Copenhagen

Hi! I wanted to talk about my trip to Copenhagen!

So Copenhagen was my very first trip away from Paris. I went my 3rd weekend in because I needed an escape from Paris. Which sounds so bratty I know. But I was consumed with culture shock, the food, language, etc.

Since I booked it so last minute because I needed a mental break it was quite expensive, unfortunately. Oh well, money comes back, right?

Anyways let’s start:

Thursday.

I arrived supppppper early so I got into my hostel (early check-in thank goodness) and slept for like 3 hours. I was SO tired. But after I got up I went exploring. It was pretty dark and I needed to get dinner so I hopped on Tiktok to find a good dinner spot. I decided to go to a place called Hidden Dimsum.

I walked around a little before I decided to eat dinner and OMG I love Copenhagen. The essence is just so amazing. It’s so relaxing and it feels like people really care about having a high-quality stress free life. If you’ve seen videos about babies sleeping in the streets while their parents shop inside stores it’s real. It feels so safe. Children are just walking around by themselves and no one is batting an eye. Also so many bikes. Like BIKES ON BIKES. I’ve never seen more bikes in my life.

Anyway, I went to dinner and the waitress explained the “concept” of the store. She said you get around 3 dishes so I did. Turns out you don’t NEED to and I ended up spending like 62 dollars on dinner. The Danish krone to dollar ratio is the most confusing one I’ve had to deal with. 1 krone = 15 cents roughly. I got roasted duck, cucumber salad, and dumplings. The roasted duck might have been one of the best meals I've ever had. It had a crispy sweet outside and a juicy inside.

Usually, I wouldn’t go for duck but when I sat down this man next to me was eating it and I asked him what he recommended because I hate paying for food for it to not be good. Anyway, he said to get the duck and offered me some of his to try. Isn’t that so sweet? Anyway before I ordered the waitress said she only takes cash or mobile pay and I was like oh okay that’s fine I have Apple Pay whatever. NOPE. Mobile pay is an app they use in Copenhagen and you can only sign up for the app if you have a Danish phone number. NOT GOOD.

So I had to befriend this girl who replaced the man from earlier. I didn’t bring my debit card on the trip because I don’t like keeping all my cards together just in case I get pickpocketed so I couldn’t go to the ATM to get cash. She also didn’t have mobile pay or cash so we had to go to the ATM together, she had to pay for both of us in cash and I was just going to Venmo her. However, she didn’t have Venmo. I didn’t have Zelle so I had to Venmo her boyfriend's roommate who was then going to Zelle her. What a mess. It did end up working out though but it was very stressful. But the waitress literally did not care that we didn’t have a way to pay. We were stressed and she was like “It’s okay we will figure it out.” We offered to go to the ATM before we ate and she was like “No eat first don’t worry about it.” And then once we went to the ATM we offered to leave our stuff as collateral and she said we didn’t need to. How sweet. This example alone should show you have lovely the Danish culture is. Truly such a special place.

Friday

Have you ever tried a Danish hotdog? If not you NEED to. First of all the bun is so soft and not dry unlike the ones back at home, the meat tasted real lol and then there were so many toppings. Mustard, ketchup, Danish sauce with pickles in it, pickles, crispy onions, and then regular purple onions. UNBELIEVABLE. Tried a “famous” pistachio croissant. It was good but overpriced for sure and I got a coat from Gina Tricot and I love it.

Saturday

I just kind of made my way around town. Shopping for souvenirs, tried a Danish (kinda overrated tbh), and saw the iconic Nyhavn street. I just strolled and had a nice relaxing day.

Overview: Copenhagen was so amazing. The first trip of study abroad and such a good way to start it off. The people were so nice (everyone spoke really good English), the food was amazing, and the overall environment was amazing. I understand why it is popular and also one of the #1 safest countries for women. If you ever get to go I would. I went in the winter and I could only imagine it in the Summer. Copenhagen has a special place in my heart for sure.

Bye.