Post # 12: An Insight Into Danish Culture

Since we have a junior suite, a nd breakfast delivered to our room, today is really our first opportunity to have a slow morning. We take the opportunity. We get ready to go just before the 11:00 New Copenhagen tour, and make it just in time. Our tour guide is an Irish native named Garreth, and he is quite lively, proving that this will be a most exciting tour.

Of all the things that we learn on this tour, on fact about the Danish culture sticks out above the rest. In the last post I mentioned how exceptionally helpful people are here in Copenhagen, and now I think that I have the reason. It is an old Viking concept called hygga (pronounced h-ew-gah) which basically means that those in Denmark treat each other like family. But it is much more than just that simple concept; it essentially encompasses the context that everyone takes care of everyone else, while simultaneously feeling a burning desire to give back to the country, almost like repaying a debt. To me, it seems like the embodiment of what it means to be a Christian, without all of the American materialism and selfishness attached. Thus, helpfullness is a heartfelt, sincere duty to ones country, with no facade of pretentiousness involved.

This concept really comes to light during the WWII German occupation of Denmark. The Nazis used the Grand Hotel (or whatever their most expensive hotel is called) as their base of operations. They also decided that while they were there, they would take down the Danish flag and drape a giant Nazi flag over the hotel.

Now the king (I think Frederik IX) had taken to riding his horse through the streets with out his guard so that citizen moral would remain high (he was also the only royal left, as the others had fled to Britain). The people loved him. When he saw what the Nazis had done with their flag, he demanded an audience with their ranking officer. He insisted that the flag was insulting, and demanded that the officer have it taken down. The officer bluntly refused. So the king says "fine; I shall have one of my soldiers come and take it down for you," to which the officer replies, "then I will shoot that soldier." The king looks the officer in the eye and says "I am that soldier." The Nazi flag came down.

The concept of hygga can be seen in nearly every aspect of the town. The local brewery (Carlsburg) has practically rebuilt the town. Several statues and monuments have been given to the country as gifts by Danes who have left the country and become famous. A museum was built for a famous Danish painter after he left his entire fortune and art collection to the country. And the list goes on and on.

But the country also gives back to its people. They have free health care, which we are told is quite good. Their college tuition is paid for by the government, and students even get a stipend. Crime is very low here, and the police force is excellent. The public transportation is excellent (all of the buses look brand new). This list goes on and on as well, with the government becoming very vested in its people (the national museum is free, for example).

Denmark is thus consistently ranked as the happiest and most fulfilling city in the world to live in, and this creates a very interesting atmosphere in Copenhagen. We tour the city, seeing the oldest street in Europe (Magstraede (sp?), since 1100 AD), the WWII memorial, the Little Mermaid, the residence of Hans Christian Anderson, the royal palace, the royal residence, Tivoli (the inspiration for Disney Land, and the second oldest amusement park in the world), and so much more. Like in the last post, it is striking to see the meshing of old world and new. Florescent lights on 18th century buildings, and restaurants in old churches. But we finally notice why we were so at ease when we got here: everyone else is at ease in this city as well, which  creates an almost euphoric atmosphere.

This might just make Copenhagen our favorite vacation spot yet. There is still tons to see here (the worlds best restaurant is here), tons of history left to hear (Denmark had a 99.5% survival rate for Danish Jews during WWII), and yet the whole atmosphere is refreshing to the soul. It's almost like dipping your mind in a hot spring, or like these are the still waters spoken of by the psalmist.

We end the day having spent over 12 hours just walking around and sightseeing. We choose to have dinner in Nyhavn (pronounced Newhaven), the harbor where H.C. Anderson lived), and absolutely pig out. Today has been a great day, and we are tired, happy, and ready for bed.

Drew and Nicole