Highlights: Alternative Tour around Copenhagen, Delicious Danish Sausages and Beer

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My 20 hour bus ride to Copenhagen, ended as I watched the sun rise over the Baltic Sea. It was breathtaking. I then got to walk around Copenhagen the entire day. My friend and I took a general Copenhagen tour to orient ourselves and to learn about the culture. One major part of Danish culture is hygge.  

 

Hygge is the feeling of being cozy.

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No matter what temperature it is, people will sit outside and enjoy coffee around a fire. From the time kids are born, they are supposed to spend an hour outside - even if this means leaving them to nap all bundled up in the cold. In the words of a Dane, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."

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Denmark is one of the happiest places in the world. There is a darker side of Copenhagen, as there is with any city. We saw a little bit of this on an "Alternative Tour," taking us to backstreets and ending in Christiana - which is in short a hippie village that doesn't abide by Danish law.

 

Copenhagen and Denmark still have social issues despite their level of happiness, such as prostitution and hard drugs. Prostitution is a legal job, with many regulations. For the drug issues, Denmark made the controversial decision to open "fixing centers." These allow people to legally obtain their "drug fix" from doctors and nurses. What also struck me was that the main fixing center in Copenhagen, also the largest in the world, is 20 feet from one of the trendiest brunch spots in the city. What?! Yes. It was interesting to hear about how Denmark deals with these problems that are present in all countries. 

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Besides the tours, we also enjoyed some wonderful food. We stopped in the Meat Packing District at a GREAT sausage restaurant, Johns Hot Dog Deli. Next door there is also a brewery, called Warpigs Brewpub. Warpigs is a collaboration between the Danish brewery Mikkeller and 3 Floyds of Indiana (heck yeah Indiana!). I am not a beer or meat gal typically, but the brisket burnt ends, baked beans, pickles and sour beer were INCREDIBLE! 

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All in all, my time in Copenhagen was delightful, with great food and culture. I learned about hygge and  experienced it first-hand thanks to the hospitality of our AirBnB host.

 

Also, if you are ever in Copenhagen, Sweden is just a train ride away.