Another Trip to Denmark

Last weekend, we visited Denmark to see Timo's grandmother and parents. It was a low-key trip, which was good, since all of us ended up getting sick. This did not stop the kids from visiting the pool, though, and we took advantage of the access to expose the kids to the water. They swam three times in the two full days we were there.

H hanging out in the pool.

AJ swimming around

The audience

K and H in the pool

K enjoying the pool

We also visited a local dairy where they offer soft-serve ice cream that would delight the epicurean in anyone. AJ chose banana sprinkles on a cone as large as his head. H refuses to eat ice cream, so he missed out on this mouthwatering treat. K missed out, too, since she chose a push-up instead of the soft-serve.

AJ enjoying his massive ice cream cone

It was a sunny day, so we took our ice cream outside to savor in a proper fashion. H warmed up to Timo's parents enough for them to hold him.

Farfar and H

Farfar, Farmor, and H

The dairy where we bought the ice cream

Of course, we were also there to see Timo's grandmother, not just to swim and eat ice cream. She enjoyed seeing the kids play and interact. H let her hold him a bit, and the two of them even had this thing going on where she would shake his hand and say, "Hi," then he would walk off, and return later to do the same thing. It was fun to see them interact.

H and Mormor

Mormor also gave the kids hand-knit hats, and they tried them on for the camera. AJ refused to look at the camera and smile, but that is not so unusual.

A Trip to Denmark

Where can you see the United States Capitol building, the Statue of Liberty, Akropolis, Amsterdam, the Kennedy Space Center, and more all in one day? Legoland, Billund, of course! We finally had a family vacation at the beginning of June, and we had a lot of fun.


We started off in a small town south of Aalborg to celebrate Timothy's Mormor's 94th birthday. We met his parents there, and we spent a couple of days visiting with his parents and grandparents. They were all thrilled to see the kids and see how they have changed. I have noticed that people regard birthdays as a much bigger deal here and in Denmark than in the US. It was fun to be able to share that time with his grandmother, and I think it is great for the kids to connect with the older generation.


The day after T's Mormor's birthday, we headed off to Legoland. Kristen had been talking about going there for months, and she was finally about to see what it was all about.


We decided to check into our hotel first so we could leave our bags in our room instead of the car. Well, the room wouldn't be ready until 2pm, and it was around 10am, so that did not work out. To make matters more interesting, the hotel had no parking lot of its own. The guests had to park at the nearby airport and walk to the hotel from there. It was not actually that far, but the additional cost of parking was an unexpected expense. We decided not to let that spoil our day, and we headed to Legoland.


One of the first things we did when we arrived was ride the red Lego train. The kids and I headed off for a trip around the park, and Timothy stayed behind to take pictures and watch our stroller full of the various paraphernelia that we thought we might need for the day. The next ride was the boats that take you around some of the models of various famous landmarks. AJ drove me around, and K drove T around. At this point, we had noticed that most people leave their strollers while they go on the rides. We took out our camera bag and our bag with money, and we followed suit.


One thing I loved about Legoland is that there was so much to do for my little ones. At ages 3.5 and 1.5, most amusement park rides are inappropriate for them. However, Legoland had many that they both could ride, and some that K could even ride by herself. We spent two days there, and they did not get bored (just as important -- we the parents did not get bored). It was a great family vacation, and I would recommend the destination to anyone with one piece of advice -- don't go during high season. We went before most kids were out of school, so the lines were generally under 5 minutes long. I can't imagine waiting longer than that with two preschoolers.


I must warn you about a few things. The hotel we stayed at -- Zleep Hotel-- was too expensive for what you get. For that price, I would expect at least a 4 star hotel. This was an economy hotel with a bed lofted above the queen sized bed Timothy and I slept on. AJ slept on a trundle bed that was stored underneath our bed. There was also no bathtub, but this is not unusual in European hotels. Another thing you must be aware of is the price of the buffet at the Legoland Hotel. We decided to eat there the first night. While the spread was delicious, and it had plenty of veggies and healthy food (which is nice after eating amusement park food), it cost as much as a fancy dinner at, lets say, The Briarwood in Colorado. And it was just a buffet. $100 for two people for a buffet? (Plus $4 for a carafe of what was probably tap water.) Come on. It is a good thing the kids ate free. The next night we went to a local pizza place and ate for less than half of what it cost to feed one of us at the Legoland Hotel.



If you want to see a slideshow of pictures from this trip, click here.