In the spirit of the festive season I decided to dedicate this post to the things I like most about my new ‘host’ city Copenhagen – and about Denmark in general. Having been away on holiday actually helps, as I can already tell what I miss about this place when I’m away. So here goes:
The bread. A small but important thing. Real bakeries are a thing of the past in London and New York, notwithstanding the occasional feeble attempt at a revival, but in Copenhagen they exist in decent numbers (perhaps not at Parisian levels, but still impressive). Yes, they’re outrageously expensive, but it’s nice to have good quality freshly baked bread so accessible. And while we’re on the topic of outrageously expensive food items I should mention coffee, too – once you get over the price you appreciate the ease with which you can get a good cup of coffee in a European city outside of Italy.
Then there’s the waterways – the lakes, the harbour and the canals of Copenhagen make it a place where water is visible in so many areas, giving it a sense of beauty and serenity that every big city needs. Another thing that renders Copenhagen an aesthetic place is the soft light glowing through its residents’ windows – I’m always amazed how light in Denmark is a soft yellow as opposed to the harsh white seen in most of the world. Without doubt one of the best aspects of the ‘hygge’ culture. And the fact that most flats and houses have no curtains on the windows says so much about people’s desire to bring the outdoor inside and not shut themselves away behind closed doors and blocked windows, creating an inviting sensation and adding beauty to Copenhagen’s night-time cityscape. I love that.
And of course, how can I not mention the bike lanes, Copenhagen’s pride and joy – and rightly so. I’ve never experienced such an efficient and comprehensive cycling infrastructure, making transportation within the city so quick and easy, and keeping everyone in shape while at it! Even though I sometimes feel Copenhagen’s cyclists are the equivalent of New York’s cabbies (I once saw a cyclist speaking on the mobile phone on one hand and holding a cigarette on the other, while trying to put on a jacket – and overtaking me at the same time), I’ve taken to cycling like I never have before.
As for Denmark in general the list is quite long: I love that there’s nothing unusual about people leaving work at 16:00 to pick up the kids from childcare, irrespective of gender and seniority. I love that in my daughter’s ‘pegebog’ the bus-driver is a woman rather than a man, and the parent pushing a baby-stroller down the street is a father rather than a mother. And what summarizes this point better than the fact that Denmark has a ministry for gender equality. This says so much about the values and priorities of this region, and I can only hope the rest of the world one day follows suit. Some countries already have.
I also like that people here are annoyingly good looking. It often makes me feel jealous and inadequate, but it adds so much to the general aesthetic nature of this place. And I never cease to be impressed by the average Dane’s language skills, superior to all other nations I’m personally familiar with. A while ago I watched the TV show ‘Udland’ and was dumbstruck when I saw the host Erkan Özden switch to fluent English to interview an American living in Denmark, followed by fluent Turkish when interviewing a Turkish band visiting Denmark. It’s not only the fact that he could speak 3 languages fluently that I liked, but also the fact that the entire sequence was aired on Danish public television as a matter of fact. Somehow I can’t see that happening in the US.
Another thing I recently saw on TV struck a chord with me – it was a female politician being interviewed in a news program wearing a smart suit… and hiking boots. It was snowing that day. I thought it was just great that neither she nor anyone else saw anything wrong with a senior politician appearing on national television wearing a suit and hiking boots. There’s something very Danish about that, and it says a lot about the focus on substance rather than style in Danish politics.
And a couple of more points on the topic of Danish politics – it’s so refreshing to see the level of trust Danes have in general in their politicians and political system. I realize it’s on the decline, but it’s still significantly higher than in most other countries, and I hope it stays that way (a recent international survey on this topic by the British Office of National Statistics ranked Denmark first in the world, with 50% of the population trusting politicians). And it’s great to witness how engaged and involved the Danes are politically. While many Western nations are showing increasing political apathy, the Danes seem to be actively debating anything from immigration and pollution to social policies and international diplomacy (anything except for taxes it seems, but that’s a topic for another post), making this a dynamic democracy.
I could mention a lot more things, like the genuine and direct way in which the Danes express themselves, dispensing with the multitude of filters and formalities so beloved by Anglo-Saxons (yes, the result can be offensive but communication is less formal, companies are less hierarchical and people are more real). Or the fact that trains and airports can cope with snow blizzards without a complete system breakdown. What a change from England! But if I keep going I might lose any credibility as an objective critic of Denmark so I’m going to have to stop here. Happy new year everyone!
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