The Best Things About Denmark and Why You Should Visit

As a Dane, I feel at one point uniquely qualified to write about my homeland, but at the same time, I will admit that I have a pretty strong bias when it comes to describing Denmark.

About six months ago, I chose to move to the UK to begin university. Don't get me wrong, England is an amazing country and I am not planning on leaving any time soon, but it has been during these past six months that I have realised how truly amazing Denmark is and why I am now pestering all of my friends to come and visit.

For those of you who don't know, Denmark is a small country—part of Scandinavia. It is geographically situated north of Germany, east of Scotland, west from Sweden, and south of Norway. If this still doesn't help you, I suggest you consult Google maps. During my time abroad, I have realised that not a lot of people know where Denmark is located and in some cases, what Denmark is.

"Denmark, isn't that one of those big towns in Sweden?" is one of the question I have been asked multiple times. Yes, multiple. So, in order to enlighten hopefully a little bit more of the world's population, I will tell you some of the very best things about Denmark and why you should definitely come and visit.

1. Denmark is an extremely tourist-friendly place without actually being a typical tourist destination.

If you decide on your trip to Denmark that you want to be bold and not visit the capitol, Copenhagen, but want to go exploring some of the other amazing Danish cities, but you're also a bit worried that, as soon as you step outside of the capitol, there will no longer be English translations to signs and there will no longer be people who speak English to guide you, should you get lost, to that I say: Don't worry! Most people in Denmark speak English fluently, even outside of the capitol, and most Danes are more than happy to help if they are able.

2. The food!

This is one of the things I have missed most since moving abroad...besides my family, of course. The Danish food scene is a varied one, but there is a main focus on wholesome, healthy-ish, organic, and straight up delicious food. Every time I have been home in Denmark I have tried to bring more food back than I can carry. Mainly I try to bring rye bread. And no, it's not the "brown toast" that people eat abroad. If there's one thing Danes can make, it is bread. Good, sturdy, filled with seeds, delicious rye bread. This is the bread that almost every Dane eats every single day, whether it's toasted for breakfast, packed as a lunch (which is what most kids have as their school lunch), or as a simple dinner. Needless to say, we don't just eat pure rye bread, we put different variations on top of it and call it smørrebrød. Its basically an open-faced sandwich on rye bread, but that's the glory of Danish food—it is very very simple. If you ever were to visit Denmark and you were looking for an activity to do, try and go to a local store and find some bread, toppings and drinks, and bring the whole thing to eg: a Zoo like Copenhagen Zoo or to an amusement park like "Bakken" (The Hill) where you can bring in your own food and see a little bit of the Danish nature whilst you have your lunch. This is something my family and myself have done many many times. If you're not so much of a picnic, eating-on-a-log-in-the-forest type of person, there are many wonderful restaurants in Copenhagen and around in Denmark that specialise in making traditional Danish food for a reasonable price. Christianshavns Færgecafe (Christianshabour's ferry café) in Copenhagen specialise in making traditional open-faced sandwiches for lunch and traditional meals for dinner.

3. The Law of Jante

This isn't really a thing as it is a state of mind, but it is a cultural trait that is a deeply embedded part of the Danish people, and something I truly miss to see abroad.

The law of Jante, or Janteloven in Danish, states that: No one is better or more worth than anyone else. Here are some of the "rules to the Law of Jante:"

• Don't think that you are anything special.
• Don't think that you are better than others.
• Don't think that you are smarter than others.

These "rules" seem rather harsh and quite arrogant when you look at them, but they have changed from being an arrogant mindset to one of inclusion. It is a mindset that dictates that there is no such thing as the best or the worst, because we are all equal. This is something I've noted is very prominent in the English school system and I suspect in many others, as well. The division between "the smart" students and "the stupid" ones. Now don't think that we don't have education in different levels, because we do, but there isn't an understanding that those students that are taught something at another level are necessarily better people. People are simply taught at different levels because that's where they're at. The point of this "law" isn't to drag people down, but to have a collective understanding of the fact that we are all at the basic same level as people. We are taught different things at different levels, we earn different livings, we have different skin colours, but we are fundamentally all equal.

4. Hygge

This is something that technically exists everywhere, but the Danish have simply invented a word that describes many different situations. The term Hygge technically means "coziness" or "a nice time," but it can be used for many different scenarios. To best explain this, I have translated a verse from a Danish Christmas song that attempts to describe this feeling/state:

When a busy and stressful week is over

And you finally can shut off the alarm

And stay in bed and relax

Because there is nothing you have to do

This is Hygge, Oh This is hygge

When you have spent all day playing on a sled

And you’re coming home with a frozen nose

And get toasted bread and hot chocolate

Whilst the rest of the day slowly pass by

This is hygge, Oh this is hygge

When you’re a group that has a good time

The same place, in the same space

You feel a little bit of true happiness

Just a little bit

Oh, This is hygge.

I hope, despite my crude translation, that the intention and the meaning of hygge have been brought to light.

5. The Weather

Now to something completely different. As I live in Britain, the weather isn’t that different from Denmark. Denmark is usually, like Britain, mostly grey and cloudy, a little windy some of the time as well, but this isn’t what I’m thinking of when I think of the Danish weather. I think of the Danish weather during spring or summer. Personally, there isn’t anything better than a Danish summer. That said, I am a Viking and thoroughly conditioned to the climate in Scandinavia. So, if you decide to visit Denmark in the summer expecting tropics and bikini weather, you might be a little disappointed. It does get hot in the summer, but the hottest weather I have experienced in Denmark was 30 degrees (Celsius) during the summer. Still, it is the perfect weather for driving around, experiencing the Danish countryside (Which is absolutely STUNNING, if I may say so), to walk along the Danish beaches, rent a boat in Copenhagen and sail around on the canals, enjoying the sunshine with a nice bottle of Rosé (or water if you don’t feel like drinking). The summer is a time were people seek outside and explore as well as eat delicious summer food like Koldskål (a cold, sweet vanilla soup, served with crushed biscuits and fruits), Jordbær tærter (Strawberry tartes), and don’t forget the infamous Rødgrød med fløde (Red berry compote, served with cream). Danes will probably give you extra points and smiles if you try to pronounce that in a restaurant.

There are many more amazing things about Denmark, and maybe one day I’ll write about some of the things you can get up to in Denmark when visiting. Writing about these things has both fueled my feeling of homesickness but also reminded me of the many amazing experiences I have had in Denmark with friends and family. There are many opinions and stereotypes about Denmark floating around in the world, but a general understanding is that Denmark is a small country with a big history and it truly is like nowhere else in the world.