Welcome to Aarhus, Denmark

The clock tower in Aarhus, which is right near my hotel.

Ever been to Denmark in January? I don't recommend it. It's cold. It's wet. It's dreary. Luckily I'm only here for a few days ... just when I adjust to the time difference, I head back home. If you want to visit Denmark, come in the summer. It's much more appealing that time of year. Trust me, I've been here both times of year.

Why am I in Denmark you ask? The company I work for, CCI Europe, is actually based out of Denmark. I've come to the mother ship for some much needed training.

It's been an interesting few days. I've been here before, I sort of know my way around. However, I have missed my bus three times so far ... two of those times I ran to the bus and the driver took off without me (ha, ha watch the American run to the bus).

I also broke the law since I've been here ... riding the bus without paying. I wanted to pay. I had money. But the machines on the bus only took coins and I had the paper kind of cash. So, I crossed my fingers the Danish authorities wouldn't be doing their rounds that trip (they weren't) and took my seat anyway. I felt like a fugitive. I kept looking around to see if anyone noticed I hadn't paid. I was later told by my colleague that the fine for riding the bus without a ticket is 500 Krones, a little more than $100! I'm glad I didn't get caught. I'm not sure how I'd explain that on my expense report.

In case you were wondering, Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark. There is a university here and it's very much like a college town in the States. It's a quick 30-minute flight from Copenhagen and not far from the Queen's summer residence.

On the home front, Mike and Shelby are doing swimmingly well. Shelby keeps asking me if I'm eating lots of crab for dinner. She thinks I'm in Baltimore and I've told her all about Baltimore and its famous crab. When I remind her I'm not in Baltimore, she says "Oh yeah, you're over the ocean." She's fascinated with the idea of me eating dinner about the time she wakes up. It's cute to listen to her ask her funny questions about my hotel room, what I eat while I'm here and such. She's a very smart and inquisitive girl.