Black Coffee in Bed

The Danes have a concept known as "hygge," which lies central to their entire culture. I'd heard the word defined (coziness, as well as the absence of things that are annoying and the presence of comforting, gentle, and soothing things) and thrown around at various points. I think that today, I finally began to understand it.

After classes were over, I wanted to go somewhere to do some reading. I know that if I get into the habit of reading in my room, two things will happen. I will:

1. be unable to sleep because my bedroom (and probably my bed) will have become a place of work; or
2. be unable to focus, and thereby stop doing my school work.

While I have been trying to forget that I actually have classes this semester, I do have to get things done and not let my grades suffer. And this was a good excuse to do some exploring on my own. So I embarked on a journey to find a quiet cafe where I could sip a relatively inexpensive beverage and read some of my class assignments.

I decided that I would take the bus towards Trianglen, an area where I had gone last week to get my Danish equivalent of a social security number. I walked for awhile, trying to find the perfect place. I settled on a cafe table in an open square. I read successfully for awhile, but it was uncomfortable. The chairs were a strange plasticky wicker of sorts, and the table wobbled ever so slightly. The wind kept sweeping through the open space, and I got a bit fed up. So I walked around a bit more until I found a different coffee shop.

When I walked in the door and felt the warm aroma of coffee fill the air, I had a feeling that I had entered the correct establishment. I ordered a mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream, and climbed up a set of winding stairs to find big, black leather couches waiting for me. As I settled in and cracked open my book (about plagues and pestilence, no less), I realized that this place was really hygge. I had never been to this cafe before, and I definitely did not want to be doing school work when the calendar still read August. But I was cozy. All I could think was, "I totally get it now." I got why this is so important to Danish people. When it is windy and drizzling and the skies are gray, you just want to sit somewhere nice, somewhere without distractions, and without anything to make you feel anything less than comfortable. All you need is some hygge and good company, and you are good to go.