I was delighted to meet up with two of my readers last month when they visited Copenhagen and it was lovely to meet two people who love visiting my city as much as I love living here. I invited them to share their favourite things about Copenhagen – so over to Elizabeth and Russell Goulbourne….

 Hygge

On our very first visit to Copenhagen one of the things we liked the most was how cosy it was, especially for a city. It was cold and there was snow on the ground, but the coffee shops were warm and inviting, our favourite had tea lights in coffee beans, and outside the shops there were lit candles in the day time, maybe with a potted plant or a bit of spruce. We know that hygge is much more than just being cosy, but the candles and attention to little details turn an ordinary experience into a special one, and you don’t just find it in the winter. It’s one element that we have really adopted at home, after a really hard day at work I came home to find my husband had lit a candle in a lantern outside in the garden to greet me; it put a huge smile on my face, and lifted my mood instantly.

 The People

One of the reasons we keep coming back to Copenhagen is the people. Every single person we have come across has been lovely. We have had many waitresses take time out to explain things to us, always in perfect English, and always making us feel so very welcome. A lovely waiter in Granola helped my husband to choose a beer he would like, and then explained how he had been to visit the island where it was brewed and told us a little about it. Again it’s the little details that count. No one serves you in an over the top sickly kind of way, but you feel looked after.

Fashion

We have to confess, we don’t really know anything about fashion! But what we like about Copenhagen is that people don’t seem to follow it. Maybe we are missing something, but it seems to us that everyone just wears whatever is comfortable and practical, but in a very chic kind of way, and of course mostly in black or grey. One glance up Strøget and you’re lucky to see a red coat, or some purple trainers, but that’s about it colour wise! What we like is that it seems that anything goes. In a restaurant you might see a group of people, some are dressed up, some aren’t and it doesn’t seem to matter. With footwear comfort seems to be key, although we have seen people cycling in stilettos! As we said, anything goes!

Design

In the UK we really struggle to find well designed items for the home, it seems that wherever you go everything is pretty much the same. In Copenhagen design seems to be more engrained as a way of life, and not a rarity or just an accident! One of the things that continues to amaze us is that you can go into a department store and see things you would normally only find in a design book. Some of the ideas are so simple, but genius at the same time, like the plastic covers for your umbrella you can find on the way into Illiums.

 Florists

I have to say I am probably on my own with this one, as I do not think my husband’s love of florists would make this list, but he very patiently waits while I have a good look! Here you can find unusual things much more readily than in the UK. The little pots of bulbs they sell early in the year tend to be crusty moss covered ones, and the cut branches of Magnolia are something I have yet to see in England. What I think I like so much is that it is all beautifully, carefully arranged to delight, and very natural at the same time.

It’s been difficult to put our feelings about Copenhagen into words and these are just a few of the many things we love about the place, but whenever we visit we fall in love with it that little bit more. Thanks Melanie for asking us to share this on your blog, meeting you was one of the highlights of our recent visit.

Words: Elizabeth and Russell Goulbourne. Photos: Dejlige Days