Clip Cards and Visiting Teaching

 The transportation system in Copenhagen has changed and they no longer use clip cards for the buses and trains.  Instead you put money on a card and it is scanned or you use your credit card somehow.  Here is where it is nice to be a senior citizen.
  Today was the last day to use the old clip cards and Elisa Pollard, whom I visit teach, had a bunch of clips left so we went out on the trains and buses for the day.
  She took me to this darling little street, Amagergade, where a Danish sitcom was filmed in the 1980's.

We walked a couple kilometers and asked four people before we found this apartment building where a friend who has moved to the states lived and wanted a memory picture......

and we  rode out to Frederikssund, the end of one of the lines.

Adventuring

Finally a day without anything scheduled, so I went out on the bike "adventuring".  Things I saw

 "unique" sculpture fountain.

 Two HUGE yachts.

 Besides the great fountain and "unique" sculpture.. the Marble Church, the green city buses and the Queens castle uinder renovation.  I offered to take a picture for two couples here and one turned out to be from Cedar City, Utah.

Lunch on the harbor with the beautiful Opera House across the harbor.

Mormons Bog

Last week Jim and I finished the Book of Mormon in Danish for the second time.  We read it aloud together.  This second time I started reading a chapter ahead with the English right next to it to make sure I understood it.  By the time we finished I could read it directly and understand and then go over it again  reading aloud with Jim.  It has been a good way to work on learning the language as the Book of Mormon is so familiar and you basically know what it says.

 I find there are actually some concepts I get added understanding from the Danish.

Celebrations

Two cousins came from Sweden today to do the work for their grandfather.  They were so excited.  One's husband acted as proxy while he did the baptism, confirmation, initiatoy, session and finally at the end of the day they had him sealed to his wife.  It was a very sweet day for them.
  After the temple we went to Josh and Elise Nørrung's wedding reception.  She is from Canada and he met her when he went to visit his parents who moved there recently.  The reception was very similar to those in the US.  Tonigh they will have the real family dinner and wedding celebration lasting until late into the evening.  We were happy to just go to the reception....

 plus sandwiches, chips and dip and vegetables and dip....

Super cake: marzipan icing over  cream filled cake layers.

Funerals

Tuesday they asked me to play the piano at the funeral for an older sister in the ward who was fairly inactive. This is not my strong suit, but we do what we are asked.  The hymns were fine it was when I was supposed to accompnay Hans Andersen on a solo of "The Blue Anemone".  Never heard of it? Neither had I.  I got the top hand off the internet and tried to add a few chords.  The first and last line were pretty good and the audience chimed in on the middle two lines so it worked all right.

 Before the funeral.  Most of the flowers are put on the floor and down the aisles.

These pictures are from a couple other funerals I have attended.

Graduation Time

Graduation from gymnasium is a big deal in Denmark.  Gymnasium seems to be high school and junior college. You are usually 18 or older when you graduate and then go on to university.  Each school has their own cap that the graduates wear for the week.  They also go around on trucks, making noise and drinking.  You can drink here when you are 16.
\

 I tried to take pictures of the hats without being too noticeable...

 But I finally just asked to take a picture and they were pleased to cooperate.  This cute girl wanted her sister in it and told me she has a cousin in America graduating today as well.   The darling father asked if I belonged "to the church back there."  I assumed he was talking about the temple.  He said he delivered  many roles of carpet there free, because he loves God.  He was so sincere and open, I found it very touching and realized again how many good people there are in the world who know and love God. (Of course I gave him a pass-a-long card...)

This Is Summer?

We are two days into summer and this is how we dressed to go outside today - coats and scarfs.  The high was 56!  I would love just 10 degrees from those of you suffering with 100 plus degrees.

Jim and I had a very nice lunch with Tom Pollard one of the members in the ward, we really like.
Tonight we had lots of Americans at the temple  including the Nørrung Family.

 The young couple, Josh is from Denmark and his wife is from Canada, are here for a wedding celebration with the Danish side.  The Von Scheels moved to Canada, Josh , their son, visited them for a couple of months, met this darling girl, and they were married a couple weeks ago in Canada.  It is so fun to see how Heaven connects people around the world.