The desire to visit Denmark goes back six years for me.  While studying in London, I interned at a nonprofit organization.  One of my supervisors was a well-spoken, interesting Danish woman.  She would tell me about the traditions unique to her country, like high school graduates riding through the streets and going from house party to house party immediately after their graduation ceremonies, celebrating this achievement well into the early hours of the morning.

A few years later, I found a copy of A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell at a library book sale in Glastonbury, Connecticut.  When this book came out I remember seeing it on various Must Read Lists.  Books about another’s personal experience living in a different country or city always appeal to me.

Two years past scoring this book for $1, I finally nestled into the grass in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and devoured it.

Scandinavia has been a dream of mine to explore for years, but I always felt like I was ‘saving it’ for when I had more money and time to properly give the region the attention it deserves.

Flash forward to about a year beyond finishing A Year of Living Danishly, I moved to Norway last month and jumped at the opportunity to see Copenhagen for the first time.

Further Reading: I Moved To Norway

When we saw that DFDS offered an online deal for 190NOK (about $20USD) for the pair of us to take the overnight mini-cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen and back, the decision made itself.  For that low price, we boarded the ship around 3:30pm, dropped our backpacks overflowing with bananas, homemade sandwiches, red wine, and clean socks, and found plush armchairs facing floor to ceiling windows looking out at the fjord.

A friend currently lives in Copenhagen.  So when we docked in port at 9:45am, he welcomed us to a wet, windy city.

He walked us by the Little Mermaid statue, Nyhavn (the famous colorful old port), and took us to lunch at Mirabelle Bakery where I couldn’t get enough of the homemade sourdough bread.  Six hours was just enough time to meander through a few beautiful streets and picturesque squares.

This quick trip was barely a scratch on the surface of everything Copenhagen has to offer. I’m already planning what to see and do next time!

Here’s what on my To Do List for next time…

Coffee, Breakfast, Brunch at:
Kalaset
Mad and Kaffe
Atelier September

Dinner at:
BÆST
Noma

Drinks at:
Rudo
Balderdash

Art & Culture:
Design Museum
National Museum
Christiansborg Palace

What’s your favorite thing to do in Copenhagen?