Copenhagen in winter
The winter in Scotland trundled on and the rough outline of an adventure was beginning to take shape to provide some respite from the cold and the rain. The destination was the main decision still to be made. An adventure south would have been a logical one in search of some warmth and vitamin D. However, a city due East of Edinburgh caught our eye that we’d always wanted to visit. Known for it’s sleek and functional design, it’s love of candles and general state of calm, we found ourselves touching down in Copenhagen.
I wasn’t expecting warmth from this visit, and we were looking forward to taking shelter in cozy cafes and bars, eating pastries and sampling the local cuisine. However, I will admit I was a little surprised when I looked out the plane window to what I can only describe as the frostiest conditions i’ve ever seen, as if icing sugar had been dusted over the land. Unfortunately for us, Copenhagen was enduring one of their coldest spells of weather in years, said one of the barmen a few days later. Great. Throughout our visit, the temperature never rose above 0, the canals were completely frozen over allowing for ice skating and general wandering around on the ice sheets (we didn’t brave this) and even the sea decided to join in the fun and turned itself into slush.
The sun did shine and it made for a picturesque tour of the city, but it was genuinely difficult to stay outside for longer than 30 minutes at a time. We made use of the lime bikes to zip us around as we ticked off our recommended coffee stops. There was even a festival of light taking place that consisted of around 30 different exhibitions in various locations that made the place come to life after the sun set in the early afternoon.
Just as we found our feet in a new place, learning the local rhythms and ways of life, a snow storm arrived that gave us a foot of coverage in less than a day. This made for truly challenging conditions and going anywhere was a struggle. Watching the city adapt to genuinely wild conditions felt a treat as everyone got on with their day. It was a truly memorable experience and we'll be back, most likely during Summer.
