I took a leap of faith for spring break and headed a bit further than most – all the way to Copenhagen. My friend Taylor, who goes to Clemson University, and I explored this wonderful city, which we now refer to as the City of Gaurdian Angels.
Taylor and I entered Denmark not really sure why we were going – neither of us had heard much about the chilly bicycle capital of the world, but without expectation, true adventure really begins. Day one, exhausted and still reeling at yet another money conversion (the Danish krone is about 1 to .15 USD), we wandered from our hostel for a night out, one that would be unforgettable in a most unexpected way.
We found our way a few blocks to the Proud Mary Pub, which boasted a long line. Surrounded by international students studying in Copenhagen, we thought we’d found an excellent place to have a short but fun-filled night out before going back to our hostel and passing out. That was, we thought it was a great place, until the ambulances showed up.
Yes. Multiple ambulances.
Everyone in the line freaked out and women and men alike were carried out. There didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with them, although some were crying, and they were packed off, some being sat down and questioned. The man in front of us – an attractive boy our age wearing a blue scarf and wire-rimmed glasses – glanced back, his lip pulling to the side at the same time as mine as we both had the same thought: yikes. He reached down, his hand touching my arm, face close to mine and said:
“Go somewhere else.”
My guardian angel left then and Taylor and I quickly followed his lead, stopping at an Irish pub with a terrible singer and a solid dance floor. I grimaced as I danced, cursing my musical abilities for making me acutely aware of how off-key he was. Eventually that stopped bothering me, and we giggled, making goofy faces at each other and introducing ourselves to other students.
We ended the night at Mcdonalds, children in a candy store ordering Jalepeño poppers and Mcflurries with foreign candy we’d never heard of. We struggled to pick sauces we’d never seen before and in doing so, we met our second guardian angel of the night: Hans.
Whether he helped us or we him, he was truly a highlight of our trip. Giving us tips on what to see during our stay, he taught us to swear in Danish and asked us to help him pick out food for his new girlfriend since she had a habit of saying she wasn’t hungry and then eating his food. He showed us how the subway system worked and recommended what toppings to get on popular street food.
We left him for our hostel laughing and full of gross Mcdonald’s food, which, as it turns out, is similar enough in quality to the United States equivalent.
The next morning, our unforgettable trip continued… with a blizzard.
Deadset on seeing the botanical gardens and the little mermaid statue, we trekked through Arctic conditions, laughing so hard we would choke on the snow. We stopped in a museum in the botanical gardens, walking into another welcome and unexpected journey: the nature photographer of the year gallery.
Showing nature at its truly most remarkable, we happily spent an hour and a half perusing beautiful pictures. I’ve included a link so you can see some of them yourself here (INCLUDE LINK).
We ended our time in Copenhagen in the hostel, Taylor working on some homework and myself mingling with other travelers, taking part in trivia and enjoying the strange stories others in the hostel had to offer. Every part of Copenhagen was unexpected, from torrential hail storms to funky McDonalds foods.
And every part was sweet.
