New Foods; New Friends

Playing King (otherwise known as Kubb)
see all photos »

The Hotel Du Nord is very old, as are all of the surrounding buildings.  Most of the rooms have twin beds and exactly enough room to fit the number of people. The first night in the hotel, everyone seemed to report the same problem of waking up around 2 AM and not being able to fall back to sleep. Breakfast is provided every morning.   It is different than the typical cereal/toast breakfast. There are various breads (delicious), sliced meats (ham, salami), sliced cheeses, jams, cereals, yogurts, juice, and coffee.

Group picture at Per and Eva's home in Valloe.
see all photos »

Today we met with Per and Eva Hartvig-Honore. I was connected with Per through the University of Uppsala (in Sweden).  In past years the SDSU students have visited the University of Uppsala and have spent several days in Sweden.  However, they couldn't accommodate us this year and suggested I contact Per.  This was definitely a lucky break.  Per and Eva are married and both pharmacists.  Per is a Professor with the University of Copenhagen (emphasis in Clinical Pharmacology), and Eva works as a pharmacist (emphasis is pharmaceutical compounding) for the University Hospital.  Per and Eva have been extremely helpful in arranging activities for us that are both educational and cultural.  We couldn't have asked for better hosts.

We made a "totem" and planted it in Per's yard.
see all photos »

We arrived in the city of Køge which dates back to the 1200's. We had time to tour the city before Per and Eva picked us up.  It took several trips to get all 18 of us to their home.  Jordon actually drove one of the cars and helped transport us (he's brave).  Their home was about 15 minutes away in the city of Vallöe.  It was built in 1776 and had very low ceilings, doorways, and also had a straw thatched roof (supposed to last 50 years).  While at their home, some of the students played a game of King (also known as Kubb) which was a type of yard game.  I think Molly dominated the game.  Per had also supplied us with wood and carving tools to make a "totem."  We decided the letters "SDSU" would be appropriate and easy.  They served beer, cola, and traditional Danish foods such as pickled herring, smoked herring, various sliced meets, liver pate, meatballs, cheeses, etc.  This traditional Danish meal is also known as koldt bord (cold table).  Eva demonstrated how to make a Danish Smørrebrød sandwich in which you prepare your sandwich in a certain order with "appealing" presentation.  We attempted to follow the rules but I think some of us were lacking in our Smørrebrød style.  Eva had done an example and it looked like it came from a fancy restaurant.

A pharmacy in Koge
see all photos »

In the afternoon, the students, Kim, and myself spent time talking with Per and Eva about various topics ranging from "what to see and do in Copenhagen," history of the region, and also the differences in pharmacy practice between Copenhagen and the US.  One aspect Eva felt strongly about was the importance of maintaining compounding and pharmaceutical production given the trend of growing clinical pharmacy services.  Everyone enjoyed the conversation and I think we learned a lot about the differences in our culture and health care. I think it is safe to say they enjoyed our visit as much as we enjoyed visiting them.

We also walked through the countryside to a castle also in Vallöe.  It was very beautiful and is actually now being lived in by "Pensioners."

Towards the end of our day, Eva served us some homemade dessert with tea and coffee.  Before leaving we presented them with an SDSU sweatshirt and a Pipestone Peace Pipe (my home town) as a thank-you for their hospitality.  We wrapped up our day around 6pm and went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Stacy