ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 9, 2008.

REPUBLISHED TO SHARE WITH ELISABETH

“One thing I have noticed about Denmark is that certain names I have seldom heard, are very popular.”

Names like Peter, Torbin, Morten & yes Martin, pop up instead of John or Bob.  I am sure it doesn’t seem at all strange to the people living in Denmark to have an apartment door, list seven different Martins! For me it’s note worthy.

Almost immediately, I realized that I have never met a Martin I didn’t like;)     Martin Short is an amazing comedian from Canada (hey Three Amigos was funny…in parts), Martin Glover is one of my business partners from Florida &  now I’ve met Morten’s friend Martin Roundup, who is probably the happiest person I have ever known.

“Thin Martin” as I like to call him since Morten actually has many friends named Martin (shocker), is about 5’10″ has dark brown hair, model thin with a huge grin plastered on his face at all times.  If for some reason you couldn’t see his mouth at all you would still know he’s smiling because his eyes are also laughing!  He is the type of guy you would swear could have his own Sunday comic strip like Beetle Bailey or Cathy.  Martin works for the government of Denmark in the Ministry of Health…no joke, lol.  He has a gorgeous big apartment in downtown Copenhagen near the royal offices & all those old buildings that look very important, which he shares with his colorful roommates. What makes Martin special is that the minute you meet him, you know you can never be mad at him.  He is like a cute puppy that chews on your favorite slippers…you want to hit him but just when you start to he licks his butt & then goes to lick your toes too. Giggles*  He comes from a large colorful family that provide tons of zany stories like his sister’s “heavy rock band,” or his dad that can fix anything at all. His mother looks as young enough to be his older sister & her relationship with his father makes me dream of my Morten & I in the future surrounded by children.  Martin was obviously raised by a loving, tight knit family filled with love, laughter & I’ve heard…a splash of ballet! Spending time with Martin makes you forget everything too complicated, letting you focus on simple things like the taste of bacon & football on cold mornings.  He’s a very simple, honest & open minded guy that is a great friend.

“To be perfectly accurate, he is one of Morten’s best friends & I am lucky enough to be part of the package deal!  Hey, part of the perks of being a bride-to-be…new friends that “have” to be nice to you.”

So getting back to the issue at hand, “dinner with Martin…”  To be completely fair, we try to spend as much time with friends as possible because Morten will be coming home to the US soon and I know from experience how sad it is to lose touch with old friends.  I want Morten to spend as much time a possible with the  really good friends he has here in Denmark, so I can to get to know them all in the hope that they feel comfortable with “us” as a couple, enough so that they will come visit us in Florida (tough task I know…twist their arm, especially in a Denmark winter brrrr!)  As you all know, I love to be surrounded by lot’s of diverse and crazy people who help bring spice to my life! Most days I get to explore Copenhagen by Metro or on foot but my nights are spent with Morten.  Around 4ish I get the “planning our night” call and this night was no different.  We made plans to meet with Morten’s friend Jack, return some “designer” clothes that just didn’t fit my style…lol… and grab some food.  Spending time with Morten is always great but since I am new at this whole “relationship” thing I find it hard to spend all my time alone with one person, no matter how wonderful.  I guess I always feel pressured to be “on” so having a best supporting actor is always helpful;D

“Want to see if Martin wants to join us?” I ask when I find out we will be near the center of Copenhagen.  Morten grabs his cell and presses Martin’s number.

“Ask him…” Morten says without missing a beat.  Now, if you know me you know I am not shy but the whole Denmark thing throws me off.  I feel so “fish out of water” with the language thing etc. I actually hesitated.  Then I thought, “Why do I care if I talk to Martin on the phone, I talk to him in person?”  I guess since this is the first person I have spoken to on the phone from Denmark besides Morten it’s just a cherry I need to pop, lol.

“Hellllo Martin!” of course he will know it’s me right? “Hi Kimber, how are you?” Martin cheerfully replies. “Good, what are you doing?”

“I am at work…” he explains.  At this point my hopes are dashed.  Darn, my first attempt at setting up a dinner date in Denmark looks like it is failing, lol.  “What are you doing?” he continues. “Oh, we were going to have dinner and wanted to see if you would be interested…” I admit. “OK! Can you pick me up?”  SCORE! Well, well….I haven’t lost my touch, lol.  He does want to hang around with us;D  I’m still a little cool.  I tell him we will be there in 5.7 minutes because Morten says it will take between 5 to 7 minutes to get there.  Rather than take the time to ask how he knows this and what would cause the 2 minute swing I just blurt out something in hopes of sounding casual.

We arrive at the government offices in about 10 minutes and Martin is standing outside next to the ever present line of bicycles.  He waves us over with his giant grin in place and looks so happy to see us.  I jump in back so “the boys” can bond.  Strange but I like sitting in back when the guys are in the car because I think if I am quiet they will forget I am there and act like they would if I weren’t.  I like to see people as they really are and I admit, like to be NOT the center of attention from time to time (Ok someone write that down!)

“It’s been a very busy, stressful day!” Martin says after hugging & greeting me.

His smile threatening to make me giggle, I wonder what he looks like on a good day.  Martin goes on to explain how many directions he gets pulled working for the government and how he has to start a million different things, which he doesn’t mind but at the end of the day has to leave without getting them all done, which stresses him.  I can tell he likes his job and really cares if he gets things done or not.  This impresses me because many people in Denmark have told me they like to make money but don’t really want to have to work very much, lol.  I think Martin would work for free if they gave him interesting assignments and free food;D Of course the usually question arises of “where should we go eat?”  Morten is the one who actually asks since he is driving but it makes me think, do people really want to know the answer when they ask or is it just the polite thing to do… I hate to pick the place because I never want to let the group down and if I pick a bad place and I feel pressured to ensure the night is a success.  Plus, I have no clue where to go in Denmark so I sit back and wait to hear what Martin and Morten decide.

“How about Danish food?” Martin suggests…visions of sweet rolls dance in my head. “How about Italian,” Morten says without missing a beat. “I think Kimber would like to try traditional Danish food, wouldn’t you Kimber?” “Ummm….is there really traditional Danish food?” I ask thinking this is another joke on the silly American girl like elephant eggs. “Of course, it’s very good.  I think you would like it!” “How about Italian food?” Morten repeats as we head toward the resturant.  I guess the driver gets to decide.  “Thai food is good!” he says as we pull into a spot that looks impossibly small.

Martin jumps out of the car and checks to see if we are actually in a spot that doesn’t block the driveway and isn’t marked no parking.  He is very serious about this, you can tell because he actually lowers his eyebrows to consider the distance between the front of the car and the back then goes around to measure the distance between other cars around us.  We must meet his approval because we get a renewed burst of a smile and a hearty thumbs up!  We all burst out in laughter;D

“So, if we get a ticket we can say a government official said we are correctly parked?”  I quip in an effort to see if I can make Martin giggle…it’s funny to hear a boy giggle.  Instead he gives my a proud grin and his chest actually puffs up as he says we are in fact parked correctly!  Morten grabs my hand and we are off the the Thai place.

Now, Thai food is not actually one of my favorites.  To be honest I really don’t like it.  I like spicey & Copenhagen Thia is like a watered down Euroasian mix, but who knows, if the liquor is strong it may be good!  We hit the closest place and Morten and Martin greet the bartender/host to arrange our place in the wait list.  I can see they are all joking and having a great chat when I hear some people whisper there is a 45 minute wait.  The bar area looks great with lots of cocktails on the tables and cheerful tipsy people waiting to get in.  Morten comes back with the bad news and we decide to head out.  As we walk out the door we notice Martin is missing.  He walks out moments later saying,

“You ever meet someone several times but not know where you know them from?  That bartender I swear I know but couldn’t figure out where but didn’t know how to figure it out, so I asked him.  He said that was fine since every time he’s ever met me I was drunk!  You know we met at a bachelor party!”  We all laugh at that because yes indeed, I know the feeling.  Another mystery solved and the night continues with more adventures to come.

We hit the next Thai resturant which happens to be just a half block down street.  Funny but Denmark has more Thai places than Chinese or Mexican.  I wonder why but don’t ask since it might be somehow rude, lol.  This place doesn’t have a bar but real “Asians.”  Must be good right?  Garlic and mushrooms line the back tables as the waitresses clean and cut them up between taking orders.  Each table is covered with orchids and traditional Thai decor abounds.  I think to myself, if I were to make a movie, this is what I would make a Thai resturant look like, lol.  I hope they serve liquor as the girl points at a table and goes into the kitchen. We strip off our ten layers of clothing, well I do, the boys take off their jackets, and settle in.  Menus are already sitting on the table so we begin browsing our options.  Strange foods are discussed, things we don’t want, things we do and finally decide to split 2 of the “everything good 5 course sampler dish” they offer.  After a few minutes discussing if 2 orders will be enough for 3 people or if we need to order 3 we let the waiter decide who confirms 2 orders will be fine for us if would order extra soup.  Which of course we did, who knows better than an asian waiter right? Martin does not like spicey food so he asks for a coconut soup and my mind wanders to thoughts of what the soup could possibly taste like.  I am assured my soup will be spicey and of course wonderful.  I ask for vodka and juice and am told they only serve it with sprite or whiskey.  On second thought, even my Irish blood isn’t ready for vodka and whiskey and sprite can’t cut the taste of cheap vodka so I order tap water (sigh).  Samplings of exotic foods come out for our tasting pleasure.  We spend the next few minutes guessing what each item may be, Morten tricks Martin into eating bamboo leaves that are dry and crusty which he chases down with the plate garnishes that he eats like a salad without missing a beat or even popping Morten a good one for the joke.  We oh and ah over the variety only to discover upon questioning it is all different forms of chicken, lol.  Oh well, everything “tastes like chicken” anyway. Our meal is sprinkled with colorful stories from Martin & Morten about soulmates, drunken sailors,  having sex w/bags over their heads with flags in their mouths shouting “for the good of the country!”  The night is too short as we realize that we have missed our appointment with Jack & Martin has missed his with one of his tenants that doesn’t want to move out.  Funny, Martin says people move in but never want to leave, lol.  After seeing his house I can understand why.  It is a couple hundred years old & looks like an old castle might complete with a Prince for a court jester (Martin) that keeps them entertained.  He even has a maid come in to keep things tidy so who would ever want to leave? We hurry to pay the bill, Martin is forced to chug half a beer to our cheers and we are off to beat the parking ticket that is sure to arrive if we don’t make the car in 2 minutes time.  After a few twists and turns, Martin is delivered back to his trusty bicycle where hugs and goodbyes follow.  Martin opens the car door for me to get in & says as he always does, “I will see you at the party, maybe before?”  He is so excited about his 29th birthday party.  We promise to rest up for it and truly hope to make it the best ever.  I picture the last beer he chugged kicking in while he is on his bike ride home.  I giggle wondering if it could be drunk driving on a bicycle? lol…he isn’t even tipsy but I bet he will have to stop and take a piss! I reach over to give Morten a great big kiss, he bites me playfully instead.  Funny, just a few months ago I would have never considered going any place this cold or thought I would be half way around the world.  Now, I couldn’t imagine not being here.  Don’t pinch me…I’m enjoying myself.  Now if only I could find a decent drink!  Can’t win ‘em all. *Kisses Kimber Step back in time and enjoy MARTIN\’s BIRTHDAY DINNER See pics of our FIRST DINNER WITH ELISABETH Subscribe in a reader

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