I've been traveling quite a bit and these posts are coming out of chronological order but nobody knows except me, right? Right. So here we go with my first time in Copenhagen. When I started planning my summer trips I wanted to explore some Scandinavia design, which is right up my alley. Combine that with Copenhagen's infamous Nordic cuisine that has always intrigued me, and I found myself riding a bike all over this Danish city.
I'm going to stop right here and say... I never warmed up to Copenhagen. I'd heard from multiple people that it's one of their favorite cities and it is absolutely beautiful. But I just could not feel a connection to it. I think part of it was that it was very expensive and that was quite off-putting to me. I'm never ever ever one to be cheap when it comes to good food, but kept thinking "I'm paying how much for this meal?!" And it was definitely tasty + dining experiences that I really wanted to have. But I don't think that's the best mindset to be in for sitting back and enjoying a new place.
I learned on the first day that the public bus was also costly so I rented a bike for the rest of the trip. Copenhagen is an incredible biking city, arguably the best in the world. Everyone rides! It's so safe and drivers are used to having all of the bikers on the road. Best way to see the city.
And of course the design. Everything is so well designed in the city. If I could have afforded it (and had the suitcase space) I would have brought home so many dishes, office supplies, and furniture. The concept stores were impressive and my favorite was definitey Hay:
I biked all over town to taste what Copenhagen has to offer. And there was so much. I visited Torvehallerne for lunch, which is a fantastic food market. Also at the top of my must-eat list was Kodbyen's Fishmarket, which was INCREDIBLE and a meal at Meyer's Deli, the ultimate Danish cuisine:
I found Schonnemann's closed for renovations when I showed up and didn't make it to Manfred's, so go and test them out for me please. Rene Redzepi's Noma has been named the best restaurant in the world for years running but as one of the hardest reservations to get, it also alluded my budget. I did treat myself to the smaller tasting menu at Relae and was seated at the chef's table, offering a top notch night of good food + making friends with the young chefs. I also loved Atelier September, which is an Instagrammer's dream. However the views come with a price tag of $22 for a latte + avocado toast:
I stayed in a perfect apartment I'd booked on Airbnb which belonged to a graphic designer and filled with a lot of his personal artistic touches. And great design, naturally.
It was far from being an awful trip, I just never fell in love with the city like I did with the rest of the places I visited this summer. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe I'll revisit Copenhagen again. I think there's a bike ride to Noma some day in my future.
