A hyggelig day

Summer really is the perfect time to go to Denmark. Especially in July. The days are long, since the sun doesn't set until around midnight and rises just four hours later. The weather is balmy and warm (in the mid to upper 80's) during the day and cooler in the evening once the sun begins to set.

As I mentioned yesterday, we collapsed into bed around midnight, exhausted from our long trip. But then around 5:30am Peter woke up ready to seize the day and tried to get me up with him. I think I mumbled something to the effect "Hell no, you're crazy" and rolled back to sleep.

So while the rest of us slept, he took the opportunity to drive around and snap some pictures of the landscape and a 1,000 year old Viking graveyard just a mile or so from his parents house. This is one of the things I love about Denmark. The countryside is dotted with little reminders of the country's past. Within a 5-square mile of where we live here in Virginia, we have about 5 grocery stores and just as many Starbucks, 12 gas stations and probably about 100 other shops and restaurants. In the Danish countryside? All you'll see are farms, windmills and oh, just quaint little 600-year old churches and the occasional 1,000-year old Viking graveyard. You know, little things like that.







Here's the satellite view of the graveyard, courtesty of Google Maps:







Bonus points for the first person (besides Peter) that can tell me what this rock says:







Give up? Okay, itsays something to the effect: Starting in the year 1000 (AD) the Vikings raised rocks here for their dead. In 1937 the ones that had fallen were picked up.















But by lunchtime, however, he was out cold:







The rest of the day was spent at the house, playing and unpacking.











After dinner we made our way to the summerhouse in Amtoft (which is only about a 15-minute drive from their house in Frøstrup) to visit with Peter's sister and her family, go to the beach and have some coffee.

Here's a satellite view of Amtoft, courtesy of Google Maps:







...and some of the locals out to greet us:







Before I go any further, I should explain something about Danes. Being married to one has shown me that they hold two things very near and dear to their hearts....family and coffee. And when you combine the two? Can't get any better. So for them, one of the hightlights of the day is sitting down a few hours after dinner for some coffee and dessert. Danes find this very hyggelig.

What does that mean, you might wonder? Let me try to explain one of the funniest words in the Danish language to you....hyggelig.

The word hyggelig is difficult to explain because there is no direct translation (for example, kaffe = coffee). This single word posesses a wide range of meanings and connotations. You can't just describe hyggelig as being cozy or comfortable or pleasant or satisfying or enjoyable or even relaxing. It is more than just any one particular feeling. In fact, I've come to understand that it is more of a mentality than anything else. It's just...hyggelig.

Forstår du det? You understand it? Great!

So we had a very hyggelig time at the summerhouse, visiting with family and beachcombing for shells and rocks:























We ended the night around 11pm, went back to the house in Frøstrup and went directly to sleep. In all....a hyggelig day.

You can read Peter's version here.