A Nordic Detour
In a recent post, I mentioned being en route to Copenhagen on my way back from Canada. Well, my 26 hours in Copenhagen were great, and now I am typing this while on my way to London Heathrow with an onwards connection to Abu Dhabi.
Now, I know that it was not too much time that I spent in Copenhagen, and many think it is mad that I would go just for a day. I agree with this too, but let me clarify that this is my 5th or 6th visit to Copenhagen, and it was a quick detour just to pick up something from my uncle for my father. Having family here in Copenhagen is the reason I keep coming back, but it doesn’t hurt that I enjoy this city. Regardless of how long I stay in Copenhagen, I always have a great time. The pace of life is great, the outings enjoyable, and the weather pleasant. But let me not bore you with the details and instead jump straight into my one day adventure.
So I landed in Copenhagen in the afternoon on a Saturday, and my uncle was waiting for me. He picked me up and we were soon on our way to his place…or so I thought. Instead, we ended up at his office as he had some work to tie up. I fought with all my willpower to stay awake as I had been truly sleep deprived after my transatlantic flight, and with the help of coffee and some sweet nibbles, I fought through.
About two hours later, we were on our way to his place where I greeted my cousins which I had not seen in a few years. I was surprised by how much they had grown - this seems to always be the case when seeing family members I had not seen in a long time, and made me feel as old as ever. After a nice dinner, we started to get ready for the evening.
My uncle was invited to an exclusive anniversary party for valued customers of a watch and jewelry dealer in Denmark, and since my visit to Copenhagen was on the same day as this event, he got me an extra ticket. After a hot shower, I got suited up and ready to go. In my head, this was the most random thing I had done in a while. I mean, I packed a suit and tie all the way from UAE, through Canada, just so I can go to a party in Copenhagen which I had no business being at but hey, who cares! As I always mention, I embrace new experiences with a smile. We (my uncle, cousin, and myself) were soon on our way, fashionably late, to the most exclusive event in Copenhagen that night.
Now this only gets more interesting. We walked down a red carpet and into the party. A coat check later, I found myself surrounded by Danish high society. Everyone who was anyone (of which I knew no one) was here. There were beautiful timepieces and stunning artworks of jewelry all over the place, surrounded by the sharpest looking Danes - their sense of style is impeccable.
We met up with my other uncle who was also at the event with his son, and we shared a warm greeting after what seemed like a lifetime. We walked around and pretended to know what was going on - credit to my high school drama classes for giving me the skills to get through the night. I mean here I was, surrounded by foreigners (or in this case, I was the foreigner), at a party unlike anything I had been to. Some nibbles here, coffee there, and hundreds of watches to awe at stimulated my sleep deprived brain too much. Here are some pictures I took. What do you think of this watch that I tried, which would make a nice dent in the average person’s wallet (including mine)?
Towards the end of the event, there was an award for a jewelry design competition followed by a standup show from a well known Danish comedian. I somehow managed to grasp the idea of some of his jokes, or at least the context, but not enough for me to laugh or anything. I feel for my poor cousin who basically had to translate everything for me. We soon left and made our way to Strøget (pronounced “stroll”) for a late evening bite. I had forgotten that at this point in the year (mid November), Copenhagen was fully decked out in Christmas decorations. It was my first time in Europe leading up to Christmas, even though I’ve been planning a trip to Europe for the Christmas markets for several years, which is yet to manifest.
We had a quick walk through one of the tiny markets set up, which was unfortunately mostly closed and made our way to a popular shawarma joint. Now, Copenhagen shawarma is not your regular shawarma, and I take my shawarma very seriously, but Copenhagen shawarma never disappoints. I grabbed a not so small beef shawarma which was amazing and then we made our way home.
Back at home, I packed up my things and had some more catching up before I crashed for the night, chasing the long awaited sleep my body had been yearning for.
The next morning, my aunt-in-law prepared us an amazing Danish breakfast, which never disappoints. Honestly, Danish breakfast is definitely among my most favourite ones. I had too much bread which I will be thinking about the next time I go spinning, but I have to give it to the Danish, their bread is among the best I have had in the whole world. We prepared our own Smørrebrod, the traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches. A few cups of coffee later, we got ready for our way to Nyhavn (pronounced knee-haon) for a quick ice cream stop before my flight.
If you have ever been to or even seen pictures of Copenhagen, Nyhavn is the idea that will always come to mind. Think of all the boats lined up along the canal, with the beautiful coloured buildings on both sides. We stopped by Rajissimo, an ice cream parlour that I always visit when in Copenhagen (upon cross-referencing old photos, it turns out I was at a different place this time which was nevertheless still amazing and you should still go). It has basically become a habit of mine to always get ice cream at Nyhavn each time I visit Copenhagen.
Now let me tell you that the vanilla soft-serve they have here is the best in the world, and I will die by my word. It was a little chilly outside, and when I went into the parlour, I found myself torn between having the Softeis or a warm waffle. I ended up doing what any normal person would do, and got a waffle topped with soft-serve, with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a healthy dusting of cocoa powder. Before I proceed, let me remind (or inform) you that Denmark is known for having what is possibly the best dairy in Europe, which is why its ice cream, butter, cheese, etc. are amongst the tastiest.
We took our snacks outside and strolled by the water. Although I have been here countless times, it was a completely new sight for me - the walkway was lined with endless Christmas stalls, with lights and decorations hanging above us. The sight was enough for me to put Copenhagen on my European Christmas tour, which I am now eyeing for next year. We took a few pictures, finished our ice cream, and made our way to the airport - my flight was in under 3 hours at this point, but hey, I always maximize the time I can spend anywhere. I bid farewell to my uncle and cousins, with promises made to meet up again in Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, and Denmark. I stopped quickly by the lounge and had a coffee with a beautiful view of the apron before boarding my flight for Heathrow.
All in all, it was a nice and different detour to Copenhagen, a city which sits close to my heart and one which I recommend to everyone. I was hesitant about the short and tiring detour but left with a giant smile across my face and the need to come back very soon. Maybe another longer detour in the summer, or a stop in the late fall for the Christmas vibes?
In all cases, I recommend that everyone visit Copenhagen and spend a few days here, whether on a mainland Europe trip or a tour of the nordics - Stockholm is equally as beautiful and one of my top three European destinations. I’ll prepare a guide for Copenhagen soon enough but until then, you can always contact me for any tips or suggestions if you’re going there soon.
Have you ever visited in Copenhagen? Is Copenhagen on the list of places you’d like to visit? I’d love to hear more about it in the comments below but until then, stay positive and seize the moment!
