Welcoming the Queen and Her Husband

Mom, Stella and I went to Fredensborg Slot to see the Queen and her husband move into their castle. Every year, they move into this castle during the spring and stay over the summer. All of the residents of the Fredensborg town, come with torches to greet and welcome the royal couple. This year, we planned to go and be a part of it. It was a beautiful summer evening and when we got there Stella and I got an ice cream at the little ice cream stand and then watched the guards in action by the entrance.
When the residents came with their torches, the event began. There was a marching band playing music and a scout troops leading the residents with torches all the way up to the front door of the castle. The mayor was there, and so were the Queen´s husband´s two dogs. Finally the Queen and her husband came out, and elegantly walked down the stairs. The prince quieted his dogs and the mayor began to speak. They were super close to us, and it was very cool to see them up close and in person. Once the mayor was done speaking, the queen said her speech and then everyone sang the national anthem. It was very cool and very amazing to be a part of such a Danish event.

More pictures here.

Gymnastics

Stella was going to perform her gymnastic show that she had been practicing for a while now. She has been going to gymnastics this whole year, with her friends. Stella couldn't wait to show us her skills, and now was the time... All of the gymnasts had practiced for this show and now was the time where they showed what they could do. The sports center was all filled with family and friends, and all the gymnasts. The energy was positive and everyone seemed excited. The show started off with all the gymnasts and teachers walking in, in their groups. Once all the groups were in, they started singing the national anthem. Everyone completed their show and did fantastic! I was super proud of Stella. Afterwards, I gave her a flower and chocolate to congratulate her on how awesome she did.

More pictures here.

Riding on Fanta

I am going to a riding compitetion at Bente's sister's ranch and I needed to practice the combination for the dressage program so I went out to practice at Bente's. Fussie was already taken, so I had to ride on a "new" horse. The previous week, Bente had asked Sophie and I to help her come up with a nickname for this horse. We came up with Fanta. When I was just beginning to get ready, I forgot to take Fanta's blanket off all the way, so she began kicking. I got a bit shaken up, but quickly brushed it off.
We began the lesson, in trot, and did the two dressage programs. I tried my best to remember them. After that, we galloped and jumped. It was a bit weird on another horse, but I did it. She jumps and runs differently being that she is a sports pony. After the lesson, I took Fanta back to her stable and said goodbye. It was very fun!

Yellow Everywhere

During the winter, it has been very grey, but now there are yellow fields everywhere and blue sky. It is so beautiful!

Easter

H a p p y  E a s t e r !

When I woke up, I found some chocolate eggs i the hall. Today was Easter! Stella was all ready to party, but everyone else was still a bit tired. In Denmark, they do celebrate Easter, just not exactly the same way. It was going to be exciting having my grandmother a part of this Easter and I hoped that she would enjoy it as much as I do.

We all ate some breakfast and hung out. Stella practiced her "Easter Dance", her gift to all of us. At about 10 o'clock, when Stella couldn't hold in the excitement any longer, Mom went outside and hid some chocolate eggs. The sun was shining and the birds singing, as well as the buds on the baby green plants, beginning to bloom. It was so nice, and I could already feel that it was going to be a great day. Mom finally called for us and we went outside. Mormor looked excited and curious about what was going to happen. Mom explained the rules, then, we started. Stella was done a few minutes after, following with me and Mormor. We laughed a bit and played around. It was just the beginning of a great day.

Stella called us all over so that we could see her "Easter Dance". She was very excited to show us her gift that she worked very hard on. She had made beautiful invitations and was ready to start. It turned out great! Even the neighbors walking by peeked in and saw. It gave me a very great feeling how joyful everyone was (maybe the weather gave some extra points).

We left a while after, driving to my Mom's cousin's house. When we arrived, Stella and I started playing with Frederik right away. My Mom's cousin, Jan and his wife, Inge, are GREAT cooks! They had created this amazing meal, which we sat and enjoyed for hours. Later we went back to playing. It was a lot of fun! When it was time to say goodbye, we thought about what a great day it had been...

We got home, and Stella suddenly picked up the iPad. We were getting a Face Time call from our family over in the US. It was funny to see them and sort of be part of there celebration, while still being in our own. After a great day, we went to sleep....

2nd Easter Day!

Yes, there is such a thing. We had an extra day of school off, and all of the stores were closed. Stella went to play with her friend, Sofie. We went on a walk. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite as nice as the day before, but it sure was nice to spend time with family. When we got home, I went to doing homework. Back to school tomorrow! (deep breath/sigh- "okay...")

More pictures from a wonderful Easter here.

Easter at Bente's

We drove out to riding, like every Saturday. We weren't sure if there was riding, being the day before Easter, but we still went to give Bente an Easter egg. When we got there, Stella went upstairs to see the newborn kitten. We found Bente and gave her her gift. She was really happy for her gift.
I started getting Fussie ready. Sohie was on the other side of the hall getting her horse ready. She had picked some flowers and we decide to put them in their manes and tails. By the time we were done both Fussie and the other horse were super pretty. Bente came over and Sophie asked what the name of her horse was, and Bente told her. Bente thought that the name was too long, so she asked if we could help come up with some nicknames. The final result was "Fanta"...
We started riding in the riding house once everyone was ready. We started out in trot, doing dressage, then going in gallop and doing jumps. At the end of the lesson, Bente told us about a dressage competition at her sister's farm and wanted to teach us the combinations. It was kind of hard, and unfortunately, I can't really remember it...
We all went out on a walk after, and got a nice breath of fresh air. The colors are coming back to the world now, which is very nice and enjoyable. When we got back, we brushed the horses and wished them a Happy Easter!

More pictures here.

Esrum Kloster og Hornbæk Strand

We all got in the car and started driving. Stella and I both didn't know where we were going. Mormor had a map in her hands and Moster Lone tried to keep us quiet. Mom drove and when we were about half ways, she told Stella and I to look out for Esrum Kloster/Abbey. I didn't know what it was, not being there before, but I soon found out. It was once a monastery.

"The Monastery was founded in 1151. The Abbey was eventually the most significant in the Nordic region. Gifts from Kings, magnates and other benefactors gave Esrum Abbey a solid economic foundation, and by the Reformation, the monastery owned more than one third of all goods in North Zealand. After the Reformation, in 1536, the monastery was allowed to operate to 1559. The Abbey's land and property was now owned by the King. The King initiated the demolition of the large Monastery complex and monks stones were recycled, among others. in Kronborg Castle. The only preserved building, served as the King's hunting lodge. Later, the site was used for stud, prison, pharmacy, orphanage, post office and refugee camp."

When we parked and got out, it was just so beautiful. There were horses grazing on a field, and there was a little river that flowed into a mill where flour was once produced. Behind that, a few more buildings and flowers everywhere. We walked around and admired the beauty, as we suddenly saw some kids carving. It looked like fun, so we went over and asked if we could also try. The man running it said that we could, so we went to work. Stella was planning to make a knife and I wanted to make a dagger. It was actually pretty hard, but at the same time, really fun! We left after that, going on to our next destination, Hornbæk.

On the way to Hornbæk, we saw how the forests is starting to turn green - a beautiful light green - and the ground was covered in anemoner. We walked around Hornbæk, looking in some shops. It is a beach town, for rich people! While walking around the small streets, we saw a little ice cream shop. We went in, and ordered up. There was a man sitting in the corner, making the cones. Yum! We sat down, outside, in the sun, and ate our delicious, creamy ice cream and our fresh, crunchy cone. What a nice way to start Easter, and spring! After our treat, we walked to the beach. I swipped off my shoes and started running around. It was so much fun, and something that I haven't done for a while. The sand felt so good between my toes. After a great day, we went home and relaxed.

More picture from Esrum Kloster here.