Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark! My name is Marisa Kabas. I’m a junior at GW and a staff writer for the Hatchet’s Life section. Let me take a moment to explain exactly where I am since, believe it or not on one or more occasion when I revealed that I was studying in Copenhagen I was met with a blank stare and, “Wow!…wait, where’s that?”
To be fair, before coming here all I really knew about my soon-to-be new home was that it was the capital of the Scandinavian country of Denmark and that it was located in the Northernish portion of Europe. Since my arrival, I have learned that it is a nation composed of over 400 islands! I’m not sure if an exclamation point was warranted, but I think that’s a pretty cool fact.
My friend who recently visited from London put it best when she said, “Copenhagen is an extremely underrated city.” By this I think she meant that it is not a top European destination, overshadowed by London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, etc. But as a new resident of this bustling and yet quaint city, I must say I agree in that it has been largely overlooked.
It is so pretty. Copenhagen is a pretty city. Buildings are not allowed to exceed six floors (much like the building restrictions in DC) and the Danes are not afraid to incorporate color into their architecture. Narrow structures with a simple aesthetic and charcoal slanted roofs line the canals, and streets are set aside especially for pedestrians to shop, dine and soak in the charm of the city.
And there is no way to write about Copenhagen without mentioning the bikes. Biking is a way of life here, and each morning and evening like clockwork, fleets of cyclists swarm the clearly delineated paths and make their commutes. It is considered a perfectly respectable mode of transport: diplomats, politicians and even the director of my study abroad program ride their bikes to and from work. To me, that is seriously impressive.
I live in a neighborhood called ∅sterbro (uh-ster-bruh) in an apartment building with about 60 other students from my program. We live on a quiet street called Tasingegade (toss-in-gale) with a corner grocery store and a bageri (bakery) across the street. It’s a stark contrast with living at 24th and K.
This description might seem a little sugar-coated and romanticized, but what can I say, maybe it’s love. I look forward to blogging about cultural clashes, travel tribulations and overseas oddities over the next few months. (Meanwhile, would you check out those alliterations?)