So, work moves myself and the rest of my family (Wife/13 yo Son/10 yo Daughter) to wonderful wonderful Copenhagen next weekend.
We are incredibly excited and having lived in Coventry our whole lives are readying ourselves for the smorgasbord of great food, people and culture that living in a capital city offers us.
We have schools, housing etc all sorted but have yet to figure out our plan of attack in terms getting the most out of our time there, which will be at least 3 years.
So, any suggestions of must do’s, must avoids from past Copenhagen/Denmark visitors and residents would be much appreciated.
The floor is yours….
Twang says
It’s a fab place and bloody cold in the winter. Take jumpers and woolly hats. Have fun.
garyjohn says
A few years back, I worked at a school in a remote area of Australia – (remote, Australia, hard to believe huh?) and a young single bloke arrived on staff. As was his wont, he tried a spot of internet dating which revealed there was not a single eligible female within a radius of 200 kms!
Anyway, he adjusted his parameters and hooked up with a woman in Copenhagen where he now resides, married and with a young daughter. I visited last September and can heartily recommend a wander around Freetown Christiana followed by a trip across the bridge to Inner Oesterbro where you can get great herring and smørrebrød at Lumskebugten.
neverflown says
Thanks @garyjohn. Our apartment is in Østerboro so will be sure to check is out. Appreciate the tips.
garyjohn says
YW. You could try Relæ, located in Jægersborggade, Nørrebro too where we had what our ‘waitperson’ described as the ‘first organic rabbit in Denmark’.
(The place was mobbed and it seemed everyone was having it, so it must have been a big f****r.)
Moose the Mooche says
Hope for me, I hope for you.
Tiggerlion says
I think you’ll have to start travelling by plane. 😉
Moose the Mooche says
You can drive there. Takes a f888off long time but you can.
Tiggerlion says
And costs ten times as much.
Moose the Mooche says
…well except you don’t have to buy a car when you get there.
garyjohn says
Cyclists are the kings and er, queens of the road in Copenhagen. Ermine and lycra everywhere.
Moose the Mooche says
Well that needs sorting out then. TAKE YOUR CAR.
Weirdos!
Kaisfatdad says
Lucky you! This time next year, you will be only 45 minutes away from the best music festuval on the planet: Roskilde. I’ve just got back from this year’s which was as wonderful as ever. A Nordic Glasto perhaps?
Roskilde also has a rather fine Viking Ships museum, a grand cathedral and is a very charming town.
One interesting challenge that awaits you is the Danish language. Bursting at the seams with extraordinary vowel sounds. Maybe Ms Bender here can help you? (I’m sure she would boost Moose’s linguistic competence!)
Everybody speaks excellent English of course. This English language newspaper will be very useful for you.
https://www.thelocal.dk/
I see they have a report on Roskilde too.
dai says
Yes, I would say most important thing and main priority should be to learn the language. Everything else will follow. Kids will be OK, much harder for an adult. Hopefully you have already started.
neverflown says
Yes, we are on our way with Danish and have twice weekly sessions booked up. I fave been told that the toughest part is learning which vowels never get pronounced.
Twang says
Having learned French whist living there one tip is to listen to the radio, even if it’s incomprehensible at first. Find their equivalent of Radio 4 where they aren’t speaking argot, listen in the car etc, and you’ll soon start to absorb phrases, key words etc without noticing.
neverflown says
Great tip. Thanks!
Will resist the urge to stream 6Music in the car.
Neela says
A Swedish comedian did a bit on the fact that even Danes can’t understand Danish. Needless to say he did it in Swedish, so I guess you’ll have to learn Swedish too. Sorry.
Oh, and good luck with everything! It’s a beautiful city. Just watch out for the cyclists!
bricameron says
I wanted to post Scott Walker but YouTube no likey Canada. WTF’s up with that? We’re the friendly nation!
😂
retropath2 says
Youtube is getting ever so picky, reserving availability forth, I dunno? Who gets to see all these unsmiley sorry vids? Who in the AW diaspora can answer? Calling Sweden, Oz, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Spain and the US?
duco01 says
Good luck to you and your family, neverflown.
I moved to a Nordic capital city 28½ years ago … and I’m still here. So it can’t be all bad.
Kaisfatdad says
The year of living Danishly by relocated UK journalist Helen Russell is selling like hot cakes at Copenhagen airport.
Here’s a taste. An amusing read about Danish expressions.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/11461198/The-10-funniest-Danish-expressions-and-how-to-use-them.html
Living in Copenhagen you are a short train ride across the bridge to the lively city of Malmö. They have to all intents and purposes become twin cities. I have a friend who commutes into Copenhagen and another who often pops over to Denmark to go to gigs.
neverflown says
Thanks Kaisfatdad. Read the book and found it both enjoyable and informative.
Kaisfatdad says
I will knock together a playlist of Danish music for you. A crash course that will you a few points of reference if you meet any music nerds. Some of the best concerts at Roskilde this year were by Danish acts. All new names for me.
neverflown says
That is incredibly generous of you and would be lapped up by me. Thanks a million.
Kaisfatdad says
Not at all! It would give me a chance to revisit a lot of old favourites and try and fill in the gaps in my own knowledge. It is in the pipeline.
Kaisfatdad says
I had so much fun doing this. Revisiting lots of favourites and finding new ones too. Press the Random button and enjoy! Or not!!
Kaisfatdad says
Just stumbled across this.
https://thevinylfactory.com/features/the-definitive-guide-to-copenhagens-best-record-shops/
A few record shops to explore once you are settled in.