Europe Survey 2013: Copenhagen Day 3

This morning we wasted no daylight catching an early train into the city centre to explore a section of town called Nyhavn. Shops and restaurants lined the street in colorful buildings built along the canal. Old boats had been converted to restaurants and even offices in the canal. Many merchants and employees were working to prepare their places for the breakfast crowd. We watched the people as they went about their work. 

After we left there, we packed up our things and caught a train for Northern Denmark. We arrived in Dronningmolle then walked to the lighthouse where we're staying. We had the opportunity to talk to the owner for a while and he told us about a great place to eat in Gilleleje. We walked about 40 minutes into town and had some dinner. After that, we walked around the little fishing town. It was a great opportunity to see Danish life in a small town. We walked back and stopped to enjoy some views from a pier over the Baltic Sea. Since we arrived in Northern Denmark around 2 this afternoon, Brennan and I have walked around 7 miles. Tomorrow we will be going to Belgium to spend time with a missionary friend, Tim Downs. 

As I sit here drinking my cup of Danish tea and thinking about how we're leaving Denmark tomorrow, it makes me realize what a cultural and lasting impact this experience will have on us. Despite our occasional language barriers, we have had the chance to see where these people call home, do work, and build a life. Unfortunately it is clear that they are not building their lives around Jesus. 

No matter which of these cities God calls us, I know that he has a plan and that he already knows where He is going to call us. Regardless of the place, I am so excited to see what God has in store for us, but I also encourage you to pray for the people of these cities. 

Europe Survey 2013: Copenhagen Day 2

Changing viewpoints, today you get my perspective. Copenhagen is an interesting place to say for sure. Though we have only been to the United Kingdom up until this point, Copenhagen is a very distinct city. This is the first "real" language barrier we've encountered. More on that later. This city is very modern with a historical backdrop. Overall I could say that people are friendly but you most certainly run into a few brick walls.

The city itself is well spaced out and keeps a normal pace of life, not too rushed and not slow either. Once reaching the city center we were able to walk most of the way. Bikes are the preferred method of travel. Everywhere you look you will find a bike. It was pointed out to us that the city is making advancements to its infrastructure to be the friendliest city to bikes in the world. People of all types, shapes, class, and race ride bikes here. Mass transit is modern and quick and moderately available. One of a few bumps in the road today was the purchasing of tickets for the trains. In Europe the "chip & PIN" system is used for credit cards. Though it is growing, most credit cards in the US do not have this capability or they might have a chip but no PIN. The latter was our problem and without a PIN we could not get tickets. Thankfully a friendly transit employee allowed us to ride to the city center to change currency without a ticket.

We were told previous to our arrival that almost everyone spoke English here. I haven't found a native here yet that hasn't, but almost none of the important signage is in English (such as transit information). This created a day full of asking lots of people to explain this to us.

The historical sections of this city are of the most beautiful of Europe yet. We visited one of the palaces in Copenhagen and saw the interior. It was incredible. One of my most favorite historical sites I've visited so far! Though is has deep history the city has greatly expanded out and builds and lives a very modern and contemporary life style.

As I have said before, most people are friendly here, but not everyone is quite as willing to converse. A handful of times when we would ask for some assistance an individual would look and walk off in a different direction. And at times if they did respond, they would have a scarcastic joke attached. Very interesting to interact with. But not all were this way. We spoke with many helpful and friendly people. 

Tomottorw we head north in Denmark to see different cities and life outside the big city. What a difference will there be I wonder.

     - Brennan

Europe Survey 2013: Inverness Day 4/Copenhagen Day 1

Today was our last day in Inverness. We gathered our things and headed to the bus station. While waiting for the bus it started to rain. Then it stopped and the sun came out. Soon it started to rain again. Meanwhile, the bus was late and while we were trying to look at the phone to figure out when it would come we missed it. I (Libby) was so mad, but God had different plans. We went back to the hotel to call a cab. The concierge called for us and then we stood there chatting with him about the unpredictable weather until our ride arrived. The whole ride to the airport we talked with the driver about life in Scotland, travel, agriculture, and many other things. We had such a wonderful time learning about the people and the culture of this lovely place.

We flew to Bristol where we had a VERY short layover then we were on our way to Copenhagen. Once here, we took the train to the hotel. Surprisingly, we made it around okay even though many of the signs were in Danish. Our language luck ran out when we ordered a pizza though. Apparently, Hawaii pizza here does not mean USA Hawaii pizza. This was obvious when we opened the box and it had chicken and tomatoes and it was SPICY. 

Tomorrow we are looking forward to exploring the city and meeting some people around town. It is already a big difference from Inverness but we are loving the experience of seeing diverse cultures and meeting different types of people. 

On a side note, we are also surprised at how televised the coverage of the Oklahoma tornado is over here. There are some differences in information such as the number of fatalities but it is interesting how invested the rest of the world is in our news. 

Europe Survey 2013: Inverness Day 3

Today was our last full day in Scotland. After we ate some porridge we bought at Morrisons yesterday, we got on the bus and rode to a few neighborhoods that aren't within walking distance of our hotel. As the bus moved down the streets I watched as people interacted with their community. There were small convenience stores in the neighborhoods as well as parks and schools. Old women had rolling carts and were out shopping and visiting with each other. While its nice to be where all the commerce and life seems to be in the city, I really enjoy exploring the neighborhoods and watching life unfold there.

During the day we also traveled across the bridge to the village of North Kessock. It's just along the inland of the North Sea. From this area, you could sea the snow capped mountains behind the North Sea. It was a beautiful sight. It seemed like a very quiet little community with a tea room and a hotel. We found ourselves with time to kill so we went into the tea room for some high tea and dinner. We chatted briefly with the owner. While in North Kessock we also met some people from Wyoming. Surprisingly, these are the first Americans we've seen so far.

Transit wise, not having access to a car in the cities we've been to so far has been fun (for me at least). I've left my ballet flats in the hotel room and wandered around the city on foot and by bus when necessary. By rough estimation I think we've walked around 16 miles in Inverness alone. I wish I had brought by pedometer but I probably couldn't have afforded the tenth of a pound it would have added to my bag.

As today is winding down and we're preparing to move on to Copenhagen tomorrow, I am reflecting on the time we've had here and the experiences we've had. We have really loved our time in Inverness and enjoyed the people as well. If this is where God would have us, I would thoroughly love returning here in a few years. If God would have us somewhere else I would love to return here just to visit one day.

Europe Survey 2013: Inverness Day 2

This morning we wandered into the city centre to the supermarket, Morrisons. We picked up a few things to have in our room for breakfast and then had lunch in the cafe. This afternoon we explored the city and spent some time really taking in the culture and the atmosphere here.

As we made our way through the city we met and spoke with a few people including a woman at the bus station and several people in shops. Everyone here seems very approachable and friendly. Most of them were interested in striking up a conversation with us. We've also noticed that things are more laid back than in London. The mass transit is much more limited here but thankfully walking has been a pretty good option. One of the most interesting things is the fact that everything closes down so early. By 6pm, all of the major shops were closed down and the city centre was almost empty.

Personally, I am in love with the old architecture and the fact that you can hear the seagulls from any part of the city. It just seems like a quaint little place. Brennan and I were discussing this afternoon that its so humbling to think that one of these places we're visiting will be our new home one day. It's just such a blessing to be here and to get the chance to be surrounded by the culture and the people for a short time. Below are a few photos of this beautiful town!

Europe Survey 2013: London Day 2/Inverness Day 1

It's a wonderful night in Inverness, Scotland! We landed here around 9pm local time. Before our flight we had a great time at Tarl's church, New Cross Road Baptist Church. We met some really nice people and it was great to hear some of their stories. While we were talking to a guy named Martin, he told us he liked our American accents. Pretty funny since I wish I had a British one! After the service we got our bags from Tarl's house and he took us to the train. We have actually been loving the mass transit here. It takes a bit to figure it out but it's fast and much easier than fighting traffic and looking for a parking space. We took the train to the airport and caught our flight to Inverness. Once we landed we took a taxi to our hotel and along the way we chatted with our driver about life in Inverness. The drive from the airport was stunning with rolling hills of farms and sheep with the sun setting over the North Sea. We checked into our hotel and found our room. Naturally the first thing you do when you get to your room is flip on the light...but none of the lights worked. After a few minutes we realized we had to put our key card in the slot on the wall to power the lights (photo below). It's been an amazing and eventful past few days. Tomorrow we're looking forward to exploring the city and possibly meeting some people here. Check out some of our photos from today!

(Barely made the 10 kg weight limit)

(UK McDonald's or American McDonald's?)

Europe Survey 2013: London Day 1

We've officially arrived in London at 10am here! Our flights were fine and everything went smoothly. We got some tickets for the underground and headed downtown. We had the opportunity to just explore the city and check things out including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye! I (Libby) was also excited to see some less touristy old neighborhoods with some amazing architecture. We had lunch at a little cafe called Eat then jumped on a train for Orpington, the neightborhood Tarl and Adrienne Reeves live in. We had a great time visiting with them and talking about ministry and life in London. Tomorrow we're looking forward to going to their church and meeting their church family! Below are a few photos from today.