Dining in Scandinavia

Danish SMØRREBRØD - open face sandwiches.
You can predict one food you will get with every Scandinavian meal. You will always see the mini potatos whether they are served plain or with different spices or a sauce. Our breakfasts have been very hardy. With a selection of three cheeses or more ,freshly baked bread, cold cuts of meat, fresh fruit, and boiled eggs are usual. Yogurt and the BEST coffee are looked forward to each morning. One hotel even had a juicer with quartered oranges to make ourself. Each time I asked the hotel, they had gluten free bread for me. The first night in Sweden we were treated to moose meatballs and elk kabobs. They were tasty but Doug said they were dry. Here are some pics of the SMØRREBRØD's we had. They are an open faced sandwich topped with anything but at the bottom is on piece of rye bread. Salmon was a popular yummy fish I had several times.

Ice cream was Eaten regularly in sweden and Stockholm. One shop had a merry-go-round of waffle machines where she would take out the thin waffle, roll it into a triangular cone, Pour more batter in the machine, rotate onto the next and do the same.
One night in Copenhagen we had dinner in the oldest restaurant that used to be an apothecary. They served the dinner on heated stones 300 degrees with a delicious cut of beef. We cooked it at the table. I was surprised to get beef.

Salad was not very prevalent but sometimes cut cukes, tomatoes, and thousand island dressing were served. Tonight on our overnight ship to Norway I got to try crayfish and marinated herring- popular with the folks here. Doug has been lunching on a hotdog that is stuffed in a French baguette.

Biking the Island of Ærø in Denmark

Because we were given the whole morning for free time, we decided to rent bikes and do the RS biking tour. It was described as 15 miles and our tour director cautioned us thatnit was too hard and hilly. We thought no problem as we unlocked our bikes from the hotel we had a nifty basket to put our camera and backpack and headed off. The road led us along the water and u shaped farmhouses. After making a wrong turn at the church in Bregninge, Doug began to think we wouldn't make it back for lunch at noon. We had to walk our bikes up the steep hills at times and coasted down the hills. the areas we rode by were quiet and peaceful as we didn't see many people moving about. The weather changed from sunny to cloudy to fog to sun again. We were so fortunate to have a day without rain. We found a shortcut back to Aeroscobing meaning we could only do half the biking tour in 3 hours. After our lunch we did the remaining bike tour with the bus. We visited a neolithic stone burial site and hiked down to a cliff to a beach with cows staring us down the whole way. I enjoyed the bike ride but my legs were tired the rest of the day. Later that night I biked down to the beach by the ferry stop to see the cute pastel colored cottages. They were the size of a playhouse that locals rent for picnics and changing. AEro island was a relaxing ,cute Danish island- a break from the busy city of Copenhagen.

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Denmark- The land of many Islands

A beautiful sunset tonight on the Island of Aero (10 pm)  

Denmark is made up of 600 islands and we are on one tonight.  The town of Copenhagen is surrounded by canals since it was such an important trading city. Today we boarded our bus to leave Copenhagen to head for the town of Roskilde. We visited a Viking boat museum and a Cathedral where all the Royalty will be buried. It is a Romanesque style church with lots of gold , painting, and ornamentation inside.

In order to get to our Aero Island, we had to go over the longest suspension bridge in the world, twelve miles, Storken and then we took a ferry- bus and all. This island is only 6 miles by 22 miles long. Our group had to split up in three different accommodations. Some had shared bathrooms, but we lucked out because of Doug's height we got the only hotel instead of a B&B.
The small cottages are very brightly painted and cozy. Hollyhocks are growing everywhere out of holes in the cobblestone.

The Rains of Copenhagen

One thing we found out about our RS tour. Everything goes on rain or shine. I don't think I have every been so wet in my life. From the beginning of our guided walking tour of Christianshavn and Christiana to the end the rains did not let up. Doug and I had our waterproof jackets and shoes-better off than some but I could of used my waterproof pants. It seemed every Dane had an umbrella and their wellies on today as we passed by searching for overhangs when we could. The most interesting part of Copenhagen today was the independently run area called Christiana. It is colorful counterculture squatters colony. The land is a former military base just a ten minute walk from the Danish parliament building. Our tour was given by a resident who has lived in christiania for 35 years.


He showed us around the cafe, general store, bicycle building ,metalworking, and other craft trade buildings. But most shocking was the walk along Pusher street as a sweet aroma filled the air. We were not permitted to take pics along this street of commerce. Apparently the police take a blind eye to the sales of drugs here. There was grafitti/painting all over the buildings, garbage trucks, and fences. After spending two days in Copenhagen, it was not what I expected. The people are interesting, the canals and building design are pretty, but it is a gritty city - a contrast to Stockholm. Things are not so neat and tidy as i was nearly accosted on the metro.I think I would like it more if the sun would shine. We head back here in a few days after our trip to Aero Island.

The Art in the Castle

Intarsia woodworking on the walls


The Kalmar Castle in Sweden
How is your Scandinavian History? Today we learned about the Kalmar Union and the Stockholm bloodbath when Denmark invaded Sweden during the time of the Kalmar Castle.Then same King Vasa that built the failed ship resided here with his two sons. We stopped in the city of Kalmar on our way to Copenhagen. I really loved the different art seen in the many rooms. Most impressive was the intarsia technique which is inlaid wood. Various types and sizes of wood were painstakingly cut and puzzled together to form different pictures all around the castle walls and ceiling. There were also the normal tapestries hanging in several rooms. An ornate woodcarved bed was found in the queens chamber. The length of the bed was short because they slept sitting up so not to disrupt the humors or fluids in the body.
There were also frescoes painted in many of the rooms.(can be seen above then dinner table). Frescoes are wet plaster that is painted on.
Some of the artwork was original while others had been restored. The wood panels had wormwood holes in the original pieces. The stairway was made from old tombstones laid down like tile on the steps and landing. We also saw this in the cathedral in Stockholm.
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One of the most interesting displays was the dining table that displayed a swan, peacock, and pigeon that was stuffed. They were mostly for show on the table. The king usually ordered 50-100 dishes for the dinner. There were fish pies sometimes stuffed with live birds. The swan was hollowed out and served with a marzipan dessert. There were eggs displayed on the table that they added a leech to wriggle across the table for fun. The castle tour was very interesting and the best part of the simple town. The whole town attended a rock concert at night that was located outside our hotel front door. We were in the center of the action! Earplugs were supplied on our nightstand.

Rick Steve Rookies

This is the gote canal where we took our rest stop. To go across the whole country in this man made canal it takes 5 days


Doug and I have been looking forward to our long awaited trip to Scandinavia. We decided to try a "Rick Steve" tour since I loved his books and philosophy. I have been following his humorous walking tours through Paris, London, and madrid on previous trips. I have listened faithfully to his weekly podcasts on my iPod. So this year we booked his best of Scandinavia that is organized but not guided by Rick.
Before we even left we had to sign an agreement that we would carry our Bags up to three flights of stairs, several blocks, be willing to share bathrooms, and survive without air conditioning.

I was hoping for some younger and more active participants. We were very curious about our fellow travelers. As we went around the table on initial introductions, we noticed 3 teenagers and a great variety of ages. But what surprised us most was that most had been on four, five and even seven other rs tours. This was a good sign from the start. The next day we were introduced to the name game and we each had to get with our buddy to interview and share with the group. Often Rick is quoted about that store or restaurant and that is mentioned in the book. I guess there is a good formula, otherwise what keeps people coming back? They learn so much and see a lot.

Recovered Swedish Warship

The Scandinavians are known for their love of the sea. Yesterday we witnessed all the types water vessels in the city of Stockholm. Today we learned and saw one of the most amazing exhibits that is unique anywhere. Our group ended our day of sightseeing at the Vasa Museum. This is a huge museum built around a recovered warship that sunk to the bottom of the sea after sailing for 20 minutes. It is amazing how beautiful the ship was with 600 wooden sculptures that were brightly painted and 64 cannons. The story reveals how this ship was preserved and lost in the sea for 300 years and then brought up and painstakingly put together
Iike a puzzle. All the ornate detailed carvings were put in their original place. 95% of the wood is the original black oak and the procedure they used was by spraying polyethylene glycol on the wood to dry it out. The reason the ship sank was it's top heavy masts and weight. The ballasts used in the bottom of the boat were not secured rolling stones. This boat was a marvel of technology to preserve and other restorations seek their advice from stockholm's experts. After visiting the old town (gamastan) and the vasa on djurgarden, we had tired feet walking back to our hotel. Tomorrow we head for Kalmar to visit a castle.

Sounds of Stockholm

After seeing a beautiful sunset departing the plane at 9:20, we arrived at our destination. Our hotel is located on a small street which made me aware of all the sounds of the city. Since there is no ac we threw back our window and doors to let in some air. The tinkling of dishes and wine glasses were heard as we dropped to sleep after our 21 hour travel stint. The next morning I awoke early. After a breakfast of various cheeses, hardboiled egg, and fresh fruit, I venturerd outside this Sunday morning. The sounds were very quiet and peaceful. The cars and voices of people were absent. I walked along the street of our hotel to discover the view to the harbor. From our boat ride later we found out it is actually the Baltic sea. There were two locks to pass through as we moved to the lake and back. The familiar sound of seagulls occasionally screeched overhead as I walked toward the water. The chime of a church could be heard in the distance. While walking to our boat tour, the sky began to cloud up. Soon it was raining heavily and we ran for cover under a large fat tree thick with leaves. As the rain splatted on the sidewalk, We used our umbrella for shelter. .Many different tour and cruise boats glided through the the water without a sound . Bicycles are a major mode of transportation for the locals They could be seen everywhere instead of the noisy, horn beeping cars and taxis. Stockholm is not a loud city and it felt a very peaceful place to live.

Hanging Lake Trail, Glenwood springs

Today we headed to Grand Junction for the put -in to the Gunnison River Canoe Trip. Debbie and I decided to take a break and do the Hike up to Hanging Lake. I had done this 10 years ago but forgot how steep and rocky this was. Even though the mileage was only 1.2 miles each way, this was classified as a challenging hike. The lake was gorgeous due to the high waters this summer. Hiking up the trail the smells of the green forest evergreen was heaven. We encountered ferns and beautiful wildflowers of many colors. The views as we peered up into the sky were of the sides of the canyon . As we hiked up the boulder covered trail we saw we were getting nearer to our goal. We passed 6 crossover bridges of switchbacks to get to the top. Views of the descending waterfall kept rewarding our ears with the sounds of the fast rushing water. The altitude climb of 1000 ft was apparent as we needed to stop and rest every once in a while. When we got to the lake was it so worth it. The water was so blue and green and the three waterfalls looked like a fairyland. We walked around the perimeter of the lake and could go up to the falls and feel the refreshing mist of the water. There were many teenagers having a great time taking pics of each other climbing up on the rocks as far as they could. Coming down was faster but we were still cautious so we could continue on our adventure tomorrow on the Gunnison river....

Acrylic Painting for my Bedroom?

I just recently renovated my master bath and needed some new visual elements for my walls. I got the idea of doing two large panels 24 x 36 overtop my dresser. I used the duvet cover as inspiration for my colors. I chose the pattern (and sea blue for the walls) to feel soothing.
I started working on my double panels. Here are some new techniques I experimented with.
My favorite one was the pouring paint in layers. I started with some Lumiere gold paint and mixed with water to dilute it in a paper cup. Then I squeezed the cup to make a spout and poured. The first time it was too thick and I had to add more water. Then I put several more colors on top. Lastly I did a thin line with titan buff and let it touch the other shape. What I really liked was the organic shapes I made with the pouring.
I also collaged some lacy paper on the canvas over the blue color. If a color didnt work I painted over it. When I was finished I liked the painting but didnt think it was a very restful painting. I hung it in my loft for now. Im still working on my other canvas and Im keeping it more subdued with beiges and lighter colors. Ill keep you posted...

Garden Home Show Artistic Creations

I was amazed at the designs I saw at the Denver Garden and Home show. They used different parts of plant to make such unusual creations. The colors and shapes are inspiration for future pieces of art and collage. Some of the plants I didnt even know what they were. I wish they had listed the materials used on their display.

Canvas, Corkscrews and Collage

We celebrated Stacey's birthday at Canvas and Corkscrews friday night. I was hesitant to go since I felt everyones looked the same. The night before I gathered paper, images , gel medium and extra paint to bring along. I added the collage element to mine and it turned out to be a fun night.



















This is my finished piece. I layered magazine pages, hand painted paper, tissue paper, and mulberry paper before I added the tree. I covered with gel medium and then painted over with the greens, blues , and beige. I rubbed off some of the paint to let the patterned paper show through. Lastly, I painted the trees on and collaged some leaves on top . I added some burlap and a cut out paper fence.















Here is the demonstrated piece. It was interesting how they used negative space to paint the tree. First the red was painted, then the background, lastly , other colors were added to the sky.

Snowshoeing Rocky Mountain National Park

What Ive been up to is snowshoeing in our beautiful state of colorado. Im learning the ins and outs of equipment and clothing to wear. After test driving a pair of borrowed snowshoes, I bought some from craigslist. I already had some hiking poles I could use. Now Im trying to get the layering thing figured out. Wind shell, vest , polarfleece, wool shirt. two pairs of gloves.

Last Weekend we had 5 carpools of 26 people meet at Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove to the Bear Lake Trail Head and took the Emerald Lake Hike. It was about 4 miles. We passed by 3 lakes and walked right over them. There was a photographer getting some close up frozen lake shots with his tripod. Afterwards, we headed over to Oskar Blues an artsy pub in Lyons.
It was a fun day.

I think the scenery in the park may be better in winter than in the summer. The snow and rocks on the mountains proved to be one photo opportunity after another.

My Art Quilt Layout

After making our fabric designs and practicing stitching, now we had to put together our own art quilts. We had to make sure our piece was balanced and colors blended well together. Here are two designs I came up with. We are using wonder under to adhere the pieces and also stitching some areas together.

Free Motion Stitching

For this Week in our Fiber Class it was time to get out the sewing Machine. We practiced something called Free Motion Stitching. You use a special foot (see Below) that allows you to glide over your fabric without rotating the material. You have to disengage the teeth under the foot so it doesnt grab and move the fabric you are stitching. Here are some different shapes we practiced. We also stitched over a piece of fiber yarn. It was fun to do once I got the hang of it.
We used a sandwich to practice our stitches on. There was two pieces of muslin with a layer of batting. We used very thin batting made of wool. Not the cheap polyfil type. To hold the layers together we used a spray adhesive from a can. Our teacher, Jo , prefers to use safety pins.
We had a sub teacher today that was awesome, Susan. Her quilts she showed us were beautiful. Next week we start piecing our own art quilt together.

Batik on Fabric

In our next class we created fabric using the batik dyeing. We used two kinds of wax. Soy wax can be washed out but beeswax must be ironed out of the fabric between newspapers. Hopefully I can use some of my finished fabrics in my art quilt. Jo showed us how to do the dye baths to get such vibrant color. Next week we practice free motion stitching.

We used brushes and tools to apply the wax before we dyed. You could make thin or thick lines -even shapes. Then we put our fabrics in the dye baths. Wherever the wax was painted or applied, the fabric stayed white. The wax acted as a resist.

Marbling in my Fiber art class

Im taking another class at the Denver Art League. This time I signed up for a Fiber art quilt collage. Today we did marbling with some fabric pieces. We used acrylic paint with a pipette dropper. I couldnt believe how vivid the colors were. Our class is very small only four peeps!.

We tried various types of fabrics to see the effects. I even used felt. We will use one or two designs in our final piece. This will give us some inspiration. Our homework this week was to look for some design ideas. We will be doing some other techniques next week.

This is the pan before we pulled a design on the fabric. It was so Much fun!