5 good things in Copenhagen
I just returned from a few childfree days in Copenhagen. Having always dismissed the city as ‘clean Berlin’ — in spite of ever visiting — it was time to check things out for myself.
I was sort of right. Like in Berlin, everywhere you look there’s good coffee, nice apartments, trendy restaurants, street-drinking and bad service. However, the people of Copenhagen are much better dressed than their all-in-black-clad German counterparts.
Here are 5 good things I experienced whilst I was there:
Øresund Bridge
What’s the best thing about Copenhagen? The road out of it.
Only joking. That said, if you’re as oblivious to the wonders of The Øresund as I was on my flight over, looking out of the window to see its structure emerging from deep beneath the Øresund Strait is equal parts breathtaking and confusing.
It’s a motorway bridge with a railway underneath that connects the Danish capital with Malmö in Sweden. It’s nearly 5 miles long. It literally runs from above the water into the sea via a tunnel at the Swedish end. I don’t know what more to tell you.
The Øresund Bridge from above (via plane) and below (train)
Ankara Durum House
Despite bedding down for a 2 hour+ tasting menu at the actually quite good Jatak, the best thing I ate was a shawarma wrap from Ankara Durum House in Vesterbro.
86.1% of Denmark’s population is of Danish descent and Copenhagen’s food scene is equally homogenous. You can seemingly choose from modern European small plates, burgers, Italian or Mexican restaurants.
Turkish migrants, however, do make up a large percentage of the non-Danish population. Decent kebabs can therefore be found should you seek them.
That’s a wrap
Frederiksberg Svømmehal
The best thing I did during my trip was cycle over to this public pool in Frederiksberg. For 208 Krone you can access the immaculate pool and spa, which features multiple saunas, a salt water floatation pool, jacuzzi, cold plunge and more.
The main sauna had hi-end speakers that were playing Brian Eno when I visited. We get it, you’ve created a perfect utopian society, we get it.
Frederiksberg Svømmehal
Quality of the road surface
You know you’re a mid-thirties dad with a car once you start constantly talking about potholes. Unlike the UK, Copenhagen doesn’t seem to have any.
I didn’t drive or even take a taxi whilst there, yet I couldn’t help noticing how smooth the roads were.
The city’s infrastructure in general was flawless. Clean metro, punctual trains, segregated cycles lanes — all the stuff that’s impossible to implement in Britain.
Sense of calm
Copenhagen is chill, brø. There’s not much traffic, no shouting, no crime — it don’t think I heard a siren the entire time I was there.
I put it down to all the floating saunas on the waterfront.