Hej fra Danmark!
After visiting Denmark I learned so many things about this beautiful country and even some strange traditions I would love to partake in. Other than my wallet crying after my four short days in Denmark, I had a lot of fun and hope to be back in the future.
1. Bike Culture
You more likely to get run over by a bike than a car in Denmark. In Copenhagen alone bikes about 50% of people commute to work on their bike. In Denmark, there is more than double the bikes than cars. There are about 4.8 million bikes compared to about 1.8 million cars. With that being said they don’t just have a bike lane they have a separate elevated road for bikes. So next time you are in Denmark consider joining the bikers and rent one to see the city.
2. Copenhagen’s Strøget
At almost 2 miles (3.2 km) long, is the oldest and longest pedestrian street in the world. The street is filled with shops and great places to get a bit to eat.
3. Happiest Country
Denmark has been ranked the Happiest country year after year. No matter how you decided to measure happiness Denmark will come out on top. When I was in Denmark I noticed just how happy everyone was and everyone was very friendly. They are also considered the least corrupt country in the world.
4. The Alphabet
The Danish alphabet has three letters not found in the English alphabet: Æ, Ø, Å. All three are vowels and come after the letter Z in the alphabet.
5. High School Graduation
After graduating high school many Americans have a party with their family and friends to celebrate. In Denmark, they have a week of celebration. They have a truck with an open back where they decorate and drive around the city blasting music. They usually stop at all of the graduate’s houses where the parents supply food and alcohol. You may also see them dressed in all white with their graduation cap that looks like a sailor hat jumping in public fountains and chanting. Is there any way we can start this in America, maybe for college, sometime before I graduate? That would be fabulous!
6. Health care and Education is Free
It is technically free for everyone even though it is paid for through taxes. This way it is an equal opportunity for everyone to stay healthy and have a good education
7. Salty Clack Licorice
Have you ever had black licorice? Many love it but there is a lot of people who don’t like it, including me. Now add some salt on top of it and you have a great piece of candy that many of the Danes love and eat all the time. I just want to know why they decided it was a good idea to cover licorice in salt or any candy for that matter. But to each their own.
8. 100 Islands
Denmark is made up of about 100 small islands and everywhere in Denmark is less than 30 miles to the sea. Many of the island are inhabitant but it still makes for a gorgeous landscape.
9. Legos
The name Lego® is an abbreviation of two Danish words leg godt, meaning “play well.” You can find the original lego stores all over Denmark.
10. Tivoli Gardens
Walt Disney visited Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen once and was so inspired that he decided to create something similar in America: Disneyland.
Vi ses snart!
xoxo Gina