call me charlotte, part deux

I posted last month about my experience applying for a work and residence permit. Now it's come full circle as I tried to claim the approved permit.

I arranged with the Danish Consulate in New York to have my work visa attached to my passport at the local police station. I thought this would be easy peasy, turns out it was anything but!

My well laid plans to deal with the visa and residence registrations last Friday were bulldozed when a not so friendly woman informed me that Foreign Police is only open from 10 - 1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 1 - 3 on Thursdays.

Today, after some finagling, I was able to borrow a car, which worked out great once its owner explained "reverse" to me. There's nothing quite like asking for a favor, then having to look a gift horse in the mouth by calling to ask something stupid like, " how do I put it in reverse?"

My "quick trip" went long after the police told me I needed a letter from the Danish Consulate in order to collect my permit. I didn't have a letter because they never sent one, they just left me a voicemail, so I asked them to retrieve the info online. They insisted that their system didn't have info from the NYC office, which seemed a bit odd to me since the approval came from Copenhagen to NYC, but not speaking Danish kind of puts me at a disadvantage when handling these things.

Twenty minutes on the phone with the Danish immigration office confirmed that the police could in fact see my visa info online. Oh, but not so fast!

I'd submitted a passport photo with my application, but they needed another photo in order to issue my visa. Oy vey!

After paying 100 DKK (about $20) to the closest photo shop, I trekked back to the police station with four copies of a photo of me looking like I just crawled out of a sewer. I rationalized that it would go in a file somewhere and I'd never have to see it again.

After all of this, Foreign Police was closed, but they made an exception, and a little while later, a police officer came downstairs, shook my hand, and presented me with my formal permission to live and work in Denmark until 2013! The sewer rat photo is affixed with the visa stamp inside my passport as a constant reminder to always carry lipstick and a comb.

Major hurdles were cleared today, but there are still more. I still need permission from the government to buy my flat. I still need to figure out the Danish mortgage system. I still need to make the 18 hour (give or take) transatlantic trek with Opie. I still need to pack my shipping container. And I need to learn Danish.

Still, I can handle all of it because I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.

ost

I came across this cheese truck yesterday on my way to the green grocer!

What a selection and great prices, too! These were not the bland, mild tasting cheeses I'm used to, and not too long ago, the smell alone would've turned me off, but I'm developing a more adventurous palate, so bring on the stinky cheese :)

I was nearly vegan in the US but now I find myself drooling at the cheese shop window and drawn to the stinky cheese truck. It's so nice to have such easy access to high-quality, ethically produced food.

I can't get a chunk of cheese for $2 here, but I'm OK with that.

velorbis victoria classic

Rumor has it the Raleigh Glorie is actually built in Asia, so I'm reevaluating my bike options.

I was quite smitten with Velorbis Victoria Classic, but it's the most expensive bike I've considered, so I dismissed it as too boutique for daily riding. However, the Danish website has it for about $700 cheaper than the US. That's after the 25% VAT! So is it really too boutique for daily riding?

Granted, it's significantly more expensive than the Raleigh, but it's stunning, which is no surprise since it's designed in Denmark and built in Germany. I can't stop looking at it! It's got a Brooks saddle, hand grips, and mudflaps, built in dynamo lights, a lugged steel frame, and drum brakes. Love!!!

Since I'm leaving both of my cars behind, I could always buy a red Raleigh Glorie or that delicious VIVA juliett, to ride on perfect days. It could be my TT for a new continent...

raleigh glorie

I posted last month about my bike dilemma. I almost pulled the trigger on an Azor Oma, but I decided to see what was available in Denmark before buying a bike stateside.

Initially, I was hellbent on having a Dutch bike, but after contacting several retailers in Netherlands, I was unable to find a shop that was willing to ship to Denmark. I did find a retailer in Germany that would ship a Dutch bike to Denmark, but they weren't forthcoming with the brand info on their bikes and since I'm buying online sight unseen, I didn't want to end up with a Dutch-built Huffy.

I looked in Denmark, but the prices here were considerably higher than than the prices in Germany and Netherlands for the same bikes. Probably due to the 25% VAT.

Despite that, I decided it would be easiest to buy in Denmark, so I expanded my search to include Danish brands as well as the Dutch brands. I considered Gazelle, Batavus, Ebsen, Velorbis, the too beautiful to ride VIVA Juliett, and many others. Each had their pros and cons, and none of them rocked my world. (except the Juliette, but it's just too pretty to be practical)

Then, I found THE bike. It's a Raleigh Glorie. It's based on 1920's designs, and it's only sold in Denmark. The tiny bit of snob in me smiles at having a bike with an exclusive Scandinavian pedigree that's not available for import in the US.

But more importantly, it's a no-nonsense city bike for the way people ride over here: 3 speeds because we don't need 7, some people ride with one; fenders, skirt guards and an enclosed chain case because we ride everyday, often in dresses and high heels; coaster and handbrakes because we ride in traffic; an integrated lock because we need to park our bikes in the city and at the train station; and unlike most European bikes sold in the US, it's not too pretty and precious to ride in the snow and rain.

So now comes the color dilemma...



Could this red be anymore stunning? Probably not. I love red and I love this bike in red, but this bike will replace my car, it will be ridden hard, locked up next to other bikes, and left out in the rain. How will it look in a year's time?


Black is classic, but not nearly as stunning as the red. However, most people in Copenhagen (and Amsterdam) ride black bikes and the rust and chipped paint give them a sort of patina that I think only adds to their beauty.

So, my lovely blog readers, what do you say? Is my Raleigh red or black?

kinder eggs

A few weeks ago, I was unsure of the Easter egg situation in Denmark. I'm still kind of unsure because even though I didn't actually look for them, I didn't come across any egg decorating kits, ads for egg decorating kits, or sales on egg decorating kits. Easter is not nearly as commercial here as in the US.

Two grocery stores were completely sold out of eggs, but I'm not sure if that's because people dye them or eat them for Easter brunch. I was going to make egg salad for my week's lunches, however, due to the egg shortage, I settled on hummus.

But the real point of this post is to talk about Kinder eggs!

I brought Reese's peanut butter eggs for my European friends, and in return, they gave me a Kinder egg...

I'm definitely a dark chocolate girl (for the health benefits, of course) but "kinder" does mean "children" and children tend to prefer milk chocolate, so who am I to complain?

This is some of the coolest chocolate ever because it's thin, and it bends! And it's delicious, probably because the milk chocolate is lined with white chocolate, and none of it contains corn syrup. But I'm a texture junkie, and this was fun to eat!

Inside the little capsule was an actual toy! This is shocking to me because I grew up on Cracker Jacks and saw the prizes go from plastic magnifying glasses, to books of jokes and temporary tattoos, to the crap they give out now which is like a paper decoration for the end of your pencil!

Too cool, and these are apparently available year round. Nice!

Not so nice though is the fact that Kinder eggs are banned in the United States due to the fact that the toys are considered a choking hazard. Last year, US Customs & Border Protection seized more than 25,ooo Kinder eggs. It's nice to see they're keeping the country safe!

I wonder how many kids have actually choked to death on Kinder egg toys...

red wine stain remover

The other night, I had a mishap opening a bottle of red with a cheap hotel corkscrew. I panicked, but had the good sense not to go at it with the liquid soap/shampoo combo from the wall dispenser before strategizing my approach.

The internet suggested removing it using salt, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, Oxy-Clean, and many other things I didn't have have onhand, and couldn't get due to everything being closed for the Easter holidays.

By the time I finished researching and freaking out, the stain had dried. I'd pretty much made peace with the demise of my beloved pink chemise, but I decided to rinse the stain in cold water, then soak it in rubbing alcohol. I figured alcohol was probably a safer bet than nail polish remover, the soap/shampoo, or nothing, and I'm glad I did because by the next morning, the stain was gone!

If you ever have to remove a dried red wine stain, try pouring a bit of rubbing alcohol into a cup or bowl, then soak the stained area overnight. I used this on a nylon/spandex blend. The garment in question was light pink and there's not a trace of red wine anywhere :)

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention...

copenhagen 8:31 gmt +1

Denmark greeted me with 36 degree temperatures this morning. I hope it's not a habit because my coat situation on this side of the Atlantic is limited to a faux leopard swing coat, which feels inappropriate for April, and a tan trench coat, which feels inadequate for this temperature.

Hopefully it will sort itself out before I reach my new hometown later today.

For now, I'm hanging out in the Business Lounge. They've got a fire going :)

I feel as worn out as the woman in that photo looks, but there's food and I had my favorite Danish breakfast of cappuccino and Greek style yogurt with granola and honey...

OK, so it's not really Danish, but it's what eat most often when I'm here. Can't beat that 10% fat yogurt, so rich, so creamy....Yum!!!

back again

I'm hanging out in the Business Lounge at Newark airport. I finally made Gold status so I get to hang out in here with free cocktails and wifi instead of fighting for a seat and trying to avoid having rookie travelers run over my shoes with their luggage!

Yes, it happened in a $300 pair of Kate Spades. If looks could kill, that woman would've been dead on the spot!

I hope you're having delightful spring weather where you are. Rumor has it Denmark is cold and rainy (again). Just what I need in my depressed state!

I'll leave you with a February shot from Copenhagen...