Bilka

Success! We were finally able to successfully navigate the bus system to get to the market today. It was such a relief to finally make it to where we were going with no difficulties. There is a big market in Denmark called Bilka, it's very similar to Walmart.

The kids hanging out with the Bilka Mascot.

On our way there, we also found a tourism information center with maps and such. It was definitely our best day here so far. The sun was shining, no rain or snow and we were able to accomplish a lot.

Chad is now doubling as our car trunk. He got to haul all of our goodies home in his backpack. In the background you can see the kids playing on the playground that is right out our front door. There are so many playgrounds in Albertslund, it's crazy!

So, a couple of different things about Denmark. I'm sure I'll do this a lot during our time here, but it's hard not to compare what it's like here with what life was like in the States. Here are a couple of different things we've had to deal with. First, lighting in Denmark is not typically built into the houses. We had not figured we would need to buy lighting for the house, but the only spaces in the house that have any built-in lighting is in the bathroom and above the stove and sink in the kitchen. Luckily, our landlord has lent us a few lamps until we get our own. Which is not exactly the most easy task either. Most lighting has to be wired and then mounted into the walls. And it's expensive. And lightbulbs are expensive as well. And then all of the lamps all take different types of lightbulbs. So, we've been here now for 5 days and we still don't have any of our own lighting up and the house is so dark! We bought some lamps today, but of course, we got the wrong lightbulbs. Ugh! Someday we'll get our lamps up and running.
Another thing that has been completely different is bedding. We didn't bring any blankets with us. We figured we would just run to the store and buy a few blankets. Well, here, you can't typically find the queen/king size blankets for a bed that we get in the States. Instead, you have your own Dyne - pronounce doona. It translates to the English word Duvet. Basically, your bed will have a sheet over the mattress and then each person sleeps with their own Dyne. And the Dyne here are crazy fluffy and big. They remind me the most of big down comforters. You can buy them in different warmths, for summer and winter, you can find them made with feathers or fiber and then you also have to buy a cover to go over it. We were so confused at first, trying to figure out what to get. We ended up with really fluffy fiber Dyne that I'm sure will be way too hot in the warmer months. But as for now, I'm enjoying my Dyne and Chad not stealing my blanket at night anymore. =)

We still only have one bed, for Chad and I and then a mattress for the kids. And for some reason, we've all slept in the same room since we've been here. Usually Noah wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls into bed with us. Chad is going out to look at some bunkbeds tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will work for us.