A Year of Danish Living

‘What only 23 Kgs; are you insane?’

The words blurted out of my mouth as soon as Sudeep told me about the luggage restrictions on our international flight from Delhi to Billund. Disappointment had already started settling in as my mind was busy making various permutation and combination of what to take and what not to take; what was important and what not was important.

‘You have to prioritize dear.’

Up came the prompt reply from him. What does he mean by prioritize! We are not going for a vacation that I have to do priority packing; we will be relocating to a distant place for an uncertain period of time. For me everything is important; everything was on my priority list!

So with the initial setback of ‘priority packing’ and relocating to another country very different from the place where we had been living previously, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about our moving to Denmark, and certainly not Billund. Adding to my woes was travelling alone with all the ‘priority packed luggages’ and a 4 year old demanding kid. ‘Life can be brutal at times!’

As I pulled the blinds to greet the day I was instead greeted by this spectacular view outside my window. The grey sky with a slight tinge of colour in the big semicircular rainbow. Wow! The view took my breath away and as my apprehension about the place and the new life waded away, I slowly started to fall in love with this quiet place.

The gusty cold winds with an overcast sky could not stop us from visiting the heart of the town, ‘Legoland’

With the onset of summers the first outdoor event that had the sleepy little town going and something different from ‘Legoland’, the Vorbasse Annual Fair.

A Simple Hello can lead to Million Things so ‘Hello New School’

The days moved on and the little one and her parents settled in to the slow moving and peaceful life of Billund. The pace reminded me of my childhood days when I grew up in a small industrial town similar to Billund. The town had mushroomed around the steel plant which was the principal employment provider for the town and its inhabitants.

We made some great friends and visited some great picturesque locations around the country.

Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark. It is a city with a vibrant mix of youthful energy and a blast from the past.

Givskud Zoo is a zoo and a safari park about 20 Km from Vejle in Denmark. Whether it is the wide variety of wild animals, or the different species of birds, or just feeding the goats, visiting Givskud Zoo is a great one day visit spot in Denmark.

Skagen is Denmark’s main fishing port which also has a thriving tourist industry, attracting some 2 million people annually.

Jelling Monument, a world heritage site since 1994. It is Denmark’s first certificate of Baptism. Two Rune stones stand outside the church door. On the minor stone the first mention of the land of Denmark is inscribed. It was erected by King Gorm in memory of his wife Thyra. The white poles which are in the shape of a ship and marked the boundary walls of the Viking village were originally made of wood which wore off with time. As a symbolic gesture, concrete poles were erected in their place and which still give the visitors an abstract idea of ancient times.

The Men at Sea is a 9 metre (30 feet) tall white monument of four seated males, located west of Esbjerg next to Sædding Beach on the southwest coast of Denmark. Located opposite to the Fisheries and Maritime Museum, it is one of the area’s major tourist attractions, and is a famous landmark of Esbjerg

Flensborg The trading town of Flensburg (or Flensborg in Danish) was founded by Danish settlers and is the northern most German city about 7 Kms from Denmark.

Vandel Vandel is another quiet town about 7 Kms from Billund and 22 Kms from Vejle in Denmark.

Vejle It is the ninth largest city in Denmark with great communication facilities to all the major towns and cities in the country. It has got a great shopping district especially when you are coming from a small town of Billund. For me it is the nearest shopping heaven. Vejle is most known for its forested hills, fjord, harbour, shopping, pedestrian mall, and iconic windmill. It has even a protected forest area where a wide variety of deers can be found.

Denmark was a pleasant surprise for us and certainly Billund in itself is a unique place to live in. Surrounded by ‘Lego’ buildings and ‘Lego People’ we got to see more of Billund than just ‘Lego’.

Winter giveth the fields, and the trees so old,

Their beards of icicles and snow…

—Charles duc d’Orleans

Welcome the new beginnings–Its Spring time

Life has come full circle in Denmark now. My stay has completed a whole new year with a whole new experience. From new friends to new traditions, the move to Denmark has added some entirely new perspectives into our lives and we are for sure enjoying them.These little spring blooms mark the beginning of another year with another set of experiences in my year old new home!!