Weekend in Edinburgh

June was quite a month for both Bobby and me. A research trip took Bobby to Rennes, France, for two weeks. I passed the weekend without Bobby in Basel, Switzerland, where I visited my girlfriend Caitlin. At the end of Bobby's time in France, I flew out and we met with our best friends/European family Kate, Olivier, and Iris. We all spent a lovely weekend together in St. Malo. However, the post doesn't have anything to do with Bobby's time in Rennes, my time in Basel, or our time in St. Malo. Rather, this post deals with our most recent weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland! You can see the Edinburgh castle behind us in the photo.

Bobby attended the SPARS conference during the week, so I flew out on Thursday to meet him. We spent Thursday night out with Bobby's old advisor from his time in Paris, Laurent. After a nice meal at a French restaurant, we headed to a local pub where we tried three different whiskeys, plus some Guinness and cider. The next morning began our sight-seeing adventures. We walked around the old parliament building (aptly named New Parliament House) and happend across this cemetery, the Old Calton Cemetery. The round building marks the burial site of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Just to the right of the Hume building is a memorial to the Scottish-American soldiers who lost their lives in the American Civil War. The statue on top of the memorial is Abe Lincoln!

We stopped for lunch at the Tolbooth Tavern, which used to be the tax collection point, court, and jail for the burgh of Canongate. You can see me enjoying my throne-like chair. Did you know I have some Scottish heritage? Here's how I relate to the mighty Campbell clan of Scotland: Henry C. Campbell (1825-1909) gave birth to Louise L. Campbell (1859-1940), who gave birth to Nina Davis Townsend (1880-1968), who gave birth to Donald Townsend (my grandfather), who gave birth to Dale Townsend (my Dad), who had me!




Here is the meal Bobby ordered. It is called Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. Perhaps the most famous dish of Scottish cuisine, it consists of boiled and mashed turnips (Neeps), boiled and mashed potatoes (Tatties), and the Haggis, which is sheep heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours. Appetizing, no?






With a little help from me and a pint of Guinness, Bobby managed to clean his plate.





After our lunch, we continued up the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile begins at the castle gates of the Holyrood Palace, winds up the Castlehill, and ends at the Edinburgh Castle. This photo shows the Edinburgh Castle from the bottom of Castlehill. It's an incredibly beautiful site and dominates the landscape of Edinburgh.





After a full day of sight-seeing, Bobby and I had what is by far the best and most incredible meal of our lives. We were fortunate to get a seat at the Michelin star restaurant Kitchin. We had an 8 course dinner with accompanying champagne and wine. Here you can see one of the many talented chefs hard at work. This is what we ate:






Amuse Bouche: Cilled pea soup served with crème fraiche and mint, accompanied by a glass of Philipponnat Royal Reserve Champagne




Pre-starter: carpaccio of line-caught mackerel from Newhave, Scotland, served with a ginger dressing and raw vegetable, accompanied by a glass of Piropo Pinot Blanc from Argentina



Starter: razor clams from Arisaig, Scotland, served with diced vegetables, chorizo, and lemon confit, accompanied by Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington, USA



Middle course: boned and rolled pig's head, served with seared hand-dived Orkney scallop and a crispy ear salad, accompanied by Hugel Gewurztraminer from France



Fish course: seared fillet of wild sea bass from Scrabster, Scotland, served with a ragoût of Swiss chard, lemon, and basil, accompanied by Planeta di Vittoria Cerasuola from Italy



Meat course: rump of Highland lamb served with red pepper piperade and sweet bread, accompanied by Garnacha de Bernabeleva Navaherreros from Spain



Dessert: buttermilk panna cotta served with Perthshire strawberries, gooseberry pureé, and an elderflower consommé, accompanied by Stellenbosch Kanu Kia-Ora from South Africa





Petit Four: a macaron, chocolate cake, and two other dishes we can't remember, accompanied by a lovely whiskey






It was culinary heaven, my friends.







After a dinner as spectacular as the one we had at The Kitchin, there was really only one breakfast we desired: Cream Tea. The meal consists of a cup of tea and a scone served with butter, jam, and clotted cream. As you can see from the photo, we had no problem scarfing down the delicious scones.







After so much delicious food and wine, we felt up for a bit of exercise. Behind the new parliament building (the actual new one, not the once called the New Parliament Building) is a Holyrood Park. We climbed half-way up the Salisbury Crag, which gave us a beautiful view of Edinburgh.




The second highlight of the trip (the first being dinner at The Kitchin) was seeing the Queen of England! The Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh presented new colors to the Royal Regiment of Scotland. We sat on the slopes of the Salisburg Crag for several hours watching soliers in traditional Scottish military outfits marching in with bagpipes, brass marching band, and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. The Queen arrived, inspected the new colors, gave a speach, and presided over the blessings of the new colors. It was a pretty incredible experience.


This is another video we took, which really shows how awesome (and loud) the bagpipes were!

Here is a video we took of one of the bands. Toward the end of the video, you can see the Queen leaving in her royal Land Rover.


After the ceremony ended, the Queen drove away in her royal Land Rover, waving to the crowd. Bobby and I headed back to the Holyrood Palace, where the regiment leaders were lining up for a photo. The Queen came out of the palace, posed for a few photos, then left in her royal Land Rover. I was a mere 5 feet away when she drove by! That was even closer than I got to the Danish Queen, Dronning Margrethe!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks six years since June 25, 2005.
That is when we got married.
But about 3 years before then --- that is when we met!
So that is nearly 9 years that we have known each other,
which rounded up to the nearest power of two is 16 years!
Time really flies.

Here we are in St. Malo April 2009, only a month after our immigration to Europe:

And here we are more than two years later, only a few weeks ago in nearly the same spot in St. Malo:

A lot has changed in our appearance. For instance, we aren't wearing the same clothes. I am not wearing a casquette. And a sea gull now hovers over us. Still, some things are the same. The water is still very blue; and the little walled city is still wonderful, just like my wife. But without the walls.

Tune of the Month: June

Check out Carla's new-found finger picking skills!

Something old, something new, something sweet, and something awesome

Iceland is exploding again! While not nearly as big as last year's volcanic explosion, last week's explosion caused Bobby's flight from Aalborg to Copenhagen to be cancelled on Tuesday night. Luckily, he and his colleagues were able to catch a train to Copenhagen, so Bobby returned home a bit late but safe and sound. He also returned home with some exciting news: he won a HUGE grant from the Danish Council for Independent Research!! Starting in January, he is fully funded for two years to focus on research and only research, which includes a lot of research and a lot of traveling to perform research. We are both excited about the upcoming changes, and I am especially proud of Bobby and all the hard work he has done. Congratulations, Bobby!

The weather gods, who have been smiling upon Copenhagen as of late, have finally turned their backs on us. We've had windy and damp weather, with a lot of loud thunder storms and tropical rain storms. The crappy weather has forced us back inside, but I've made the most of it with (you guessed it) baking. My friend and co-worker Kamilla came over on Friday to help me get over my fear of making macarons. Together we conquered the beast and made two different kinds of macarons: chocolate macarons with a violette buttercream, and vanilla macarons with a rose buttercream.

I cannot believe how well the macarons came out! I was sure this delicious dessert would take multiple attempts, many tears, and a lot more baking experience, but I was wrong! So don't be afraid, make macarons!

Saturday morning stayed dry long enough for us to check out a local flea market. I totally scored with these Sorel winter boots: they only cost 50 kr. (about $10), are my size, and are in great condition! Yipee for used things!

And I have taken up a new hobby. Our good friend Robin recently moved and decided to part ways with his banjo. I jumped at the chance to take it off his hands, and three months after shipment from Japan, and a brief entanglement with the Danish import authorities, the banjo has finally reached its new home! As you can see from the photo, I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing, but with a little help from YouTube, I'm plucking my way to twangy happiness. Bobby and I will start a Danish honky-tonk band. I'm sure we'll be loved by all. The banjo and accordion are two of most loved instruments, right? Bobby also stubbed his pinkie toe on the banjo, making a bloody mess of a sock. That has inspired us to write our first song: Bobby stubbed his toe on a banjo.

Tune of the Month: May

Here is my arrangement of "The Ash Grove", accompanying a blurred movie of our ride through Dyrehaven the other day.

Store Bededag

Friday was Store Bededag in Denmark. Literally translated to 'Big Prayer Day' and celebrated on the 4th Friday after Easter, the holiday was created in 1686 by King Christian V. There used to be many Roman Catholic holidays in May and the king decided to consolidate them into one big holiday, hence the Big Prayer Day. Instead of praying, Bobby and I spent Friday riding our newest tandem bike! Yes, you heard me right, we have yet another tandem. Our newest addition, named The Incredible German Hulk, has 21 gears and rides like a dream. The previous owners bought him (yes, the bike is a he) in Berlin and rode him all the way back to Copenhagen! You can see The Incredible German Hulk pictured with Bobby, along with a pretty old traditional house.

We set out to ride to Humlebæk, home of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 28 km from home. As we meandered north, we happened upon the above old home, which was next to a gate leading to a park. You can see the beautiful stretch of green in front of Bobby. We were surprised to find such a large park and decided to explore.


As we biked along, we noticed hundreds of deer in the fields. We couldn't believe how many there were!
Some of them had pretty big racks.

We continued along the path and were yet again surprised by a large old palace in the distance.

Unbeknownst to us, we had happened upon the Eremitage Palace and the surrounding Dyrehaven. The Eremitage Palace was built in 1734 for King Christian VI as a hunting palace. The surrounding grounds were used for hunting by the royal family, and the palace hosted the hunting parties and royal banquets.

As seen from the back of the Eremitage Place, the grounds stretch all the way to the ocean. We parked our bike and had a picnic of vegetables, hummus, and bruschetta and enjoyed the view and warm sun.

We also got to see many horse-drawn carriages. We even had to bike around a few as we made our way out of the Dyrehaven!

As we made our way home, we happened upon yet another surprise: Bakken! The self-proclaimed oldest amusement park in the world (founded in 1583), Bakken is located in Dyrehaven. Unlike Tivoli, you can freely enter Bakken and wander around (you have to pay just to go inside Tivoli, yet the entrance fee does not include the rides). We were surprised at how large Bakken is; there are many roller coasters and ride, carnival games, and a lot of restaurants.

Bobby and I may not have prayed much on the Big Prayer Day, but we definitely came across many surprises on The Incredible German Hulk's maiden voyage. We look forward to discovering more hidden treasures in Denmark on our trusty tandem bike!

Tillykke Carla!

Last weekend I gave Carla and a handful of our friends a birthday BBQ to celebrate her big 27. Carla is now in her 28th year! For this occasion, I fired up the grill in our courtyard to make American style juicy cheeseburgers; and Carla pulled out all the stops to make the rest of the meal, including her excellent black bean dip, hummus, coleslaw, and tasty oven roasted potatoes. She also made the cake of which she has been dreaming for almost 4 years: two layer lavender cake with coconut merenge frosting and violet sprinkles.

Though during the week it appeared Saturday would be fouled by weather, the day was gorgeous. Everyone caught a bit of sun and enjoyed the food and company for nearly six hours in our common courtyard. I serenaded everyone with the accordion, and after about 10 minutes one of the children asked his mom, "Do we have to listen to this music any more?" My next two songs I dedicated to him.

Popular with our guests was the opportunity to test ride Thunder and Blazes around our driveway. Most people approach the tandem with apprehension, but once they try it their fright dissolves.

At work on her actual birthday, Carla's mates decked out her office with several Danish flags. This is an appropriate way to signify and celebrate birthdays. A co-worked asked Carla if it was weird not being surrounded by US flags on her birthday!

Carla made a special two cake treat to take to the office and offer everyone. And it is a good thing she brought two because 17 people showed up. Carla has developed a name for herself around our workplace as a magic chef. Email travels fast; but people race faster to the kitchen when they find out Carla is offering a dessert she has made.


The Spring time is now making way for summer. We have seen within weeks barren trees bud with life and audibly blossom with color. Below you see Carla riding her bike underneath a giant roadside bouquet.

Happy Birthday once again Carlita!