5:00pm Texas, 12:00am France

Ok so picking up where we left off: Amsterdam the next morning. We had breakfast at the hotel as late as we could. It ended at 10am, and this was one of the first mornings when we actually didn’t have to be up early. So naturally we set our alarms for 9:50 and rushed downstairs in our pj’s to eat. After breakfast we got ready and headed out to see the city. Once again the weather decided to be a jerk, and it rained on us all day long. But (and I’ve probably said this a number of times by now) poor weather while traveling in Europe is still traveling in Europe!! Amsterdam is so gorgeous. Julianne is convinced she’ll move there some day. We had lunch at a little café. Again, sharing a meal is the best thing ever. Split pea soup and a grilled tomato and cheese sandwich on a cold, rainy day… Mmmmmm!

Later in the day, Hanna and Mette went to H&M to get Hanna some clothes because the ones she brought were of little use to her at this point, as they were sitting in a hotel in Denmark haha. While they were shopping, the rest of us went to the Heineken brewery. BEST. IDEA. EVER. I’ve been to a couple breweries before – the Spoetzl brewery in Shiner, TX and the Odell brewery in Fort Collins, CO – and they were pretty cool, but the Heineken brewery was in a class all its own. This place is enormous, with lots of the usual history info, old pictures, ancient beer bottles, etc. PLUS a ton of modern stuff that was actually applicable to the everyday beer drinker. For example, they had a sort of ride that took you through the brewing process as if you were being brewed yourself. We stood on a platform and it shook and swayed and there were heat lamps and mist machines and things like that. There was also an explanation of why it’s better to pour your beer with a lot of foam (keeps the flavor in), unlike how they do it back home. We got a free beer just for this demonstration, and free beer is always awesome. There was also a part where you could take a picture of yourself with a Heineken label background and email it to someone right there. The best part, though, was that in addition to the beer you get during the demonstration (during which I actually had mine AND Brooke’s…), they give you two more big ones at the end. I was definitely feeling good by the time we left the brewery. I’ll tell you what, the Dutch know how to get things done. And by “things” I mean getting tourists drunk. Which I’m totally ok with.

Soo once we were good and tipsy, we set off for France. About an hour into the 5 hour drive, the buzz wore off and the fun level went down significantly haha. The drive seemed to take foreeeevvvvveeeerrr, the way Christmas Eve feels like a 48-hour-long night when you’re a kid.

Finally we reach Sarreguemines, France around midnight. For some reason, I was under the impression that the apartment we were staying in was going to be tiny. As in, half of us would be sleeping on the floor. Um, not sure where that came from, but holy hell was I wrong. This place is like a dream. It really is. It’s exactly how I pictured a French apartment would be. Tall doors, wood floors, window boxes with bright flowers, A BIDET. There are some pictures on my Facebook that might illustrate it better than I can with words. We drink wine while watching the sun set, sleep with the windows open, and wake up to the smell of coffee and fresh baked bread that Mette gets from the bakery first thing each morning. I almost don’t want to leave the apartment each day.

So we’ve been here in Sarreguemines for two nights now, almost three. There’s much more to tell but we’re waking up early tomorrow morning to go to Heidelberg, so off to bed I go.

Here’s a link to my photo album too!

5:16am Texas, 12:16pm France

It’s been quite a week so far and it’s only Tuesday! Since the last time I posted, we’ve been to Horsens, Denmark; Amsterdam, Holland; and Sarreguemines, France. Let’s start with Horsens. We drove on Saturday from Fanø to Horsens, which was a couple hours away. Mette’s family was having a reunion at her cousins home there. When we arrived, we were welcomed in both English and Danish by 10 or 20 of her relatives. The house was breathtaking. I wish I had taken pictures! From the outside, it looked like your average suburban home in a smallish European town. But once you get inside, you instantly feel like you’re in an Ikea catalog. The home is multilevel with just the right amount of room for entertaining, and the furniture is perfectly eclectic but so put together. But the best part is the view from their backyard. You step outside on their patio, where there are two long, shaded tables, and look out to their huge, green lawn. Beyond the lawn (complete with a flagpole with the Danish flag right smack in the middle), there is a path down to a wooded area where the river runs through, and even farther than that you can see miles of undeveloped farmland. It looks like the backdrop on The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy is skipping down the yellow brick road, seriously. We had lunch on the patio, and then watched some of the Tour de France in the TV room that has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the same view you see from the patio.

After the reunion we followed Leif (Mette’s cousin, pronounced like Life) in our van to our hotel, the Jorgensen Hotel. It had Best Western logos on in, but this place felt more like a Marriott, if you could find one that was built in 1775 haha. The town and the hotel were so charming I can’t stand it! The hotel was situated right on the walking street, so we were just steps away from all the restaurants, bars, and shops. We got there kind of late so we couldn’t do any shopping, but we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant haha. Actually, it was cheaper to take it to-go so we did that and ate it outside of an old church. That evening, everyone except Thor and I went to the bar right next door to the hotel and watched some live music. They came back pretty early because we had to wake up first thing in the morning to drive to Amsterdam.

Breakfast at the hotel at 7, and on the road by 8. We get about 3 of the 10 hours into the drive, and Hanna realizes she left her suitcase! Oops. No way were we turning back at that point, so a shopping trip was planned and that was that. No harm done, just a lot of laughing and head-shaking haha. So we finally get to the outskirts of Amsterdam with no problems (aside from the suitcase situation), but have the HARDest time figuring out how to get to our hotel in the city center. If you’ve ever been to Amsterdam, you know how confusing that city is. It’s absolutely gorgeous, but every street looks just the same, and there are dozens of them going around in a circle. Add to that a bunch of one-way streets and hundreds of pedestrians and bikers, and you start to see what a miracle it was that we found it at all. We pulled up to Hotel Armada which faced one of the many canals, and got checked into our room. The room was on the lower end of the comfort spectrum as far as our hotel rooms have gone. Horsens would have been at the top for sure. But we made it work, and by this time we’ve become so close that sharing a tiny room with 4 other people is not such a big deal.

By this time it’s already after 8, so we walked around until we found a place to eat. We decided on an Italian place. Turned out to the best choice ever! We all shared a bottle of Chianti, and Brooke and I shared macaroni and minestrone. I realized during dinner that sharing a meal with the people I love is one of my favorite things ever. And even more amazing is when I get to do it in a beautiful foreign city. After dinner we walked around a while longer, had a Heineken at a little pub near our hotel, and then turned in for the night. It had been a looooong day.

Speaking of long, I’ll probably post the rest of this later on. We’re going to walk around Sarreguemines for a while. Au revoir!

9:56am Texas, 4:56pm Denmark

Yesterday morning at 6:00am, my dad opens the door to the room Hanna and I are sharing and tells us it’s time to get up. We have 45 minutes to get ready and return our rented bikes because the ferry to Esbjerg (pronounced Es-bee-uh) leaves at 7:00am and from there we’ll drive the several hours to Copenhagen. Because 5 of the 7 of us are females, we of course were rushing around right up to the last minute. But we make it on time to the ferry and get to Copenhagen around noon. I’m amazed and pleased at how well our families get along, especially considering we’re in a van for hours at a time. If you ask me, I’d say that’s quite an accomplishment.

So once we get into the city, Mette calls the hotel to get more specific directions, and finds out that it is located on a different street than the one she’d previously been told. And this particular street just so happens to be in the heart of Copenhagen’s version of Amsterdam’s red light district. So picture, if you will, a nice family of 7 driving up in a huge touristy van to the Hotel Absalon, and parking across the street in front of the Erotic Sex store. Good times. The area we were in was pretty sketchy. I’ll put it this way: within the first few hours, Hanna was almost robbed and Thor was offered drugs. Yay Copenhagen! The hotel itself was actually great – much nicer than expected. And the city is beautiful with lots to do. While we were waiting for our second room to be ready, we went to the “walking street” in the middle of the city where there are shops and restaurants lining the road for miles. We had lunch at a kebab place. Side note: this is my favorite thing ever. Kebab/gyro/shawarma restaurants are the best because they’re delicious, inexpensive, and everywhere you go. It’s like how McDonald’s is in the states. That evening we ate dinner at “Manhattan Pizza”, which was owned and operated by Asians and featured a buffet of pizza (obviously), potatoes, pineapple, and a lot of other inexplicably random foods. After dinner we came back to good ol’ Hotel Absalon to get ready to go out. Around 10:30pm (sorry, 22:30) all 7 of us got into a taxi van and went to a bar that Mette’s niece had suggested. When we got there it was basically empty. Europeans wait until after 11 to go out for some reason. You know how happy hour is usually during the time of day when few people are out? In Maastricht where I studied abroad, happy hour was from 10-11pm, if that helps illustrate my point. So a big family group showing up together at a bar at 10:30 probably looked silly. But we have a lot of fun together so we didn’t mind. Plus, it was packed by midnight. Almost all of us had our fair share of beer, and by 1am we were all dancing by the DJ with drinks in hand. Made me think about my mom and how much she would’ve loved this. Anyone who knew her will understand what I mean. So anyway, we took a taxi home at 1:30 or so, drunk as hell. Well I was anyway haha. I don’t want to speak for anyone else. I think it’s safe to assume Julianne was though because she insisted on braving the streets and getting a pizza haha. Skyped with Chad for a while, until I fell asleep in front of the computer. “Why are your eyes closed..?” Haha, oops.

Woke up this morning with a raging headache. A coffee and 3 Advil please! I guess that’s what I get for not drinking for a week. I won’t be making that mistake again. Went downstairs for a really good breakfast, so that helped. After breakfast we checked out and left the red light district behind us for good, thank goodness. I saw more pictures of (fake) boobs than I would’ve liked to. Not that I would’ve liked to see any at all haha. It was pouring down rain, but we went and saw the changing of the guards anyway which was pretty cool.

We got in the van to try and figure out something warm and dry to do, and on a whim decided to pay a visit to Sweden! We were only about half an hour from the border so we figured why not? We drove into Molmö and had bagels and coffee for lunch. It was at this point that something dawned on me. One of the biggest differences between Americans and Europeans is that we tend to go out of our way to relax (which seems totally counterproductive). We plan a coffee date. We schedule a yoga session. We make relaxing into some kind of event that we have to make a conscious effort for. In Europe, relaxing – taking it easy, enjoying the scenery, sitting still for a while – is an integral part of life. They don’t plan to relax, they just do it, and without even thinking. It’s just assumed that you’re going to sit for an hour and have tea or coffee at some point during the day. I think that in the same way we try to incorporate healthy foods into our everyday meals rather than trying to plan some complicated diet, we should make resting and relaxing a central part of our lives, not an inconvenience or addition to our existing schedules

Anyway, now we’re on our way back to Fanø. We’ll be there for one more full day before we leave to another town in Denmark where Mette’s family reunion will take place. If it’s anything like the Blanton reunions, there will be plenty to write about afterwards Until then!

12:44pm Texas, 7:44pm Fano

It’s almost dinner time here at the summerhouse. As Brooke so eloquently described, “It smells like hot butter in here.” We’re having burgers tonight; such Americans we are. Today was so wonderful. We went and rented bicycles after breakfast, and this afternoon we rode them into Nordby to see the parade and shop around. The town is so adorable. It looks just like a post card. Every building is hundreds of years old and the streets are made of cobblestone.

Actually I got interrupted before, but now it’s Tuesday and we’re back in town at the creperi. If you’ve never had a crepe the Danish way, you’re missing out. Thin, sweet dough filled with whatever you want. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but my sisters do! Brooke got a Nutella crepe and Julianne got a banana coconut and chocolate crepe. They have more hearty ones too, with garlic or olives or meat if you want. It feels very European to sit outdoors sipping a latte and just enjoying existing. Mette described one of the differences between here and the states by saying here, there is just a different pulse. The pace and the vibe are just more relaxed, more content. That doesn’t mean people don’t rush around or stress out, but it’s more with an understanding that the world is not going to end if they don’t.

Tomorrow we go to Copenhagen for a night, which will be a nice change. It’s beautiful and quiet here, but I’m looking forward to seeing a bigger city. My mind is totally blown at how slowly time is moving. In general I think that’s a good thing. Who knows when I’ll be back to Europe, so I want to enjoy it as much as I can. But at the same time I miss a lot of things and people back home. I was used to seeing a certain someone every single now and now I can’t see him at all, so that’s kind of hard. Ok it’s really hard :/

Either way, I am having an amazing time here, and it’s only just started. We have so much to see still! More updates from Copenhagen soon!

2:25am Texas, 9:25am Fano

It’s our first morning together at the summerhouse, and I have to say it’s quite close to how I pictured it in my mind. The town is small, with local shops and thatch-roof homes. The house we’re staying in is modest but has everything we need. You walk up a set of stone stairs to the front deck, which faces the dunes. The front door leads directly into the kitchen. From there it opens up to the living/dining room. There’s a little table and two couches and lots of big windows. Just sitting here on the couch I can see about 200 degrees around me. Off the living room are two tiny bedrooms, with just enough room for a twin bed or bunk, a two-drawer dresser and a sink. There’s a door at the far end of the living room that leads to the bathroom and master bedroom, as well as the back porch. We woke up around 8 this morning (well, us Blantons woke up around 2, still all messed up from the jet lag, but fell back asleep) and had a delicious breakfast. An assortment of breads bought at the bakery this morning, cheese, jam, chocolate, orange juice and coffee filled up our little table. I’m not much of a breakfast eater, but I’d eat that every morning if I had the time.

The weather is perfection. It’s like fall in Texas… partly cloudy, around 60 or 65 degrees in the morning. It’ll probably warm up to around 70 or 75 later on. We walked the 5 minutes down to the beach from our porch. You make your way through the dunes, and when you emerge you’re greeted by a huge expanse of sand, with another 2-minute walk before you reach the water. I like this kind of beach, where you wear long sleeves and stay out of the water. It’s not for sunbathing or surfing, it’s for walking and looking and thinking. The girls walked down the beach toward town to check out the local store. I’m hoping there’s wifi somewhere. I can certainly appreciate the solitude and quiet of being so far from home, but I’m a product of the information age, and I just can’t cut myself off from the world completely. It goes against my nature.

So for now we’re just taking it slow and enjoying the silence. I’m trying my best not to go back to sleep. There’s a festival in town tonight! Looking forward to it!

1:37am Texas, 8:37am Copenhagen

We made it to Denmark finally. The flight was long and of course we were seated right behind The Crying Baby. You know the one. It waits until about an hour into the flight, when you’re just starting to think you’re home free. Then it starts, and doesn’t stop crying until you arrive at your final destination. I mean I know you can’t blame the poor baby. I’d probably be whining too if I knew I could get away with it. But still.

So aside from The Baby, the flight wasn’t all that bad. I feel like such a spoiled American complaining about my long, tiring flight to Europe. Poor me! I got to sit by my sisters, which was nice because that means I was able to avoid The Stranger-Friend – that guy or girl who somehow thinks it’d be great to strike up a deep conversation, despite the fact that your headphones are on (even though you aren’t actually listening to anything…).

And now here we are, sixteen hours later, sitting in the terminal in Copenhagen. Eating a very European breakfast and watching in awe as blonde after blonde walks by, looking effortlessly refreshed at all times. In half an hour we’ll fly to Billund and then drive to Fano (except it’s spelled with Danish letters that I can’t find on my computer), the island where we’ll be staying for the next week or so. My dad and Julianne haven’t been to Europe before. I’m so excited that they’ll get to experience it this way, with someone who knows what they’re doing and where to go. There will be little trial and error on this trip, unlike my summer abroad two years ago (there was a LOT of that). And I, personally, am sooo excited to be staying in a house with my family, in a small town on an island. I get the impression it will be very quiet and low-key, which is how a vacation should be. Traveling around like a madman is fun to do once, just to say you did it. But honestly after running through too many train stations only to miss the train by two minutes makes me never want to travel that way again.

Sadly, I missed out on the best day of the year at work when all the Christmas parties are happening, because I was exhausted and getting sick. But the exhaustion seemed worth it after finding out I got a 4.0 this semester! Woo! Seriously, I did not anticipate being so busy this semester, but now I know I can do it, so that’s good right?

My youngest sister Brooke turned 18 on the 17th and we had a lovely “mocktail” party for her. Non-alcoholic drinks and dinner were served to all her friends and they all dressed up with the girls in their cocktail dresses and boys in their slacks. It was cute haha. Ah I can’t believe my youngest sister is 18 and about to start college (Side note: she got into all 4 colleges she applied to!). Many thanks to the Walkers for cooking and lending us their home for the evening

Here are a couple pictures from the night:

^ Hanna, my dad, and me

^ The birthday girl and Amanda

^ Jacque and Brooke

^ Brookie and me (goodness I’m short)

Other fun things – my other sister Julianne flew in from Colorado a couple days ago. She’s always a good time! Highlight so far: she and I and my other sister Brooke getting tattoos together. I am seriously such a wimp.. the tattoo is only a few inches long but I almost passed out afterwards haha. My sisters went first and I was totally fine watching them. I was actually alright during my own, but as soon as he was done the room starting getting hazy really quickly ahh! The guy who tattooed me was cool about making me feel like it happens all the time though (It probably doesn’t, I’m just lame). Anyway it was a great sister bonding thing, and now I can check another thing off my bucket list!

So needless to say, when the leaves start to change and the temperature starts to drop (even if only a degree or two in Texas), I always get a little giddy knowing that my favorite time of year is just around the corner. I mean, it’s a holiday that is centered around my two favorite things of all time – family  and food.

There is one downside, however. That feeling of excitement that I get, seems to escalate and grow into a form of insanity in many people. They probably start off feeling excited, then it turns slowly into anxiety as they start thinking about all the family members they have to feed, and then the upcoming Christmas holiday, and then all the presents they’ll have to buy.. and eventually it becomes this weird materialistic craze that completely distracts them from the point of the holidays. I hate that the holidays are associated so much with sales and money and things, and not family and quality time.

I think it’s human nature to be selfish and greedy, but I also believe we have an incredible capability to love and form bonds and share our company. I guess it’s just a matter of what you allow to dictate your life, right?

Apologies for the poor picture quality. Again, iphones can only capture this masterpiece so well. Needless to say though, we will most definitely be making these again.

Next adventure: bacon flavored dark chocolate. No, I’m not kidding.

It doesn’t even have to be somewhere famous or exotic. I just want to be away from here. Not forever, but long enough to stretch my legs a little.

Drive theory in psychology states that organisms constantly seek a state of homeostasis. I think it probably refers more to physical needs, but I think it can just as easily be applied to emotional/spiritual/psychological needs. Humans in particular are so complex and diverse that I don’t think it’s far-fetched to assume that each of us possesses a specific set of interests or talents that, when realized, kind of completes us. Some people can’t live without music, or religion, or a partner. There are things that we will go out of our way to have or experience, in order to reach a mental homeostasis. And our internal drive kicks in when we don’t have that. Maybe that’s why I want to travel so badly… One component of my individual homeostasis involves feeling mentally stimulated. Traveling brings me from a state of dissatisfaction to that of relaxation (I’m talking mentally. In a literal sense, traveling can definitely be the opposite of relaxing at times).

In any case, there are other things that can help keep my homeostasis scale from losing its center. Reading and writing I think are like mini-mental-stimulators. Now if only I had more time to do it..