Out & About in Copenhagen – and Europe
Family-time, Ironman training and short trips in Europe, these are a few of the headlines from the last months of our sabbatical. We have had Copenhagen as our base and have enjoyed having time to explore activities we normally never get around to in a busy work life.
Ironman: Training, Training, Training…
For several years, Michael has dreamed of completing an Ironman race where you have to swim 3.8kms, bike 180kms and run a marathon of 42.195kms. As this requires endless amounts of training, it was never an option before, but he decided to pursue it now as we for once had the luxury of time.
After a several months of intense training and swimming lessons, the big day had finally arrived on June 5. Michael had signed up for the Ironman in our old home town Hamburg and we made a weekend off it, enjoying being back in our old neighborhood.
On race day, nerves were at an all-time high. While a lot of training had gone down, you never do a full distance in advance and thus there are no guarantees as to how you body and brain will react when pushed to the limit. In the end, everything worked out and Michael completed the Ironman in 12 hours and 26minutes. The kids, my mom and I cheered him on along the route (with multiple stops at playgrounds, bakeries, cafes and ice cream shops in between) and enjoyed the amazing atmosphere surrounding the event. And we almost carried Michael home after he ran over the finish line – completely exhausted and very proud!
Girls’ Trip to Spain during Heat Wave
While Michael suffered through his many hours of training, I enjoyed the freedom of time in a different way and went on a mini trip to Spain with my sister. We have done weekend trips to European capitals in the past and this time we wanted to take advantage of having more time and spent five days in Malaga and Sevilla. Although traveling in May before southern Europe normally heats up, we visited during a heat wave where temperatures climbed above 40 degrees making it a very warm trip!
In the heat, Malaga was great for the beach access and we also enjoyed walking in the old city center and eating lots of ice cream and late-evening tapas. However, Sevilla was the main highlight. As the capital of Andalucia, a former center of commerce and a history dating back more than 2000 years, the city is a myriad of narrow alleys, picturesque houses and grand buildings and parks. The city is enchanting with a unique atmosphere and we loved walking around and just taking in the feel of the city. When the heat became too much, we fled into an Arabic spa and enjoyed a few hours of total relaxation and wellness!
Tour de France, Climbing Parks, Playgrounds & Boardgames
In addition to the bigger events, the last months have also offered many small activities and great times. We have been visiting family and friends in Germany multiple times and have been exploring attractions in our local area – watching the start of Tour de France in Copenhagen, testing climbing parks, playing minigolf at the beach, solving riddles in escape rooms, winning and losing in boardgames and visiting playgrounds, football courts and parks all across Copenhagen!
While our big travelling trips were amazing experiences in exploring foreign places and new cultures, the last months have been great for a family time-out where we have enjoyed a slower pace and have together and individually had time to pursue activities we never had time for while working.
