Monthly Archives: May 2015

Baby Swimming

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In Malta children mainly learn to swim by being chucked in the sea with flotation devices on a trip to the beach and they build from there, slowly removing flotation devices as they grow older (or at least this was the way it was done in my time!). In Denmark, however, baby swimming classes are a big thing.

There are a number of different possibilities in the Sonderborg area. Which you choose tends to depend on whether both parents plan to go into the water, time that suits you, as well as whether you prefer a warm or a regular temperature swimming pool. The providers themselves then put in limits on age and/or weight of the child. These are the options we have found:

Sonderborg Swimming Club

Classes in Humlehojhallen. There does not seem to be a set day/time, but they change every time a new group is opened. New groups are announced on the front page of the website. As the pool water is around 29 °C, they recommend that the child is at least 5-6 months old. It costs 400 DKK for 8 sessions (and one parent).

Nord-Als Swimming Club

Classes in the smaller basin at the NordAls Idrætcenter. Again the pool is a regular pool so the water is colder and, hence, preferably the child is a bit older. Costs 300 DKK for 3.5 months.

Rinkenæs Swimming Club

Classes offered at the Gigthospital in Gråsten. The water here is warmer so younger children are accepted, though a minimum weight of 6 kg is asked for. Classes are held on Sundays, with different groups starting every 25 minutes from 13:05 to 14:20. 8 sessions cost 550 DKK and only one parent is allowed in the water.

Baby Swimming at Tangshave (Nordborg)

As with the courses at the gigthospital in Gråsten, the water here is also warm. However, there is precious little information about this possibility online. We got to know about it through word of mouth and then calling the Nordals Idrætcenter. This is what we found:

The organiser is a guy called Søren Hansen. You can contact him on 28 96 97 30. Classes are held on Saturdays with 2 groups, one at 9:00-9:30 and the other 9:30-10:00. At the moment the classes are full, so there is a waiting list. New groups start when there are enough people. Sign up happens by sending an sms to Søren with the name. The price for 10 sessions is 400 DKK for one parent or 550 DKK for two parents.

 

Review: Castillo & Co. Buffet Restaurant in Borgen

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Update: We revisited Castillo & Co in June 2016. For an updated review check out this post.

As happens every spring, Sonderborg starts getting new restaurants and eating/drinking places. First this year was Kisling’s. Now it is Borgen’s turn with Castillo & Co., serving a buffet lunch and dinner. The name Castillo & Co. is a reference to Borgen itself, since both indicate castles in different languages. When asked for a newspaper article why the ‘& Co.’, the owner mentioned it was to make it a bit softer.

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As always we were curious so we went for lunch there today. On arrival we were quickly greeted with a smile and shown to a table where we could sit with a pram (barnevogn) next to us. We then ordered drinks and were directed to help ourselves at the buffet. A great start – we were hopeful.

The service continued to be good, with a friendly and present server (when needed) and dishes constantly replenished and plates cleared away. Only slight niggle might be that it took a while for drinks to make it to our table, a wait made worse as we were very thirsty. As the place was quite busy we can excuse this.

However, the place is really let down by the quality of the food. Unfortunately, the food is less than inspiring:  it all looks as though it came from frozen and just heated, with the focus being more on quantity than quality. A cold selection with cheeses and cold cut meats, eggs and some fruit. There is also yoghurt and muesli, but I could find no bowls so had to use a flat plate, and an apple cake. On the other side there is the hot selection with fries, eggs, bacon, sausages, breaded fish, chicken and pasta & noodles. There are also pancakes. It would be good, however, if everything was labelled, especially the sauces!

Would we go again? Most probably not. At full price I would more likely opt for a sandwich from Kvickly – cheaper and better quality – or go to another location. If you are still curious maybe try it out in May, when the buffets are half price: 35 DKK for lunch and 45 DKK for dinner. But remember: We tried it so you don’t have to!