McNally Parents come to Denmark!

Hello Again!

Now that Mary is safely back in the United States I guess it's my turn to keep the blog rolling! Sorry that it's been so long since I've posted, but I have been quite busy with my parents visiting, a three week spring break, and finals.

Tuesday March 29th in the Copenhagen airport I excitedly hugged my parents for the first time in almost 3 months! I can't explain how great it was to see their faces. My parents have only been to Europe once, so I was so excited to be their tour guide extraordinaire on their second European adventure!

With so many things for me to show them in my new home, I wanted to get started immediately showing them around Copenhagen. (I may have been a little over-ambitious, because I think by the end of the day they were about to pass out. I failed to remember that they had just flown 9 hours over the ocean and hadn't slept in 24 hours, woops ;-) But they were troopers. Here are some pictures of our first stop, a quaint little fishing village called Dragør right in the outskirts of Copenhagen.



  

Lunch at Cafe Blink

The next day we took the train out to Helsingor to the infamous Krongborg Castle; setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet!



Outside of Kronborg we met an old man who had been stationed at Kronborg during WW2 and was returning for the first time in 60 years. The moment brought tears to his eyes. We were happy to be able to share this experience with him.





With the sleeping Holger Danske; Legend says if Denmark is ever attacked Holger will wake up and save Denmark!



picnic lunch in the town square



 

Helsingor, Denmark


I had a blast showing them around Denmark, and some of our favorite places were Nyhavn (the harbor), the Botanical Gardens, Kings Gardens, Rosenborg Castle, and two of my favorite restaurants in Copenhagen (Flottenheimer, where I found with Mary when she visited and Dalle Valle).

A highlight of the trip however was having a beautiful dinner in the harbor area of Nyhavn which is famous for its antique multi color row houses that line the water.






My parents, my roomate Emily and I ate at a nice restaurant called Cap Horn. We prefaced our meal with a glass of red wine in the outdoor seating right next to the water in an amazingly picturesque setting with string lights and candles everywhere. The restaurant was very cozy and "hygge" as the Danish say. We had a wonderful time catching up and talking about the "catch of the day" of weaver fish that we all ended up ordering from the menu. I highly recommend ordering a weaver fish if you ever get the chance;it serves as a great meal, or at least a great story...  :)
Our seat for dinner was right in the window with a perfect view of the harbor. It was such a nice night and who better to share it with than family. 



  

some good ole' weever fish

After living up to my role as tour guide and showing them every possible thing I could in Copenhagen, we flew to Vienna, Austria for the weekend to get a taste of another European country. I have to say that Vienna is a hidden gem in Europe and one of the most beautiful and romantic cities that I have seen in Europe!

Welcome to Austria!

St. Stephen's Church (The Stephandom, 1147 AD)  is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. It's known also for its intricately tiled roof.

View from the South Tower of St. Stephen's



Loving springtime in Vienna!

The Belvedere! An unbelievable old Baroque palace that now hosts an art museum

Vienna was full of history and beautiful old buildings. The architecture reminded me of Paris, so Mary Hepp this is a place I recommend you visiting if you ever get the chance! We had a great time exploring the city, but the next day we decided to venture into the Austrian countryside. My next post will show you all of the beautiful little towns we visited along the rolling hills of the Danube Valley.

Glad to be back on the blog; sorry for my long hiatus! Until tomorrow,

X's and O's. Hej hej! 

Kelly