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A Year in Copenhagen

My time in a little utopia. That’s the only word that seems to reflect life in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The city is big enough to be exciting but small enough to remain cosy and be able to get anywhere on bike. Known for its old school charm, beautiful people and progressive way of life- Copenhagen, or copes, as I like to call it, is beyond compare.

Even though thinking about my time in Copenhagen makes me feeling an intense longing and nostalgia, I’m determined to push through in hope to inspire a similar new lease on life that the city gave me. So here it is.

I lived in central Copenhagen. I met lifelong friends. I travelled. More than anything, I was happy. Copenhagen allowed me to not only have an entire year of being truly happy, but it provided me with experiences, new understandings about ways of living and about myself. This happiness, feeling of content and simple way of life can be called the Danish way, and I think this is probably the main reason why I loved Copenhagen and my time there so deeply.

Here are some of my favourite snippets.

Walking around Indre By at 9am

Indre By is the central city area, though it’s pretty small. I remember walking across Kings Garden and into town for my morning coffee and finding that everything was shut and no one seemed to be awake. There’s a few stray bike riders, some young mums pushing prams and other than that, not much else…

Danes wake up slow. Danes move slowly. As a result, Places don’t really open until 10am, and school and work starts at a similar time. Initially in shock that I couldn't get my morning coffee, I instead went to the park, read my book and looked at the clouds. I’m thinking that I am adopting the Danish way of life by necessity, and I’m thinking I’m going to love it here.

Riding my bike

Riding a bike is reminiscent of childhood. Feelings of being free, happy and just having fun. As an adult, these feelings still persist. And, in Copenhagen, bike is basically the only way to go. It’s small and flat and everyone owns a bike, not a car. Every time I’d ride my bike, sincerely christened Blythe, I would instantly feel elated. So no matter what I was doing or where I was going, if I was riding my bike there, I was already feeling good.

Seeing everyone on bikes also exudes a quaint, simple way of life that is just nice to see. Not to mention, it’s great for the environment! This fits well with Denmark’s reputation as an environmental powerhouse.

A night out on the streets of Copenhagen was also quite the charade. It was hilarious, as everyone left the bars on their bikes, riding unusually fast or maybe a bit wobbly, sometimes with two or three others somehow piled on the back.

Moral of the story: We all need to ride more bikes!

Walking home in the 3pm sunset at peek hour

Another favourite. I’d usually do my groceries around this time. I’d take the short stroll down the street lined with tall, colourful houses and turn into the little corner store. I’d grab some (very expensive) groceries and stroll slowly back to my place.

As we already know, the Danes take things slow. This is the same for work and school hours- everyone is home by 4pm!

The sun would be setting, the sky a subdued pink purple glow. Young kids are walking safely home with their friends, mums and dads riding by with the little ones in the front of their bikes, a few cars driving by, but not many. People are nibbling on pastries and hotdogs, the air is crisp, as everyone escapes home to their warm, cosy, candlelit homes.

I miss these peaceful walks.

Hiking in the Danish countryside

You know when people ask you what’s been your most spiritual experience to date? Well this is mine. I took myself on a three day solo hiking trip to Møn, a costal country town about an hour and half drive from Copenhagen, or a three hour train-bus-bus trip (my route!).

I stayed in a guesthouse and can honestly say I didn't talk to a single soul except for the receptionist the entire time, who could barely hold a conversation in english in any case.

It was summer and I spent three days walking- along the hills, pathways winding through farmyards, up costal cliffs, along pebbly beaches and roaming the streets of quaint little towns. Having literally no other means of transport except your legs really means you do a lot of walking, and a lot of seeing.

Walking also means, thinking time. Walking and being truly alone for three whole days in the charming Scandinavian countryside was invaluable for my headspace. Being somewhere I wanted to be for so long, I set goals, I discovered what I wanted out of the next year, out of my life, I formed new ideas about who I wanted to be and who I wanted to spend my days with.

When I think about where I am now and how much I’ve grown, I credit it to this trip.

Just sitting by the water

Copenhagen is surrounded by water. In the summer, everyone is jumping off the decks and floating in the ocean. Riding my bike to the water, sweating by the time I get to the bay and jumping in after quickly parking my bike, was the best feeling. Everyone would lay in the sun after, reading, eating peaches and grapes.

In the winter, it’s just as mesmerising. There is a crispness to the water that makes your skin tingle. In the very cold months, it becomes covered in frost. The swans get stuck and its quite funny to watch them struggle. Poor things, must be freezing! The sunsets across the water in winter are also something to see that’s for sure. Taking my bike for a spin around the lakes on a winters afternoon was one of my greatest pleasures.

Falling in love

But my favourite snippet from my year in Copenhagen is finally knowing the feeling of falling in love. Unlike falling in love with a person, I fell in love with a place. Also unlike falling in love with another person, it’s always there and you can return to that love whenever you want. I have more pictures of Copenhagen than any person on my phone, if that’s not proof of true love, I don’t know what is.