Our Aarhus Adventure

The Big Day

Posted by Philip Morley on April 13th, 2016

We’ve been pestered for months. And it’s perfectly normal and safe in Denmark to do it. So, today, we relented.

Daisy caught the bus to school by herself.

To us Brits, this is quite a big thing. Aarhus is the second biggest city in Denmark and to get to school Daisy has to catch a bendy bus across town at rush hour.

But Aarhus is also very safe and there are lots of familiar faces on the bus should Daisy need help.

Sarah armed Daisy with a cheap phone so she could confirm where she was.

By the time I’d got to the office, Daisy had reported in and already got caught moaning to friends that mum was checking up on her - by leaving her phone switched on so Sarah could hear a conversation in the background.

Anyway, that’s a milestone and it must give her a tremendous feeling of independence.

Visiting ours.

Posted by Philip Morley on April 13th, 2016

It’s been a busy few weeks, as we’ve had visitors.

First, our friends from Comberton in Cambridge: Ozgur and Ian, with their kids Sila and Lara. It was lovely to have the chance to show them around the city, even though it was pretty awful, weather-wise.

They stayed in an Air B&B just up the hill from our apartment, which gave them some space to themselves - particularly useful with Lara being a baby.

One high-point for them was their visit to Spanien, the spa mentioned earlier in this blog, without kids.

Then, the day after their departure, Martha (Daisy’s elder sister) arrived.

By this time the weather was kinder and we were able to do more outside.

First proper beach trip.

Posted by Philip Morley on March 21st, 2016

Yesterday, we all jumped on a bus and travelled ten minutes North of town to our favourite Risskov beach. I was considerably under-dressed, insisting on shorts, so spent most of the time shivering.

However, whilst feeling cold, I observed a string of locals running down the boardwalk, shedding their layers and jumping into the icy Baltic.

They only survived a few seconds before breaking the speed record for getting out of the sea, but they actually went in.

We warmed up with coffee at Emerys on the way back.

It’s only March. It will get warmer.

Roll on. Walk off.

Posted by Philip Morley on March 16th, 2016

Yesterday, when it was considerably bleaker walking along the coast road into town, I spotted this pair of abandoned roller skates. Which all seemed very odd. Did the person suddenly get sick of rolling and suddenly unpacked his/her spare pair of non-wheeled shoes? Or is this a parking space for roller skates outside the nearby row of houses?

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Spring.

Posted by Philip Morley on March 16th, 2016

Aarhus is finally throwing back the duvet and smelling the coffee.

This morning, the crisp sunshine penetrated the hardest hearts and foulest hangovers, leaving my fellow citizens smiling. Or wincing in the face of a solar blast, armed with inadequate sunglasses from Tiger.

When I got to work in Mejlgade, all the windows were open as if someone had farted. Fortunately - as far as I know - they hadn't. It was my landlord inviting Spring inside to say hello for the first time in 2016.

The coffee is on. I'm first at my desk in the galley area. And I'm ready for work.