Today’s the day we will meet our daughter Margot, who has been living in New Zealand since November 2024.
But first, we’ve got to cross the 55+ kilometers to Give, where we booked a house for a few days. Leen’s sister Els and brother-in-law Jan are coming too, since they were Margot’s co-drivers.
First, we packed up and said goodbye to our host, Kati. She just started her Airbnb, and she’s still figuring out the best way to do things. We’re sure she’ll get there. The house certainly has everything a good bnb needs.
The bike ride to Give was pretty nice. It was a bit warmer than the last few days, and for once, we didn’t have any rain. Leen even wore shorts, but her toes were still cold, so that says a lot.
The journey offered abundant natural beauty, though there were moments on the road where passing vehicles came uncomfortably close, which was quite alarming and risky to say the least.
Luckily, most of the routes we follow are on the safe side.
A part of our route followed, for some kilometers, the ”Skæve Bane” or The Crooked Path. The total length of the Crooked Path is 79 km in hilly terrain.
Back in the early 1900s, it was decided that a railway line would be built between Grindsted and Ejstrupholm via Funder and Brande. The line was completed on October 1st 1920, and became of great local importance, as it attracted many immigrants. However, the line was never a great success, as there was increasing competition from car traffic. This meant that passenger traffic on the line ceased in 1971. In 1993, the last rails were removed between Højlund and Brande. Instead, the line was converted into a nature trail. And we were able to benefit nicely from that.
Something about graveyards
The Danes are very caring for their graveyards, which is far different from what I have seen in Belgium.
Every time we pass by a graveyard, it seems like there are always people shoveling, cleaning, and weeding.
The graves are impeccably maintained, and the little gardens around them show the utmost respect for their deceased community members.
The reunion
As we had a good wind in the back and we had recovered well from previous bike trips, we arrived somewhere at 15 past 3 on our destination. As we are getting handy in it, unpacking went fluent and around 4 we had ourselves a fika with some lovely Danish pastries.
While Margot and co were getting closer to Give, Leen was pacing back and forth through the house. It was no use to try to calm her down.
And then somewhere around 19:00 the car arrived. Margot, Els and Jan were finally here. The meeting was very emotional to say the least, as the photos show below.
There was also a sweet hugging moment with the author of this daily report, but the proof lies not in a picture taken, but in the memory of the two involved individuals.
After unpacking the car, a delicious spaghetti was prepared. The sauce was veggetarian and made with seitan, which will digest better, according to Els, the cook who made the sauce.
Once the sauce was thawed and at the right temp, and the spaghetti was al dente, we could start dinner with Margot, Els, and Jan.
During and after dinner, several anecdotes were shared, with the most significant revolving around “Margot’s betrayal.” It was disclosed that her arrival in Belgium occurred on Saturday, three days prior to her officially communicated schedule, which was unexpected by all parties involved. I wonder where she gets that prankster attitude from?
She was so sweet to bring us two lovely handmade bracelets from New Zealand. We’ll cherish them and take good care of them.
Ps. What is the definition of an encounter of the fifth kind?
It is a conscious, voluntary communication between humans and extraterrestrial beings or people that live on the other side of the world. The idea is that humans initiate the contact themselves, rather than an accidental sighting.
Leave a Reply