Heading Home

Well folks, it's hard to imagine but we are at the end of our travels. Will and I are currently in Frankfurt Germany getting ready to take a morning flight back to the states. Will and I are eager to see our families and get back to our own bed. We'll be writing a reflection piece later over the next few days, and then that will be it!

Thanks for all of the prayers that are getting us safely home.

Love and blessings to you all,

Lauren & Will

Mikey Mike

1.) Canal Tour
2.) "Hamburger Night" at Johanna's with super friends.
3.) Beach day (we are hiding out from the people with very little clothing, or none at all!)
4.) We're happy Mike is here!

It's been a very restful few days here, and Will and I are starting to say things like "next week this time we'll be doing ________in Philly!". It's amazing that we're really starting to wind things down here and I'm not sure we could have picked a more perfect place to stop before we head home.

Tomorrow we might head over to Sweden, just because it's so close. We're trying to cram as much cool stuff in as we can before we leave.

Well look who it is!

Will's brother Mike, after working in Turkey and Saudia Arabia, came up to Denmark to surprise Will. Mike will be staying with us for the last few days of our trip. He is the first family member we have seen in 5 months, and it felt good to get our arms around him.

Will's pics of some local architecture.

The top two pictures are of housing developments, the round one is my favorite. The third picture is of the royal library and the last picture is of an office building.

Vacation Blogging

So Will and I admitted to each other that it's starting to feel kind of strange blogging about how easy and wonderful life is right now. We went from "it's 115 degrees today and I'm lugging around art supplies to 3 different sites, doing 5 different projects" to "today we sat in a garden and ate pastries". Not to say we aren't totally enjoying ourselves, because we certainly are;-), but maybe there's just a tiny bit of guilt knowing that so many never get a day off and here we are blogging about our days of lazy luxury. Is this culture shock?

I've also been thinking about how before India I was acutely aware that I lived life as though I was the main character in my own movie, and everyone else supported my story. But in India, it felt like I was a character in a much larger film, things were happening to me, I had less control and therefore couldn't always predict an outcome. IT feels good to be coming home with this new feeling and it's been something I've been longing for, for a while. I wanted this to be my next area of growth, and I'm very glad that this experience has shaken me out of my own little world into the greater earth, and plan, that God has created and given me the privilege to be a part of.

Fredericksborg Castle

Yesterday Toni took us to the local castle called Fredericksborg. After seeing so much modern Danish design, it was pretty incredible to see such an ornate place. Here is a quick description.

History of the Castle
"Christian IV’s magnificent Renaissance Castle was built in the beginning of the 17th century. The king was deeply attached to the place and he often used it as a residence. In the following centuries the castle provided the setting for important ceremonial events, first and foremost the anointing of absolute monarchs.

In 1859 a devastating fire broke out and destroyed some of the castle exterior and large parts of the interior. The founder of the Carlsberg Breweries J.C. Jacobsen played an important role in the extensive restoration work. It was his idea that the castle should since then accommodate a Museum of National History. The museum was founded in 1878 and it is today regarded as a national monument of great historical importance."- www.fredericksborgmuseet.dk

We got really lucky and the choir was practicing in the chapel while we visited, sending beautiful harmonies through the halls.

Lousiana Denmark

Toni, Will's host mom, took we kids out to a modern art museum near their house in Hillerod called Louisiana. They had a green architecture exhibit going on that Will was really excited about. I was excited to see a familiar artists work outside near the water and a wonderful kids art area. To see more about the museum and it's exhibit click here.

Will's Host Family

When Will studied in Denmark he stayed with a host family. Above is the amazing food they kept feeding us. In the second picture is Will's host sister Kiva and her boyfriend Marco, and in the third picture is Toni (mom), Tau (brother) and Tour (Dad). We had an amazing time with them as they shared stories and stuffed us with tons of meat (roast, pork tenderloin, sausage, meatballs and a variety of coldcuts), and other delicious goodies. It felt good to be in a family home again and they are a lovely family who welcomed me right in. I can see why Will has always spoken so very highly of them.

Homemade Houses

This past Friday Johanna took Will and I to Christiania. A description of this place is below.

"It all began in 1970 when a group of citizens knocked down the fence at the corner of Prinsessegade and Refshalevej close to the Grey Hall. They wanted a playground for their kids and something green to look at.
The same year an exhibition took place at Charlottenborg called "Noget for Noget" (Give and Take), where all sorts of hippies, freaks and people into macrobiotics showed themselves off, sold their goods and exhibited their art, including theatre, pictures, and happenings. An alternative newspaper called Hovedbladet (Head Magazine) was published in connection with the exhibition.
One of the articles discussed the abandoned military barrack in Badsmandsstraedes kaserne and put forward thousands of possible ideas for their use, not least as homes for the numerous young people who were unable to find accommodation elsewhere. However, the squatters movement and the alternative forces "The New Society" summer camp in Thy also needed a place for them to be able to realize their dreams.
The article resulted in a massive immigration of people form all sections of society, who came to create an alternative life based on communal living and freedom. This was the birth of Christiania." -www.christiania.org

I also quickly found out that Christiania is known for selling a particular green product out in the open. We did not partake, but it was pretty amazing to see so much of it out on tables, and SO many people having a little puff with their lunch. The place over all was pretty cool though, and I'd really like to do an art project with my kids back home on the making of houses with found objects. Especially after being in India where the slums are also made with found objects, it's interesting to see what a little money, or lack there of, can accomplish when building a home.

For Jim & Denny

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

We'll be home in 8 days

to celebrate with hugs and fun gifts.

Love to you both,

Lauren & Will

Frue Kirke

Last night Will took me to his favorite church buiding in Denmark, Frue Kirke. This building is right down the street from the school Will attended, and he would often head here it at the end of his day to unwind. The interior is very simple and white, just Will's style, and the pastors often include art installations as part of their service. Last night was such an evening and around dusk we headed into a space lit with candles and echoing with music from a single soprano singing from the balcony. It was spectacular and I teared up in this space as I made my rounds to each alter/installation. Will seemed to feel at home here as he leaned against the wall enjoying the peaceful environment. I understand now why he was so eager to bring me to this magnificant space.

Royalty

Yesterday Johanna, Will and I went on a little walk around town. We went primarily to the royal court, the marble church, and then we ate danish in the King's park.....actually they just call it Vienna bread here as "eating danish" would be inhumane.
I had never been in a royal court before, and I got to see the changing of the guards with their big puffy hats. The marble church was pretty amazing too, as it was full of colors and a huge organ with big ornate swans surrounding the pipes. Made me miss my church community back home though. I look at church buildings a lot differently now, as I think of the church as more of a body of people, and the building more as a work of art. The building that my church meets in back home is a lot more simple and has recently gotten a face lift while we've been away. I'm eager to be back home worshipping there.

Tradition

Our friend Mikael has a tradition of taking pictures of his guests on his big red couch.
He sent this to us after we left. You can tell how chilly it is here by how much clothing we're wearing.

Nyord

After checking out the cliffs Mikael took us to this tiny little town by the sea called Nyord. It was kind of the cutest place ever and reminded me a bit of New England. Some of the locals sold little home made products and set up stands in their house based on the honor system. We were able to walk in and out of little stores with the option of simpley leaving money in a box or tin if we chose to purchase a product. The little gardens kept at each house made Will and I think of our moms at home, and my aunt Barb, who work so hard on their own little plots of land. It would be nice to bring them here someday.

Møns Klint

Mikael took us to this beautiful place called Møns Klint, which is about an hour and a half south of Copenhagen.

"The chalk forming the cliffs consists of the remains of shells from millions of microscopic creatures (coccolithophores) which lived on the seabed over 70 million years ago. As a result of huge pressure from glaciers moving west, the terrain was compacted and pushed upwards, forming a number of hills and folds. When the ice melted at the end of the last ice age about 11,000 years ago, the cliffs emerged." -Wikipedia

The water here was clear and turned a variety of shades of blue as the sun past over the water. Very cool.