Thursday, June 23, 2011

Jetlag... What's that?

It's like coming home. Right when i stepped off the plane, i could smell, see, feel, taste, that i was home. It's an odd feeling to have after living here so long, and then being gone for 2 years. But it truely is as if i had never left. The rickity straw topped roofs are still the same. The old gas station is still at the corner, and the trees and wheat fields are still strategically placed around the 500 year old village. It is comforting, constant and unchanging.

Enough of that nonsense... onto my first run in Denmark.

Totally blew my mind! I woke up this morning feeling no jetlag what so ever. I toppled down the wooden stairs and saw freshly made danish pancakes and homemade jam. I had made a running agreement the night before with my cousin (really it's my mother and father in-laws foster son) but i just call him cousin Marco. Anyway he heard i enjoyed running, and he was bored (arn't all 19 year olds bored??) and he desperatly wanted to go running with me. So after breakfast we discussed where we would go on our first run. I shouted out, "the forest!"


Baroness's Castle
The danish forests have always been a place of peace and refuge for me. So the forest it is. From our tiny village, we ran on the hard cement bike path for 2 miles before we hit the entrance to the forest. Immediatley when we entered in the cool green trees, i felt light. Just like when i run in Utah's mountains. I get this sense of balance, kind of like this is where i am suppose to be. 

It was breathtaking. I felt like i was in a movie. Braveheart, The Other Bolyn Girl, First Knight.. i could go on and on. Knowing i was running in such an old and medival sight, gave me a mysterious feeling. Feeling the soft mud push against my shoes and the brush of the trees against my legs were perfection at it's finest. I could have ran all day. We ran up hills, through fields, up to the Baroness and Baron's castle, through the streets of a small viking town and then finally down the bike path past the fjord. We ran 16 kilometers, which equals about 10 miles. I couldn't have choosen a better run and a better day if i tried.

Now, a quick shower and then off to burn witches! It's a big day in Denmark. It is Sankt Hans Aften tonight. In the heathen days, they burned real witches, but now it's just an exuse to throw a big party with all the villagers. We have a big bon fire, eat, sing and dance. We actually burn a fake witch too.

Sankt Hans Aften
 The adventure continues..

1 comment:

  1. Enjoy burning the witch. So jealous of your run. It is truly beautiful there. Enjoy every moment and every run!!

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