Duck Diner & More Somber Reflections...

Our feathered friends returned yesterday and were here again this afternoon. The children wait for them to give them bread. R thinks they are on holiday and that they think we are a restaurant...

We had visitors from London for the weekend, my good friend Charlotte and her little girl Isabella. R & Isabella are the same age and have known each other all their lives, so it was very touching to see how happy they were to see each other again! Charlotte and I had a great night out on Saturday in Copenhagen, ate far too much sushi at Sticks and Sushi on Nansengade, and had fun at a couple of nice quirky little bars, Bankerat and Kaffe Kasalet all of which I would recommend. Sunday we all spent the day together at Tivoli (our first visit of 2010), where much fun was had by all until Isabella tripped over a missing cobblestone and fell headfirst into a fountain!! Luckily only her pride was hurt and it was a sunny day. I dread to think how it would have panned out had we been visiting on one of the sub-zero days of winter...

I had wondered what the flags on the buses were for this morning, but as I have since found out, today is Liberation Day in Denmark. Each year on May 4th, candles are lit and placed in windows once darkness falls to commemorate the liberation of Denmark at the end of WWII. During the occupation curfews were enforced after dark, and black-out blinds were used so that no light could be seen from the outside. As part of the celebrations on being liberated, the Danes lit huge bonfires and put candles in their windows to symbolize their return of freedom. This tradition continues today, and as one website points out, perhaps this particular custom allows us to reflect and take stock of what is important.