Our amazing day of delivering vehicles and getting hugs in return was capped off with a fun barbecue at Jesper’s dacha, cabin. The whole crew enjoyed relaxing, catching up and drinking beer (because, Jesper makes beer, of course he does!)
The peace was briefly broken when an F-16 flew overhead. We’re used to that sound in Tucson, but it feels completely different when you know that this is for real. A brief silence fell over the group.
As the evening cooled, we moved inside for dinner and had a perfectly Danish, hygge time. So much so that, by the third bottle of wine, the trains had all stopped for the night, and Uber drivers were not willing to make the 45 minute drive out to get us, and curfew was only an hour and a half away.
“Claire, are you sober enough to drive us, in Jesper’s car, back to our hotel?” By the time they asked me a second time, I thought I’d better be. So, I was. Just as we started the car up, the air raid sirens went off. Hmm, in a strange car, on unfamiliar streets, after dark, with no reliable GPS signal because of an air raid, in a war zone. And we all have to be off the streets by midnight. So, yes, I got a speeding ticket, automatically generated and sent to Jesper. We got the guys to their hotel, but not before I slammed them into the front seat by forgetting there was no clutch, only a wide brake pedal. As we drove to our hotel with only minutes to spare, people were out in the street, trying to flag me down for a ride. Finding a legitimate parking place was another bar I didn’t quite clear. We made it in for the night at 12:02, and I moved the car in the morning, but before Jesper could pick it up, he received an automated parking ticket. He now has the car and has taken care of both tickets. Thank you Jesper. We’re settled back into our apartment for a week or two and will always have fond memories of this once-in-a-lifetime, exceptional adventure.