Getting Cold in Copenhagen

 

Should I retitle it into "Coping in Copenhagen"?

I underestimated Fall and did not bring my Winter jackets because they are heavy. Flying to this side of Europe, I regretted not coming prepared, weatherwise. In short, my very first tip is to not hesitate to bundle up when you are traveling in Fall. I ended up suffering from colds and occasional coughs. I thought it was COVID 2.0 for me. But thank God, I tested negative. Sadly, though, my son got the cold, too.

Anyway, there is so much more to Denmark than the coldness it brought to my Asian skin and lungs. We enjoyed the clean and green parks, the crisp air despite the presence of automobiles, and all the other Europe stuff and sights that wowed my eyes (watch the video). 

As for food, it is funny because I went for Thai food for my first lunch. It's in the video. It cost me DKK300 (about PhP2,300 for three kinds of dishes good for two to three people). Yes, pricey! This leads me to my third takeaway: The cost of living in Denmark is expensive, especially if you live in the city center. Even our train ride is costly. I think this is why many of them use bicycles.

 The usual fare on the menu is Western: hotdogs, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and the like. We craved Asian food, not necessarily rice. My son missed chicken curry, so he ordered an extra serving of rice! Haha! I went for my comfort food, noodles! My husband loves burgers, so that is what he always has, and pizza too.

Locals say that seafood is a luxury here. So I did not attempt to eat crabs and clams even if I wanted to. It's ironic, considering that Nyhavn, one of the oldest canals and source of seafood trading, is located at the city center.

I noticed that the Danish love their pastries and bread. They are on every street corner. My husband bought half a dozen one time. And yes, well, pastries, sweets. What else should I expect? Haha!

One of the cab drivers said that one wrong turn further on one of the highways could take us to Sweden. For a traveler, that's the beauty of staying in a Schengen zone. One can freely fly or drive in and out without any strict Immigration checks. I enjoyed flying to Warsaw and Prague because of this. It was like domestic travel even if I was crossing countries. (Wait for my blogs on these places coming soon!)

On one of our walks in the city center, we stopped by a waffle shop. We were surprised that the young guy making the waffle talked to us in Tagalog, although he had an accent. He said he came from Norway and moved to Denmark because it is more expensive to live in the former than in the latter. We chatted a bit longer while he was making the most delicious waffle. (The truth is, it was the only waffle we bought! Haha! But my husband said that it was good.)

Anyway, getting sick with a cold or not, there is a lot to explore in Denmark. I must admit I found it a bit boring and sad, at first, because of the rain and the gloom of the overcast skies! This is the perfect "emote" weather. Nevertheless, the country has a lot to offer to curious wanderers who are not time- or budget-bound.