Monthly Archives: January 2015

8 great blogs about Copenhagen that you really should be reading

Posted in Copenhagen by

Don’t get me wrong, dear readers, I’m super thrilled to have you here in my little corner of the world! But it’s time to share some love and introduce you to some blogs that I really enjoy following. Most of these have a lot to do with Copenhagen – after all, this is The Copenhagen Tales! Some are blogs by other expats sharing their perspectives, others are native Copenhageners writing about their favorite parts of the city. It’s a nice mix of topics here, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading these as much as I do. And of course, I’m always looking for new reading material, so if you think there’s a great blog missing from the list (maybe even your own!) – please share in the comments below!

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Expats/ English blogs
Flying House by Traveling Mama
If you are looking for beautiful captures of everyday life in Copenhagen and around the world, look no further! Tina writes about her adventures “raising a traveling tribe” and has great tips for any restless soul out there looking to wander. Her blog taught me that it is possible to travel and be adventurous even with a big family, and her incredibly positive outlook on life is truly inspiring. And did I mention the beautiful photos?!

Dejlige Days
Melanie is a British expat who has lived here for quite some time. She shares her perspectives on Denmark, its people, traditions and habits, and her favorite places and things to do in Copenhagen. I often find myself in her descriptions, and I have followed her advice on restaurants or leisure activities more than once.

Med kærlig hilsen
This blog’s name translates to “Kind regards”, or “Love, …” as a greeting at the end of a letter. This very cute blog is written by Karen, a Canada native living in Copenhagen. Not unlike me, she moved to Denmark for love – she’s married to a Dane (and has some lovely wedding photos on her blog, too!). I like her blog for its authenticity and openness, and not least for the delicious recipes she often shares.

Scandinavia Standard
Maybe not strictly a blog in the traditional sense, this site is a great resource for anything related to the Scandinavian lifestyle. While currently focusing on Copenhagen, where the two lovely ladies behind it reside, Scandinavia Standard aims to branch out to all of Scandinavia, sharing “the Scandinavian way of life with expats and the rest of the world”.

Danish Exchange
Danish Exchange is a personal blog by South African expat in Denmark, Rochelle, who manages to create a real coziness with her words and photographs. She shares thoughts on Denmark, her favorite recipes, and she tours people’s homes with her camera to allow us a glimpse into the life of everyday Copenhageners.

Danish blogs
Copenhagen By Me
This lovely blog was created by local Copenhagener Camilla, whose goal is to write about “a different way to see the city”. A resident of the Østerbro neighborhood, you can count on Camilla to share the latest and greatest restaurants, cafés and generally all about food in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Cakes
If you like cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and all sorts of other sweet things, this blog will be heaven for you. I’m regularly admiring the delicious recipes and beautiful pictures. If you’re interested in Danish cuisine, you’ll find tons of Danish classics here, too, such as kanelsnegle, flødeboller and lagkage. Recipes are in Danish only, but my guess is that you’d be able to run them through a translation program easily!

BrinklerCPH
No blog list about Denmark/ Copenhagen would be complete without a blog focused on design! And while there are some great, big design and interior blogs (such as Bungalow5), I love this one because of its personal touch. Nanna, the blogger, also shares photos from her own beautiful home, which is a testament to her great taste.

My goals for 2015

Posted in Personal by

I’ve said before that I’m not a big fan of making resolutions because I tend to not keep them and then get sad. Also, why would I need another year of vowing to lose weight and go to the gym more often when all I really want to do is bake awesome cakes and then eat them?

So for 2015, I’ve decided to sit down and make a list of things I want to do in 2015. I will call them goals, because it sounds less puckered-brows-determined than the dreaded “resolutions” and I won’t have to hate myself if I don’t live up to one of them. Despite everything we learn about goals in business school (make them “SMART“), you’ll find that they are often not easily measurable. I’m focusing exclusively on things that I think will make me happy, because I think that’s what life is all about - making the most of everything and trying our very best to pursue happiness. So without further ado, here are my goals for 2015:

Finish paying off my student debt

The most boring goal first: I got my Master’s degree at a private business school, and I paid for it by taking out a student loan. I have a five-year horizon to pay it off, but I have a plan and I’m determined to make 2015 the last year in which I pay back my loan.

 

Travel

2015_travel

I used to work in consulting and had to travel a lot. Like, A LOT a lot. Every week. I grew tired of airports and hotel rooms. I have eaten enough room service Caesar’s Salads and Club Sandwiches for half a lifetime. But since I started my new job early in 2014, I’ve been able to enjoy travelling again (for leisure, not for business). We had some great weekend trips to Sorø, Helsinki, Oslo, and Snekkersten, and we spent some time in the summer house. In 2015, I hope we will finally be able to do our road trip through the historic Southern United States that we’ve been planning for ages!

 

Learn a new skill

I have always enjoyed learning, and I intend on keeping it up. I finished my Danish language education in November 2014 by passing Studieprøven, and now I have capacity for something new. I haven’t quite decided what it will be - maybe photography? Maybe another language (I could really brush up my beginner’s Spanish from a couple of years ago)? Maybe something completely different, like meditation or yoga?

 

Cook more

2015_cook

I love to cook, but in the recent months, I have been slacking a bit in that department. Our weeknight dinners too often became quick-and-easy solutions like pizza (at least homemade, though!) or some simple pasta dish. This year, I want to focus on trying new recipes, using new ingredients that I’m not familiar with, and cooking healthy, fresh, and delicious food. I also want to host more dinner parties or brunches for friends and family.

 

Keep exploring

2015_explore

This past year, I’ve been enjoying Copenhagen so much! I’ve shared my favorite places, restaurants, and things to do, and I feel like I’m just getting started. This amazing city has so much to offer, and I want to soak it all up and experience it! This also means making more time for cultural things, such as the theater (I got tickets for Christmas, yay!) or concerts. I’ve been wanting to go to see a classical ballet, so I’ll be on the lookout! Copenhagen also has tons of music, art, film, photography etc. festivals around the year, so there will be plenty of opportunity there!

What are your goals for 2015? Any tips for how to stick to them?

Welcome 2015 - godt nytår and happy new year!

Posted in Copenhagen by

A very happy new year 2015! I hope it will be as fun and full of new discoveries as 2014 was. I have some plans for the blog, and I’d be thrilled if you would follow along.

Here are a couple of impressions from my New Year’s party, which was held at our friends’ place smack in the center of Copenhagen, across from the Glyptotek. Now, every Danish New Year’s party starts at 6pm with watching the Queen’s annual speech. As last year, you could place bets on what she would mention (safe bets include Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and “søfolk”, whereas guesses like “snapchat” or “Bendtner” have great odds, but did not make you rich this time). Some people also have a drinking game centered around the number of times she makes a mistake while reading up from her papers. I am always greatly surprised by the table of “royal experts” that dissect every part of the speech afterwards. What does a “royal expert” even do all day? My guess is writing for ladies’ magazines, probably.

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For dinner, we had an amazing three course meal, which consisted of a starter with carrots and scallops, a main course of venison with root vegetables and potato nests, and cheesecake for dessert. The dinner was a bit potluck style, with different people bringing the three courses, but all of them were truly delicious.

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We were so lucky to have access to a rooftop terrace, so around 10pm, we headed up to watch Tivoli’s big firework show. For some reason, they don’t wait until midnight, so we got two times the fireworks, and I won’t complain about that! After dinner, it was already time for the show, and it was definitely good to get some fresh air. The party continued as parties do, and we made sure to climb on couches and chairs so we could “jump into the new year” at midnight, as Danish tradition requires. Afterwards, we headed out onto the street to watch the fireworks, and shoot off some of our own.

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Now, I admit that the pictures could be better, but I didn’t want to bring my camera, so I had to make do with the phone! Next year, I might try some long exposure shots of fireworks, but I don’t have a foot for my camera yet, so any attempt this year would have turned out blurry anyway.

We finally headed back inside and had a piece of delicious, homemade “kransekage”, which is a delicious pyramid of layered marzipan cake rings. I failed to get a shot of the entire cake (a masterpiece!) but I did manage to snatch the top layer, including the little silver umbrella.

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Now, I had a great time at the party, potentially a bit too great, because after boasting that I never get drunk (allegedly because I’m German - great logic), I spent the complete day yesterday a miserable mess on my couch. So I guess I had that coming. But I’m still determined that 2015 will be an amazing year, despite that somewhat failed first day. I don’t have a list of resolutions, because I tend to not keep them and then feel bad. So instead, I just plan to enjoy every second of this new year to the fullest, and make the most of it the best way I can.

How was your New Year’s Eve? And do you have any resolutions for 2015?