“Enjoy the Danish summer while you can, because its here and then its gone.” That was the advice that it seems like nearly everyone gave me as spring slowly gave way to summer in mid-to-late May. As the days gradually grow shorter and there is a noticeable chill in the air (it is only August 17), I am beginning to see what everyone meant about the brevity of summers in Denmark. Like my days in Denmark, it is clear that the warm sunny days that characterize Danish summers are numbered.That is not to say I did not enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasted.
I am not quite sure if it is the brutal spring weather (Several occasions I swore that was the coldest I had ever been), the seemingly endless days (the sun would rise around 4am and set around 11pm), or just the noticeable happiness that is in the air that makes Copenhagen so awesome in the summer (they say Denmark is the world’s happiest country). One thing is for certain; there is nothing quite like summer time in Denmark.
I had the great fortune of spending the summer with family and friends who made the trip over from the United States to visit me. First, my parents made the trip over at the end of June. They arrived on June 23, which happened to coincide with the summer solstice. In Denmark the longest day of the year is celebrated by the ‘burning of the witch.’ Although real live witches are no longer burned, each town gathers in a central place where a large fire is prepared. After a short ceremony, a witch doll is placed on the fire wood and a flame is lit. My mom and dad and I had the opportunity to attend the witch burning in Vedbæk with my coach Kim Ewé. It was pretty cool to look down the Danish coast line and see fires lining the water as far as the eye could see. With my parents in Denmark, we also took full advantage of having a car to travel around. We visited the Hillerød Castle, and Roskilde, which is highlighted by a Viking Ship museum. My parents spent a week in Denmark before we left to travel around Norway and Sweden. Later in July after I returned from my travels across Germany and Netherlands, one of my best and oldest friends, Tommy Carsello, came to visit. We had a great time taking full advantage of the Danish summer weather complete with several bike rides, beach visits, and sunrises after a nights out in Copenhagen. My final visitor of the summer was my little brother Tyler. He came for ten days before returning to Philadelphia for football camp at Penn. By the time Tyler arrived I had the Copenhagen city tour down pat. We also enjoyed the beach, Tivoli and the Danish countryside. Visits from my family and friends certainly was the highlight of the summer. It was great to see familiar faces and hosting visitors in a foreign country keeps you very busy. Aside from the visitors I have tried to compile a list of all the things that make Danish summers one of a kind.
Reasons Summers in Denmark AWESOME! (In no particular order)
- Bike rides across the Danish countryside- I have written about the biking culture in Denmark, but in the summer the weather allows for you to explore on the bike. I spent many a days taking rides all around the areas north of Copenhagen racking up over 100miles in a little over 6 weeks from June-July. The country is bike friendly with so many trails and the scenery doesn’t hurt either. It seemed like every trail I found myself on was unique in its own way. My favorite route has been Route 9 down from Vedbæk to Bellevue beach. That leads me to….
- Bellevue Beach- If I had to pick one place in Denmark that I would call my ‘favorite’ I would say this is it. This is a public beach about 10 kilometers north of Copenhagen. It is known as a local beach, and I thought it was an awesome place to spend an afternoon, either with friends or alone. (I guess you can only keep a Florida boy away from the beach for so long)
- Light Nights- You tell people how cool it is that the sun doesn’t set until after 11pm and it starts coming up around 3:30am and they are like ‘okay, and….’ but when you are not used to it, it blows your mind. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how the sun was up so late. It really is something that is pretty neat to experience, it also allows for ‘late’ starts to days. You can go on a run or bike ride around 8pm and not worry about it getting dark on you. It is also mind-blowing when you go out in Copenhagen and you enter a bar around midnight and its not dark and when you come out around 3am it is light again (not that that ever happened ;)). Furthermore, by the time you would get home around 4ish, it would practically be day break. The summer sun is really much cooler than I probably made it sound, but it is something that makes the Danish summer awesome.
- Tivoli and Bakken – Both theme parks are staples of Danish culture, and both are unique in their own way. Bakken, which is located just north of the city by Bellevue Beach, is a great place to spend a summer evening walking around. Bakken is also the worlds oldest theme park opening its gates in the late 1500s. Tivoli is located in the city and is a great place to spend a warm summer evening at a concert or just enjoying the beauty of the gardens. Both places are really peaceful and exude the best of the Danish Culture.
- Nyhavn- This is a given and something you will read about in every ‘guide’ book, but there is a reason it is THE PLACE TO BE on a sunny summer afternoon. The charm of the colored buildings, and old docked boats combined with the sounds of street performers playing music makes for a great place to have a beer and people watch.
#ALSICEBUCKETCHALLENGE
Thanks Russell Perkins and Scott ‘Scooter’ Williams for passing the challenge on to me. Due to the exorbitant price of ice in Europe, I decided to donate to the cause. I have no one to call out, but I encourage anyone in Denmark and specifically the Søllerød Gold Diggers to visit http://www.alsa.org/ to find out more about Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Furthermore, I invite anyone in Denmark to donate to the cause or participate in the #alsicebucketchallenge .
Dylan in Denmark 