I still spend most of my time wandering in a fog of Danish Christmas cheer, the sort where it’s completely dark out but everything smells like cinnamon, along endless winding streets and squares. But no complaints – it’s just as pleasant now as it was two years ago, when I stepped off a plane and spent a good part of an afternoon standing on a corner of H.C. Andersen’s Boulevard, watching winter cyclists stream by, jet lagged, lost, and confused. But of course, standing there with a shocking $8 latte and unable to pronounce any of the street names, I felt pretty happy nonetheless.

I really think fondly of that day. I had never been to a foreign country completely by myself. I knew absolutely no one, and I was renowned for my ability to turn simple tasks into tragi-comic misadventures even while safely cocooned at home. My mother was, no doubt, waiting by the phone. But it was great.

So, on my somewhat two-year anniversary of that first visit, older and a little wiser – though not by much – here are my favourite things about Copenhagen.

1. I was in Weekday, the hip Swedish jean store, the other day along the Strøget. And they were playing this song, by Lykke Li. And everyone was singing. Not loudly, of course. But as they folded t-shirts, or perused stretched-out cable knits, or did other hip-20-something-Scandinavian type things, you could see their lips moving, hear slow humming as you walked by. Singing. In a jeans store. And really meaning it!

2. Danish dads. Pushing strollers. Biking with babies in the bicycle seat. Taking paternity leave. Being effortlessly handsome. Danish dads, I salute you!

3. When they talk about hygge, they’re not kidding. Sort of like cosy, you’ll know it when you feel it. It is the golden rule of Danish life, especially during a dark winter. It’s that part of the Danish DNA that requires them to do almost everything by candlelight, including eating breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. And . . . okay, so you get it.
It’s that warm and fuzzy feeling that feeds the endless market for throw cushions, basement cafes, and shops specializing entirely in soup. I always tried to describe that the thing I like most about Denmark is the care Danes take with everyday tasks and outings, making them funny, special, charming, and pleasant in a way that, almost imperceptibly at first, makes life so much better. The sort of small differences that in Canada we forgot were important, or we under-estimated. The big Christmas garlands hanging across all the central streets, for example, or when your coffee comes out on a little tray with a cookie. Danes really seem to appreciate the small things, and all that is hygge, to me. Although after a couple weeks of writing on my laptop by candelight, my eyes are actually starting to hurt.

4. The Black Diamond, or Den Sorte Diamant. My favourite library in the whole, whole wide world. Here’s what it looks like around sunrise, 9 am on a Sunday morning:

5. A million good cafes. An excess of good cafes, so many that you never have to walk far to find some dark, low-ceilinged corner where they’re playing Danish rap music and selling quirky home wares and bringing you homemade bread baskets. Living Room, on Studierstraede, Paludan bookshop and cafe on Fiolstraede, Soupa Natural on Guldbergsgade, Kalaset . . . just a sample. They’re endless. Avoid Baresso, Denmark’s Starbucks-takeoff (and for Danish standards, pretty deficient on the hygge standards), and you’re set. By the way, there’s not a lot of sunshine, so during those few free hours, feel free to sit outside, even though it’s December.

6. Eye contact. People in Copenhagen make eye contact, and hold it. They won’t smile, even if you smile first, but they won’t look hostile, either. Apparently the rest of the country does this far more. But it feels good to have a little eye-to-eye human interaction once and a while. Plus, as a Canadian, for a while I interpreted this as everyone checking me out!

7. It’s true what they say. People are extraordinarily good looking. Bill Bryson once said that you could cast a Pepsi commercial in Copenhagen in five minutes, and that rings true. Lots to look at, all the time.

8. I was walking past the Nørregade metro station one evening when a teenage girl fell and broke a beer bottle on the road (the drinking age is 16, see my next point.) She wasn’t hurt, so several passers-by immediately stooped down and picked up the larger chunks of glass, so people wouldn’t step on it or get it stuck in their bike tires. When’s the last time you saw people on the street do something like that?

9. Feel like a drink? In all those cafes, you can have one. Beer is the standard go to (and it’s the cheapest thing in Denmark – at Flos, on Larsbjørnsstraede, you can get two Tuborgs for 25 kr, about $4.50 CAN. I’m not kidding.) Kitty corner, at Living Room, you can get mojitos and G&Ts. No shame, have one at lunch! And if you’re really out late, you can get alcohol at all the super markets and corner stores, at any time of day. This is completely and totally opposite to Sweden.

10. I love the graffiti, the murals, and the street art. The city is coated in it, and try arty neighbourhoods like Vesterbro and Nørrebro (formerly home of Copenhagen’s working class and immigrants, respectively, and now occupied by a lot of students with flippy blonde hairdos and squeaky clean fashion hiking boots) for the good stuff. Keep an eye out for knitted lamp posts, alleyway comic strips, tile mosaics and the occasional DJ booth along Nørrebrogade.

Of course, I like the lovely friends who live here, as well, plus the ones that come to visit from Aalborg and Stockholm!

Metronomy is English, but no matter. They provide a pretty good soundtrack, and look at that guy in yellow! The fisherman look is all the rage right now!

Tomorrow I leave for Denmark, with a suitcase full of maple butter, off to see lots of great friends. Jenny and her little boy, August, are coming for a Christmas visit from Stockholm, as well as a visit from Jeanette, and a chance to see Lise, Charlotte, Jens Anton, Simon and Asger – and even the number one honourary Canadian, Kresten.

It’s also the Birthday celebrations today for both my delightful room mates, the gorgeous and vivacious Zaraí and Carmelita, whose birthdays are in December.

I’m not usually one to get sentimental, prefering to remain cheerfully reflective and hyperactively neurotic, but it’s always important to give appreciation where appreciation is due.

I have a notebook where I maintain a running list of Things That Are Good. On days where the weather is bad, or I’m just taking myself too seriously, I add to the list. And the list is always long and colourful, full of the names of wonderful people who I’ve had the fortune to meet, a healthy and happy family, the chance to do what I love, a country that’s peaceful and comfortable, and plenty of adventures and opportunity, to boot. Things aren’t good everywhere, or for everyone. But instead of feeling guilty, as I often have, this year I remind myself that things are good for me. And the least I can do is show some appreciation for this life, and the people in it, and how lucky I’ve been.

So for a wintry day, here’s a couple summer-songs.

This is German duo BOY, courtesy of Berlin Resident Bastian, a constant source of good and happy tunes.

The next is the Belgian soul/reggae singer Selah Sue, who has ridiculous hair, but listen!

Nonetheless, here’s my doc that aired yesterday on our current affairs show Week’s End. It features a great Boston accent and an Ottawa soul food restaurant, so today I am thankful for the many Americans who helped out with this! It also features Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and BB King.

Today was the first snow – or rather, we woke up to snow, enormous quantities of it, half melted by late afternoon and then frozen into darkness once again. I didn’t even have to look out my window. First, I saw it on twitter. Then, the cat refused to move from the bathroom radiator. It was impossible to ignore the signs.

What I’m listening to: Here’s a wonderful skit by David Sedaris and Jonathan Goldstein as feuding astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on Wiretap.

The Final Frontier

In the last Week’s End, we used some disco funk from Ottawa band The Glass Chain, to extraordinary success and lots of dancing in the studio.  Here’s their song Bad Teenagers – they’ll also be playing next week at Lansdowne for the architecture school’s yearly party (formerly Kosmic – now Milieu.)

What I’m reading: Camilla Gibb’s latest novel, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, set in Vietnam. I loved Sweetness in the Belly, one of her older novels – and I think I convinced my grandmother to suggest it to her book club. The only problem is after a while, I just put the book down and go for pho.

I absolutely love this video by Danish artists Fallulah and Cody. In the last year, there has been a lot of chatter about boys who will be girls, and vise versa.

In keeping with the theme, I always think of a radio story from This American Life, which my friend Jeanne showed me a couple years ago. It’s still my favourite – try not to read the description, it’s best as a surprise.

Act Two: Tom Boys

Otherwise, here’s a radio clip I made the other day for our radio show. I spoke to Steve Mitton, the chef and owner of Murray Street restaurant in Ottawa’s Byward market. There’s a lot of local food fever in the city at the moment, so I asked him: if Ottawa was a meal, what would it taste like? (Warning: it would taste really, really good.)

Here’s a combination of good reads/good listens for today:

The Fierce Imagination of Haruki Marukami
New York Times Magazine

For this we can thank the combined greatness of the New York Times Magazine (for being consistently great, and also costing just $1.75 per issue from Mags & Fags), and for longform.com, for always finding the good stuff.
I’m reading the Wind Up Bird Chronicle right now. Read this profile if you read Norwegian Wood and wondered, “isn’t this book supposed to be set in Japan? Why do they keep talking about the Beatles?”

And The Call Was Coming from the Basement
National Public Radio

Everybody loves David Sedaris. Really, just about everyone. How did a man get so popular by making jokes that should gross people out? As this Halloween special can attest, David Sedaris is just deeply loveable, even when he’s talking about intestines.

And for bad days and rainy days, add some breathless, foppish Norwegian men to your life. Apparently it does the trick.

I’m in a fourth year radio class this semester, which produces the current affairs show ‘Week’s End’ on CKCU every Friday from 1 pm to 1:30. (This is the spin off of the better known, and much longer, Carleton current affairs program ‘Mid Week’.)

The first asks Pascale from Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream if people still want the cold stuff in the winter months (the answer is yes), and the second features a ride-a-long with Ottawa’s Bookmobile. I still have a Q&A to put up with Roger Connah on the life of the Pakistani artist Zahoor ul Akhlaq, so that will come.  I’m still learning a lot, so I have plenty, plenty, plenty of room for improvement. But these were both great fun to make.

As always, if you actually listen to this, and you’re not even my mother, I commend your patience and send a big thank you your way!

Pascale’s Ice Cream

A ride-a-long with Ottawa’s Bookmobile