle. Here are some shots of the evening: http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/FridayNightWDorotheeJuly

An extra year in Copenhagen

Today I officially resigned my position at the Center for Subjectivity Research. As of this moment, I am no longer funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF).

But never fear, fans and true believers: I'm not going anywhere. For the next year, I will be funded by the DISCOS European research network: http://discos.schattauer.de/. I will then resume my DNRF fellowship next July, which will extend to July 2010. In other words, Robyn and I are extending our time in Denmark by (at least) one more year. This is possible because another postdoc at the Center accepted a prestigious full-time position in France and will be leaving soon. I am taking over the remaining year of her DISCOS fellowship, which entails my (temporarily) resigning my DNRF fellowship.

Practically speaking, nothing will really change other than the source of my funding. I will remain at the Center and continue doing what I do (and no, I still can't say precisely what that is, so don't ask). I will travel a bit more throughout Europe, participating in various DISCOS events. Robyn will remain at CBS, much to their delight. We will continue to be baffled by the Danish language and certain esoteric Danish cultural practices, as well as their insatiable enthusiasm for pickled herring. But most importantly, we get to stay in Copenhagen for a while longer. And that makes us very happy.

Those of you who've yet to come visit now have no excuse (Travis and Kelly, we're looking at you).

Honeymoon... Homesickness...Home.

Today marks one year in Copenhagen… a whole year! We can hardly believe it. We’ve survived all the stages of culture shock… honeymoon, homesickness, and now we feel at home. Many thanks to all of you who helped us move, settle-in, and flourish here in Copenhagen. While there are still struggles living in a country whose language continues to be a mystery to us, we are home. It is good to be home. Here’s to one year… and many more.

BBQ American Style!

I always find it interesting to discover what Danes think of American culture. They are inundated with American media, but not much of our food. Of course, you could argue that much of our food is actually stolen from other cultures.

So, what is American food? Well, according to a gourmet food shop in the basement of Magasin Dept. Store, American food includes Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, marshmallows, Budweiser beer, Bac’n Pieces, and smoked almonds.

Of course Americans are famous for our BBQs. And, all good BBQs require French’s mustard, Heinz Ketchup, hotdogs and ribs.

Best of all, Americans are famous for the cream of mushroom soup. Yep, I bought two cans.

How else do you cook casseroles? Bon appetite … or as we say in the States… dig in!

Happy Father's Day!

Godspeed and Farewell

One of the hardest parts of being an expat family is saying good-bye to other expat families when they move on to other locations.

Monday we said "see you later" (I hate good-byes... ) to our good friends, the Tilley Family, Rebekah, Michael, John, and James.

Thank you for your wonderful, blessed friendship. God bless you as you begin your new life in Kentucky. We will miss you!

This picture was taken on the Tilley's last Sunday at our church, ICC. Rebekah is holding baby James and Michael is holding (hiding behind!) big brother John.

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen...

After a long, dark, winter, we experienced the sunniest May on record! Yep, it's official. This was the sunniest May since they began keeping records in 1920. And, June has been perfect so far!

I wish I could describe how beautiful Copenhagen is when the sun is shinning. The sky is a color of blue that seems impossible to be real. The green of the trees makes the most beautiful contrast against the nearly cloudless, blue sky. The sun is so strong you can actually feel it on your skin... like a warm bath. And, in fact, you have to be careful or you will get a sunburn just walking around town!

Copenhagen is full of flowers -- everywhere you turn -- bursting with brilliant color.

And, the best part is that we have over 18 hours of sunlight each day. It is 23:27 and the sky is a deep, dark blue, and the sunset is still clearly visible.

Copenhageners make the most of every minute of sunlight. Cafes put tables out on the sidewalk, parks and gardens are filled with sunbathers (in all kind of attire!), and everyone is out enjoying the city. And, people are even smiling at each other! Shocking!

May is clearly our reward for surviving the dark winter -- and a glorious reward it is! Enjoy a few pics from around town!

To the left is a picture of sunset off our balcony. The picture below is from the cemetery where Kierkegaard is buried.

This tulip is in Charlottenlund Have. The Oresund Sound is at the end of the grass... look deep into the picture!

From Frederiksberg Have.

Another view from Frederiksberg Have.

The beach at Oresund Sound.

Another view of Kierkegaard Assistens.

Frederiksberg Have.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy birthday, Dad!

As I write this post, my father is still winging his way back to California (he ought to be in Washington Dulles International Airport by now, waiting for his flight home to San Diego).

Last weekend, I took the beautiful train ride up to visit him in Ljungby, Sweden, where he was teaching. I was able to visit the seminary where he shapes the pliable young minds of starry-eyed preachers-in-training, meet a few of these starry-eyed lads, and tour the surrounding town. Here are some pictures from my visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/LjungbyVisitMay

Dad returned to Copenhagen on Friday, enabling us to spend a few extra days with him before his departure this morning. We had a great time. The weather was perfect, truly as good as it gets in Copenhagen. On Sunday after church, we enjoyed a celebratory birthday brunch down near the walking street of Strøget, the longest pedestrian street in the world. After a lengthy, leisurely stroll in the sunshine back to our flat--and a well-earned nap--we then made our way to Frederiksberg Have, one of the largest and loveliest parks in Copenhagen.

Here are some more pictures from my father's visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/DadBirthdayPictures

Have a great birthday, Dad!

Silas in CPH

My father arrived in Copenhagen early in the morning on Wednesday, May 14. He stayed with us for several days before heading over to Ljungby, Sweden, where he's now teaching seminary students from the Lutheran Confessional Church of Sweden and Norway.

We made the most of my father's brief stop in Denmark. We've said before that Copenhagen is truly a wonderful walking city. We enjoyed a number of leisurely strolls through our neighborhood, now green and lush after a long winter's hibernation, as well as through some of our favorite spots down near the city center. It's been amazing to see the city literally "reborn" throughout this spring season. We also savored several Danish-style homecooked meals, skillfully prepared by Robyn (I supplied the beer, thankyouverymuch). We've made some wonderful friends during our time here; two days after my father's arrival, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with several of them: our gracious hosts, Michael and Rebekah (as well as their young boys, "Big" John and "Bigger-by-the-day" James), as well as our other American friends, Adam and Melanie.

Earlier in the day, Rebekah and Adam joined the three of us for a tour of the Carlsberg ("Probably the best beer in town") Brewery (http://www.visitcarlsberg.dk/default2.html). The tour itself is (relatively) interesting. But the real point of feigning interest in rooms full of half-rusted brewing machinery from the last century is to get to the "prize" at the end of the tour: a sleek, well-lit bar where one can sample different beers from Carlsberg's extensive selection of brews. And sample we did.

Here are some pictures from my father's visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/DadVisitMay