Copenhagen is an easy city to love. Maybe it’s the fact that
I went in June when the temperature approached 27°C and the sun shone so
brightly that several of my colleagues were the colour of London buses by
lunchtime on the first day. But as I’ve never heard anyone who’s visited the
city say they dislike it, no matter when they’ve gone, I’d be inclined to city
it really is just a lovely city.
London is a hard city to love, even if you live there. In
fact, it’s hard to love especially if you live there. Paris is either loved or
hated by everyone that has visited it. These cities bring about strong emotions
in people. But Copenhagen, when I was there, brought a general feeling of
calmness and comfort.
The pace of the city was very slow which probably had a lot
to do with the weather but also the lack of crowds in the city. We stayed less
than 10 minutes from the central station and there was none of rushing and general
busy attitude one would expect from such a central location. Even on a Friday
morning when everyone would be expected to be at work. Maybe a lot of people were on holiday. Many Scandinavian
companies have summer holidays. The logic is understandable since the winters
and long and people would want to make the most of it.
It is not a cheap city. Perhaps on par with London and in
some cases more expensive (though an exchange rate of 9 Danish Krone to 1 GBP definitely
aids in the expensive nature since the currency seems to be a bit
overvalued). But for the expense of the
meals, the quality was very high. One weekend isn’t a large sample size and
perhaps we were lucky in choosing our restaurants but I did not have any bad
meals in Copenhagen. Every meal exceeded expectations to the point where the
price seemed apt or even undervalued. 109DKK for a brunch that was almost large
enough to be two meals and easily managed to be one of the best breakfasts I’ve
had all year seems like a solid investment.
Cover charges are a point where the expense can be a lot
(but I don’t go out to bars and clubs that much in London so maybe it’s on par)
since I think 100DKK without a drink included is quite a lot for entry.
Especially compared to Lisbon on last year’s trip €12 for entrance came with 4
beers. But considering we found places close to Nytorv, which seemed to be
popular amongst a younger crowd, it’s not surprising the prices were hiked up.
There’s no exaggeration on it being a younger crowd. Most people in bars on the
first night we arrived in Copenhagen were wearing the studenterhue hat signaling graduation
from high school.
*
On the first morning in Copenhagen
we awoke to the news that the U.K. had voted to leave the European Union. This
was hardly the most auspicious of beginnings and due to the divisive nature, the
entire topic was agreed to not be discussed. To not discuss such an important
event could seem willfully ignorant but really it was impossible to know what
was going to happen (it is still impossible) and discussion would just cause arguments
and disrupt the holiday. In another city it might have proven difficult to stay
away from the topic. In Copenhagen, there was more than enough to keep everyone
distracted.
Unexpectedly for the majority of
us, Copenhagen’s waters were warm enough for swimming. Even more unexpected was
the fact that Island Brygge baths, located right in the harbor, was a popular
spot for swimming. Located in the narrow channel of the harbor, with a backdrop
of industrial buildings as well as stylish Danish architecture, it seemed an
area that would be more inclined to riverside activities but not actual water
sport. Many residents could be found sunbathing on the lawns as well as
barbequing and drinking beer.
Beer seems to be popular in
Copenhagen. It might just be a summer thing but pubs were open as early as 9
a.m. and people were already having pints on a Friday morning.
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