Back

At the end of January, Niklas finished his studies at Aalborg University. Of course we had to go home and celebrate. Quite shortly before, we got a call from Olivia and Niklas. They wanted to tell us that Olivia is pregnant - wow what a news !!!

We boarded a jam-packed plane in Malaga, got a lot of turbulence and a decent shake until the plane was well north of the Pyrenees. 3 1/2 hours after boarding we got off the plane in Kastrup. On the way to the exit it suddenly sounded

- What the hell Carl and Hi Pia

It was Ude and Bodil who had visited us in Alicante in early December. They were now on their way out to the gate for a 5 week long trip to South America. We managed to say no how strange, hug hello, exchange latest news, take a selfie, and hug goodbye before rushing on.

We had not been in Denmark for over 4 months. Strange to be back. Feel the cold, be able to relate to the people around them and understand what was said.

We thought about our travel card. Exactly as cumbersome as we remembered. Nor did DSB disappoint. The train to Copenhagen was delayed. Everything was as it used to be.

At the end of the evening we entered the door of Niklas and Olivia for a well-stocked table of homemade Danish sandwiches.

Great to be back and be a part of all the "latest". It is at such times that one recognizes the limitations of Skype, Messenger and Snapchat.

Late in the evening we locked ourselves in Daniel & Emilie's apartment in Nørrebro. They were on their annual trip to Hong Kong. We could stay with them while we were in Denmark.

During the next couple of days we arranged different things, went on a trip to Nørrebro and talked about how the neighborhood changed.

Now it is resourceful young people who characterize the street scene. Most with an unmistakable Jutland dialect. In Lagkagehuset on Nørrebro's roundabout, they buy rye bread for DKK 39, shop in probably the most well-stocked Kvickly we've seen and visit greengrocers with long opening hours and a large selection of goods. On Sundays they eat brunch at the cafes along the lakes, work on their MacBooks if they are not looking after children or just chat with friends over a cup of coffee.

When the weather after a few days turned to cold and snow, we planned the rest of the winter season.

The heat of Alicante enticed and we also wanted to experience the last part of the Spanish Mediterranean coast from the land side.

The plan was to fly to Alicante, rent a car, drive north and fly from Barcelona to Copenhagen in the first half of March, where Pia is going for heart check-ups. At the end of March we go to Maastricht and resume sailing to the Mediterranean.

The plan is obviously guilty of the advice Eric, the founder of Maastricht, gave us in an email:

"Like always when sailing: make sure you have a flexible planning that you can easily adapt to the circumstances".