Thursday Thirteen #23

Welcome to my 22nd Thursday Thirteen and my 200th post! So presenting...

13 Things I did on my Summer Vacation (With Pictures)

1. Saw one of the strangest blends of cultures I have every seen in my life. Witness La Petit Bankok.


2. Figured out what to do when Nicky is too old to use his pacifier. Hang it on the Binky Tree! Isn't that a perfectly adorable thing to do with your little one when it's time to retire the old bink?



3. Went to see my hubby's old home, Rosenborg Castle.


4. Learned that one of the kings of Denmark was a drunk. I can't remember which one it was, but the king who built this brewery drank 8 liters of beer a day. As our tour guide pointed out, he wasn't capable of holding meetings after 10 in the morning.


5. Took a realllly terrible picture of the Little Mermaid.

6. Wasn't impressed by the new Opera House. There are some that call it the toaster. I don't get that comparison, but I didn't like it. I'm just not in to the modern buildings.

7. Cruised through Ny Havn. Ny Havn means New Harbor, but this is actually one of the oldest harbors in Copenhagen. And here is an interesting fact that I didn't know before I did some research for our trip: Copenhagen, or Koebenhavn in danish, comes from Koebemands Havn which is literally translated to Merchant's harbor. The city has been there in some form because of it's amazing harbor since the viking age, but it wasn't fortified until the mid-twelfth century. I'll bet y'all didn't know you were going to get a history lesson today!

8. Finally found out why there are Three Dragons on top of the old stock exchange. It's hard to see them in the picture, but the there are three dragons with their tails entwined to form the point of the tower. The reason is that they represent the three Nordic powers of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They were once all one country but gradually became the three.

9. Watched Nicky take a plane ride he actually enjoyed!!!

10. Learned what the strange chair below is for. No! It was not some sort of weird sexual torture device. This was in Fredriksborg Castle in the meeting room, where the king would meet with diplomats and that kind of thing. He would tell them that he had to take care of something elsewhere and go to the chamber below the meeting hall. He could then sit in this chair and be hoisted up. We have to assume that he was behind a screen, because the trap door wasn't at all well hidden. Then he could listen to the chatter of his guests and know all their plans before hand. Smart, eh?

11. Decided I wanted to join the Elephant Order. It's an order of knights and I guess ladies, because women have also been inducted, who the king or queen of Denmark has chosen to honor for one of many reasons. There are people from all walks of life. The picture below is from Fredriksborg, where the coats of arms of all of the Elephant Order hang. This particular one is for Dwight D. Eisenhower. So... Queen Margrethe, if you one day come to my site and read this, could you please give me the honor of making me one of the Elephant Order? (I hope I translated the name right...) Order of the Elephant...well anyway you get the drift. :-D

12. Decided how I want my husband to make my patio... This one is Fredriksborg too, a view from the walkway into the courtyard. :-D The next two are also Fredriksborg. The first is a view up from inside the courtyard, and the next is a view back toward the castle from the gardens.

13. Went for a walk in the adorable seaside town of Dragoer. Where they apparently have black flowers. No, that's not a bad shot. That is actually a black flower. It was gorgeous!

BONUS!!!

14. Watched my son have a debate about the proper name for a goat. It was soooooo cute. Nicky was petting the goat and the little girl walked over and started petting it too. He looked at her and said, "Goat," to which she responded with the Danish word, "Ged." It was adorable!

15. Here are the swans he tortured quite happily...

16. Visited the famous fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen. Well his house anyway. Not too fancy, eh? Guess it didn't pay too well to be a writer then either. hehe

17. Sat on the Hans Christian Andersen version of the Ronald McDonald bench. hehe Yes, there is a picture of me on it. No, I'm not sharing. It was AWFUL!

18. Watched Nicky commune with a porpoise!

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