Making my (Den)mark: Spring in Copenhagen

You’d think that three months into studying abroad I’d be doing fewer touristy things. While I do feel more like a real city-dweller than I did at the beginning of the semester, I’m still making my way through many more must-sees in Copenhagen. Some things are just now opening up for the spring and summer, so I’ve been trying to check those out. There really is such an abundance of things to do here, so I never find myself bored.

This weekend, I got to explore some new parts of Copenhagen I haven’t seen yet. This is embarrassing, but it’s taken me this long to see the Little Mermaid statue, which is one of the most touristy things to see in Copenhagen. Well, I finally got to see it, three months in! I had been telling my host family how much I wanted to go see it, so we planned to meet up in the city and walk along the water until we reached the statue. I was warned by all my friends about how “underwhelming” the mermaid would be due to its size and lack of intricate details, but I really liked it. Maybe it’s because “The Little Mermaid” (1989) is one of my favorite movies, or maybe it’s because I wanted to be a mermaid for a large portion of my childhood.

I also got to check out Reffen, the largest food market in Copenhagen that just opened up for the spring. It’s located right by the water, so there is an incredible view to go along with all the delicious food. My friends and I went for dinner, perfectly timing our meal so that we would be there in time to watch the beautiful pink sunset. I even found a vegan Asian food cart, so I got to enjoy my nice dairy-free spring rolls for dinner, even though I ended up just taking a Lactaid pill and eating a crepe anyways — I couldn’t resist!

Flowers are another thing I love about spring. Everything is starting to bloom, including dozens of cherry blossom trees located in a large cemetery 20 minutes from the city center. Because cherry blossoms only bloom for a short amount of time, tons of people flock to the cemetery to see the dainty pink flowers. Of course, I had to join them. I’m not the biggest fan of huge crowds, mostly because I don’t like when people walk too slowly, but it was worth going with the flow to see such a pretty area.

To finish off a great weekend, my host family took me to get ice cream, walk along the beach and explore an old fortress. The weather was perfect — a little crisp outside, but sunny enough to stay warm — and we got to see so many cute dogs.

I’m looking forward to what these last five weeks have in store. I’ve decided to rent a bike for the rest of my time here, so stay tuned to see how I learn to ride a bike in the city without getting run over — hopefully.