This is Sunday and we are starting on the second week of our five-week tour of District 1440. 
In just seven days we have experienced outstanding tours and have met fabulous people. 
And while it is difficult to move on to a new town and new host families we are excited by the prospect of more educational experiences.  

The day started with a farewell breakfast hosted by our Frederikshavn families, complete with morning schnapps to start the day. We were then off to Sindal, the third leg of our journey.

After we settled in with our new host families we were off to the Falcon Reservation Trust where falcons, peregrines and hawks are trained and the public is educated on these beautiful birds of prey. 
Did you know that a peregrine’s favorite food is a pigeon? 
And that the smallest golden eagle may weigh 3 kilos with a 2.5-meter wingspan and that they hunt fox and rabbit? 
The largest eagle we saw on this day was the Sea Eagle, which weighs approximately 5 kilos; its American cousin is the Bald Eagle. 
It was marvelous to watch the birds take flight, circle the area several times and return to the trainer. 
Because the birds are conditioned to return to the trainer’s hand in exchange for some meat – they are not tempted by the ducks swimming in the pond beneath them. 

Peg had an opportunity to see up close a Red Tailed Hawk while at the Trust. This same kind of hawk frequents her yard back home in Pennsylvania.

We then visited the Baggesvogen Estate.  
Built in 1740 with 1500 acres, this is a working farm kept in trust for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. 
While touring the grounds we came across a ‘wheel barrel bench’, which quickly reminded the gals of how Pete gallantly hauled luggage through the airport. 
An opportunity could not be missed to see if Pete could lift all of the gals on this unique bench. 
He proved he still has his strength! 

Peg

4. september 2004

Day 8: This will be my last installment for awhile. 
You will read the words from a new voice.  Technology has made this possible yet difficult at times. 
I lost my hosts modem connection (oops) and am learning to navigate windows in Danish (hjælp). 
I will go home knowing about Denmark as well as computers.  

Today was Skagen, where two seas meet.  After a short drive, we were met by our hosts for the day, Skagen Rotary Club.  
Over coffee and tea we met Flemming, Tommy, Jens, Victor, and Peter.  

Peter gave us a tour of Erik Taabbel Fiskeeksport Factory.  One building fillets 500 metric tons of fish (mostly herring) a day.  When making fillets, there is still 60% of the fish left which is taken to another factory to make fish oil and fish meal.  We saw how they store the fish until it is ready to be customized and packaged for a client.  Danish herring tends to have more sugar while other areas like more vinegar or onion.  
We had samples and a farewell to Peter.  
We then had a beautiful walk to a former GSE. participant at his new bank.  
I have been struck by how clean and uncluttered the working environments are and this newly renovated branch was no different.  

A little shopping and lunch with a view, then we took the “sand worm” to get our feet wet.  
We were at the northernmost town in Denmark, Skagen, at the outermost sanded spit where the two seas and the whole world meet.  We had one foot in each. Great fun.  Flemming gave each of us a certificate signed by the mayor.  

Some tea and ice cream and it were good bye to our wonderful hosts.  
On our way out of town, we stopped to see where the sunset meets the sea.  
Tonight is a quiet night with our host families and suitcase packing as we are off to Sindal, where the childhood home of Martinus the philosopher is.

Day 7: Wow one week! We toasted at lunch our departure time.  
Jen was a good sport and tried every fish on the plate, even the crawfish looking one complete with head and antenna.  
Our first tour of the day was at Martin, a manufacturer of stage lighting, They provide lights for the Athens Olympics as well as rock star Madonna.  The plant was awesome. An open factory with teams that work together. Built just two years ago it incorporates modern production technology robots, conveyor belts, computers and barcodes to aid the people assembling the product.  They use modular technology to use many of the same parts to make different products.  All of this is to help position themselves to compete in a global environment.  They are striving  for 100% quality and are a HAPPY plant : Holistic, Agile, Predictable, Passionate, Year after year….and it showed. 
Christian gave us a tour to remember.  
Then it was a lunch to remember, the most impressive display of fish we have seen yet.  Delectable smoked tuna, cod, salmon, and Norwegian lobster at Penna.  
Our host Karl Slynge had us stuffed to the gills. 

Karl took us to the new Arena North construction site which will be the largest sports arena in North Jutland.

Handball (Denmark’s women’s team won the gold), badminton, gymnastics, and multi purpose concerts, meetings etc. It was fascinating to see modular concrete construction.  The building will go up in a year’s time, quick for the scale of the project.

Next up was the Tordenskjolds festival.  
It kicked off with a boat ride on a ship renamed White Eagle for the occasion.
The re-enactment was complete with elaborate costuming and cannon fire.  
We learned the history of the great war hero.  The story is a great part of Frederikshavn history, a proud time to be remembered by old and taught to new.  Words do not do the day justice.  
Megan the 16year old Rotary exchange student from B.C. Canada wrote the following quote in my journal:
If you cannot see the bright side polish up the dark one and look at that.  
The evening ended with more stories well into the night