A Tale of Two (Danish) Cities

Before we leave Randers, Denmark, behind, I need to share some photos of this great city.  It was not all that small--61,000 or so--but the beautiful churches and brick buildings
 were still very impressive. 

I think orange brick must have been plentiful over the years as both new and old buildings seemed to favor that particular medium.  Notice the set of apartment buildings where we stayed, which resembled many other orange-brick housing projects throughout the town.

And please be impressed that we were able to "negotiate" the 100 steps to the no-elevator-provided 5th floor!  Needless to say, we only returned to our room once a night!  We were told these buildings were over 100 years old. 

 However, our cute "Airb&b" hostess was anything but old!

This young gal and her military husband just recently put their apartment up for occasional rent, while he is in the barracks and she can stay with her parents.  We and another couple from Frankfurt (They were attending Festinord as Area YSA missionaries) shared the accommodations.  We all shared the tiny bathroom, 

we got the spare bedroom (they rented the apartment first!), 

and I got the air mattress! Nevertheless, it was much more convenient than the motel many miles away which a number of other missionaries had rented.

We enjoyed walking from our apartment to the local downtown area, which, like all European towns, has a cobblestone no-car zone for very enjoyable shopping, browsing, and eating.  We bought a nice map of Europe--which unfortunately has different dimensions than German picture frames--some candies, and post cards.  Not very big shoppers on this trip!

Ha!  This one is priceless!  It's Elder G talking to a policeman who luckily gave us only a warning ticket since our license plates were German and he figured

 we didn't know it was a park & pay zone!

One of the evenings I went for a walk and was pleasantly surprised to find a neighborhood right adjacent to this big apartment complex!  I loved the architecture of the Danish homes and was equally impressed with how nicely their yards were kept up.

 

Notice the "plethora" of shrubbery!  Randers was one of the most green cities I've ever seen!

This one was a complete surprise and was totally out of sync with the rest of the neighborhood!  It looked more like it belonged in Derek's neighborhood in Alaska!

I want to point out how Denmark uses shrubs or trees planted in the road to slow down traffic. America may use "speed bumps," but Denmark uses "speed greens" to maneuver around!

And before we head out of town, I have to share that Randers, Denmark, has a Graceland!  Yes, somehow, somewhere in time, an Elvis fan built this amazing replica of Graceland in DENMARK, no less!!!.  Elder G refused to budge from the car, while I thought it was weird enough to warrant a peak inside.  Inside is a very popular 50's restaurant and an everything-Elvis gift shop; the museum is both upstairs and downstairs. 

Anyone ever remember Elvis looking this young?  I certainly don't!

And, believe it or not, the site is complete with a replica of Elvis' birth home!!!

Oh, Love Me Tender, you ole Blue Swede Shoes! 

We passed this tower every morning on our way to Festinord.  We always wanted to find out what it was, but never did.  Still, it was cool to view and wonder about!

And lastly, what is Denmark without Danish!  We ate them for breakfast; we ate them for lunch, and we had them for dessert after dinner!  Amazingly delicious!!!

Anyway, after attending Festinord, our plans were to head back to Frankfurt, Germany, via the scenic "slow lane" as opposed to the autobahn.  One of our Danish friends suggested we visit Ribe, the oldest intact Viking city in Denmark.  We loved driving through the rural countryside as well as through quaint, old villages.  Of course, my favorite detours along the way are the beautiful old churches.  Most had the graveyard alongside as well.

We saw this hot springs place off the beaten path and thought it looked quaint.  There are tons of cities in Europe with the first word "Bad," like Bad Homburg, for example.  "Bad" means "bath," so it makes me wonder if they're not all like our lovely Midway with its many hot springs.

We finally arrived in Ribe, Denmark's oldest Viking town.
Ribe celebrated its 1300th anniversary in 2010!


Many of its ancient homes and businesses remain to this day.

The Tourist Bureau had this map of the town dated 1736.
Notice how the huge cathedral dominated the city center

and still does today!

The Catholic cathedral, completed in the 1200s, is so big, and the town square so small
that I just couldn't get all of it in the picture.

The buildings on the town square don't look as old as they really are because they have been updated.  But they are still the original buildings.

We met the couple living in this house!

And we liked the nameplate on this house stating who had lived there since the 1500s!!!

Some of the homes and businesses that surround the town square...

Neat antique store on the corner

We loved the cobblestone streets with sagging house fronts

There was a nice inlet with local businesses alongside and small private boats.

After the Reformation in 1536, 12 of the city's 14 churches were destroyed, leaving two behind--the Catholic cathedral shown earlier and this Protestant St. Katherine Church, built in the 1400s.

Just on the edge of the town center was a beautiful walk with newer picturesque homes.

This is a former mansion-turned-Art-Museum now under renovation

We had pizza here for dinner before taking the "Night Watchman's Tour." 

Traditionally, he walks his nightly route through the old town, instructing the tourists and singing

to alert the locals regarding bedtime approaching.

The night tour of the town square and adjacent streets was a good way to end a
very exciting day!  Farewell, beautiful, Viking town, Ribe!

 

Festinord Forever!

Elder G and I were privileged last week to spend two days at a four-day YSA (Mormon Young Single Adult) conference in Randers, Denmark.  The Randers newspaper said it best with the following humorous headline:  

"Mormone Rhymes with Hormone!"  

And that pretty much tells it like it was.  Of course, the 720 young single adults came together to fellowship with huge numbers of those of the same faith, to take various workshops, and to perform community service; but the bottom line is that most attendees had come with even higher expectations.  

Actually, neither the attendees nor the sponsors made any pretense as to why everyone was there.  When the young men were asked why they came, most replied with something like, “to see the beautiful Scandinavian women!”  And when the young women were asked why they were there, most said, “Because I’m not married yet!”  Furthermore, at almost every group meeting, the adult leaders continually urged the young men to be sure to get their date for the final night’s Gala!  Yes, everyone had love and marriage on their minds!

For members of LDS church, marrying a member of our own faith is strongly encouraged.  However, since the church membership is small in the Nordic countries, finding a spouse of the same faith is quite a challenge.  Many of the young adults aspire to attend the church-run school, Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, to meet other Mormons.  Once there, it is very likely that they marry an American and, 

most often, remain in America for life. 

Consequently, nearly fifty years ago the older generation of Scandinavians reached the conclusion that giving their children a reason to stay closer to home was imperative.  They envisioned annual events held in Scandinavia in which their young adults could meet (and court) larger numbers of young adults of the same faith.  Hence, in 1966 the first young adult conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden.  

In deciding on a name to title these annual events, the name Festinord was selected, referring to “a festival held in the Nordic countries.” Since then they have been held almost yearly, rotating from one Scandinavian country to another.  This year's theme for the daily devotionals and spiritual workshops was "Seek the Light."  Plans are already underway to celebrate next year's 50th anniversary in Stockholm, Sweden.

The conference was held in two locations:  a high school furnished the space for the young adults to sleep on the floor as well as to have a continental breakfast.  Then they walked a half mile or so to a nearby Event Center, where the remainder of events and meals took place.  First came a morning devotional, followed by the day's scheduled activities--games, workshops, and community service.  

Lunch, dinner, and three dances were also held there..

 On a serious note, the festival actually included much more than just match-making.  The first day’s event, emphasizing teamwork, was spent playing a six-hour game in which the young adults competed as teams to accomplish various challenges. Throughout the week there were also various sporting activities.  Two of the four days concentrated on a vast variety of morning and afternoon workshops.  Topics ranged from numerous ones of a spiritual nature to musical (participating in a band or a choir) to social media to photography to, of course, successful dating practices to doodling & coloring to release stress.  (I learned that adult coloring books are in the top-five best-selling-books category!)

The entire third day was devoted to performing humanitarian service to the Randers community.  Dressed in yellow Mormon Helping Hands (MHH) vests, the young adults either walked or were bused to over 65 different venues where they were able to give back to the community.  

A variety of services were available: numerous opportunities for gardening and yard clean-up, trail maintenance, painting fences and sheds, distributing business flyers, singing at a home for the elderly, just to name a few.  

They had run out of paint by the time we got here; but more was delivered, 

and they were able to finish the job.

This group cleared a bike trail and a neighborhood park.

There were additional opportunities which involved helping two other churches with their own service projects:  sewing school bags for Kenyan children or making baby clothes for Bulgarian refugees.  

This day of service culminated on a spiritual note with a two-and-a-half hour evening testimony meeting in which the young adults expressed their faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to follow Him.

Three of the evenings were highlighted with late-night dances.  Tuesday’s theme was Hawaiian

and Wednesday’s was Bedouin.  

No expense was spared in decorating the dance floor to create the intended mood!  Surprisingly, with limited belongings many were able to fashion some sort of costume or accessory to go along with that night’s theme.  Friday’s final Gala included a formal dinner and dance. 

It has been said that occasionally the older generation objects to the music being played at the dances and wonders if Festinord shouldn’t be discontinued.  However, as soon as they are reminded that these young adults may then migrate to America where young members of their faith are greater in number, the discussion comes to a halt.  So, for now, Festinord is here to stay, and so are the hormones!

Getting acquainted with these young adults from any different countries as well as with the many YSA senior missionaries who attended was really a joy.  We met a young man from Hawaii who attended the same ward we did 38 years ago.  We met our Denmark contact, the  National Director of Public Affairs (NDPA), and his wife and two daughters; and we met the daughter of our Finnish NDPA headed to Tokyo in four weeks on her mission.  We met a handsome YSA senior missionary couple whose parents started the whole "Festinord thing" almost 50 years ago.  And we met many, many fine people who tried very hard to help us in any way possible.  It was a great experience, and we're excitedly looking forward to next year's celebration in Stockholm!!!