What Do I Know About Copenhagen?
I’m finished my penultimate year of study, the nights are drawing in, the heating was switched on yesterday and I type this whilst outside, various objects get blown around the garden as the first of many Autumnal storms blows in. What does this mean? It means its time for another trip. Yay! For this year’s October getaway, I’ll be entering uncharted territory. No one I know has been before and I don’t really know that much about the people, the culture and the country itself. If you’ve not read the title of this post yet, I can reveal that I’ll shortly be jetting across the mighty North Sea to Copenhagen. So what do I know about Copenhagen and, on a wider scale, Denmark?
Hot Dogs
Apparently, you can get some killer hot dogs from stands (called pølsevogn) all over Copenhagen. It seems by all accounts they come in an overwhelming number of varieties that I’ll only be too pleased to try out.
Smorrebrod
There’s really no tearing me away from talking about food. The second thing I know about Denmark is smørrebrød or open sandwiches. They’re often described as the Danish national dish. Think bread, piled high with herring, eel, roast pork or salmon with all the trimmings. Can’t wait!
English
Like most European countries these days, Denmark seems to suffer from Random English Syndrome. Everyone speaks English at the very least brilliantly and many speak it better what I do, yeah? The language barrier really doesn’t exist.
Little Mermaid
This ties in with Denmark’s most famous son, Hans Christian Anderson, who wrote amoung many other stories and poems, the Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue). A statue can be found at the water’s edge in the city in celebration of Anderson’s work.
General Awesomeness
Earlier this year, Denmark was named the second most peaceful country on earth after Iceland. Since 2006, certain surveys have named Denmark the happiest place on earth based on standards of health, welfare, and education. Denmark is currently ranked as the least corrupt country in the world (sharing the position with Sweden and New Zealand). According to Monocle magazine (never heard of it, but still), Copenhagen is the most liveable city in the world. These rankings make Denmark generally an awesome place to be.
Bikes
Cycling is a major part of the national identity. Everyone cycles!
Design
The Danes are pretty good at designing things. Aren’t they?
Erm… Pathetic! I really conked out by the end, didn’t I? I hope to bolster my knowledge of Denmark and the Danes while I’m there later this week. During the five days, I’ll be embarking on a cycling tour of the city, enjoying Danish culture in the annual Night of Culture event (pretty much all the museums will be open until midnight), I’ll be popping over to Sweden for a day to see what those guys are up to (and to see whether I can find anyone who isn’t blonde and/or beautiful) and I’ll be spending one evening at the world-famous Tivoli amusement park which is open for Halloween (despite Halloween being weeks away).
I’m really looking forward to this trip. I think it will be different and enlightening. I’m really looking forward to the food and seeing whether the people are as happy as the rumours suggest. Perhaps it’s all the hot dogs they eat. If it is, they’ll be distinctly unhappy when I arrive as I intend on eating all of them. Man, I’m hungry!
Obviously, prepare to be bombarded with videos, photos, notes and reviews when I get back. There might even be a podcast rolling out if you’re lucky. I’m ready to be Copenhagenised! Are you?
