barcelona->pitt->philly->ocmd

Hello there, blog readers. It's been a while since the last update. As many of you probably know (mainly because we got to see you), we were on a 3-week vacation. We began in Barcelona, which was absolutely amazing. I can't tell you how many people recommended this city as a vacation spot before we made the move to Copenhagen. So, it was certainly one we wanted for the books! 

We hit most of the main tourist sites, which, despite being extremely touristy, are breathtaking. From the monstrosity that's the Sagrada Familia church to the brave hike (without gear!) we did to the top of the Montserrat mountains, there is no shortage of amazing things to see and do in Barcelona. Most of all, I was intrigued by the architecture. We hit the beaches for some sun one day, enjoyed amazing sangria, and indulged in tapas and paella! We certainly would recommend a Barcelona visit to anyone visiting or traveling through Europe. If it weren't for the many other cities we'd like to explore while living in Europe, we'd head back to Barcelona in a second!

Following Barcelona, we flew into Pittsburgh to see my family. It was a very nice and relaxing time. My parents hosted a picnic at a local park and lots of family and friends came to that. After Pittsburgh, we headed to Philly. Despite a major heat wave (it may have passed 100 degrees), we had a great time catching up with our good friends. Then, it was on to Ocean City (MD) to spend a week on the beach with Jason's family. It was great seeing them, as we hadn't seen them since we moved back in January. Before we knew it, the 3 weeks were over. I couldn't believe how fast the trip went.

Since we took the "good camera" with us, there is no shortage of pictures for you this time around. So, I'd like to re-direct you to another location for this blog entry so that you can see all of the great things we did in both Spain and America. Please note that I didn't go into lengthy descriptions with everything because there were so many shots. There are captions that tell you where the picture was taken, but I didn't make a huge effort to go into detail. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! 

Please enjoy and, as always, come back here to leave your comments, questions...whatever!

LINK TO PHOTO TOUR (will open in new window):

https://plus.google.com/photos/117970748350593806932/albums/5911500522253024097?authkey=CIeuwK--2_XzrAE

bornholm

All we've been told so far (by Danes, mostly) was that we truly needed to explore other parts of Denmark- particularly the coast. So, that's what we did this past weekend. Bornholm is an island in the Baltic Sea in the eastern part of Denmark. Many Danes will leave Copenhagen to take a holiday here to enjoy the beaches, cycling paths, rock climbing, and overall beauty of the island. Main industries include glass making, fishing, and dairy farming. At one point, Sweden ruled the island, but eventually it made its way back into the hands of Denmark. To get to Bornholm, you can take a bus from Copenhagen to Sweden. Once there, you then get on a ferry and travel back to Denmark and arrive on the island. The entire trip takes 3 hours. We stayed at a really nice guest house in the town of Allinge called Klostergården, which is one of the oldest guesthouses in Bornholm. Many of the photos you'll see in this post were taken on a bike ride through the island, which was a great way to experience the area. That said, Bornholm is one of the only "hilly" areas of Denmark and it was a very tough ride! We rode for around 15 miles, which isn't very much. But with the intensity of the hills, it felt like much more than that. We didn't have time to see the entire island, obviously, in one weekend. In fact, we were told you need over a week to see some of the greatest sights. So, we are planning on returning when my parents come to visit in September. It was a beautiful area and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Denmark! Enjoy the pictures!

Here comes the Bornholm Express ferry!

View from the top of the ferry. Despite how warm this looks, it was extremely windy!

Courtyard view from our room

No explanation needed. And no, we didn't buy this. I'm sure it's destined to be a classic film, though.

Allinge Church- one of many famous churches on the island

The bike ride begins...stop #1

There are many little cafes along the bike route. We stopped here for a coffee.

Arriving in the town of Gudhjem

Although you can't tell from this picture, we were at a huge food festival. The main attraction this past weekend was a food competition among talented Danish chefs, which was also on TV.

And then there was this old-fashioned ice cream shop...

...which apparently is known for the "Gudhjem Special"!

Not the Gudhjem Special, but a delicious indulgence was in order. Can't you tell how much I'm enjoying this?!

The competition...live and in person!

Continuing the bike ride. Isolation in the country. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.

I mean, how amazing is this?

This too.

The Stavehøl Vandfaldet- the highest waterfall in Denmark- at only 4 meters!

Østerlars Church- the largest and (assumed to be) oldest church on the island.

The stairway up! Creepy, eh?

View from the top

The roof

We decided to partake in a game of minigolf (Danish style!) when we got back to Allinge.

And I saw Mario...he's gone grey. And apparently lost some weight, too.

Hanging with a new friend at Hammershus

Hammershus- a famous medieval fortress. I'm too lazy to explain it in detail, so here's this bit from Wiki:
Hammershus is Northern Europe's largest medieval fortification, situated 74 metres (243 ft) above sea level on Hammeren, the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Erected in the 13th century, it was long believed that the castle was built as a private residence for the archbishop of Lund. However, new evidence found at the ruins of the castle suggests it was constructed in the beginning of the century as a royal residence for Valdemar II of Denmark and a base for the Danish crusades, according to Kjeld Borch Westh, superintendent of the National Museum of Denmark.

View from the hillside of Hammershus. You can see a sheep in the background to the right. All of the sheep roam free around the grounds.

We walked back to Allinge through amazing farmland and found this happening. Can I be a National Geographic photographer or what? ......      Hey! Who said "or what"??

Hard to see with the size of this shot, but off to the right you can see someone rock climbing. Look to the far right.

One more indulgence for the road. I love (but won't buy) Pop Tarts. I loved them growing up and would request them for part of a "last meal". So, this is an authentic Danish Hindbær (raspberry) bar, which I had read was the equivalent of a Pop Tart. While it didn't necessarily taste like the sugar-filled cheap toaster "pastries" I remember, we still devoured this deliciousness.

Back on the ferry!

And again...windy!

Back in Copenhagen. Even statues drink here!

Hanging out our window to watch the annual "Sea Witch Burning", an event celebrating the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

She's up in flames! Look at that crowd. And the Carlsberg beer we enjoyed during the event :-)