I write to you all from seat 31A in Delta Comfort Plus with about three hours left to go in my flight back to New York.
I left my Airbnb on Wednesday at approximately 5:35 AM Copenhagen time, or Tuesday 11 PM EST. My boyfriend was still awake, my friend Clare was still sending me her nightly Tweets, and Eliza on the West Coast was just wrapping up dinner. I ordered a smoothie and a coffee at the world’s worst Joe and the Juice in the airport, bought some last-minute souvenirs at a kiosk, and made my way through passport control, all while contemplating my time here.
As Søren Kierkegaard once said, “I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by sitting still, & the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.”
I averaged 17k steps a day in Copenhagen. Throughout my 100,000+ steps, I thought about a lot of things. I had a lot of great ideas. I never felt lonely once, which was pretty incredible to me. Despite all of the excitement I felt over the few months leading up to this, I still had a morsel of fear in the back of my brain. Who would I talk to all day? How would I fill my time? What if all of my friends hung out without me while I was gone and made entirely new memories that erased the ones we had made over the last 20 years? What if, what if, what if!!!!!!
What if’s have been the biggest enemy of mine for the last few years, and really my entire life. Nothing has ever felt more real to me than things that probably weren’t going to happen. Over the last year, I’ve finally gotten control and relief over them, hence the idea being born for this trip.
To make a long story short, my first-ever solo trip was better than I ever imagined. I was completely autonomous, no work to report into, nobody to revolve my plans around, nothing on my schedule besides flying in and flying out. The only time I cried was at the Louisiana Museum (more on that later), and the only time I felt any sort of self-consciousness was at the Danish Clandestino (Cafe Gavlen).
I’m coming back to New York well rested, excited to see my people again, extremely proud of myself, and ready to return. I am going to treat myself to an amazing Dunkin iced coffee and some Goodles, as well as a shower that doesn’t make my entire bathroom soaking wet. I’m going to use a bunch of paper towels. I’m going to do my version of “grounding” (park my freshly washed feet into my Ugg slippers).
MONDAY
Monday morning was planned to be spent at Darcy’s Kaffe, where I would do some writing and try what was allegedly the best and coolest coffee shop in Nørrebro. I wore my Cleo Camp x NEVERWORNS Splash tee, my newly-thrifted Nike capris (which are also on my body as I write this), and my On Clouds as I was projected to walk further than I had all trip.
I loved Darcy’s Kaffe, and it was for sure the best place to do work that I had found over the entire trip. The vibe was super cool, the Cardamom Bun I had was fabulous and so were the two coffees I indulged in, and much like everyone else in Copenhagen, the staff were lovely.
After getting fueled up, I decided it was the day that I was going to walk to The Little Mermaid statue, about an hour from where I was now, and shop along the way. It was getting colder and colder as the week progressed, so I bought myself this beanie that made everyone think I was a Danish-speaking local, which was funny because it was clearly such a touristy item.
The other stop I needed to make was to Pico, the famous accessories store just a few blocks away from the main shopping area. I got a flower clip, an acrylic cuff, and some gifts.
The park in which The Little Mermaid is located is quite beautiful. There was a cool church, their citadel, and some beautiful, quintessential Scandinavian hills. Ariel herself was a little underwhelming, but what can you do. It was still cool to see a landmark. I had a hot dog before heading back and hopped on the metro because my legs were so tired from lugging and collecting items that it was time to throw in the towel.
I relaxed on my couch for a few hours before heading back out for a chill night spent exploring the neighborhood a little more, visiting the Assistens Kirkegård, and grabbing a chill bite to eat.
Assistens Kirkegård was beautiful but strange considering it’s a cemetery? I saw the graves of Søren Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen alongside hundreds of others, paid my respects, and went to find something to drink.
I had Pico Pizza saved on my Google Maps per the recommendation of someone. A few days ago, I was morally against getting pizza in Copenhagen because I’m from New York. However, it was one the highest-rated restaurants that I had on my list, and it was completely empty considering I was opting for the geriatric special (4:45 PM dinner). I ordered a margarita (the drink) and two mini pies, one potato, one prosciutto, and a side salad. Besides OMAR, this was the best meal I had all week. Denmark has great pizza—egg all over my face, and I’m fine with that.
I had a night/eveningcap at Pompette, the wine bar that Dua Lipa made famous. It was lovely.
TUESDAY
My last day in Copenhagen. I woke up early to beat the rush at Juno Bakery to which I narrowly succeeded. I thought the line was bad when I got there, but while I waited 20 minutes, a queue so long developed that nobody at the back of it would be even smelling sugar until at least 45 minutes from when I walked out the door.
These were by far the best pastries I’ve ever had in my life. The line moves really fast. I got the blackberry cream puff and vanilla bean tart, as well as a coffee with one of their famous shortbread cookies. 10/10. I have no more words, for once.
I wore my new hair clip, a black sweater, and some cozy baggy jeans because after Juno I’d be heading to the Louisiana Museum via regional train about an hour north. The transfers from metro to train were super easy, so if you’re even in Copenhagen for just a few days, I’d highly recommend taking the time to go. As an art school graduate I’ve visited a lot of museums in my time and seen a lot of art, but this was by far the best assortment I’ve experienced. I started by visiting Sophie Calle’s photography exhibit called Something Missing, and finished at Lucian Freud’s retrospective. I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to see the works of two renowned artists, two that I probably would’ve never seen unless I went to Copenhagen. I was moved by Calle’s perspective as an aging woman, and Freud’s entire body of work that spanned over fifty years, with so many incredible collaborators like David Hockney and Kate Moss and his many wives. The exterior of the museum is just as beautiful as the interior, and I spent a lot of time just sitting on the stone steps looking out onto the Danish coast, past the North Sea horizon and over to Sweden.
I was starving upon return to the city so I opted for another Dua Lipa recommendation—Poulette. I love Chick Fil A with all of my heart and eat it often, so I’m not sure why I thought a European chicken sandwich would be able to compare. It was more than twice the price and about half as good. C’est la vie. I stopped at a vintage bookstore to buy a philosophy book for my boyfriend, got another coffee, and headed home for some more chill time.
My final evening was spent drinking some Pilsners and writing in a cafe. I had a reservation but I cancelled it and just got some halal. I was tired and ready to wrap things up. The Turning Chicken is a great local spot that was cheap, delicious, and fast.
I will always be thankful for this trip and will reminisce on it for the rest of my life. A time where I could use precious PTO days for some time to myself, get a 1 person Airbnb, and just think (in a good way) about it all.
This is the link to the Airbnb I stayed in. It was lovely and made me feel like a character in a rom com. If you’re going to Copenhagen by yourself, I’d highly recommend it.
Here is my final list of Copenhagen do’s and don’t’s:
DO
Swim in the sea (preferably at La Banchina)
Go to the Louisiana Museum
Go to Juno Bakery (no later than 8 AM, however)
Shop Nørrebro vintage
Do a boat tour (I did HeyCaptain)
Drink Pilsner
Eat at OMAR
Eat at Pico Pizza
Go to 7/11
Shop at Pico (not to be confused with the pizza)
DON’T
Ride a bike
Go to Poulette
Go to Original Coffee
Take Uber
If anyone has any other questions or wants further details, you know where to find me.
You described a GREAT trip. I'm envious of everything you saw and did. Travel is eye opening, and I'm sure you'll be traveling a lot in the future! I now have over 800,000 miles on Delta- and that doesn't include a lot of my non-rev travel- I'll get to that million!
What’s with the mismatched ratio of bun:hot dog