“To travel is to live.” ― Hans Christian Andersen

Three new couples joined us in Copenhagen for on our tour of Scandinavia – Ashley and Peter from the San Diego area, Dave and Chris from the Sacramento area, and Barry and Donna who live near Charlotte NC. All are fun and lively additions to our group. I traveled with Ashley and Peter to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2018, when I joined Bruce and Katherine for my first trip with their travel group. The other four are new friends.

We had a fun experience the first night at a Chinese restaurant near the Absalom Hotel, where we were staying, close to the central train station in Copenhagen. The diner was quite small, only 4 or 5 tables, so the proprietor shooed two young ladies, who were lingering, out on the street so she could sit 8 obviously hungry American adults. Our server, who I assumed was also the owner, did not speak much English, if any, so ordering was pretty much pointing at the pictures in the menu. The plates came out one at a time, set on the end of table and then moved to who we thought had ordered it. But dishes came out that we didn’t recognized, so we just passed them around the table, everyone sampling what they were interested in. Eventually we realized we had eaten several of the entrees not meant to be shared. One, which one woman proclaimed as fish sticks was tried by several people who thought it might not be fish but maybe chicken. But when the dished stopped coming out from the kitchen, she finally had to admit it was chicken as well as the dish she ordered but by that time it was gone. It was a comedy of errors. Luckily there was plenty to go around and I don’t think anyone left hungry. The food was wonderful, with many newspaper accolades posted in the window. There was only one chef in the kitchen which I think may have been the husband. A true mom and pop shop.

I dined out one night with a young woman, Sarah, who I met on a cruise along the Croatian coast last summer. Originally from Phoenix, she has been living Copenhagen since last March. I asked her to go someplace that served Danish food. She asked her Danish friends for suggestions, at which they shrugged and said Smorrebrod, but that is usually served at lunch. So we ended up in the meat packing district, a lively repurposed area lined with restaurants. Like many European restaurants which are rather small, they have lots of tables outside, expanding their space 2 to 3 fold. Our meal was wonderful, and I enjoyed catching up with Sarah and learning about her experience living as an ex-pat – something I’m considering. We dined al fresco which I love since the evening was warm. However, the weather is not always this nice, so it is not unusual to see fur-lined seats, blankets draped on seat backs, or at one restaurant, heated seat pads.

I did try smorrebrod again at several meals and I loved it. Glad not to have it completely tainted by the encounter in Iceland. These delightful open-faced sandwiches are covered with so many toppings – avocado, shrimps, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, plaice, or herring, and many different kinds of meat, usually with some micro greens, pickled onions, eggs, some interesting aioli, and other toppings. These are served traditional with snapps or aquavit. At one restaurant they had jars lined up with their homemade versions, flavored with moss, lemon, dill, hazelnuts, rhubarb, or pineapple and lots of other flavors. I wanted to try some but we were riding bikes that day and I wasn’t sure if that would make a good combination, as it is quite strong.

I loved seeing all the bikes in Copenhagen. People of all ages, in all attire, riding to and fro, a constant stream of humanity- great for people watching. Many of the vehicles had big boxes out in front in which they carried their girlfriend, children, dogs, groceries, work items and a myriad of other items. We once saw a woman sleeping in the box, a pillow on her knees while her husband pedaled her to work. We observed many people with what looked like neck braces on, though not so snug. An audio system maybe? The clerk at the front desk told us they were actually helmets that activated if you were in an accident, sorta like air bags. So much better than having helmet hair. Their locks were unusual too, a circle that fit beneath the seat, around the frame and when locked around the back tire. It snaps shut with a twist of the key, simple and secure. Lynn and I rented bikes one morning to see the city like a local. After a few lessons of the road we were on our way. Once, when we stopped without signaling, we were scolded by a passerby to do it correctly. Another time as we wheeled down a city street, a concerned citizen suggested we walk our conveyances if we wanted to avoid a ticket, we were on a pedestrian walkway after all. Just people looking out for each other.

In the few days we had, we visited castles, cathedrals, and museums; walked the city center; and traveled the harbor and canals by boat. At the museum, we learned that the vikings plundered throughout Europe, all the way to the Red and Black seas and across the ocean to Iceland. Amazing when you see the size of the ships they sailed. They found five scuttled Viking ships in 1962, encircled them with iron, displaced the water inside and carefully moved the remains to the museum. Ships over 1000 years old, preserved by the cold ocean water.

Denmark once ruled all of Scandinavia, parts of Germany and England and islands all the way in the West Indies. Through wars however they lost it all except Greenland and the Farro Islands. Their kings lived in some pretty nice castles. One castle, originally built by King Frederik in the 1400’s and expanded by his son Christian IV, was the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. From its ramparts not only could they see Sweden across the strait, they could bombard the waterway if the Swedes tried to cross. Another one, actually a summer home, was very opulent with art throughout – portraits, shields, paintings, bas-relief, carved and gilded furniture and so much more. There was more art work on the ceiling than I have ever seen. Beautiful grounds surrounded several of the structures.

The construction of the Roskilde cathedral was started around the year 1000 and was constantly enlarged by the kings and queen in power, 39 of them are laid to rest within its walls. More than any other cathedral. There are multiple chapels with various monuments to the rulers, some huge and ornate, other much simpler. And what an array of styles! Queen Margaret’s, the current ruler, tomb has been designed, it is extremely modern in comparison, using raw materials found in Denmark.

Our walking tour guide talked a lot about the culture and politics of Denmark. If it was not so cold and dark in the winter I might consider moving here. Here everybody works- men and women. It’s expected that you contribute to the greater good through your taxes, which are considered high, though not much more than in the US when you add them all together. But they have free childcare starting at age 1, education through college provided at no charge, universal healthcare, and a paid retirement which begins at age 67. It also provides a safety net if you are not working. However if you’re unemployed for over a year and able to work, they will re-educate you to a new trade or profession, free of charge, in areas that need workers. They get 6 weeks of vacation every year and are expected to use it. Work life balance is very important to the Danes. Sarah said one thing she likes is if you’re unhappy with your job just change! The benefits and support is the same at every company, no benefits tying you to just one industry or corporation. Eighty percent of their population is in the middle class. 

One fun thing we experienced, well fun during the day not so fun at 2 and 3 in the morning when you could hear the horns, shouts and whistles through our open window, was the high school graduation celebrations. The graduates ride around in open back trucks, similar to the party buses in downtown Nashville, hooting and hollering as they commemorate their achievements. They travel from house to house, where they eat and drink, the rounds taking up to three days. The little white caps are something they keep for life.

The Danish are surprised with our politics. How in the world would women not have control over their own bodies? And why would you worry about gay and transgendered people? Just mind your own business. Denmark eliminated all laws banning homosexual behavior in the 1930’s and conducted the first same sex marriage in 1970, well ahead of most countries. Boasting about yourself is a faux pas, just keep your head down and fit in. We had beautiful weather while we were there and the harbor was lined with people sun bathing like seals on the shore, many topless. The harbor was cleaned in recent years and now is used for swimming and a number of water sports.

All of our guides mentioned a number of things demonstrating the Danish gift for design and invention, suggesting their small size and lack of natural resources enabled their ingenuity. Some of things I already mentioned, such as the bike locks and helmets and raising the Viking ships out of the water intact. They created water collection and treatment systems to keep their harbor and canals clean. The repurpose old buildings in new ways, grain silos into the Germany embassy for example and some with shutter systems that open and close based on the position of the sun. They only allow 50% of any neighborhood or development to be subsidized housing, dispersing it throughout the city. New developments have a mix of affordable and market rate housing, retail and office. We are seeing more of that in the US too. I wish I could remember more, as some I thought were very clever.

We had over 21 hours of daylight in Iceland and 17 hours in Copenhagen. I was so glad that Katherine gave me an effective and comfortable eye mask when we traveled to Charleston together, it has been a life saver.