Well, I finally made it to Scandinavia. I grew up hearing my mom talk about Swedish traditions in our family. It always seemed so remote and far away, but living here I thought I should check it out since it's a bit closer. Turns out it is still expensive so I settled for Denmark. I have a Danish student this year and his family gave me some suggestions.
Here are some things I learned about Denmark while I was there:
1. You need heat and an umbrella.
Carrie and I arrived in Copenhagen Wednesday night. Our first adventure was trying out airbnb. It is an online apartment rental service. The location of our apartment was fantastic. It was located between the city center and the airport, just a couple of metro stops from both. Here is a picture of the street:
It felt like a giant college campus. Everything was clean and accessible and looked startling similar in the way nice dorms on nice campuses look similar. Once we arrived, our first hurdle was figuring out the heat. As you may already know it gets cold in Denmark. Unfortunately, the property manager didn't know how to turn on the heat so we put a portable radiator heater together and turned the one already together on. By the time Kira arrived later that night, the place was a bit toastier. Kira, being sensible, tried turning the radiators on and that worked. Problem solved.
2. There is a good reason so many fairy tales are from Denmark.
Hans Christian Anderson is the best-known Danish author. He wrote The Little Mermaid, The Tin Soldier, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and The Pea, among others. We saw all of those things or at least their inspirations. There is a statue dedicated to the Little Mermaid in a park on the outskirts of town.
The Tin Soldier must have been inspired by the guards at Amalienborg. They look just like the one in the story. See for yourself:
Here are some things I learned about Denmark while I was there:
1. You need heat and an umbrella.
Carrie and I arrived in Copenhagen Wednesday night. Our first adventure was trying out airbnb. It is an online apartment rental service. The location of our apartment was fantastic. It was located between the city center and the airport, just a couple of metro stops from both. Here is a picture of the street:
It felt like a giant college campus. Everything was clean and accessible and looked startling similar in the way nice dorms on nice campuses look similar. Once we arrived, our first hurdle was figuring out the heat. As you may already know it gets cold in Denmark. Unfortunately, the property manager didn't know how to turn on the heat so we put a portable radiator heater together and turned the one already together on. By the time Kira arrived later that night, the place was a bit toastier. Kira, being sensible, tried turning the radiators on and that worked. Problem solved.
2. There is a good reason so many fairy tales are from Denmark.
Hans Christian Anderson is the best-known Danish author. He wrote The Little Mermaid, The Tin Soldier, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and The Pea, among others. We saw all of those things or at least their inspirations. There is a statue dedicated to the Little Mermaid in a park on the outskirts of town.
 |
| The Little Mermaid |
The Tin Soldier must have been inspired by the guards at Amalienborg. They look just like the one in the story. See for yourself:
 |
| Looks just like the story, right? |
We saw ducks in the park outside of a castle in the city. But, besides seeing ducks, there was a kind of sfumato-esque quality to the city. Weeping willows beside water, painted clouds low in the sky and dull pastels made everything feel kind of dreamy.
And as for a princess or pea.... We didn't actually see any royalty or peas but we did see the royal jewels and crown. They are guarded by a less picturesque type of solider. These are ones in camo with automatic weapons. We also saw the castle that supposedly inspired Hamlet. It was pretty cool. Now it is a museum surrounded by little art galleries.
3. They have really good food.
We ate cinnamon rolls/bread for breakfast everyday we were there. It was amazing! There is a reason Danishes have been brought to America. Yum! I also had kebabs, unfortunately without a fork. Hamburgers and Thai food were consumed. Most importantly, I found excellent hummus. I was a very happy diner in general. Refreshing not to have pasta for every meal.
4. There are interesting events around every corner.
On our way to the Carlsberg brewery, we stumbled upon a street festival with incredible hip-hop/crunk dancers. It was like walking into a movie. The awesome punk dancers battling it out in the final scene. Jaw-dropping fun.
Carrie and I also enjoyed a sunny Sunday exploring a market. It was so pretty and they sold hummus and had places to sit inside.
5. Finally, double check that there are no holidays on the day that you travel to a foreign country.
I'm filing this under "learned the hard way." We showed up in Sweden Saturday morning. (It is cheaper and easier to get to Sweden from Denmark than from Italy.) It was surprisingly closed. Turns out that it was a half holiday. Halloween of sorts. Chain stores open and tons of home decor stores too, but not much else. After spending one morning in Sweden it is completely apparent why IKEA was started there. There are an incredible number of similar, smaller shops. I loved them all. There are also many adorable art galleries. I particularly enjoyed the beaded jars and life-size illustrations at the Form Design Center.
Armed with my new knowledge, I hope I can return someday. It was completely enchanting!
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| Castle, ducks, watercolor clouds. A real fairy tale. |
And as for a princess or pea.... We didn't actually see any royalty or peas but we did see the royal jewels and crown. They are guarded by a less picturesque type of solider. These are ones in camo with automatic weapons. We also saw the castle that supposedly inspired Hamlet. It was pretty cool. Now it is a museum surrounded by little art galleries.
 |
| Kronborg Castle has a connection to Hamlet, but none to HC Anderson. |
3. They have really good food.
We ate cinnamon rolls/bread for breakfast everyday we were there. It was amazing! There is a reason Danishes have been brought to America. Yum! I also had kebabs, unfortunately without a fork. Hamburgers and Thai food were consumed. Most importantly, I found excellent hummus. I was a very happy diner in general. Refreshing not to have pasta for every meal.
 |
| Kira, sans fork. It's ok, we used our fingers, even for salad!!! |
4. There are interesting events around every corner.
On our way to the Carlsberg brewery, we stumbled upon a street festival with incredible hip-hop/crunk dancers. It was like walking into a movie. The awesome punk dancers battling it out in the final scene. Jaw-dropping fun.
Carrie and I also enjoyed a sunny Sunday exploring a market. It was so pretty and they sold hummus and had places to sit inside.
5. Finally, double check that there are no holidays on the day that you travel to a foreign country.
I'm filing this under "learned the hard way." We showed up in Sweden Saturday morning. (It is cheaper and easier to get to Sweden from Denmark than from Italy.) It was surprisingly closed. Turns out that it was a half holiday. Halloween of sorts. Chain stores open and tons of home decor stores too, but not much else. After spending one morning in Sweden it is completely apparent why IKEA was started there. There are an incredible number of similar, smaller shops. I loved them all. There are also many adorable art galleries. I particularly enjoyed the beaded jars and life-size illustrations at the Form Design Center.
Armed with my new knowledge, I hope I can return someday. It was completely enchanting!
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