Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Party in Denmark


In happier news, I was in Denmark the past weekend. I flew in on the Friday morning to do a presentation for a Danish customer, then on the Saturday travelled onwards to the little village of Store Sjorup, where Ralan Conley (I distinctly remember a picture at WorldCon of both Ralan and me drinking beer at the Asimov's party, but can't find it back. So the picture below will have to do) was celebrating his 60th Birthday.


I must say, I was treated like royalty. Ralan's oldest son, Michael (or Mikael, I'm not sure), picked me up from the station of Langå, and after a few stops on the way -- he was picking up things for the party, such as sound equipment -- we arrived in the charming little village of Store Sjørup. I received a very heartly welcome, and the party was on!


One of Ralan's friends -- Niels and his wife Disa (pictured above) -- have a local brewery called Wintercoat, and they supplied beer: Indian Pale Ale and Yellowjacket. I personally preferred the Yellowjacket, and of course it is pure coincidence that of Yellowjacket one more barrel was consumed than the Indian Pale Ale.

Another huge compliment to Ralan's wife Karen (I hope I remembered that right!) who tirelessly provided copious amounts of superb food. Only at midnight did Ralan himself start making hotdogs, but by that time my tastebuds were desensitised by so much Yellowjacket that I don't know if these were great or not.

The next morning, after some hair of the dog, Ralan showed me around the picturesque North-Danish countryside, before I was treated to a great lunch, after which he dropped me off at the Billund airport.

A great weekend!

Now, before I log off, a short reminder that August is fundraising month for Ralan. I already donated $30, so do join in (even if it's only a dollar) and support the best genre market list (I own several sales to market info from the Webstravaganza).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jetse,

Nice account of the party. Your presence made it memorable. By the way, I did barbecue all those ribs, hotdogs, and Greek souvlaki (on a stick) things the morning before the party (with some sauce painting help from my younger son, Kristian), so I wasn't completely idle that day. Still Karen was busier than a one-legged woman in a sack race making and serving everything else while I enjoyed the party. Of course, it's tit-for-tat with us, so at her next birthday party I'll be the one-legged whirlwind!

Bests,
Ralan

Anonymous said...

At first glance, Ralan looks naked in that pic. Must be the tan shirt....Either that or it was a REALLY good party.

: )
AJ