Arhus on Tuesday

Tues. 26 May 1986

Dear ones,

If this is Tuesday, it must be Arhus, or is it, if this is Arhus, it must be Tuesday.

A week ago today was a beautiful sunshiny day – we used it for packing and running errands. Jene and I carried 3 boses over to the Post Office and sent them home. It was some of our bulky winter clothes – boots, jacket, ski boots, etc, winter coats. Our suit cases are jam-packed to guess it was a good idea! Vince and I went to the bank and got Travelers checks. Later in the afternoon we took the trikk downtown to meet the fellow who now lives on the farm Vince’s grandpa Williams was born on. He had a copy of an aerial view of the farm made, and we needed to get it from him.

We should have changed Tuesday and Wednesday around – Wednesday we drove to Porsgrunn to get some china dishes for Norma and Willis. But it rained, sometimes hard most of the day. Norma wanted to fill out LeAnn’s dishes and if you go to the Outlet Store at the factory, they sell “seconds” cheaper. We found out when we got there that the pattern has been discontinued, and they didn’t have all of the pieces. We got what we could – had it shipped to them. We took a different road back so saw one more pretty valley.

Vince had forgotten his camera on Friday when he went in for his final goodbyes, so on our way out of town on Thursday, (and we were a little later than we hoped) we stopped at the Univ. to get a picture of the Koppangs and say goodbye. They’d told us when we had breakfast with them that they wanted us to at least call them the day we left. And wouldn’t you know on our way out of town we were in the wrong lane, and took a wrong street one more time!

We drove as far as Goteburg that day and it was late when we got there. We didn’t see many motels; we were hoping to stay away from Sentrum and we were trying to get somewhat close to the Volvo factory. We finally found a Scandic Hotel at Molndal, so got a room there. We were almost ready to fly home from there after the frustrations of that day – Vince is afraid to let me drive: twice I put my foot on the brake instead of the clotch. That’s different! Especially with a semi right behind us. And we stopped for gas just after we crossed the Swedish border. The hose split as Vince was using it and got gas on his leg and shoe and one side of the car. The attendants wanted to know if he had run over the hose – dumb. They finally said, after talking with the boss, that he should send them the bill for replacing the trousers, socks and shoes and they would reimburse him. We’ll see! We stopped on down the road a ways for some bread and cheese or jam; Vince got out his moccasins and a pair of jeans and changed. So we put the smelly ones in the trunk.

After we checked in to the hotel, Vince and I were going out to look for something to eat – the restaurant at the hotel was closed. We drove thru the business district of Molndal, and didn’t find any erring places open. (Jene said she wasn’t hungry. Think it was because there was a TV in the room.) So we went back to the hotel and ate some more bread and cheese. What a day!

The tour at the Volvo factory was at 1 p.m. on Friday – there were a lot of people on the tour so there must have been a lot of people getting their cars. We were the only ones in Jan. We rode on a small open “train” through the different areas – saw the old assembly lines they use in some parts and the new robots used in others. It was interesting! Think it was 3 before we got going. So were were late getting to the outskirts of Copenhagen. Found a motel there and ate our supper there.

Saturday Jene navigated us to downtown Copenhagen. She has a thing for seeing castles so think it was 4 or 5 we saw. Some we just looked at from the outside. We got to the palace just before noon so we were there for the changing of the guard. One of the castles we did go through. Supposedly a couple of objects in there were hand carved by an ancestor of Vince’s 9 generations ago. A curator who happened to be in the office when we bought our tickets and he told us where to find them. That castle is so full of stuff that we might never have found them. Vince attempted to get pictures, but they were in glass cases, so we wonder about the reflection from the flash. While checking out one more palace, we parked right by Thorvaldsen Museum. We raced thru that - and saw the well-known statue of Christ with head down and hands outstretched that Thorvaldsen is known for. We didn’t see Tivoli or the Little Mermaid. We tell Jene to put that on her list for her next trip. And did I tell you it was raining all day and we were wet and cold. The restaurant at the motel was closed for a party, so after getting dry and warm we drove to Roskilde for supper. Vince and I ordered roast beef with onions and potato salad. There were some thin shavings (grated) of something on the plate. I asked Vince what it was. He said, “If it doesn’t move, eat it”. Wrong! I took a bite – not a taste – a bite – it was horseradish.

The next day we back tracked to Helsinor, where our ferry had landed the night before, to go through Kronberg – the castle Wm. Shakespear mentions in Hamlet. On our way down the dark hall to the dungeon, Vince turned his ankle. Luckily, it wasn’t sprained though he limped for awhile. Denmark celebrated the 18th birthday of their Crown Prince (he is now old enough to rule the country when the Queen is away). And while we were at the castle, the Queen and her husband stopped by for a visit. Jene says she got a picture of them – Vince got one of their Rolls Royce. We started on our way to Arhus, stopping by a couple more castles so Jene could get pictures. We got into Arhus about six. I drove some (and didn’t step on the brake except when I was supposed to). Vince and Jene say I drove around the block twice before we located the Hotel, once more to see parking space and once more to turn in. Vince reviewed his lecture notes after we’d had dinner at the hotel. He took a taxi to the Dental Building yesterday and Jene and I did a little sight seeing on foot. Saw the Cathedral, and Gamle Byen – which is a reconstructed town of old buildings. We stopped in several shops, and yet forgot that we were going to buy umbrellas.

Vince’s day at the Dental College was good, he said. His lecture was well attended and well received. In the evening we were taken out for dinner by 3 dentists and one of the wives (wife of one of them); had a delicious meal in a new concert hall.

This morning we are getting ready to head for Germany. Vince has to stop back at the Dental College – they are paying him some for his lecture and the check wasn’t ready yesterday.

Vince says he is done with the communicating – he knows no German. Now it is up to Jene and me. All we say is “Can you speak English?”

We’re off –

Love, Verla