Today I ventured into the city for the first time to meet up with some fellow DIS students. Even the snow/sleet/hale didn’t take away from my first experience in this amazing city.. I’m already in love with it!
I took the train into the city early this afternoon. I made very certain to take “tog 2” because I was informed by the nice concierge that “tog 1” goes to Sweden! The directions to the place where I planned to meet up with my classmates seemed simple enough, that is until I actually got off the train and started wondering around the city. I found that city streets in Copenhagen aren’t as clearly marked or as straight as those in most U.S. cities; one street will suddenly end and another will begin without any indication. Thankfully, the Danes I met were very willing to offer directions when I pointed to, since I couldn’t pronounce, the street I was looking for. After an hour of wondering around enjoying a great latte from a coffee shop where I stopped to ask for help, I finally found our meeting place (only ten minutes late!).
Two of the DIS students I met up with are year long students, so they were here last semester and knew their way around the city. We walked around for a couple hours, window shopping and getting the lowdown on the best places to eat and study. One of my favorite sights was the beautiful and historic Nyhavn port. I can’t wait to enjoy a nice lunch at one of the cafes lining the water when the weather warms up!
When we could no longer feel our hands or feet, we warmed up in a nice cafe. All the walking had made us pretty hungry, so we headed back to Torvehallerne, two amazing buildings making up a market filled with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wines, chocolate shops, and restaurants where you can grab a quick (and amazing) bite to eat. Needles to say, I was in heaven, if not a little overwhelmed by it all! I almost ordered from a cool looking shop that cooked paleo dishes using local, organic ingredients. I couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu, though, so I opted for the fresh pasta place where the others were going. I had pesto pasta washed down with a shot of grappa – an Italian brandy, complements of the chefs at the restaurant who seemed to know the DIS students who were showing me and the other newcomers around. Torvehallerne is dangerously close to my classes, so I will probably become a lunchtime regular. I must try all the chocolate and cheese places before I leave… obviously.
Taking the metro back to the hotel was quick and easy. I’m coming to find that public transportation in Denmark is really as great as everyone said. Tomorrow I finally get to move into my kollegium, which the other DIS students said is in a great location. Can’t wait to get settled in and learn my way around the city so I can stop looking like such a tourist!!
“If Copenhagen were a person, that person would be generous, beautiful, elderly, but with a flair. A human being that has certain propensities for quarrelling, filled with imagination and with appetite for the new and with respect for the old – somebody who takes good care of things and of people.”
– Actress Connie Nielsen
Dirt Roads to Denmark 