Ahoy, Copenhagen!
As I mentioned in my last post, I was in Copenhagen a little over a week ago. What I didn't mention is that I almost didn't make it. A series of events found me changing my flight at the last minute. I was supposed to go to Ghana after Copenhagen, but that wasn't working out so I decided that I would extend my stay in Europe and visit the port wine cellars in Porto and effectively turn grapes into wine (that's the saying, right?)
However, when I got to border control in Germany it turned out that I couldn't do that. Visa rules and all that jazz. A missed connection, an unspeakable amount of dollars spent (really, I don't want to talk about), threats to ship me back to Atlanta and many tears later, I made it to Copenhagen. (I'll be rehashing the tale all month at the tastings as soon as I can figure out how to find the humor in it. It will come).
On the first day of the MAD Symposium, I sat in a ferry boat (like the one in the photo) to the island where the event was being held. I could feel my body tense up a bit as I started to wonder if there were any life jackets on board. We were only going a short distance, but I knew this sudden panic was because of the duck boat accident in Branson, Missouri a few months ago. I was visiting my friend in DC at the time and her friend along with her family were on the boat. I saw the aftermath of this in a different way. This reminder made me realize how grateful that I was to be there. Yes, I'd gone through an ordeal, but I was alive and on my way to have an incredible experience. There isn't anything more that I could have asked for.
I'm not going to include a cocktail in this post (I know, my second post in and I'm flaking already). But during times of stress or sadness, I encourage not drinking alcohol. In those moments, I prefer to reach for some calming tea. Right now I'm in love with all of the teas from Rare Tea Company. I discovered them at the MAD Symposium and was gifted a sampler box. (As I write this, I'm sipping the No. 1 Ladies' Wild Red Bush Rooibos Tea which kept me warm on those frigid Copenhagen days. Why was it so cold in August?!) Anyway, I digress. Cheers!