Jacob Budin

Copenhagen

The Danes don’t believe in air conditioning. I discovered this shortly after checking into a boutique hotel in Copenhagen, which provided me a weak fan to counter my room’s west-facing windows. (Of course, my misery was spun as “eco-friendly.”) For better or worse, the weather had cooled by the time I checked into my second, even nicer hotel that had a pool.

Other than that, Copenhagen offers everything I think I like: a vibrant urbanism with not-too-tall buildings, a multicultural food scene, and ubiquitous bike lanes (with on-demand e-bike rentals, thanks to Voi). There are fresh bakeries and dimly-lit bars and scenic waterfronts.

But I couldn’t help but find something about its residents irritating. They are too thin and too content. They seem unaware that anywhere else exists, like cowards who’ve grown up only knowing other cowards. My impressions were hardened walking around, where mobs of teenagers passed the long sun-lit hours with seemingly nowhere to be. Maybe I’m just jealous. More objective observations: Restaurants charge for tap water, and worse, Denmark has no ski areas to speak of.

I considered buying an expensive mirrorless camera for this trip. I always imagine that one day I’ll be the kind of person who really enjoys photography. But curiously, I only took a handful of photos during my week and a half in Copenhagen, so I share with you just my two favorites.

Ingeborg Irminger sculpture
Ingeborg Irminger sculpture
Reffen market
Reffen market

Nørrebro

Center

Vesterbro

Islands Brygge/Christianshavn