Countdown to Christmas.

It still amazes me just how different each European country is. Somehow they have managed to keep their cultures completely separate from one another, even if their borders are so close together. Chris and I took a four hour train ride down to the little town of Lübeck to see some of Germany's most famous Christmas markets. There was no shortage of beautiful creative art, and it was all so affordable! I guess after living in Scandanavia for a while, everything outside of it feels cheap.

On the train ride there, Chris turned to me and said "All I want is some fried dough."I looked at him as if he was from Mars. After exploring several markets I quickly realized this was one of the most popular market snacks, deep fried dough sprinkled with sugar. The simplest of recipes but so delicious! There was really no shortage of fried food... and and here is our evidence:

Fried Dough.

Fried Calamari.

Fried Fish on a bun.

The highlight of the meals was trying pickled herring. Being one of northern Europe's delicacies it's a must on anyone's list... let me be the first to tell you that you need some serious liquor to wash it down.

Being a Canadian who is living in Denmark and clearly looks Latin American sometimes confuses me. First, the language. I don't speak German so I chose to communicate in Danish. This didn't work so I opted for English. That didn't work either because in all occasions people just smiled and went on to make up their own minds about what it is I had said, ordered or asked for. Then answering the question 'Where are you from?'. Do I say I am from Denmark? I live there... Do I say I am Canadian? I am, but most of the time people say I don't 'look' Canadian. Do I say I am Latin American? I look it. So I decided to just flip flop back and forth between them all and watch people's reactions to my response.

Some memorable highlights, tips and precautions:

• Alcohol really does keep you warm in minus 10 degree weather. And it is quite hard to get drunk even after 3 cups of glühwein.
• German Fair Cuisine is fattening! And vegetarians beware!
• Germany is filled with amazingly talented artisans that work with natural materials and create their visions brilliantly. Most of them, however, don't have websites.
• German restaurant washrooms are not heated. Nor do they have hot water.

Warm socks and a scarf

Let it snow! It has been snowing non stop for a few days now, gladly it's been light so things are still functioning. Last year's snow falls have taught the Danes a thing or two about winter weather. I am not making this up, I read it on the Danish rail system website. This kind of weather caused train cancellations, bus delays and all kind of other chaos. Since this is starting to become more 'normal' people are getting used to it. I gotta give it up to the Danes for being so practical, it's common to see grown ups wearing full snow suits as they walk around town and run their errands. What amazes me is the persistence of people using their bikes as transport. But if this keeps up, we are going to need sleighs!

Whistle while you work.

It's winter. Officially. And on my way home today in what felt like minus 5 degrees I started making a list of reasons why I should retire my bike for the season and invest in a train pass. Here's is my list (and it is not a complete one!):

1. It's cold.

2. Winter clothing is heavy. It feels like I am pulling an extra body when I bike with my winter coat on.

3. Visibility is poor. Scarf, hat, helmet, eye glasses - it takes a full 180 to check my blind spot.

4. Biking against the wind gusts takes twice as long. Train moves faster.

5. It's hard to change gears when the temp is below freezing.

But still I continued pedaling. Did not cut my route short or hop on a train. Braved the elements. Why? Because how else can I justify drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream several times a week... or having a danish pastry for dessert more often than I'd like to admit. And mainly, because I know it's good for me.

As I ride, I often see construction crews hard at work. And always, without failure, they are blasting the tunes on the radio and listening to some fun upbeat music. On machines that look like this:

The same goes for bus drivers, they get their selection of radio tunes as well, and often they are singing along or drumming their thumb to their tunes... sometimes classical music, sometimes heavy rock. Whatever they fancy! Even library staff wear iPods, and hum along as they sort books. I guess it's about enjoying what you are doing and putting your own rhythm to it. Some people ride their bikes with their iPods. I am not that brave, or dumb.