Embracing Hygge in Copenhagen

I’ve been browsing through my photos of past trips and realized that I never posted about our quick visit to Denmark.  Thanks to that sneaky little coronavirus, it doesn’t look like I’ll have much to write about in the near future, so it’s time to reminisce!  Eric and I visited Denmark in August 2019, en route to the Faroe Islands.  While our time there was brief, we fell in love with the sun loving locals of Copenhagen and their sense of community and well-balanced lifestyle.

Our time in Denmark was truly a blip in time: one night in Copenhagen (day of our arrival) and one night in Dragør (before our departure).  Our flight arrived early in Copenhagen, much too early to check-in, but we were able to take a quick nap in our hotel lounge, get some coffee and freshen up.  The staff at Hotel Bethel were extremely friendly, the breakfast was wonderful, and the location was ideally situated in the Nyhavn neighborhood.

View across from Hotel Bethel

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

Nyhavn

Amalienborg

Amalienborg

If you stay at Hotel Bethel, just be aware that if you take the metro from the airport, you will be walking about .4 miles along cobblestone roads to reach the hotel.  We typically travel with backpacks but on this trip we didn’t…my rolling carry-on didn’t stand a chance!  The metro was easy to navigate so I do recommend using it, just be thoughtful about your luggage.  Oh, and check out this retro hair dryer…

Hotel Bethel

hotel hair dryer

Nyhavn may be where all the grand buildings and the royals are, but just one block away along the river is where you want to be!  It was a sunny day when we were there, and all along the river we could see people sunbathing.  The city had lounge chairs in some places and I was lucky enough to claim one early in the day, but most people just laid out on the concrete or wooden decks.

Sunbathers

Christianshavn

Just across the bridge crossing into Christianshavn, we ate at the lively food market at Bridge Street Kitchen (Broens Gadeøkken).  As far as food markets go, this was one of the smallest ones we’ve been to in Europe.  It was basically a food court providing sustenance to the hungry sunbathers and cyclists, but the quality of food was excellent and the atmosphere was unlike any other.  Everywhere we looked, locals and tourists alike were enjoying the simple pleasures in life — good food, good company, and healthy activities.

Waterfront between Nyhavn & Christianshavn

Bridge Street Market

As a child of hippies who grew up on a commune, there was one destination I HAD to visit:  Christiania.  For those who have never heard of this alternative community, I highly recommend reading about it HERE.  For the sake of brevity in this post, I’ll just say this: it is a MUST visit, but make sure you go during the day and don’t panic when you see open drug deals.  The wacky buildings, lush gardens and zany artwork are difficult to describe and I wish I had photos to share, but we were advised not to take pictures and so we respected this.

Our perfect day in Copenhagen ended with a traditional dinner at Nyboders Køkken.  The restaurant was a cozy corner cafe in a quiet neighborhood.  We dined outside, listening to a group of young women belt out Abba from an open window, watching children ride their bikes, and wrapping up in blankets provided by the restaurant.  Providing blankets for outdoor seating was just one of many ways we experienced Danish hygge, which essentially means creating a warm, cozy atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life.  And in typical Danish fashion, we walked back to our hotel, meandering through neighborhoods and discovering the elusive Boltens Food Court.  I do believe part of my soul must be Danish.

Nyboders Kokken

across from Nyboders Kokken

Nyboders Kokken

Nyboders Kokken

Nyboders Kokken

Nyboders Kokken

across from Nyboders Kokken

Boltens Food Court

Stay tuned to find out more about the seaside town of Dragør and why you should definitely visit this hidden gem!