Sep 13-26, 2022
If you find some place you really love, enjoy it as much as you want. Even if no one else sees it, have fun..
Two weeks in Copenhagen. I needed a place that was kind and caring. I visited for four days in 2016. My traveling companion said that he had seen it all and wouldn’t need to come back.
I fell in love with the people, the place, the arts, the culture, and much more.
Why are Danes often rated as the happiest people? I asked and they told me. They are human. They care for each other. Not everything works well. The Danes get angry and even talk about road rage. “We yell at each other not tourists. “ Then they smile.
I had many days that I just enjoyed being there.
The Danes are kind and caring. Go into the places that they enjoy. And Danes who were born in Denmark are of every race and background and make it more beautiful. Often Danes of all ages struggled to speak English. Travelers don’t often visit the places they live. They wanted to know why I was there. Translate the Danish you find. They don’t share everything in English. Ask more questions.
I brought home a deeper understanding of life and happiness.
Next time, I will go even deeper and farther away from tourist attractions.
I was reluctant to share my find. You probably won’t understand it. Good.
Will I only go Copenhagen? No. After that, I learned how to find similar places and things in Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice. (If interested, please read that post.)
Find the place you enjoy being. I’m working on that back in Milwaukee.
Posted by
la la land...
842 posts
Glad you found your 'happy place'. Mine is Paris...
But on Copenhagen I am more in the camp of your travel companion who declared 4 days was enough for him..umm, .me, too.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16240 posts
I have the opposite view to Jojo. I had reason to visit Copenhagen 5-6 times in the 1990’s and always enjoyed my time there, lookimg forward to a return. I would describe Copenhagen to friends as “like Paris, but the people are nice”.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6299 posts
I enjoyed Copenhagen while I was there but don’t have any real desire to return. I have a feeling I will like Norway or Sweden better. I am surprised, however, that the OP found so many Danes who did not speak English well. My experience was the opposite. I’m sure there are rural areas in Denmark where English is not utilized as much, but Copenhagen is pretty cosmopolitan and everyone I spoke to responded in very good English
Posted by
237 posts
I understand. Thanks for sharing.
In college I had a professor from Manchester, England.
Several class members were talking about taking a European tour after graduation one day. London, Paris, Rome, the usual . . . .
The Prof. made a comment, "Going to London and thinking you've seen England is like going to NYC and thinking you've seen the U.S."
I'm a descendant of Danish ancestors. Copenhagen would be nice to visit. But that's not where my people came from. I'd like to see their villages.
Posted by
Almost Heaven
2945 posts
khansen, your professor is exactly right. NYC, London, etc. are wonderful, cosmopolitan, international cities.
One has to get away from these areas to find the true essence of a country, the salt-of-the-earth types.
On a country road in West Virginia I had a flat tire. No fewer than three people stopped to help, even though with all of my short comings, I can change a tire. So, they chatted with me a bit and went on their way, complete strangers. You don't find this kind of thing everywhere. Why did they stop? It's the right thing to do.
Nobody had a vacuous, idiotic smile, just a down-to-earth warmth and friendliness.
My best memories are well off the beaten path during my travels.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2018 posts
I get it. I am the same way with Iceland. It is our happy place and we return over and over.
We really enjoyed Copenhagen. Out son did a study abroad term in nearby Lyngby so we visited him during his time there. He showed us all the touristy parts, but also a lot of other areas closer to him. We enjoyed our time there, but are not in a rush to go back. Probably because we keep going back to Iceland;)
Posted by
2311 posts
While I'm not likely to return to either Denmark or Sweden anytime soon, I found the people to be warm and inviting.
.
As for Milwaukee, my comfort place while travelling through on business was The Pfister Hotel.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6299 posts
Mike, that happened to me once in Adams County in Ohio (part of Appalachia). My sister and I were visiting there for the day and got a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere. Not being as skilled as you, we had no idea how to change it and there was no cell service. There was a house nearby but there were no electrical wires and it had a buggy in front, so we knew it was an Amish household; ergo they would probably not know about cars.
We were looking at the car manual when a Amish man walked from up from the house and asked if we needed help. We explained and he said, "I can help with that." He told us his name (Mose) and changed the tire in no time and all, and when we tried to pay him, he said, "Just help someone else down the road." He then walked back to his house so we got back in the car. And then the unthinkable happened - the car would not start. We were in despair until Mose appeared again. He laughed and and asked what the problem was. He then went off to get his generator (or something like that) from the barn. Within a short time, he had charged the battery and we were good to go.
I have never forgotten the kindness of Mose in those back hills of Ohio.