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taxlady

Chef Extraordinaire
Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
32,435
Location
near Montreal, Quebec
I got home on Tuesday. My sister and I worked so hard that we didn't have time to do any site seeing or shopping (except for groceries). I was so exhausted that I couldn't even be bothered with logging on to DC until today.

I never got my rullepølse press. I didn't have time to look for it. Now I really want to go back and spend some time relaxing, site seeing, and visiting with family and looking up old friends.

I sure will miss that brand new gas stove.
 
I got home on Tuesday. My sister and I worked so hard that we didn't have time to do any site seeing or shopping (except for groceries). I was so exhausted that I couldn't even be bothered with logging on to DC until today.

I never got my rullepølse press. I didn't have time to look for it. Now I really want to go back and spend some time relaxing, site seeing, and visiting with family and looking up old friends.

I sure will miss that brand new gas stove.


Welcome back, I missed you!!!! Get some rest and then make us some hot chocolate and tell us all about your trip.:)
 
Welcome back, TL. I sure did miss you. It sounds like it was a pretty exhausting trip. Relax, rest up and tell us about it when you're ready.
 
Do I have to deal with RRSP's and T-slips as a US tax filer?

:doh: D'oh! I was confusing you with Rocklobster - your names both start with R.

No, you might have to deal with IRAs and W-whatevers. Of course, that deadline and expected time for receiving slips are totally irrelevant.
 
It took me almost two weeks to recuperate from the trip. My sister and I worked really hard the whole time we were in Copenhagen. Then I had work to catch up. So, I'm finally ready to post about the trip. There was also an issue with my papers for returning to Canada. I'll put that in another post.

My mum's apartment is in a building that was probably built in the 1890s - no elevator. Luckily it's only on the 1st floor, by European standards, ground floor is 0. We had to sort stuff in the attic storage on the 5th floor and only accessible by the narrow, winding, kitchen stairs. Lots of stuff was covered in pigeon poop. Most of that just got thrown out. Then there was the basement storage, also only accessible by the kitchen stairs. There was a bit of stuff to keep there, but mostly it smelled of mildew, so it was useless. There was an old coke burning stove, an old tiled kitchen table, doors, and windows - all original to the apartment, and a ladder all of which we left for the new owner, except the antique stove which we managed to sell.

My sister found a company that would clear the junk and bring it to a dump. Denmark is little and doesn't have room for landfill, so there is a charge to put stuff at the dump. It cost about $2,000 to have those two storage areas cleared. We had to supervise. That meant climbing all those danged stairs.

My sister had cleared the apartment in August and put stuff in storage. She only had a week and had to have it empty for prospective buyers. We had to sort the stuff in storage. Some we shipped to L.A. and to Montreal. There were about 15 banker's boxes worth of papers. We got some movers to bring all the papers back to the apartment. OMG, I don't think my mum ever threw out a receipt. There were cash register receipts going back to 1969 when we bought the place. There were restaurant receipts going back to the 1950s. There were old photos, airline tickets, train tickets, bank statements, letters, money, etc., etc.

We bought a shredder and gave it to a friend when we left. OMG, that was so much sorting. So much shredding. I ran up and down the stairs carrying recycling and garbage to the court yard. I sorted while my sister ran around dealing with the bank and cashing bonds.

I also had to clean the nearly new gas range. My sister had let a friend stay in the apartment. She only stayed a few months and never paid any rent. The range was brand new when the friend moved in. This is what it the door looked like:
IMG_2533.JPG


But, also notice that the glass in the oven door is removable! I managed to get the oven door clean.

And here is the water pan (for the oven's self-cleaning function). After soaking and hours of scrubbing with baking soda and with washing up liquid, I had to give up. Grrrr.
IMG_2534.JPG


The same friend used a brand new Copco enamelled cast iron frying pan. This is what the back looked like:

IMG_2620.JPG


See the black, burned on dirt and the rust. Grrrr.

We went out to supper with some of my sister's friends a few times. We managed to visit with my cousin, who lives on the fourth floor, no elevator. It was great to see her and meet her husband. They had the tiniest little bathroom. It was really cute. At one time it had a toilet and that's all. In that tiny space, the landlord had managed to put a tiny, modern toilet, and a sink and shower. Okay, the shower is basically the whole room and you do have to put the toilet paper where it won't get wet, but very useful when there was no shower or bath in the apartment before.

We also got went out for pastries (real Danish pastry - yum) and coffee with my uncle and his wife. I'm so glad we got to see them. They are both in their 80s and totally with it. My uncle volunteers at an old age home! He is now the last surviving of my mother's syblings. There were 12 of them.

We travelled with Air France. Even though every single flight was delayed, I would recommend them. They know how to put me back in a good mood: free booze, and they weren't stingy with it. We traveled "voyageur" (coach). The food was good. They also gave us food vouchers for while we waited for our flights. They put us up in a hotel in Paris including supper and breakfast, because the plane from Copenhagen was almost six hours late, so we missed our connecting flights. The food at the hotel was good. The coffee was wonderful. Too bad we didn't really have time to see any of Paris. It would have been doable if we were familiar with the public transit. My sister tried. She ended up somewhere useless and came back to the hotel.
 
I brought back some of the stuff that my mother left me. My sister and I pretty much had to decide who got what, because my mum never specified.

So, here are some photos of "loot":

My beautiful, cast iron frying pan, nearly new. And there are more of this type of pots and pans en route. w00t!

IMG_2619.JPG


Gold plated, sterling silver, collector forks and spoon and one spoon from an antique, sterling silver dinner set that is on its way Montreal.

IMG_2616.JPG


And Akvavit. I can't get it here in Quebec, because the old dude who owns the factory refuses to put French on the labels. It's not the good stuff, just pretty good. I picked it up at the convenience grocery store. It was a fair bit cheaper than the stuff at the duty free shop!

IMG_2627.JPG


I also brought home a bunch of photos and there are a lot more in the shipment.
 
I am a "permanent resident" in Canada. I'm supposed to have a permanent resident card to get back into Canada by public transportation. I never got around to getting the card. They are currently saying ~280 days to get it. I got temporary travel papers from the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles when I went to visit my sister. I phoned the consulate and they told what time to show up with what papers and when I could pick up my passport with the return visa attached, later the same day.

I decided to check out the times, etc. at the website of the Canadian Embassy in Copenhagen. Much to my surprise and dismay, there is no longer a Canadian Embassy in Copenhagen, only a consulate that doesn't deal with visas. I would have to deal with the embassy in London or Paris. I phoned Canada Boarder Services and didn't get much help. So, I went and hoped that it would be easier from Copenhagen or even Paris while I waited for a connecting flight. We couldn't postpone the trip - the new owner would take possession as of the 1st of February, 2011. We went on 2011-01-18.

I phoned both the embassy in Paris and the one in London. I couldn't get a person. If I was going to travel to London or Paris, I needed to know what kind of currency they accept (Cdn $50 for the papers). I needed to know when to show up and when I would be able to get the paper. I went in person to the Canadian Consulate in Copenhagen. They couldn't help. I even went to the British Embassy, because Canada is part of the Commonwealth and sometimes they will help out. No luck. Thank goodness going to the British Embassy didn't waste much time. It's right around the corner from my mum's apartment. This is a picture taken out the living room window. That big white building is the British Embassy:
IMG_2562.JPG


The Brits suggested that I phone the Canadian Consulate. I did and spoke with the same person I had spoken to in person the day before. She suggested that I phone Air France since it is up to the carrier to decide whether or not to let me on the plane. They are responsible for returning you if you are rejected in Canada. I phoned Air France. They asked my citizenship. They didn't think there was a problem, since USA-ians don't need a visa to visit Canada. So, I took my chances. It turned out to be a non-issue, after all the time and angst I had spent on the "problem". Phew.
 
Yay!!!! I just knew you wouldn't have a difficult time getting home. Not a specific knowledge, but I just knew it had to happen. I glad everything went well!
 
Update

My stuff has arrived from Copenhagen. It is sitting in a warehouse in the East End of Montreal. I live on the "West Island", the other side of town.

I have to go to customs and get it cleared. I am in the process of trying to find a mover who can bring my wooden crate from the warehouse. It weighs 150 kgs (330.688 lbs according to the bill of lading) and is 1.673 cubic metres (59.081 cubic feet). It's not going to fit through the front door.

The box was built around the antique oak table and the rest of the stuff was put between the table's legs. The table might fit through the front door. But, it might have to come in the patio door. I hope it will fit in through the front door, 'cause there's lots of snow outside the patio door.

I found one mover who sounds really good and like they will be able to handle this well. They charge about twice as much per hour as other movers. I'm waiting for the email with proof of insurance. I'm still phoning other movers with good reviews on the intertubes.

Wish me luck.
 
My stuff has arrived from Copenhagen. It is sitting in a warehouse in the East End of Montreal. I live on the "West Island", the other side of town.

I have to go to customs and get it cleared. I am in the process of trying to find a mover who can bring my wooden crate from the warehouse. It weighs 150 kgs (330.688 lbs according to the bill of lading) and is 1.673 cubic metres (59.081 cubic feet). It's not going to fit through the front door.

The box was built around the antique oak table and the rest of the stuff was put between the table's legs. The table might fit through the front door. But, it might have to come in the patio door. I hope it will fit in through the front door, 'cause there's lots of snow outside the patio door.

I found one mover who sounds really good and like they will be able to handle this well. They charge about twice as much per hour as other movers. I'm waiting for the email with proof of insurance. I'm still phoning other movers with good reviews on the intertubes.

Wish me luck.

Pictures of this table are a must! Cool, I'm all excited for you!
 

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