Denmark on my mind...

Denmark has been the focus of its fair share of attention recently and if you live in Europe, you can't really escape it. This year, Denmark has the honour of hosting the the European Union Presidency for the first six months of the year. In recent times however, this also means hosting the Presidency of a Union that is in a bit of a crisis. I find it distasteful that all of the great cultural and political aspects of working together in a Union seem to be put on hold as soon as money gets involved...

On a more upbeat note however, Denmark has been heavily on my mind as I have been addicted to the Danish T.V. series 'Forbrydelsen' or 'The Killing'. The show is set in Copenhagen where we follow detective Sara Lund as she trails through the streets of Copenhagen trying to find Nanna Birk Larsen's killer. It has really taken off here in the UK and Ireland, with everybody at the edge of their seats wondering Who killed Nanna Birk Larsen!?!?! Do you know?? I do, I do!! ;-)

Europe and the European Union is a changing place and Denmark is a bit of a hot spot for cultural and political activity. This year they are hosting the E.U. Presidency, in 2009 they hosted the UN Climate Summit, and in 2014 they are hosting Europe's largest multi-disciplinary science conference. I'm all clued in to this at the moment as since moving back to Dublin, I've found that Dublin has been declared 'City of Science' for 2012 and is hosting this European Science Conference later this summer - not too bad for Dublin!!

So my conclusion is that it can't all be doom and gloom in Europe - let's celebrate the Danish Presidency in style and bake some of their traditional pastries or 'Wienerbrød'. The name translates as 'Viennese bread' and is a pastry that is made in to all sorts of shapes and filled with everything from jam to marzipan to custard – delicious!! It takes a little bit of time (and love) to make them, so check back soon and I'll let you know how I got along...