HOLIDAY IN THE LIFE
Taking a break somewhere different Jan Bates of Freshbrook describes what her family did on their hols.' For some holidays are an exciting and predictable break. For others like harassed parents accompanied by highly unpredictable offspring they are to be viewed with trepidation. Niggling worries begin to rear their ugly heads. Will the little darlings behave? What do we do if they get sick! bored /burnt /bitten/lost/fall overboard? Despite this, most of us are determined to 'get away from it all' or rather, 'take it all with us' somewhere else. In June, my husband, 3 children and I embarked on a 20 hour voyage across the north sea to Denmark. Much of our initial excitement was dampened by the chaotic preparations and frequent heated exchanges between ourselves as we attempted to cram 600 kilos of luggage, nappies and a double buggy into a 2-case capacity car boot. So this is what holidays are all about, I thought, as I collapsed exhausted and deflated into the front of the car. Gazing into the rear view mirror, I was greeted by three grim, hot, pink faces staring back at me. Once on the road, however the children's spirits lifted and they decided to relieve the monotony of the 180 mile journey to Harwich. Kristian developed a nose bleed, Anneliese whined tunelessly and Carsten did something 'interesting' in his nappy. Several fun-filled hours later, we began our mini-cruise on board 'Dana Anglia'. All we can remember of the view is a white ceramic bowl with a black plastic seat. The babies, thank goodness, weren't ill, but we found their boisterousness unbearable. The upper decks were dotted with passengers of varying shades of green and white, all clutching those disgusting little sick bags - Gratis DFDS Seaways. Not many passengers were able to take advantage of the numerous leisure activities aboard. Our first impression of Denmark, as we rolled ashen-faced off the ship at Esbjerg, was how immaculate the countryside and streets were. Every villa was unique and not an Austrian blind in sight - how refreshing! Instead, a mass of intricately hung lace curtains and serrated blinds adorned every window.
The emphasis in Denmark is on having a beautiful house and consequently, there were very few ostentatious cars around. What a clean and peaceful country it was and such a pleasant contrast to Costa del Noise. This tranquility is not cheap. The standard of living is exceptionally high and we can safely say that Carlsberg is 'probably the priciest lager in the world' - in Denmark anyway. After the 110 mile journey to our apartment at Faborg, we opted to spend the first day 'relaxing' on the beach. People-watching on foreign beaches is a most amusing pastime, particularly the spot-theBrit game. Steve put his trunks on before trekking to the beach to save the embarrassment of having to perform the characteristically British party-piece - the 'undressing clumsily beneath towel' spectacle. Having lived in Sweden, I knew that being modest and being noticed go hand-inhand. A group of camera and binocular wielding tourists surrounded the only girl on the beach wearing her bikini top. The only person who paid attention to my exposed top half was baby Carsten who assumed it was an open invitation for a breast-feed! As we settled down to promote premature ageing and skin cancer, the children had a super time covering mummy and daddy in sand and water. When Steve could no longer tolerate the gritty-trunks feeling, he ventured off for a dip in the Baltic. Meanwhile, 'Mr Scandanavian' fit and tanned, sprinted to the end of the jetty, and flexed his muscles to impress all the nubile lovelies. Once he was satisfied he had attracted a large audience, he dived in, splashing 'Mr Englishman' as he dipped his toe in. By the time 'John' was finally submerged, 'Anders' had already swum 20 laps of the Archipelago. The beautiful weather accompanied us throughout the week to Odense, Langeland and the most famous of all, Legoland. This was like a trip into a child's imagination - a miniature town and adventure playground constructed entirely of lego. This wonderment silenced Kristian
for about 2 minutes, but soon he was complaining about the rides he hadn't been on, rather than reflecting with pleasure on the funrides he had enjoyed. It was hard work, trying to squeeze 2 weeks worth of sightseeing, sunbathing and saunas into 8 days, particularly with 3 cross, sticky children. Sleeping is not one of 9-month old Carstens favourite pastimes, so even our nights were not undisturbed by the sound of tiny feet and not-sotiny lungs. The return journey was fabulous. A huge bottle of seasick pills sat on the information desk and were dispensed, upon request, to passengers. The restaurants, lounge bars and cinemas were full.We all participated in the organised crazy games and everyone, especially the children, had a jolly time
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THE C'ThbridQe DIET
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