It’s Halloween today - a holiday that has constantly increased in popularity here in Denmark over the recent years. I remember, “back in the day” (I’m totally old enough to say that!), Halloween was something we knew from the USA, but nothing we actually celebrated here in Europe - at least not Germany. There was no trick-or-treating, and dressing up in costumes was for carnival in the spring, not for October.
More recently, though, as with so many American holidays and traditions, Halloween has slowly been on the rise in Europe, and I’ve noticed it over the past three years that I’ve lived in Denmark. My local Irma supermarket hosted a pumpkin carving competition; suddenly, any and all pumpkins are declared “Halloween pumpkins”, stores carry spooky decorations, and my building complex hosts a party for kids, in which they are allowed to go trick-or-treating. Last year, in preparation for this, there was a notice in our building to let the organizers know if it was okay for kids to ring the doorbell - they would put a sticker up next to it to let the kids know. I thought that was so smart, and of course we wanted to be a part of it! We bought a huge, orange, pumpkin-shaped plastic bowl, filled it with miniature Rittersport chocolates, and waited. And waited. Turns out, they had forgotten our sticker, so there were no kids - but tons of chocolate for us!
Every year, I love going to Tivoli during Halloween season (last year’s post is here), so this year was no exception. Here are a couple of snapshots, this time in the dark. Remember - Sunday is the last day, so make sure to go, it’s definitely worth a visit!
Krageborgen looking spooky under the full moon - and with the lights changing color.
Like last year, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stir the witch’s cauldron, putting on my best evil laugh, of course!
The smoke gave the merry-go-round a mystical touch.
A scary-go-round, if you will!
I always love the old windmill. Purple is a good color for it!
This guy was keeping watch over the Chaplon tea stand…
… and these scary good-looking delicacies!
You may be tricked into thinking this carousel was empty - there were actually a bunch of ghosts riding it! The cold air was carrying the tinny sound of their laughter and the rattling of the chains…
… Should I be a ghost story writer or what?!
On the lake, some people were brave enough to venture out onto the dark water in the tiny boats. Doesn’t it look pretty with the reflections of the colorful lights?
We ended our spooky tour with a visit of the beautifully lit Nimb Hotel - always a sight for sore eyes!
After the tour through the gardens, what better to warm up than a steaming hot bowl of ramen? Wagamama is located at the southeastern side of Tivoli, accessible both from the park and from outside (note though that you can’t re-enter the park from there!). Here, you can get warm your belly and your heart with huge bowls of delicious ramen.
Thanks to Caroline for her awesome hand-modelling skills!
I chose a classic teriyaki chicken donburi.
Not quite as warming, but a good choice nonetheless. Their juices are really tasty, too, as is the (free) green tea.
Have you been to Halloween Tivoli this year?
Tivoli Gardens, Vesterbrogade 3, tivoli.dk - note opening hours and seasons (more info here)!
Wagamama, Tietgensgade 20, wagamama.dk
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