Aarhus

I am now on the other side of the "pond" and in Aarhus. I am embarrassed to say that, after having lived in Copenhagen for 4 years, I never left Sjælland (the Danish island where Copenhagen is located) and have only visited Legoland and Lalandia since (our trip is here). Anyway, I am now in Aarhus and sorry that I never came here before. It is a charming small-ish city that has a ton of character and history... and the beautiful water views aren't too terrible either ;)

Last night, after arriving, I had dinner with the lovely Catarina and Karin, who I met in blog land :) I met up with Catarina in Legoland/Lalandia (same trip as above) but I never met Karin in person before. Actually, after knowing each other for about 10 years as bloggers, Catarina and Karin never met face to face either. Funny thing is that I felt like I always knew them and that they are old friends!

Today, my host here took me to the downtown core. She showed me around and treated me to a fabulous traditional lunch that consisted of Smørrebrød and Carlsberg beer. It was fantastic! After around 4 hours of walking around, I headed back to my hotel to write this and get ready for a conference dinner tonight.

After a busy conference schedule tomorrow,  I will head to Copenhagen on Friday for some work and not-work "meetings" ;) Warning: photo spam ahead ;)


Have a great rest of the day xox

Our "little" hike in the Saguenay Fjord

As most of you know, Andreas is Scandinavian. If you are Scandinavian, you think that you own all the fjords in the world. Haha, Scandinavia! We actually have one here in Québec (you can read about it in this link). A good one too ;) So, true to his Scandinavian roots, Andreas wanted to check out the Saguenay Fjord.... and so we went!

To see the fjord, it is always really nice to climb up a nearby mountain. We were told (the boys and I... by Andreas) that we would go on a "little" hike to appreciate the full beauty of the area (no argument here... it IS beautiful). The only thing that came as a bit of a surprise (to Andreas as well) was that the top of the mountain (ie: best view) was like being on a stair master for 4 hours... on intense ;) I think Oliver started complaining as soon as we started ;) and the only thing that kept him going was the small girl who was right after us. As soon as she got close, he miraculously recovered his energy and made a mad dash to get ahead ;)

Anyway, after not really exercising for a few days, I feel like I have made amends ;) The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely beautiful and I am amazed that anyone would have put the energy into building stone steps up a mountain side. There is a statue of the Virgin Mary at the top so I am assuming it was (or still is) a kind of pilgrimage (details here). On the way down, I had to resist the urge to wish good luck to those starting their climb... especially the girl with flip flops... hope you made it! My biggest word of advice: do it... once... and bring lots of water.

The boys earned their Fortnite session back at the hotel ;)

See you all when we get home again! First stop, a "little" walk in Québec City ;) and then Montréal... xox

Camping adventures in Grandes-Bergeronnes

OK... let's put it all out there: I am not a big camping fan. While I don't totally hate it, camping usually fits somewhere on the "meh" scale for me. This time, Andreas can consider himself a camping-booking-genius because we had, not only the best weather, but the best view ever (see the link for Camping Mer et Monde here). We literally were able to whale watch from the picnic table at our camp site. Yesterday, the dinner show included a bottle of good red wine and some fin whale/beluga/blue whale sightings. The boys didn't even remember their Fortnite withdrawal while the whales were right in front of us (NOW that is something!). The thing that I liked the most was that we were not on a boat, going to the whales but that they actually came to us! It was totally awesome and, needless to say, I absolutely recommend it. Yes, me. I am actually recommending camping. Just do it. You are welcome ;)

After our beautiful weather, we are now sitting in our hotel room in Rivière Éternité, Québec. We came here for a "little" hike to see the Saguenay Fjord. Ummm....the hike did not end up being so little so we are now enjoying the much deserved break. Pictures will follow tomorrow..... Also, to give Andreas further credit in the planning department, it is now raining.... and we are no longer in a tent... and camping is no longer on the "meh" scale ;) Tomorrow, we head back to Montreal... and home!

Now, here is a bit of photo spam from Grandes-Bergeronnes.... and the whales:

School rite of passage

This morning, Nicklas left for a 3 day/2 night trip to a winter camp with his grade 5 class. This trip, which has been going on for years and years, is a kind of ritual or rite of passage for the children at our school and they remember it fondly for years after. Even last night, Alexander was giving his younger brother tips about the camp, obviously having really enjoyed his experience. Most of his advice was based on the food served, some about the rooms and the rest about the winter sports and activities... you know, the important stuff ;) We spent the evening packing up his gear; I got the clothing/supplies together and Nicklas, very seriously, checked off each item as they went into the backpack.

As much as it is always strange when the boys are not at home, I am excited for Nicklas and hoping he has the time of his life! Have fun, my love!! xox

Wishing you all a great day! Especially the teachers who are taking children on such a great adventure!

All excited to go!

Last evening

Tomorrow, we head back to Montreal. We spent the last evening with my sister in law and her family... It was a lovely ending to a great trip <3

See you on the other side of the Atlantic ;)