Chapter 102, (PG 16) Scandinavia
This time I decided to take a chance and not call ahead of time. I had enough friends up here I knew I could find a place to stay easily. I met a Jewish family who stayed at the hotel the last summer. They promised to host me if I ever come to Denmark.
“Forget about the Shikse girls.” Said Rachel the older daughter. She had a year younger brother Mark, and a two-year younger sister Sara. They were all nice and friendly, not that I agreed with the idea that I should only date Jewish girls. But I decided to give it a chance and see if they would host me as they promised. After all, Rachel did send me some pictures with love notes. Naturally, I called her first.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I am looking for Rachel.”
“Tibi?”
“Yes, Peter?”
“Yes, Rachel isn’t home yet, can I leave a message?”
“Yes, I am in town.”
“Nice! Where are you staying?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know yet, I was calling to ask if you guys know of a good place, not too expensive.”
“I don’t know. Please call us as soon as you find one.”
I called Charlotte, but there was no answer, so I called the Karens’.
“Hello?”
“Hello.”
“Tibi? Are you in town?” It was Karen the mother of Karen Smith.
“Yes, just got off the train. You recognized my voice so easily?”
“I will never forget your voice. Don’t move, I am coming to get you!”
Now this is the kind of welcome I expected from the Jewish family. After all they invited me and tried to talk me out of being with the non-Jewish girls.
“It is so nice to see you,” Said Mrs. Smith. “Karen will be home soon, let’s make it a surprise for her.”
A short time after I was settled in the guest room of their apartment, we heard the door being unlocked. I stood just in front of the door waiting for Karen to open it.
“Whaaaa!” Karen dropped her keys and immediately extended her arms for a hug.
We had a nice dinner and we sat talking about my dancing tour and what my plans for the rest of my time in Europe. I pulled my guitar and we started singing while I played. Suddenly the guitar felt odd, even more, it sounded odd. The neck of the guitar was a little lose, and the sound was wavering. I checked inside the guitar and found out that it was a little different from other guitars It had a blot holding the neck to the body and the bolt was turning endlessly. There was no way to fix it by myself. Karen saw my dismay and thought for a moment.
“Come with me,” she said and pulled me to her room. On her wall hanging like a picture was a beautiful guitar.
“It’s just hanging on my wall, I don’t play, and it’s even missing a string. It is yours; I will hang your guitar instead.”
“Are you sure?” I really didn’t expect that. We didn’t even sleep together; we became friends in Israel and now I am a guest at her house.
“You know, I am planning to visit some other friends here.”
“I know, you told us.”
“It’s ok by you?”
“Of course, you have been a good friend in Israel, and you kept in touch, I have a feeling you will stop someday, when you have a permanent girlfriend. But this guitar will be a good reminder of our friendship.”
I called Charlotte the next day and was invited to her home.
“I can’t believe it; you didn’t call me right away.”
“I did but you didn’t answer.”
“We are coming to get you.”
I said goodbye to the Karens and gave them each a big hug and a long thank you for the beautiful guitar.
Charlotte was more than excited to see me. She moved from the front seat of her father’s car to sit with me in the back seat and held my hand with both her hands. She laid her head on my shoulder and remained quite until we got to her house.
Charlotte’s father was a bank manager in Copenhagen. She had two sisters one was 2 years older, a piano player by the name of Maria. The other one was 3 years younger high school student Frederique; she plays the cello. As you can see, a musical family. Her mom was a wonderful soft-spoken host, and her father was the “only man in the house so he kept out of anything around the house or anything to do with emotion. He was friendly enough and was happy to have a guy to talk to for a change.
Their house was located outside of Copenhagen on a shore of a small pond. It was a self-contained house; it had its own generator and a water well. I was impressed on how thick the walls were, they had double windows; one for the outside and one for the inside. They kept food pots in between to save space in the refrigerator. Frozen meet was kept outside in a plastic bag hanging from the window. So many new things for me, and only on the first day.
For breakfast we were all sitting around the table with, again new interesting choices for me. The bread was thin squares of very dark brown slices rich with different kind of seeds. There was jam or marmalade as they called it. In Israel we would spread the jam with a knife. In Charlotte’s home they scoop the jam with a spoon from the jar and spread it with it. For lunch they served all kind of sausages including blood sausage which I couldn’t even think of tasting. But for dinner, I was introduced to pea soup; thick green and flavorful, the spoon it was so thick the stood up straight in the bowl.
I was placed in the family room downstairs in the basement. Charlotte set up a pullup sofa for me / us to sleep in while during the afternoon and evening the sisters would sit with us to watch TV, that is if we didn’t have other plans. It was Chanukah on that first week I spent with Charlotte. We collected some beer caps and I glued them on a piece of wood to create a “Chanukiah”. The air got a little stuffy in the basement, so I cracked the window a little bit for air. Charlotte and I enjoyed being together every night, more than just friends with benefits.
“Are you kidding?” I asked Charlotte on our first night together. “Are you telling me you never slept with anyone, ever? I don’t know if I want to be your first.”
“No one!” She stated again, “I had a few opportunities last year, but I knew you were coming so I decided to wait for you.” She was getting angry, “so don’t keep me waiting, I am all yours.”
The next morning Charlotte’s mom asked me if I mind driving Charlotte and her little sister to school. I was surprised, that would be the first time that I drove in Europe. I accepted gladly. Mr. Salto – charlotte’s father had a brand-new Chrysler in a garage next to the house. I took it for a test drive with him and the girls and dropped all of them to work and school. He usually had a ride from his office. I drove slowly and carefully; the roads were covered with ice and grovel.
After dropping them off, I drove back to the house I stopped at the stop sign in front of their street. And as I was taking the turn to the left in the direction of their house the car kept turning against my will. Unfortunately, that spot of the road lost the gravel and became an ice rink. I never drove on icy road before and wasn’t sure what to do. The car just kept turning and mad a whole circle before stopping in the direction of the house. My heart was racing, I could feel the heartbeat through my coat. It reminded me the feeling I had when I hit the little boy with my Sussita a few years ago. I stood there a few seconds taking a deep breath, and slowly drove forward, stopped before taking the turn to the driveway and slowly entering the garage.
Charlotte’s house was located on a hill over the frozen pond. So, the first thing I did was to go downtown to an ice-skating store and bought a pair of used hokey skates. That evening Charlotte and maria decided to teach me how to ice skate. I told them how many times I fell in Germany when I tried ice skating. We slid down the hill sitting on sleds all the way down to the pond. We stood up, both girls took my arms, holding each elbow and synchronized their moves together with me, holding me in between them. After a short while, they let me go and I was able to keep going on my own without falling, not even once. The next day Charlotte and I tried to skate on our own but unfortunately as soon as we slid on the lake, we turned right back. As it was happening ever since I started my travels, the sun shined on me everywhere. And this time it didn’t stop; the ice on the pond started to crack.
“I can’t believe it,” said Charlotte, “It is almost Christmas, and the sun is out.”
“It has been following me,” I said with a smile. I want to go to Sweden before Christmas and before it gets really cold and dark. I will visit my friend and be back to celebrate with you. After that I will go back home. My train ticket is expiring, and my bank account is getting low.”
“I will miss you”
“I will be back.”
I called Anne’s husband, Vaclav, telling him that I will be coming to Gothenburg to visit him. He sounded pretty excited. So, the next morning I took the train and a ferry over the northern sea and a train again to Gothenburg. It was late in the afternoon when I arrived there. I called Vaclav, there was no answer. I waited about half an hour and again there was no answer. I had no choice; it was getting dark. I walked to the information booth and asked about a youth hostel. The teller gave me the information and I boarded a bus who drove on icy road covered with gravel to the edge of the town - last station.
“Follow that trail,” the bus driver told me. “About ½ a mile, the hostel will be there.”
“Thanks!” I picked up my Backpack and Guitar and started to walk toward the trail. Two minutes later I was happy I that I bought the new boots in France. The trail was in a dense pine wood forest. It was covered with about a foot of fluffy snow. It was getting darker by the minute; I was thinking about bears or wolves and the hostel was nowhere in sight. I kept walking for a few more minutes when I saw a wooden building, more like a log cabin but much bigger. It had some dim light and an awning over the front door. I walked inside and saw a counter with a young man sitting behind it. He raised his head as if he was surprised to see me. He said something in Swedish that sounded like a question. I answered in English telling him that I was looking for a room.
“I figured you did, with your backpack and all.”
“Oh.”
“We don’t have walk-ins in this time of year, But I will be happy to help you.”
“Good! Thanks!”
“Do you have your own linins?”
“My sleeping bag.”
“We supply you with paper sheets and towels. The showers are public, but you are the only guest today. If you like a light breakfast, we serve it at 8:00.”
“What about dinner?”
“For that you will have to walk back to the main road, there is a small restaurant right there.”
“Thanks again! I will take the breakfast. Do you have a public Phone?”
“Down the hall.”
I called Charlotte and she was happy to hear I was getting back the next day. And went back to the snowy trail for dinner and this time I was not worried about bears and wolves. I Ate a hamburger and French fries for dinner and walked back to my hostel in total darkness. Well, not exactly, remember, the sky cleared up for me; the moon and stars gave enough light. For the first time in my life, I got to sleep in paper sheets and used large paper towels after the shower. What next? Are they going to make a wedding dress out of paper too?
Charlotte’s mom was frustrated, they just bought a cembalo for Maria. It was a handmade instrument and unfortunately not made well. Many of the kyes didn’t work well. It was tune more or less but the picks weren’t adjusted correctly. Some were plucking some were missing the strings and some were stuck.
“Do you want me to take a look?” I offered.
“Did you ever work on a piano or an instrument like that?
“No, but I am a micro mechanic engineer. I could try to fix it. I don’t have much to do during the day. All I need are some tools.”
She showed me a toolbox with some screw drivers and a hammer.
“I will need a nails file,” I said after the first look.
“Hmm!” she said and went to get me one.
“This is a very nice gift!” I said, “in Israel for a holiday we would just get new cloths.”
“It is an important holiday,” she handed me the file, “for the kids, it’s all about the gifts.”
“I remember how once my cousin received new shoes from his parents and he complained yelling; All I always get from you are cloths and shoes, cloths and shoes...”
“Funny!”
The next day Charlotte asked me if I wanted to help chose a tree. I accepted of course, after all I came here to experience how people lived and not just visit the touristy sites.
Mr. Salto, Frederique, Charlotte, and I drove to a farm where you could choose your tree and even cut if yourself. We had to make sure it wasn’t too tall, and it had to look nice. To me all trees looked nice. It was Frederique who picked the tree, I was honored with the task of cutting it down with a hand saw and helped Mr. Salto to tie it down to the top of the car.
Back at home the stand was waiting next to the piano in the music room. Yes, they had a piano too and a music room. Maria took upon herself to teach me a Danish Christmas song so we can sing it in harmony.
The next morning, two days before Christmas, Mr. Salto gave me the kyes for his car. His wife insisted on giving me a nice amount of money for fixing the cembalo. Charlotte wanted to go on a day trip up north. We drove to Kornberg, the castle Elsinore of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was an impressive site, especially the statue of the hero who would come to life to save Denmark from enemies. It was quite a challenging day, driving in a country where I didn’t understand the language and yet we didn’t get lost and with the help of a good map we made it back home just in time for dinner. The next morning, I went to town to buy a little flowering plant for Mrs. Salto. I had no gifts for everyone for Christmas so I thought a gift for Charlotte’s mom would do it. After all, this was all I could afford.
On Christmas eve we danced around the tree and sang songs, including the one I just learned welcoming yule. It felt a little odd for me, but I was a guest and didn’t want to offend anyone. I was sure that if they were in my house for Passover, they would also eat matza.
The next morning, we all went down for breakfast and spent the whole morning opening gifts. Charlotte received a new expensive bow for her violin. She was going to play it that night at a local concert. I received a blue and white striped shirt and two pairs of sox to match the shirt.
“Cloths and shoes!” said Mrs. Salto with a smile.
The girls gave me a blue and white scarf of the Danish hockey team and a hat to go with it. Charlotte gave me a stuffed brown dog.
“I call him Mini Rule.” She said with a smile, “I remembered him and hope to get to see him again soon.”
“Yes, I miss him a lot too.” Believe it or not, I still have that cute stuffed animal.
Charlotte’s parents handed Charlotte a pair of tickets to a concert with the Royal Danish Ballet. Ib Andersen danced the lead role of the ballet by the American choreographer Glen Tetley Le Sacre de Printemps. It was a very demanding part for any dancer. I was mesmerized, the dancer was about my age and even a little smaller than me.
“If he could do that, I can too” I said to Charlotte after the concert.
“You will need many years of ballet classes!” She smiled, “He started at the age of 7.”
“I don’t care, I am going back to Israel next week and I will be looking for a Ballet teacher. In fact, I know someone, a woman I dated a while ago.”
“You and your girls!” Said Charlotte and kissed me on my chick, “I will miss you!”
We walked toward the harbor where I said goodbye to the statue of the little mermaid with her new head. I don’t know what number it was, for some reason people were stealing her head again and again.
***
Pea Soup
A heartwarming thick and smoky vegetarian soup. Perfect winter food. Usually made with Bacon chips but we are making a kosher and vegetarian soup. We will replace the bacon chips with burnt onion.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Dry Green Split Peas
1 Onion Chopped
1 Cut Potato
2 Crushed Garlic Cloves
½ tsp Salt
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Chopped Parsley
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Oats Meal
2 Cups Water
Soake the peas in water over night. Sauté the onion and pull a third of it aside. Add the garlic and caramelize them. Transfer the onion and garlic to a pot. Bring back the third of the onion to the frying pan and add the Soy sauce, keep sauté it until it turns black, almost burnt. Transfer to pot. Add the soaked Peas, potatoes oatmeal water and salt. Bring to boil and then simmer for an hour. Blend all until smooth serve with sprinkle of chopped parsley.
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