On July 18th, our group departed from Amsterdam and flew to Copenhagen, Denmark! We have spent the last two weeks in Denmark and I have loved it! From the relaxed, slower pace to the beautiful landscape, Denmark was right up my alley. It was a breath of fresh air after a really fun, but really busy, first half of the trip in Amsterdam. Here is a glimpse into how we’ve spent the last two weeks:
- A Rainy Welcome!
- Our first few days in Copenhagen were wet, with lots of rain!!! But, that didn’t stop us from exploring the city! We took a walking tour with a local named, Sophia, who pointed out iconic spots in Copenhagen and filled us in on the cultural, social, and political climate of the country! We quickly learned of the “hygge” lifestyle that the Danish embrace when it comes to work-life balance and relaxation, especially since July is holiday for many Danes! We also took a boat cruise, experienced a local street food market, and visited Tivoli gardens.
- Botanical Gardens
- A few of us visited the Botanical Gardens attached to the Natural History Museum which were so pretty! I loved walking through the butterfly house and palm house, and almost every plant had a plaque beneath so you could fully appreciate what you were looking at!
- Hamlet’s Castle
- I LOVED our trip to Kronborg Castle (AKA the Hamlet Castle) in Helsingør, Denmark! We got to walk through the old dungeons and underground passageways, as well as climb 145 steps to the top of the tower to look out across the water to Sweden!
- The King’s Garden at Rosenborg Castle
- We stayed right around the corner from King’s Garden which is a BEAUTIFUL, public park and garden that I spent many mornings at throughout our time in Denmark! It is so peaceful, and you have a direct view of Rosenborg Castle. One of the other girls on my trip and I would wake up early most mornings before class to read and journal in the garden and grab a coffee from a quaint café right on the corner!
- Day trip to Malmö, Sweden!
- Since Copenhagen is so close to Sweden, we hopped on a train and spent a day in Malmö! While there, we had the opportunity to visit a local hospital and meet with Dr. Klinto, who is a Speech-Language Pathologist that works on the Malmö Cleft-Lip and Palate (CLP) Team. She gave a very informative lecture, and we learned about Sweden’s healthcare system and the national registry utilized by the CLP centers across the nation. After our visit, we enjoyed delicious Swedish meatballs for dinner!
- LEGOLand
- We took a day trip to LEGOLand and LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, and got to explore the theme park in the company’s home country! It was a blast!!
- Sea Bath
- Our last excursion was before leaving this morning was an afternoon at the Sea Bath, just a little over three miles by train from where we were staying in Copenhagen! It was a sunny afternoon, and we enjoyed the free, public beach and pier before getting ice cream together as a whole group one last time!
