On Danish Nightlife

On Being Danish: A Numbered Set of Lessons Learned Through Nightlife

1. Denmark is not like the US. There should be no looks of surprise on ay of your faces when I tell you that Denmark is very different from the United States. The culture here is vastly different, and therefore so is the nightlife.
2. Danes can be very anti-social. Danish people are known for being reserved and laid-back. They enjoy spending time with their personal social circles, which can sometimes be difficult to penetrate. In public places, such as bars and clubs, they are likely to socialize among the group that they arrived in, and only with those people. This means slightly less creeping than in similar American locales, but when it does happen, is can be much creepier. However, it should be noted that on the whole, Danes are friendly when you do interact with them. They will be straight forward and tell you their intentions. It is actually quite refreshing, and the people that you do meet are usually interesting, to say the least.
3. The ideal way to enjoy a bar is at a table. With lots of candles. This returns to the Danish idea of hygge, of coziness. If you are sharing drinks with your closest friends, you want to be comfy. You want a table so everyone can talk and Skal and just have a good time. Candles add to the mood, and warm up the room to add to your comfort.
4. Popular taste in music is questionable. Every so often, you might be out and here a song that makes you wonder just who is playing DJ wherever you are. In Denmark, I seem to have this feeling all the time. While sitting in a bar called the Happy Pig, waiting for the live musician to start playing, my ears were graced with "Mamma Mia" by ABBA. As a huge ABBA fan, I was excited but puzzled to hear this. I went upstairs to the club housed in the same building, and the first song I heard was "MMMbop" by Hanson. A few songs later came a song by Aqua. And while I do have fond recollections of this music from my childhood, I was shocked to hear it, even in this "disco." Later in the evening I went to LA Bar, a local favorite of business students. It tends to be a bit fratty, with a large amount of guys crowding the room. As we got past the bouncer and coat check and finally entered, I was shocked to hear "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, and to see a ton of guys dancing. In America this would never happen, for many reasons. But in Denmark, anything goes.
5. Cities develop in the same way. Copenhagen has a Meatpacking District. It is making the transition towards nightlife hotspot, much like its New York counterpart, but it is still functioning. Even though the area smells like meat, I easily had one of my best nights here so far hopping from place to place.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Rather, a glimpse at some of my evening activities with some weighing in on what Danish nightlife culture is really about.

Farewell to the Enchanted City

It was with great fortune that my group was treated by sun (and considerably less wind) on our second morning in Tallinn. With some early free time, my friends and I went around the city, searching for cool things to purchase since Estonia is so cheap (10 Estonian Krooni to a dollar), and retaking some of out photos from the previous day so that they would look nicer. This is what Tallinn actually looks like, perfect clouds and all.

Later that morning we visited the Occupation Museum, which described the process by which Estonia became part of the Soviet Union, what the 50 year occupation was like, and how Estonia became an independent state once more. There were pictures showing Estonians rejoicing when the Nazis entered the country, and there are stories of Estonians joining the German army. At first, this seemed absolutely horrifying. But placed in context of the Russian occupation of the Baltic states, it makes sense. Which is worse - Nazis or Russians? People were so opposed to the Soviet occupation that they were fighting it in many different ways. For some men, that meant in a German uniform. After World War II ended, the Soviets remained in control until the collapse of the union in 1991. For a country that is younger than I am, Estonia still has an impressive structure, an active economy, and a unique sense of pride and joy in their recently obtained freedom.

The picture to the left is of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedrall in Tallinn. The church is Russian Orthodox, and it is like nothing that I have ever seen before. As beautiful as the building is on the outside, it is even more so on the interior. The main sanctuary was dark, and services were occurring so the room was filled with an eerie and beautiful chanting. The walls were decorated with elaborate gold moldings, and beautiful icons. I found one that depicted the last of the Romanov dynasty, among many other images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the saints of Orthodoxy.

This church is located in the Old Town of Tallinn, directly across the street from parliament. Our tour guide on the previous day's walking tour explained that it makes an interesting juxtaposition, with Russia still looming over the Estonian government. This seems to reflect Estonia's place in the greater framework of Europe. As one of our previous guest lecturers explained, Estonia is a middle man. It is stuffed between Europe and Russia, and it is a point that connects the north of Scandinavia to the rest of southern Europe. It is the center point in drug trafficking and human trafficking routes. It is also a locus in the rising HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. It seems like Estonia is still coming into its own as a country, feeling the pressures of nationhood from every direction.

After a second lecture on Tuesday, our group left the hotel and caught a ferry to Helsinki, the capitol of Finland. The ferry ride was smooth. I wanted to go outside on deck, but it was very cold, and windy, and the sea salt breeze was not as poetic as I hoped it would be.

Once we reached Helsinki, our group checked in to the Holiday Inn (which is much nicer in Finland than in the United States). We had a night on our own, so my friends and I wandered around, exploring the city and finding our way around. The architecture was interesting, a strange mix of modern and old-fashioned, with a splash of art noveau. It was pretty cold, so we found a bar/cafe (or baari as the Finnish like to call them) where we could sit, get drinks, and embrace local culture. We did not get a chance to mingle with any Finnish people since normal people are not out late on Tuesday nights, but we we did figure out the Metro, get to know the city center a bit, and figure out how to walk back to our hotel. Everyone was excited to explore the city further in the morning, and to see what makes Helsinki such a unique locale in Northern Europe.

Of Castles and Legends

It has been a long week, but indeed an incredible one. As part of my core class, Healthcare in Northern Europe, the 27 students in my track traveled to Estonia and Finland for 6 days. Our trip was a mixture of academic visits and sight-seeing, as well as plenty of free time for exploring on our own.

We arrived in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on Sunday night after a short but shaky flight. The plane was wobbling for awhile before take-off, which was not a great start considering how much I hate flying. But the flight was smooth, and I took a great nap. After checking in to our hotel, the group ventured out to Olde Hansa, a medieval-style restaurant. The decor was exactly how you would imagine an old castle to be - long wooden tables, lots of candles, and intricate tapestries. The waiters and waitresses wore medieval costumes (pointy elf shoes and all), and even the bathrooms had old style sinks and toilets. My food choices were a bit limited, but the point of the meal was the atmosphere, to introduce us to the culture of old Tallinn, and to allow the group to bond and relax together on the first night of our long study tour.

Jonelle and me with a waitress from Olde Hansa

Estonia is the farthest north I had ever been (though later this trip Helsinki would claim that title). At a latitude of 59°22'N, Tallinn is on a close line with Alaska. The weather promised to be colder than Copenhagen, but we did not expect to walk out of our hotel on Monday morning and into icy rain and gusts of wind, just in time for our walking tour of the Old Town. We walked through the cobblestone streets of the oldest portion of the city, taking in the view and learning about different sites.

As you can see, it was rather gray outside. This picture was taken at a dry point. But the wind was whipping around so strongly, picture-taking got a bit difficult. This was a particular problem for girls - half of the group pictures made everyone look like Cousin Itt. But despite the unfortunate cloud coverage, it was easy to see that Tallinn is beautiful.

The rest of our day was taken up by two academic visits. We went to the Terve Eesti Sihtasutus (Estonian Health Foundation) to hear about their work with the rising HIV epidemic in Estonia. According to the WHO, Estonia has one of the highest prevalence of HIV in Europe, with an estimated 1% of the entire adult population being infected. Though the epidemic is still concentrated in the Russian-speaking injecting drug-using population, the numbers are enormous when compared to the total population of Estonia. The Health Foundation that we visited targeted programs at employers and various companies, since an HIV-positive workforce is rising. We are not quite sure what the organization does or how it is financed since our guest speaker did not reach that point in her presentation, but it definitely got the group thinking about the consequences of infectious disease in Estonia and the rest of Eastern Europe.

Our second academic visit was to a general practitioner's office in Tallinn. Though our group got the feeling that the doctor did not particularly want to lecture to us, we tried to be open-minded and listen to her insights to the Estonian healthcare system. There is a shortage of doctors in Estonia, as well as a shortage of nurses. There is an increasing trend of medical workers leaving the country to seek higher wages (Finland is a popular choice of destination). However, the remaining doctors do what they can to provide adequate service and keep costs down. The clinic that we visited served 10,000 patients in the Tallinn area. There were exam rooms, a conference room, and a lab, as well as a salt chamber for respiratory ailments. Though there was no evidence, common belief in the area was that salty air was good for the respiratory tract when your illness was acute enough. Some members of the group were doubtful of the salt room's effectiveness, while others were captivated by the taste of it. (Yes, one student scooped up a small amount of salt to sample.)

The rest of the evening was free. Unable to bear the thought (or the price) or another medieval Estonian dinner, I went to dinner with my friends Caitlin and Allie. After dinner we wanted to go somewhere cozy, so we met up with a few of our other friends at a restaurant called "Peppersack." We sat for awhile in comfy chairs at wooden tables, sipping warm drinks.

After we finally left Peppersack, we tried to find a bar or pub so we could mingle with Estonians, but alas it was Monday night and normal people were in bed since they had class and school in the morning. We walked past the White Bar, which might have been trendy, but looked rather tacky without anyone in it. We also passed a bar devoted to Depeche Mode, but it was already closed at midnight. After failing to find any place that actually had people in it, we ventured back to the hotel, happy to have found some hygge and simply thrilled to be in Estonia.

A Book of Common Prayer

High holidays are usually the time when everyone clears out of school for the weekend, heading home to celebrate the coming of a new year with their families. Being in Denmark, I was not going to fly back to New York for the weekend, so I was set to celebrate Rosh HaShannah the Danish way.

Through a friend of a friend of a friend (not even joking), I managed to get invited to a random Danish family for dinner on Friday night. My friend Naomi is friends with a guy who is in the Israeli army, and one of his friends from his unit is Danish. She was invited to dinner, and extended the invitation to myself and to our friend Deborah. I felt a little bit intrusive, since this was obviously a family gathering and there was no direct connection between the family and the American crew, but they made us feel welcome and at home - it was very hyggeligt. We had an intimate home-cooked meal, and afterwards sat on the couches drinking tea and coffee, and nibbling on dessert fruit and cookies.

It is very unusual for Danish people to invite strangers over to their houses, so I felt especially lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Rosh HaShannah with a family. The culture of having guests is very different here. When Danes welcome others into their homes, these guests are close friends. It is very unusual for a Dane to invite strangers over, and it would be even more unusual if they were to invite last minute guests. Meals are carefully planned, with menu and the amount of food predetermined. The whole point is to have a hyggeligt time, and unexpected guests (and the consequences of not preparing for them) could hinder that.

The rest of the weekend was really a blend of going to shul and hanging out at the Chabad house. For the first day I went to the Great Synagogue. The building is old and gorgeous, and the chazzanut recalled times long ago, when the shul was probably full to capacity for all the holidays. There was definitely a large crowd, but the women's section was very noisy, and it was difficult to follow since the huge columns made it difficult to see down to the men's section. For the second day, I went to another congregation called Machzikei Hadas, a very small Orthodox shul that was a lot more quiet.

Being away from home for the holidays, I expected to have a very different experience. I did not think that I would feel at home. I thought that attending a random family dinner would be awkward, but it was nice and I felt at home. I thought that going to shul overseas would be strange, but it was pretty much the same as in the United States. It seems like no matter where you go, you can find something familiar, something common - a taste of home.

Political Fictions

0xKaren26 - Karen in Denmark seeking August's father - (2009) (Denmark)

http://gawker.com/5359252/free-affair-and-bastard-child-with-your-denmark-trip

The joys of Denmark, courtesy of Sarah.

Many Mansions

Here in Copenhagen, I live in a housing option called kollegium - a Danish dormitory. This is where many students, both Danish and international, opt to live during their time as university students. There are about 40 Americans from DIS living here, as well as international exchange students and young Danes.

My building, Keops, is basically a complex of studio apartments. Each room has a single occupant. We get a bed, a desk, two chairs, a kitchenette, and our own bathrooms. There are larger communal kitchens in each block, which are equipped with ovens and a more suitable space for cooking, but each room has two burners and a small refrigerator/freezer. It is really not a bad deal, and with some creativity, you can practically host a gourmet meal (if you are willing to use the term very loosely).

My room has a a large window and a smoking porch (though if you want to help me feel classy, we can call it a balcony). My view is of a bus station, a train station, and a field where the gangs in my neighborhood have their drug war. The trains come frequently, but I've gotten used to the noise. And thanks to my view of the street, I can always tell if I'm about to miss the bus in the morning.

My desk is decently large, and offers plenty of space to store my books in the lack of shelving. I have a cute little chair in the corner, which is good for curling up on and reading/pretending to read and just looking out the window.

My bed is not its usual green hue, since I could only bring so much with me, and sheets were provided. But The person who lived here before me did leave a pretty cool and convenient mirror decoration, so it makes my room look a little more exciting and carefully put together.

In general, my room is pretty hygge. It feels like home, with my shoes all over the place and a makeshift nightstand. Soon enough I'll add some more color and personal flavor, maybe something more than this Danish beige color.

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.