In the Misty Mists

You know of course that the best thing about really cold weather is being inside looking out.  It makes everything about being inside better.  And for the better part of the day we were inside.

I have Danish homework to do!  I am unsure about where these weeks are going, but they are going much too fast for my taste....even long leisurely days like today.  I am also working on the lesson for Institute Thursday evening.   We are covering several chapters in the Doctrine and Covenants....and I am pretty much free to choose which of the many verses to talk about.  There is a great variety of topics and I love the ones that seemed to jump out at me.

I have relished that study and have enjoyed sitting in the loft looking out over the misty lake.  The days have been grayed with ever-so-slight a fog just hovering over everything.  I am not sure weather ever stops anyone here from going anywhere and certainly low 30-ish temperatures are to be expected. I am thinking New York City this past week would have been miserable with the thermometer descending way below zero.

In the early evening, we walked to the train station to catch a train to the Knudsen's apartment across town.  They are the couple who feed the senior missionaries once a month, and the younger missionaries on another night once a month.  It is always a feast.  We have never had the same thing twice.  He is a marvelous cook, and we are in awe about what comes out of his little kitchen...

One thing in their apartment that I have long admired is the charming little wooden Nyhavn on the wall.  I am determined to find something like it to hang in our home in Arizona.  Of all the tourist sights from Copenhagen, that is one of the most recognizable and beloved.

SK is not one to ever be late, but sometimes in his eagerness to be on time, he gets us to places a trifle early.  We arrived 45 minutes early this evening (even 5 minutes early just isn't done here!), so we walked several blocks from the train station and entered a very large cemetery.

Even as we walked along the street toward the graveyard, I was amazed at the stillness.  Our footsteps echoed out over the sidewalks and across the neighborhood of old brick 10-story apartment buildings which looked somewhat bleak in the fading light.  There were few other pedestrians and an occasional bicyclist.  One runner passed by us....we heard the thud thud of his footsteps as he approached from behind and then went around us....fading into nothing as he disappeared in the mists.

The bare-limbed trees were majestic.  As we went past a copse of trees, about 20 large birds burst out of the trees....the noise of their flapping wings sounding nearly deafening in that setting.  There was something hauntingly beautiful about the time and place....not eerie or frightening....a feeling of timelessness and peace.

After dinner, we returned to the train station.  When we first climbed to the platform there were few other people waiting.....and the stillness of the moment once again just caught my attention.  It wasn't long before many others were there, and then the trains.  After a 15 minute wait, we were aboard our train speeding back to the city center.

Another 10-minute walk to our apartment made entering to the warmth sheer joy!  Have I mentioned how much I love this city/country?