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Nordic Food Hall in Grand Central

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I am loving the new Northern Food Hall by Danish top chef, Claus Meyer!

I have been wanting to go there ever since they started planning it about two years ago and now this Christmas I was finally able to go and was not disappointed at all. First of all, the design and Christmas decorations are beautiful and typically Nordic – and combined with the elegance of Grand Central Station it gets even better. Second of all,  it is not just a cafe/bakery, it is a little shopping hall consisting of many pavilions or bars. There is the bakery with delicious rye bread, baguettes and real Danish pastries which are so hard to find in the U.S. And there is a sandwich pavilion with the classic Danish “smoerrebrod” (open-faced sandwiches beautifully arranged on healthy and delicious rye bread).

Then there is a hotdog pavilion, a cake and coffee bar, a cocktail bar and even a grain bar. And as an extra surprise they also have a gift store with everything from the latest new popular design vases and candle holders to Christmas gnomes, gourmet chocolates and knitted sweaters.

I was so happy and excited and had a wonderful Danish lunch sandwich of liverpate topped with pickled red beet on a nice thick slice of bakery rye bread. The “tebirkes” (a special Danish pastry) had just the right amount of cream to make it not dry and not sticky. In other words just perfect. I definitely also felt a special energy and enthusiasm with the whole project from the people working there and can not wait to go there again! And definitely a place to go to get in the mood for a “hyggelig” Christmas full of beauty and atmosphere.

 

How to Hygge

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Danish hygge is becoming a world-wide term. It has even been nominated word of the year by the Oxford dictionary! Especially in England people are so eager to learn about hygge that a college has started teaching about it and a large number of books on hygge are successful on the international market right now.

So what is this hygge? And is it what makes Danes the happiest people in the world?

I think it is part of Danish happiness – the relatively good welfare system helps a lot too of course. We prioritize to take a break where we slow down and appreciate some simple pleasures of life. I know it is really hard to do it in the busy lives most of us live today but I think it could be the key to more happiness/contentment to stop and enjoy life a little every day if possible.

My daughter was for the longest time asking me for more “mom-time”. I thought mom time just meant being alone with me. Not until recently did I realize that what she really wanted wasn’t so much being alone with me but to hygge together. For her it meant reading a book while eating cake or drawing together. Sometimes we cuddle up under a blanket or in bed and read. It feels a bit lazy but is a great way of bonding and relaxing with children. And I certainly feel that a little hygge every day makes for much happier children – and mothers.

 

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To me hygge also has to do with lighted candles, a hot drink, some comfort food and a book or magazine. A comfy soft chair or couch, a cozy blanket and a pair of wool socks certainly do it for me too…

I would love to hear what hygge means to you… It can be a very individual thing – although lighted candles seem pretty important to most Danes (it is the European country with the highest use of candles). Please feel free to write in the comment section if you have some ideas and inspiration on how to hygge. It could be anything that makes you happy, relaxed and cozy 🙂

By the way, I am loving writing this blog post – feeling pretty hyggelig in my comfy chair with candles, hot tea and a book. Next time I will definitely need hot cocoa though to have, as they say in Denmark, “max hygge…”

Here are some of the new hygge books:

Meik Wiking “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well”

Marie Tourell Soderberg “Hygge. The Danish Art of Happiness”

Jonny Jackson and Elias Larsen “The Art of Hygge: How to Bring Danish Cosiness Into Your Life”

Happy 1st Sunday of Advent

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My mom’s beautiful Advent wreath – she always has good style. Notice how it is full of things from nature which is so typically Danish – to bring nature inside as decoration.

 

Today Danes celebrate that it is the first Sunday of Advent before Christmas Eve. They do this by turning on one candle in an Advent wreath of four candles because it is the first Sunday of Advent out of four. This is a wonderful excuse to get cozy with your family around the lighted Advent wreath and to let the Christmas hygge begin!

 

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And here is my Advent wreath – the beads are what happens when you make it together with your five year old daughter…;)

 

 

Danish Bakery and Restaurant in NYC

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I am so excited about the new Danish bakery at Grand Central Station in NYC! It is called Meyers Bageri and is run by one of the best and most famous Danish chefs, Claus Meyer. He recently received nothing less than three Michelin stars for two of his newly opened restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn!

As you can see on the photos the bakery is full of charm and atmosphere in the Great Northern Food Hall, Grand Central. My food loving husband was able to go there and had froesnapper and tebirkes – some delicious flaky pastries with just the right amount of sweet cream and poppy seeds on top. He bought a half dozen each for a  wonderful customer of his and reports back they tasted excellent and were just like in Denmark. When I go there within the next month I will definitely try those, plus the cinnamon buns and rye bread and probably much more… Maybe I will just try everything 😉

 

Happy Thanksgiving – the Danish Way

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At this time of the year American magazines are full of articles with advice on how to get through Thanksgiving without conflicts and how to handle difficult family members. I think Americans could use a little of the Danish cultural concept of “hygge” (coziness/togetherness). If there is one thing Danes are really good at, it is to enjoy festive events with family and friends because we have this tradition of hygge.

Last night I visited thedanishway.com website and read an article about how the world is taking on hygge. Hygge is first and foremost about having a good and relaxing time together. There is almost an unspoken rule in Denmark not to let family strifes and disagreements ruin social celebrations like Christmas and birthdays. Disputes, everyday stress and negativity are left on the front steps and saved for later.

Link to “hygge” article

Another great article about Danish “hygge”

So when you get together with your family and/or friends this Thanksgiving focus on having a good and relaxing time and save whatever bothers you with some people for another time. Prioritize what is good and fun for the group and not for yourself as an individual. Thedanishway.com even has a “hygge oath” which can be downloaded and printed for everyone to see and maybe even sign.

Link to the “Hygge Oath”

 

Hygge as parenting trick

Hygge is not only saved for special holiday events. It is deeply ingrained in Danish everyday life and you can use the hygge oath or the idea of hygge as a way of making your family life happier. In fact people around the world are turning to the Danes to learn why Danish children seem happier and calmer than other children. I personally find the Danish emphasis on free unstructured play and hygge/togetherness to be some of the most important factors but there is definitely more to it. You can read about this in Jessica Alexander and Iben Sandahl’s book “The Danish Way of Parenting” which is now also published English and available in the U.S.

Link to article about Danish Parenting

Oh and speaking of hygge – have you bought yourself a bunch of tea candles for this cold and dark season yet? If you want to be as happy as a Dane I advice you to do it sooner rather than later;)

 

Scandinavian Christmas Gnomes

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Christmas gnomes from Scandinavian Design By Trine and Angelica
Christmas gnomes from Scandinavian Design By Trine and Angelica

Most of us love the kind of Christmas we grew up with and of course I think that Danish Christmas is the best! There are so many cozy and old-fashioned Christmas traditions throughout the whole month of December in Denmark, many of them originating from old farm life. Like the Christmas gnomes (“nisser” in Danish) that used to tease farmers if they didn’t give them any rice porridge. To avoid nisse-mischief Danish farmers used to put a bowl of rice porridge topped with cinnamon and butter up in the hay loft for their own little gnome. To this day, Danes decorate their houses with little gnomes in December.

Scandinavian Design Made By Trine & Angelica makes the cutest little Christmas gnomes and forest animals. Each little gnome has so much life and personality that they will definitely fill your Christmas with some good old mischief!  The company is owned by a talented Swede and Dane living in America and they design and produce everything themselves. The gnomes cost between $25 and $55 and can be bought at craft fairs in Massachusetts or by contacting Trine and Angelica on email: trivis77@gmail.com or angelica.tunstall@gmail.com.

Christmas gnomes from Scandinavian Design By Trine and Angelica
Christmas gnomes from Scandinavian Design By Trine and Angelica

 

Come with me to Copenhagen

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Old street in the center of Copenhagen
A Royal Life Guard in front of Amalienborg Castle
Amalienborg Castle and the Marble Church (Frederik’s Church) dome, Copenhagen

 

Copenhagen is my absolute favorite city. It has just the right size. Not too big, not too small. It is cozy with lots of old charm and it is also very modern with a lot of new projects going on. Plus you can walk, bicycle, ride on the bus or metro to everything in no time! It has been six years since I lived there and much has changed but a lot is still the same. Now, I would love take you on a walk through the old Copenhagen…

You can’t really go to Denmark without trying a “Danish” or “wienerbroed” as they are called in Danish. So lets stop at one of the best bakeries in Denmark “Lagkagehuset” and have a “froesnapper” or “tebirkes” which are some special Danish pastries made of crispy, flaky dough with just the right amount of sweet cream inside.

Lagkagehuset, Koebmagergade, Copenhagen
Lagkagehuset, Koebmagergade, Copenhagen
Pastry (wienerbroed) display, Lagkagehuset, Copenhagen
Pastry (wienerbroed) display, Lagkagehuset, Copenhagen

 

First we walk down the old cobbled shopping streets in the heart of Copenhagen…

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Next we walk through Kongens Have (The Kings Garden) where Rosenborg Castle is located. The was built by King Christian the IV and was used as a summer residence. The castle is now a museum still furnished and with the crown jewelry on display in the basement.

The Kings Garden, Copenhagen
Rosenborg Castle

As we exit the park we see the National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst) where I met my husband for the very first time. It consists of an old building from late 1800 with older paintings and a modern addition on the back with modern art.

The National Gallery of Denmark
The National Gallery of Denmark
The National Gallery of Denmark

 

Now lets go down and have a relaxing walk along the harbor – it is only five minutes walk from here… There is the old Mastekran (The Masting Crane)

 

And the Opera House…

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Copenhagen Opera House

Oh and right behind us is the Queen’s castle “Amalienborg”!

 

Amalienborg Castle and the Marble Church (Frederik’s Church)
A Royal Life Guard in front of Amalienborg Castle

 

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Amalienborg Castle with the Marble Church (Frederik’s Church) in the background

Follow me on the next Copenhagen blog-tour where we will walk across the harbor on the new pedestrian and bicycle bridge to the Opera House and Papiroen which is a new food hall full of modern cafes and small restaurants. We will walk on many other bridges in Copenhagen – big and small ones – and look at the modern architecture there…

Also coming up really soon is a visit to Meyer’s bakery in the Nordic Food Hall, Grand Central Station, NYC 🙂

Day Trip to the Countryside

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I just remembered that it was farms like Knill’s Farm that made us move to Maryland… They just have a certain old charm. You can buy many fresh farm foods there while kids can try a lot of fall activities for free. My son really enjoyed playing with farm vehicles in the kettle corn but there is also a hay teepee and a hay maze. And just to see all those pumpkins and breathe some fresh country air made me happy.

 

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Postcard from Denmark!

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View over Copenhagen from the tower of Christiansborg
Ringe Museum on the island of Fyn
Classic Danish church

I am so excited! My favorite photographer, Christian West, took some fresh shots from Denmark and they are beautiful! The three photos above are just a little taste of what is to come. Like a little postcard from Denmark. In the following weeks I will be posting about all the exciting stuff going on in Denmark with several new bicycle bridges and newly developed areas in the heart of Copenhagen.