after our short trip to germany, we took the vendor’s private jet over to the town of kolding, denmark for the next leg of our trip. denmark was windier and colder than germany had been, but it was a great visit nonetheless. it was interesting to compare the scenery of small-town germany to small-town denmark. they just had a different feel to them – something i can’t really put into words, yet there were definitely many similarities too. i noticed that lots of the buildings and cottages in denmark had thatched roofs, which i was fascinated by for some reason. i didn’t know that such things still exist outside of those huts you can stay in on the islands in the south pacific! how do you repair them? how do they keep rain out? so many questions… i wish i had gotten some pictures of them but i never really got to get up close.
the other interesting difference between germany and denmark that one of the guys was explaining to me at dinner is that historically, the danish were a bunch of farmers and not as sophisticated as the germans as a civilization, and therefore they have a lot less old, beautiful buildings than germany does. of course, they’ve caught up to germany now for the most part, but even though people have probably been living in denmark just as long as in germany, denmark’s history feels a lot shorter because the danish people were just farming the land and doing their own thing for thousands of years.
anyway, we had a wonderful dinner at a steakhouse in kolding called a hereford beefstouw, which happens to be the second oldest building in the town and sits next to the oldest. it really was a fun night, and the steakhouse was a neat place… more on that further down in the photos below. but first, can we talk about that private jet??
{getting to hop around from country to country in a private jet was pretttttttttty sweet, if i do say so myself. that was an experience for the books. the best part was not having to wait in lines for security, customs, etc… even when we were at the airport in dublin [a big one], we got to go to a special area of customs to skip the line.}
{looking extra swanky in my plant clothes. NOT.}
{my hair, makeup, and outfit were no bueno [we’d just gotten done with touring a plant]… but i wasn’t going to miss out on the photo opp because lord knows this isn’t an everyday occurrence! the jet had four big seats that faced each other, a long bench seat that can turn into a bed, and then four seats at a table. apparently two of the seats at the table can also be made into a bed. and then two TVs, a bathroom/shower, two pilots, and a stewardess offering all the fiji water you can drink [and alcohol too!] kind of crazy, right?}
{our vendor had the driver stop on the way to the hotel so we could try this awesome sandwich with sliced pork belly that’s crispy around the edges and marinated red cabbage and cucumbers and mayonnaise…it’s really really good. at this place, it was called a kamstegssandwich, but i’m not sure if that’s its official name.}
{we also had to try a few bites of their hot dogs/sausages – this one that my co-worker had was topped with marinated cucumbers and cabbage too. and some kind of sauce. delish. and we miiiiiiiiight have had a few giggles about all those weiners at the counter because we’re immature like that. ;) slash we’re from america, so we’re not used to seeing so many different varieties, shapes and sizes of them! hashtag sausagefest.}
{see what i mean?? so wrong but we couldn’t help but laugh a little…}
{our hotel in kolding. the outside of the hotel and the lobby were a bit nicer than rooms, but it wasn’t bad… just old and had those showers with no separation or incline to the rest of the bathroom so you worry you’re going to flood the whole bathroom when you take a shower, you know? but i didn’t flood the bathroom, so good news there.}
{my room. i did like the beams and the alcove with the window and the quaint old feel that the place had…}
{…and i didn’t mind the view [photo on the right].}
{it was a cute little town. there was even a castle on a hill overlooking a small lake that i wish i could have gotten a photo of.}
{that reddish building is the oldest building in the town, and you can see how crooked the exterior walls are! it was interesting that it was built in 1589, which means it was actually built after the hotel that we stayed at the night before in germany, yet this was the oldest building in kolding. that’s a perfect example of what i was describing above on denmark’s history seeming shorter. but still cool and still older than america…}
{the two oldest buildings in town.}
{this sunny yellow restaurant is where we had dinner!}
{i love that clean, simple scandinavian design. the menu was cool-looking too, and then you fill out a card with your orders. there’s a pencil on a leather string attached to each seat at the table and a dish towel [which serves as your napkin] on a hook at each seat. so organized and smart!}
{isn’t it a lovely restaurant?}
{that gorgeous decanter}
{i ate smoked salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on this trip to europe. i couldn’t get enough! for this meal, i had it for an appetizer. i also loved the way that the restaurant brought around a whole fresh smoked salmon on a cart that they would cut right there in front of you. the same goes for steaks if you want to share one like my coworker and i did.}
{this was a 99 euro steak [well, half of it], and they served it with garlic butter. it was fantastic. and for dessert, a rhubarb parfait!}
{more food! this was one piece of my breakfast at the hotel the next morning… it was called smashed apple porridge with muesli, which i think sounds absolutely disgusting, but i could tell that it looked like something i would enjoy. it turns out that that translates to apple pie filling topped with granola, or something like that. not bad!} :)
{and at lunch: pâté with mushrooms and bacon. i wasn’t sure if i would be too keen on this one either, but it was a pleasant surprise as well. very nice, denmark!}
we had a nice visit to the plant that day and a great lunch, and then it was time to board the jet again and head to ireland, our last stop!