If the the first picture in this series reminds you of the beginning of the Scooby-Doo episodes...then the caves you will see in the next few will concrete those images! We took a day trip to Mønsted Kalk Mine, really it was only about 35 minutes away, and well worth the visit! At first the kids whined about us making them go on a family trip...that is until they saw this sign to my left. Caves=BATS, and then they were hooked! :)
Hvis det første billede i serie ligner Scooby-Doo serie, den næste billede i træk vil set den faste! Vi rejste til Mønsted Kalk Gruber, kun cirka 35 minutter fra Herning, og var vi super glad at vi har besøgt det! På forehånd var børnene lidt irriterede med finn og jeg, fordi vi har besluttet og tage familien "rejse"...indtil de så denne flyve mus ved bygning til venstre. Hule = flyvemus, og efter denne minutte var de glade! :)
Like many of the places that we have visited, nature was involved. I know I have said it before, but Denmark is just like Northern Michigan...even has the pine scent in the air. Really nice! On the way to the mines, we passed a few token goats/sheep and a beautiful pond I managed to forget to take a picture of!
Som mange stede vi er besøgt her i Danmark natur er med! Jeg er sikker jeg har fortaldt det før, men Danmark ligner norlig Michigan, faktist man kan også få det samme grønt tree duft i luften. Mega deligt! På vejen til gruber vi tog en delige tur og så ged/lam og en smukke lille sø jeg var så klough at jeg har glemt og tage en billede af!
The big three were with us momentarily until they decided that we moved too slow so they raced ahead, and we followed with the peanut!
Den store tre var med us kun for et lille tidspunkt inden det beslutten vi var meget længsomt, så de gik i fremt og vi var lidt tilbage med Sophie!
Beautiful, awe inspiring caves...until you got to the cheese smell!! Yep, I'm not kidding. These caves that are home to over 20,000 bats in the autumn, winter and spring, are also home to Arla Brand cheese aging! You see the caves are a perfect temperature for aging cheese, as it remains a static temp year round. But, boy did it stink!! We walked down a winding staircase only to rush back up it and away from the smell!
Smukke og vindenunderlig hule...inden før du kunne lukte øst. Ja, det er ikke for sjovt. Denne hule, som er hjem til over 20, 000 flyve mus i efterår, vinter og forår, er også hjem til Arla Øst. Hulerne er perfekt for at vokse øst fordi temperature skifte ikke året rundt. Men, det stinker!! Vi gårede up en set træppe, kun til løbe tilbage og frem væk fra lukten!
We came out again to the beautiful sunshine and visited the mining museum full of tiny dioramas of the mining days. Really amazing stuff. I can't imaging working in those caves all day, and I thought winter was long enough without sunshine!
Vi var ud til den skønne sølskin og besøgt den gruber museum fuld med små eksempeler af dagene siden. Virkelig interesant! Jeg kan ikke tænk mig om at værke i denne hulene hele dagen - jeg faktisk tænk vinteren er læng nok uden sølskin!
Endelig en skilt som passer lille menneske!
Finally a sign to fit the little person!
This was Maxie's trip and it in a nutshell was the same as Sophie's, just at a different place. Oh, and I know I have mentioned this before too, but it still cracks me up to here that the kids call me by first name. Especially with the Danish pronunciation! It is endearing! 
I have been really lucky to have the opportunity to tag along on the kids field trips at school. I always find myself comparing them to field trips that I have been on in Michigan, and it makes me chuckle at some of the differences. On this particular trip we were with Sophie's class and one grade older to Sunds a neighboring town. While the ride out there is a far cry from the yellow buses with difficult to open windows, the cushy field trip experience ends there. The kids hike into a location, do a little bit of beginners orienteering, and then it is time for them to make their lunch...literally! It was a hoot trying to show the kids how to peel veggies and how to properly use paring knives... yep knives. Amazingly the kids all came out without a scratch, and thought that they meal they had prepared tasted like gourmet. Oh, and there is no permission slip for these trips, no release forms either. Such a small thing...or is it? 
