BBQ and a Party Raft

Photo: Jens Refsgaard

Listening to: Introducing Palace Players by: Mew

Today was one of those absolutely perfect days that weather-wise started out a bit tricky. I have been planning on going to this picnic I was invited to on the Island Brygge which is on the other side of the canals. When I woke up in the morning it was raining and then the sun would come out and off and on like that for most of the morning. I thought for sure the picnic would be canceled. Not a chance. My friend told me if Danes depended on the weather being good there would never be a picnic in the first place. You have to have Danish optimism and just go for it and hope for the best and that is exactly what we did. Sure enough a few minutes into the bike ride to the picnic we get caught in a brief but annoying rainstorm. We had to take cover under a tree which worked out perfect. Finally we get there and the sun comes out but the clouds still look threatening. Talk about optimism there is a wedding party right by where we are bbqing and the wedding cake looks like it could blow away any second due to the strong winds that keep howling. In about an hours time into the picnic my friend runs into some other friends that she went to high school with. They tell her that they have a raft that they are going to take out today and asked if we wanted to join. I wasn't so inclined at first because I just got to my friend's picnic and thought it was rude just to run off right away but my friend was soo cool with it and she said that the picnic will be going on for hours. So away I went on this big wooden raft. It had everything, a grill, radio, beer, blankets and great company. What more can I ask for? We traveled around the canals for about most of the afternoon and ended up having a bbq on the raft. My friend and I were put up to the test of grilling. Well, we didn't do soo well and ended up burning the first pack of sausages. ooppss! We also started just picking people up along the route randomly and sure enough I meet someone that have mutual friends. Very small city I must say. Gotta love that. The whole experience was amazing and I just love being on a boat in the summer but of course it wasn't smooth sailing. As we turn the corner one of the Canal Tour boats side swipe us. No one was hurt but there was a bit of damage on the right hand side of the raft. We had to stop and talk with the guy who hit us. Of course I hear that never happens in Copenhagen! Why am I always involved with things here that never happen here?? Just my dumb luck I guess. We finally arrive back to where we started and sure enough the picnic is still going on and now everyone is playing a traditional Nordic game called the Viking game or Kubb. I was all about getting involved in this and it was a lot of fun to play but a bit weird too. It kind of reminded me of when Americans play horseshoes. Here is a bit more about the game....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubb

After we were done competing we headed back to a friend's place to hang out however my time was limited due to heading off to the bar to work. By the way, the weather held up for the rest of the day. Danish optimism prevailed!