The Travelling Teacher: Denmark

July 30-August 1, 6

Hello everyone!

Since moving to the western hemisphere, I’ve been lucky enough to explore many new places. I’ve also returned to the UK a couple of times. In those two years, however, I’ve only travelled through Latin America or the Caribbean. It was therefore high time for something new. A place where I wouldn’t be blundering my way through in broken Spanish or dealing with reggaeton on every street corner. So I’m here…

The 'Genetically Modified Little Mermaid' statue in Copenhagen

Cycling in a nature reserve north of Copenhagen

The Round Tower in Copenhagen

Scandinavia’s a bit different! I’ve never been to this part of the world before. Scandinavia is classed as including three nations: those on the Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway and Sweden)...and Denmark. Iceland, which I visited in 2021 to avoid nightmare UK hotel quarantine, is seen as a Nordic nation.

Denmark is roughly twice the size of Wales. If you add in its other territories
such as Greenland, it becomes the 12th largest country by area in the world

Copenhagen City Hall. You can see the flags of
Greenland and the Faroe Islands on the right.

Part of the reason for me not visiting Scandinavia up to now is financial. These countries are seen as expensive, particularly when living in a cheaper environment across the Atlantic. This is where having friends from years of international teaching can pay dividends. A friend is currently working at a school in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen. As I was back in Europe, I spied a good excuse to catch up whilst exploring somewhere new.

Cardamom bun: almost US$5. It was delicious...

When I was visiting, the city had a positive tourism initiative called CopenPay.
This meant I got a free beer at this rooftop bar because I took the metro.

Paola and I worked together in Malawi and spent a
memorable Christmas on Likoma Island in 2020

And boy is there a lot to explore in the Danish capital. You’ve probably heard of some of its more famous exports, which are proudly strewn across the city. Yet there are plenty of surprising elements to the place which its local brewer would call probably the best city in the world.

Gettin' hygge with it (na na na na na na na)

You'll hear more about Lego in a future blog...

Many people's favourite city centre shop of randomness

One is the number of Michelin star restaurants in Copenhagen. 15 different restaurants with 24 stars between them. No, I didn’t go to any of them. Just buying a plate of the local speciality, Smørrebrød, cost over €20. It’s an open sandwich, no way of dressing it up more than that. Overrated.

Some of these places charge hundreds of dollars for food

The bottom piece was called 'ouef and turf' -
the name was the best thing about it

Another surprise is the cycling. It’s not Amsterdam but runs the Dutch city pretty close for the number and percentage of bikes being used. I’ve been told that the average Copenhagener (if that’s what a local is called) has 2.3 bikes. Everyone cycles here, no matter what - or who - they have with them. Seeing a parent cycle three children in a box attached to the front of the bike was astonishing.

If you look carefully you'll see that some
people just dump their bikes on the floor...

No walking allowed!

Boxes on the front of bikes are quite common

I learnt to ride a bike as an adult and it isn’t something I would often choose to do. In spite of this, Copenhagen is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world, being flat and with wide cycle lanes. With glorious weather in the city and a great bike rental system called Donkey Republic, it makes riding around town very pleasant. Well, except when cycling in rush hour and getting stuck in a huge cycling traffic jam because a bridge had to open for boats to pass through. The ensuing melee when it shut was like something out of the Tour de France.

There are quite a few canals which are very photogenic

Near the front of the jam and before being surrounded

Biking allows you to get out of the city, which Paola and I did one morning. Only a few kilometres north of the city are peace, tranquillity…and deer. Lots of deer.

A rare shady spot - I had a pink nose after this day!

No lions or leopards to get them!

Cycling can be hot work. Luckily, Copenhagen is a coastal city sitting on the Øresund, a strait separating eastern Denmark from Sweden. The water is clean enough for swimming, which was another surprise - the number of people braving the cool waters. I know it was cool because I jumped in.

The marina at Skovshoved

We took a cooling dip here

There is a love of outdoors here, particularly in the sunshine and long days of summer. Copenhagen has many parks and a lot of greenery across the city, allowing its citizens to get away from the busyness of the big city.

A windmill in Kastellet park

A wide green lawn at Frederiksberg - someone in the
bottom left of the picture is already sunbathing

Not that it often felt particularly packed. This might be to do with it being the school holidays, so people may have gone away. The only time it felt overly crowded was when I watched the changing of the guard at Amalienborg, seat of the Danish royal family. Yep, they have one of those here, too. They were in the news earlier this year when Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne.

Denmark's head of state is now Frederik X

When the sun is out, the water in the city itself comes into play. Lots of wooden platforms have been constructed on the water so people can chill, sunbathe and frolic.

This is at Reffen, where they have converted shipping containers
and the like into activity centres and a street food market

The main waterway that runs through Copenhagen

Some of Copenhagen’s major attractions are connected to its waterways which head out into the Øresund. One is a famous character from a fairy tale…

The statue was first installed in 1913

The head has been stolen twice: in 1964 and 1998

The Little Mermaid is globally known, and hundreds if not thousands of people visit this small bronze statue. Far fewer people visit an alternative version a few hundred metres away…

This was created by Bjørn Nørgaard in 2006

Unlike the original, this mermaid has not had its head chopped off

Many of the people who visit the Little Mermaid will also spend time in Nyhavn. Copenhagen's historic harbour area is difficult to pronounce (NEE-haw-un, or something like that). It's also difficult to avoid its charm, particularly in early evening light.

The waterfront was dug by Danish soldiers and Swedish prisoners of war

It is colourful and a popular hangout spot

Visiting in summer is very different to coming during cooler months. There seem to be a lot of museums in Copenhagen. I missed most of them, partly because I wanted to be outside and partly due to budgetary constraints. Ones I did visit, such as the Glyptotek and Thorvaldsen, are free on the last Wednesday of each month. Good timing.

The Winter Garden in Glyptotek

This is an amazing mosaic made up of millions of pieces

It was quite a nice change to see something not Mexica or Mayan!

This statue is apparently quite a famous statue, which
many depictions of Christ copying this original

There’s not enough space in this blog to show all of the places I visited, the bakeries I used to refuel, the pretty streets I strolled or cycled.

This massive mosaic is hidden in a passageway by the theatre

Tivoli Gardens is a famous amusement park - I didn't have time to go in

Many beautiful buildings

The Jens Olsen World Clock, which cost a fortune and was finally
completed in 1955, can show many different and precise versions of time

The spire of the Church of our Saviour looks like it belongs in Disney's Magic Kingdom

Copenhagen is completely different from my recent adventures, and exactly what I was looking for. A beautiful city in stunning weather, not a hint of needing to speak Spanish, a perfect change, and a good cycling workout for my legs!