Christmas holiday ¤¤¤ WEIHNACHTSFERIEN

We actually had intended to go to Sweden, but it turned out that it was so much nicer here...

EIGENTLICH WOLLTEN WIR JA EIN PAAR TAGE IN SCHWEDEN VERBRINGEN...

so we take daily skiing trips

ABER ES IST DOCH MINDESTENS GENAUSO SCHÖN ZUHAUSE IN DÄNEMARK!

through our garden...

WIR LAUFEN VIEL SKI...

the neighborhood,

IM GARTEN UND IN DER NACHBARSCHFT...

along the little stream behind our grounds,

AM BACH HINTER UNSEREM HAUS

over the hills...

ÜBER DIE KL. HÜGEL UND FELDER...

and the fields...

DAS IST UNSER HOF VOM FELD AUS GESEHEN...

It's just really the most wonderful place to be!

UND ES IST EINFACH WUNDERVOLL HIER!

But the other day we had a little trip to Germany...

NEULICH WAREN WIR MAL KURZ IN DEUTSCHLAND...

I guess, someone was having an ice-coffee?!

JEMAND HATTE HIER WOHL EINEN EIS-CAFÉ...

No fighting for deck chairs!

ABER WENIGSTENS MUSSTE MAN SICH NICHT UM SITZPLÄTZE SCHLAGEN!

Oh and this is at a small farm close to us... the deer are out all year round...

UND HIER IST NOCH WAS GANZ ANDERES... EINE KL. FARM IN DIE NACHBARSCHAFT... DIE REHE SIND DORT DAS GANZE JAHR ÜBER DRAUSSEN!

Merry Christmas from Granborg Gaard!

FROHE WEIHNACHTEN VOM GRANBORG GAARD IN DÄNEMARK!

Outdoor pleasures and indoor coziness ¤¤¤ WINTERFREUDEN

Here's a little song you might enjoy listening to, while you read this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhT5-3C0R1A

The season of Joy is over us, the tree is trimmed and the presents packed...

But then all of a sudden mother nature had second thoughts about Winter-wonderland...

however thanks to a number of blizzards we had enough snow left behind our barns and on some of the fields...

so we could take a nice long skiing trip up and down the hills...

It was really nice and lovely to ski towards the beautifully decorated bridge that is crossing over to Zealand.

Here we are on an ancient road which hasn't been used for ages, so you really had to watch out for big wild rose-bushes growing in the middle of it... lol!

We relaxed in our front garden after the trip! we usually end off there, just enjoying the lights for a little bit before we'd go in to have supper...

Snowed in! ¤¤¤ EINGESCHNEIT!

It kind of feels as if we're snowed in!

WIR SIND EINGESCHNEIT!

Don't know why really... but it's kind of dark... and cold... and icy...

DAS KANN MAN NICHT ANDERS AUSDRÜCKEN!

and then there's that white stuff absolutely everywhere!

ABER SCHÖN IST ES...

We kind of managed to get most of the outside work done on the farm

WIR SIND SCHON SKIGELAUFEN...

before winter hit us really hard.

UND HIER KÖNNTE MAN DURCHAUS AUCH AUF SCHNITTSCHUHEN ÜBER DEN TEICH FLITZEN...

But as you can see, it's also really beautiful!

WIR HABEN ES ABER NOCH NICHT AUSPROBIERT... DOCH ICH LIEBE UNSEREN TEICH OBWOHL DIE ANLAGE NOCH NICHT GANZ FERTIG IST - ROMANTISCH IST ES TROTZDEM!

However these pictures only show the beginning and we ended up with a snow-curfew already in November! But really was almost impossible to get out and once the roads were cleared, a new blizzard would make you feel you were at the North Pole or something.

ES GIBT VIEL SCHNEE ZU SCHAUFELN!

We already were out skiing and really one could use the pond for skating as well...

UND WENN MAN EIN SO GROSSES GRUNDSTÜCK HAT, DANN DAUERT DAS ETWAS LÄNGER... DOCH DER PARK IST WUNDERSCHÖN FÜR SPAZIERGÄNGE UND ZUM SKILAUFEN UND ZUM RUMKULLERN... UND ZUM SCHNEEMANNBAUEN.. UND UND UND...

There's nothing like a nice. warm fire, once you've enjoyed the out-doors!

- And a hot meal by the stove inside!

DOCH NICHTS GEHT ÜBER EIN WARMES FEUER!

UND EIN WARMES ESSEN, DRINNEN AM KAMIN!

IN DIESR JAHRESZEIT SIND MEINE GESUNDEN UND EXTREM LECKEREN EINTÖPFE ÄUSSERST BELIEBT!

October and November in Denmark ¤¤¤ Herbst in Dänemark

Things have been incredible busy the past few months, since we really want to get the gallery done by December to have our Christmas exhibition in grand style!

Yet there are some nice autumn moments I would like to share with you in this post:

WÄHREND DIE RENOVIERUNGSARBEITEN AUF HOCHTOUREN LAUFEN,

Crossing the waters between DK and Germany, the strait is as busy as never before!

SIND HEIER EIN PAR HERBSTBILDER DIE ICH MIT IHNEN/EUCH TEILEN MÖCHTE:

Really wonder what exactly they are doing, because the off-shore windmill park is to the east of this and the bridge is apparently not even on the drawing board...

AUF DEM FEHMARNSUND IST WIE IMMER VIEL LOS...

Hmmm... taking samples perhaps to see what the ground is like and where it's most sensible to place the pillars???

DENN BALD KOMMT JA DIE BRÜCKE UND WIR WOHNEN JA NUR EINE GUTYE HALBE STD. VON DORT ENTFERNT...

Halloween came and went and this little Simpsons-fella didn't last quite that long...

as you can see one week after he showed quite a bit of spookiness...

AN HALLOWEEN WAREN DIE GESPENSTER UND DIE VEROTTETEN KÜRBISSE LOS...

Things got really spooky at Granborg Gaard on Halloween... but at least the food was good!

UND FURCHTERREGEND VERKLEIDETE LEUTE... ABER DAS ESSEN WAR GUT UND DIE STIMMUNG GEMÜTLICH!

Finally we're done building the recycling station. Now we and all the B&B-guests can recycle everything in the most ecologic and environmentally friendly manner!

DA WIR EINE ÖKO-PENSION SIND WURDE GERADE DIE NEUE RECYCLING STATION GEBAUT.

Took forever to build and of course the rain had to wash off the paint a number of times!

ALSO KÖNNEN GÄSTE UND HAUSHERREN HIER ALLES PERFEKT RECYCLEN!

Finally the post-box and the entrance sign are done as well!

Welcome to Granborg Gaard!

DER NHEUE BRIEFKASTEN IST AUCH ENDLICH FERTIG - UND DAS EINGANGSSCHILD!

HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN AUF DEM FERIEN-HOF GRANBORG GAARD!

IM DEZEMBER ERÖFFNEN WIR UNSERE NEURENOVIERTE GALERIE MIT EINER STIMMUNGSVOLLEN WEIHNACHTSAUSSTELLUNG!

Moose-safari? Or perhaps rather a crocodile? - Not that far from us! ¤¤¤ Elche und Krokodile in unserer Nähe!

Most people who come to Scandinavia hope to catch a glimpse of a moose... but crocodiles? Well you'd be surprised: it's not as unrealistic or as far away as you might have thought!

Anyways... first some more northern chaps...

"Smålandet" is a moose-farm which is located in southern Sweden and can actually be reached in something like 2½ hours!

NICHT ALL ZU WEIT VON UNS LUIEGT EINE ELCH-FARM

We went on a relaxing day-trip the other day and it was really nice and enjoyable!

IN SÜD-SCHWEDEN.

The farm does both have a large closed off area in which you can either drive around in your car or you can take their moose-train

MIT ÜBERFAHRT DAUERT ES NUR 2½ STD. DORT HINZUKOMMEN

to see all the animals.

UND WIR HATTEN NEULICH EINEBN GANZ TOLLEN TAG DORT.

Apart from that they have a shop and a cozy café, typical Swedish style,

AUSSER DEN TIEREN GIBT ES DORT NOCH EINEN SOUVENIRLADEN

where you can enjoy all kinds of things but I guess most will go for the moose-sausages...

UND EIN CAFÉ WO MAN AUCH ELCHWÜRSTCHEN ESSEN KANN...

www.smalandet.se

o433 -103 49

Crocodiles in Denmark?!

Actually within walking- or cycling-distance from "Granborg Gaard Bed&Breakfast" you find "Krokodille Zoo" which has all kinds of reptiles and as I hear also other animals.

The young gentleman in the yellow T-Shirt below worked there on a trial-basis for a week and came home with 15 crocodile-teeth!

KROKODILE GIBT ES AUCH - UND ZWAR SO DICHT AM "GRANBORG GAARD" DRAN, DASS MAN SOGAR HINLAUFEN KANN!

Here is one of them!

HIER IST EINER DER KROKODIL-ZÄHNE, DIE DER JUNGE MANN FAND, ALS ER DEN KÄFIG AUSMISTETE. IM "KROKODILLE-ZOO" KANN MAN ALLE MÖGLICHEN REPTILIEN UND ANDERE TIERE BEWUNDERN.

Elsinore Slot ### The Castle of Elsinore ### Helsingør Slot/Schloss

Facing west:

You guys all know the story of Hamlet, right?!

Well Börn Afzelius has a slightly different version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxjkVXOmS8Y&feature=artist

This is one of the most beautiful, passionate Scandinavian folk-pieces!

Facing north-west:

Those pics were taken a few days ago - on the ferry between Helsingborg (Sweden) and Helsingør (Elsinore, DK)

Facing south-west:

Rosenborg-slot (Elsinore castle)

and shortly afterwards we're about to dock