Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen.

I found this piece that i wrote just before I started traveling around Europe. For some reason that I cannot remember I never managed to publish it! AHH! So here it is, I feel it still has some value. Therefore, if you are reading this bear in mind that I wrote this a while ago which is why the tense is now technically incorrect…. 

Even though I still have 2 weeks left in Denmark before I start to travel a bit more, I have been thinking about all the little things I am going to miss about this country…

Top of my list is of course the Danish bakeries. I will never get enough of the Danish pastries. In australia, and indeed the rest of the world the name ‘danish pastry’ refers to a sugary, doughy desert with some kind of fruit and cream inside. The real danish pastry is so much more then that. In Denmark they they are called ”Wienerbrød” and there is a wide veriety of different kinds of pastry. Some of the traditional and most popular pastrys are:

1. Frøsnapper - a twisted pastry with poppy and sesame seeds
2. Tebirkes – hollow with a smear of marzipan inside and poppy seeds on top
3. Spandauer - with a lemon cream and almond centre
4. Snegle - a spiral pastry filled with cinnamon sugar and topped with chocolate 
5. Kringle -a Nordic variety of pretzel, It can be both a sweet, salty or filled pastry.

My person favourites are number 1, 2 and 4.

This is followed closely by the Danish Pølsevogn (hotdog stands). We once visited Denmark (by we I mean my family and I) with ourAmerican friends, the Switzers. These were not friends we had met whilst living in the USA, they were actually our neighbours while we lived in the UK. I don’t actually remember why they came with us. To many, America is considered one of the hotdog capitals of the world, probably closely followed by germany with their stereotypically strange emphasis on sausage products. However, we coerced them into trying one, and from then on that was all Trish Switzer wanted to eat!!

Another thing i will sorely miss from Denmark is the Architecture. Everywhere you go you can’t help but be surrounded by beautiful and enchanting homes and buildings. In Australia I have experienced multiple scenarios where one of my friends will remark on how old a building is with a statement like: “It’s sooo old! Its like 100 years old at least!!” I can’t help but smile hearing australian’s talk like this because in Europe an 100 year old house is relatively new.

I know this may sound silly, but i have come to love the Danish 7-11!! It absolutely eclipses any 7-11 in Australia, and may I boldly say, the rest of the world! You can find all sorts of culinary delights at 7-11, including the pastries and hotdogs I mentioned earlier. You can also purchase alcohol! This turned out to be amazingly convenient when me and my girlfriend decided to hit the clubs in Copenhagen and decided to buy a drink for the road. We each bought a bottle of cider, which the employees gladly opened for us as we had no bottle opener on us. Brilliant!

Another thing I will sorely miss is hearing danish music on the radio. I have always tried to stay up to date with what new on the charts in Scandinavia, often to the incredulity of my friends who can’t understand how I know all the lyrics to Nik og Jay and Medina when they do not. Essentially, European music in general is catchy and far more cheerful then the average Australian song.

One thing that my mother would be happy to see then me when i get home, is all the liquorice I bring with me. The liquorice in this part of the world is amazing. Although many who grow up in Australia hate salty liquorice, I love it! It comes in myriad forms, all of which are unique and tasty. I think my favourites are the ‘Salty Fish’ and Super Piratos.

I have also grown accustomed to drinking water straight from the kitchen taps and having it taste good without the need of refrigeration. This was something we had to adjust to when we moved to Australia. There the water tastes slightly of chlorine!

Journalistic Failure.

So, I dismally failed in keeping up with this online account of my life in Europe. So much for my promising career in Journalism. In my defence, this is partly due to my complete lack of internet connection whilst hoping from hostel to seedy hostel through Europe. You could often see me and other desperate young-ens huddled in corners and standing in strange places, phones akimbo, in a vain attempt to achieve internet connection for long enough to update our Facebook status, (Because, if it’s not on Facebook then it didn’t happen). I did however keep a written account of my experience, I guess the art of putting pen to paper isn’t completely dead yet!. I would hate for my journeys to go unacknowledged by this blog of mine, therefore I am determined to copy down at least one experience every day. Here goes nothing..

First hints of spring

There is definitely a change in the atmosphere of Copenhagen when the frost on the ground has melted away and the sun’s warmth finally leaks through the clouds. There is an incredible sense of relief and excitment. Even I, who has spent the last 8 years of her life in temperatures above 20 degrees, now feels the same excitment as my fellow Danes. Summer is on it’s way!!

I was so excited when i steped out of the house on my way to work to find these greeting me by the front door. Snow Drops! A sure sign that the destructive frost is at an end.It was magical to see the changing of the seasons once again. Although we technically have the same seasons in australia there is no real difference. The only change is the temperature and the amount of rain we get. Basically we have two seasons. Hot with lots of rain and slightly cold with no rain. Not very exciting. But here everything around you changes. The flowers start to grown, leaves return to the once naked trees, the water defrosts, ducks return to the ponds, ice cream stores open, cafes put chairs outside and most noticable of all, people return to the streets! You can’t step into the city now without having to weave your way through the masses.

I’ve also recaptured my appreciation for the sun. Yesterday i went for a walk by the river with some friends, and sat by a bench with an ice-cream, soaking in the suns rays. It was in fact only slightly above 10 degrees but I could feel the warmth of the sun ever so slightly, and that was enough for me! And it looked to me like the rest of the city had the same idea as us, we could hardly find a spot to sit!

Copenhagen in Photographs

This gallery contains 15 photos.

A steadily growing collection of photographs.

I bike Copenhagen.

I mentioned in an earlier post the popularity of bikes as a main means of transportation. Well i don’t think i gave this interesting aspect of Copenhagen life the attention it deserved nor adequately described the magnitude of this phenomenon. Here are also some fairly dodgy photos I snapped on my iPhone.

No matter what the weather, the citizens of Copenhagen brave the dangerously vicious winds and slippery roads to get to their destination, by bike.

Scattered masses of discarded bikes can be found where ever you are. In some areas there are too many bikes for one designated area. I have witnessed bikes being thrown unceremoniously to the ground or atop other bikes. I am confronted with contorted tangles of metal everywhere I go. It’s a wonder anyone can even discern which bike is theirs at the end of the day.

The bike to car ratio is definitely different to that in Australia. I was told today that having a car in Denmark was a luxury. Also, friend of mine stated earlier that is was nearly as difficult traveling by bike as it is by car, as the traffic is just as bad. I can’t even imagine queuing on a bike! Here I find it hard to explain that in Australia cycling is more of a recreational activity, rather than a means of transportation.

Where do I belong?

No matter where you go, whether your meeting new people or with old friends, at a party or enduring a long day at work. Some good intentioned, seemingly friendly person seeking to create conversation asks “so, where are you from?” Oh how I rarely feel the desire to delve into the long-winded and convoluted answer to that question. When I ask my parents what to say when faced with this inevitable question my mother answers, “well my darling you are a citizen of the world! isn’t that fabulous!”…. no it is not.

On my way home from visiting family friends in Holbaek I was waiting at the station today for the Klampenborg train, cold winds leaking their way through my layers of clothes, right through to my bones. I had 14 minutes to wait, with no money or place to sit I had to stand on the platform trying not to succumb to the cold. My mind began to wonder, as minds often do when one is alone, and somehow got to thinking about national identity and the sense of belonging all people have to one nation or culture. For a long time now, possibly for most of my life in actual fact, I haven’t really had one cultural identity, nor one nationality to relate to.

I was born in Copenhagen, but with a father in the army we swiftly moved to a different country. We moved to many new homes in new countries in fact. I have so far lived in Germany, England, America and now Australia. For most of my childhood I felt secure in knowing that I was English but with strong Danish heritage. However, this year is the eighth year I have spent in Australia, meaning that I have actually lived there longer then I have in England. My time in England seems like a distant memory now. 

So does that mean I’m Australian? Well while I’m in Australia I certainly don’t feel like an Australian. Sure I’m technically a citizen, and I can understand and somewhat relate on some level to the strange culture. But essentially I am a foreigner. My friends introduce me as their Danish friend and make fun of me for my English ways. In all the time I’ve lived there I still cringe when someone calls me an Aussie. Why would I want to be associated with a place that views BBQs, bogans, thongs and tradies as staples of culture? And for gods sake Brisbane has been around for less time then the Tivoli theme park in Copenhagen! So, doesn’t this obvious reaction to a culture indicative that one clearly does not belong to it. If so then where do I belong if not to the country where I essentially grew into an adult? When I’m here in Copenhagen, all my claims of Danish heritage seem feeble. I have never lived here, my language is awkward and I can only write english.

In England I am now introduced as Olivia my Australian friend. Not Olivia, whom I went to primary school with or Olivia, my life long childhood friend or even Olivia, who used to live here before her evil parents decided to cart her off to the other side of the world. (It’s as if they wanted to get as far away as physically possible.) It seems at the moment, I don’t really belong anyway. As I pondered this I felt an incredible wave of sadness breaking over me. Actual tears welling in my eyes. Which was incredibly awkward given the fact that I was standing alone at a train station. Although this sounds unbelievable morose, I had never felt so alone in my entire life. I felt so far away from home.

So being a journalism student majoring in international politics, my mind soon began reflecting on these nationalist feelings of mine. It got me thinking, is nationalism still important, or even still truly possible? Since the emergence of the notion of nationalism in the eighteenth century, it has steadily evolved into something complex. It is essentially a political and cultural ideology that endorses a common identity within a group. However, it has become apparent, especially considering the contemporary trends towards globalization, that the definition of a nation are exceedingly ambiguous. Ethnic homogeneity as a precondition for nationality may seem essential but many countries are now made up of a mix of cultures, even those with strong national tendencies such a France and the USA. So there is no definite way to determine which nationality one belongs to. Birthplace, language and cultural upbringing all contribute, but none are without room for compromise, all are subjective.

Given the fact that globalization has now been acknowledged as a highly powerful and active phenomenon, why is it that not belonging to a nation causes these feelings detachment and loneliness. I think it is because, although it is essentially a relatively modern ideology; having only truly come about with the rise of democracy, industrialisation and popular sovereignty, it still claims to be profoundly ancient and deeply rooted in natural human instinct. It connects to the innately human need to belong to a group. Many feel that without a sense of belonging to a country an individual has no voice, no rights and no family… This is quite a bleak outlook on the way my life is turning out.

I was sinking deeper into a bit of a dark, depressing state at this point. Feeling very unwanted. Then a thought came to me, I had an epiphany that changed the way I looked at my problems with identity. Family! Half of my family are currently living in Denmark, as they always have done. Same goes for England. If family isn’t a strong link to national identity then I don’t know what is! So for me, I am only English and Danish. Not just because I have lived there, but because my family lives there. Family are part of who you are, and no amount of moving around can ever change that.

Snow in Copenhagen.

This is what I wake up to most mornings. It seems as though someone/something stealthily sprinkles a bright layer of white powder over everything in its reach, while we are all sleeping, unaware of the crazy whims of this unknown maniac. Either that of its really cold, resulting in snow every day…I guess you can decide. This morning I awoke to this. My world had been transformed. Everything, as far as the eye could see was covered in a thick blanket of snow and I’ve gotta say it really seems to make everything so much prettier. No more depressing tarmac, dirty sidewalks or dark concrete buildings. Everything looks clean and bright.

Granted no one likes to have to get up an extra 5 minutes in the morning in order to scrap ice and snow off the car before work. No one wants to wake up to that. But once that is done (or if you decide to take the bus instead) you can appreciate the aesthetic virtues of snow.

Although the snow stops some from traveling, due to the high risks of road accidents and of course the embarrassing occurrence of slipping over in the ice, it doesn’t stop everyone. Bikes still litter the sidewalks and the outskirts of shops and cafes. I can barley walk at a brisk pace without the fear of slipping over, but people here valiantly brave the icy roads with their bikes.

The most awe inspiring aspects of this type of weather, is how beautiful it is when the sun is out. Every colour is exaggerated by the snow. Every glimmer of light is reflected in the icy surfaces of the city. The world seems infinitely more beautiful and inviting.