After a few days in Göttingen, I was off to Denmark to meet up with Malene and David. So who are Malene and David? Well, for starters, they’re pretty awesome friends and people. Last year, I enrolled in epidemiology and statistics courses at the University of Michigan where I lived in the dorms for 3 weeks. There were a few of us living on campus for the full duration of ‘Epi Camp’. Malene from København and David from Seattle were two of the people I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know. So yes, for starters, we’re all nerds. At the time, we had a fun idea that we should do an Epi Camp reunion in Europe, which seemed very possible since Malene lives in Europe! What fun! But we all know how plans are, which is why it’s amazingly incredible that the reunion in Europe happened! Not that I doubted anyone’s willingness for a reunion, but things come up and life gets in the way. Our other friend Anna from the Boston area, who really wanted to come, unfortunately couldn’t make the reunion since she started a new job. She was definitely there in spirit, though. Everything turned out to be the “Best Thing Ever”!
København and Kronborg Castle. After the train ride from Hamburg to København, I arrived at Malene’s place to be greeted by David. Malene joined us after finishing a prior engagement, and the merriment began. It was so great to be reunited and to see them again! It was also crazy that it had been a whole year since I saw them last. We cracked open some Carmina Luna white wine and chatted until the wee hours of the night. Malene had some fun things planned for us in the coming days, and little did she know that she would become quite the tourist in her own city! The next day, after meeting up with Malene’s cousin, we were off to tour København in the best way possible: by bike. København ranks #2 in the world for bike friendly cities (Amsterdam is #1). I hadn’t been on a bike in forever, but as they say, ‘it’s like riding a bike’. In no time, we were all zipping across the city and taking in the sights. We took a canal tour from Nyhavn Harbour; visited the neighbourhood of Christiania, where I enjoyed a nice bottle of Tuborg; ascended the steps of Vor Frelsers Kirke (The Church of Our Savior) for a great view of the city; and saw The Little Mermaid (“To the Mermaid!”), which is one of Denmark’s major tourist attractions. After a long day, we enjoyed some live jazz music at Nørrebro Bryghus, followed by some drinks at Malene’s friend’s rooftop patio, where David announced his candidacy for President. The next day, we started the morning with some American pancakes via squeeze bottle. They were actually really good! Then we were off to walk the grounds of Kronborg Castle near the town of Helsingør… which, I didn’t know beforehand, was the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. We also visited the sleeping Holger Danske deep down in the casemates of Kronborg. He may be sleeping, but according to legend, ‘the slumbering giant will be awakened, whenever Denmark is threatened by a foreign enemy’. Good job, Holger Danske!
The first two days were so much fun. It was especially entertaining to watch the saga of Malene vs. The City Bike, which became a much talked about topic for the remainder of the trip. Make sure to tweet your complaints, Malene! One can rent a city bike for free in København with a deposit, but they were especially difficult to find. Despite finding two broken city bikes, buying a stolen city bike from a Swedish man, and being yelled at by DSB authority, it was awesome to see Malene riding a city bike in her own city! Just like a tourist…
From Zealand to Jutland. After a great day at Kronborg Castle, we gathered our belongings and prepared for a road trip. Malene thought it would be great to head up to the North Jutland region in the north of Denmark, where her boyfriend Peter is working for the summer. First stop: we would overnight at her parents’ house before taking their car for the journey north. Malene has an incredible family :). They are located in the quiet and peaceful village of Ejby outside of København, and they were all so welcoming and warm! I can’t even begin to describe how hospitable they were and how appreciative I am. After a great meal in their greenhouse, we drank champagne and ate hand-picked strawberries from their garden. Strawberries are a big deal during the summer in Denmark. Eat it with some milk/cream and sugar… so good! The next day, we were joined by Malene’s sister and a friend and headed up to Brovst. But first, to the stones! We made a quick stop in Jelling to see the famous Jelling stones. I can’t quite recall the significance of the stones (the link tells it all…), but the build up to seeing them was quite exciting. The roadtrip/stone song for the vacation became Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own”, which has nothing to do with stones, but we totally ‘rocked’ out to the song! Get it? Stones. Rocked out. We also stopped for some food at Jelling Kro where I had smørrebrød. Yum!
We arrived in Brovst and headed to Peter’s parents’ house where we would be staying for two nights. Again, hospitality at its best, and so very much appreciated. Peter’s family was so kind and welcoming, and it was incredibly peaceful to be out in the country :). After freshening up, it was off to the Svinkløv Badehotel on the coast. This hotel is very special to Malene and Peter, with many personal sentiments and memories. Peter is a chef, and was the head chef that night at the restaurant. He prepared a fine-dining 5 course meal of nordic cuisine that is one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The hotel overlooks the ocean, and watching the sunset with wine in hand was a perfect addition to the evening. Mind you, the sun never seems to set completely this far north. Even at midnight it was twilight… 🙂
The next day, Peter’s parents treated us with a traditional Danish lunch, complete with curry herring and schnapps. It was all quite lovely. Then we were off to view another stone (Janum Kjøt), lazy around while watching Tour de France, and walk along the beach at Lønstrup. It was amazing to gaze across the North Sea from atop the cliffs. The scenery was pretty unforgettable and I was awed by it all. Thank you, Malene, for bringing us to Jutland and showing us such a special place! Amaze-balls….
Until Next Time. On Saturday, it was time to leave Jutland and road trip back to København. It had been an extremely eventful week filled with many great experiences. We decided to eat pizza that night, take an evening walk and get some ice cream before retiring for the night. The next morning for breakfast, David was able to have his danish in Denmark. A Danish danish?! Love it… even though we learned that they don’t call them ‘a danish’ in Denmark. We sat and enjoyed coffee and drinks before David and I boarded the train for our next destination. Denmark, we love you…
To Malene and Peter, and your families and friends: Thank you so much for an incredible week. You all went out of your way to make sure David and I experienced Denmark both as a tourist and as the place you call home. The hospitality, the laughs and many jokes, the talks and the food, and the time spent together are moments that I won’t forget. As I travel on from Denmark, I leave you all with this sentiment: “Thank you for tonight. I will see you in the morning.” Well, maybe just “Tak for i aften”, since I won’t see you in the morning. But I can’t say one without the other!
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 