All posts tagged: hygge

Hygge for Foreigners

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One thing that might surprise foreigners either visiting or working in Denmark is how hard it is to get to know the Danes. If you start a casual small talk with a Dane on the street or in the supermarket line, chances are they will give you an extremely short answer – maybe even just a disapproving look – and hurry on with their day. Generally speaking, Danes don’t small talk. They don’t smile much to strangers either, or at least not when the weather is cold and grey – which is quite often. So, if you are a foreigner visiting or working in Denmark you might start wondering: “How is this possibly one of the happiest countries in the world?” I think the best answer to that is that Danish happiness isn’t the excited kind of happiness like that of your birthday or Christmas but rather it is a feeling of contentment. Danes like to keep to themselves, their closest family and friends. They are nice and social but primarily with people they have …

Happy as a Dane Reporting Live from Denmark!

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This is the most exciting post I have probably ever written! One I have been dreaming about being able to post one day: After a fun and exciting 12 1/2 years in America – my family and I now live in Denmark. It hasn’t been easy to get to this point and there are still lots of challenges involved with relocating our family but we made it and I can now give you current updates on Danish culture and share with you hidden gems only the locals know about. On this past year’s journey I have come to realize that visiting Denmark is a whole different story than actually living here. For over ten years I was a tourist in my native country and I could fill my visits with fun and all the best Denmark has to offer. Now, that I live here I feel like an immigrant seeing things from the outside. I realize how tough it is to be a foreigner in this little country where the majority is so alike that …

“Meet the Danes” at the National Museum of Denmark

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Here is a great recommendation for everyone traveling to Denmark hoping to experience some of that world famous hygge: The National Museum of Denmark has started a free guided tour series called “Meet the Danes” where you can meet a Dane who will give an insider’s view of the Danes, Danish culture and society. You will get an answer to puzzling questions such as why Danes leave their sleeping babies in prams outside cafes, why Danes bicycle so much, what hygge is all about and whether the Danes really are the happiest people on Earth! On Tuesdays in July you will also be able to enjoy a classic Danish lunch with a Dane in the museum’s historical courtyard. You can read more about these tours via this link: Meet and Eat with the Danes. I am so excited about this initiative at the National Museum of Denmark as the Danes and their culture are not always easily accessible to non-Danes. Many who travel there, or even live there, find the Danes a bit cold and reserved …

Things to do in Copenhagen

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I am back after a busy Summer of moving to a new state and a new house. In the middle of everything I did get the chance to make a short trip to Copenhagen and even stay in the city for a few days. My, how things have changed since I lived there ten years ago – but a lot is still the same as well. Enough to make me feel right at home again and back to the past. In the following weeks I will post a series with tips on what you can do in Copenhagen in the Summer or Fall. First off, rent a bicycle! You can find a Rent a Bike store on almost every street corner in inner city, or just rent a city bike via a mobile phone app. However you choose, a bike it is the best way to see the city. Walking a whole day makes everyone tired whereas on a bicycle you move fast and experience everything so much more vividly than behind a car or …

Happy “National Hygge Day” Today!

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I just want to send some Danish hygge atmosphere out there on this National Day of Hygge with these photos from Denmark! Walking with a looming storm behind you and arriving at a summerhouse just in time for the storm to break out and some Danish pastry awaiting you… That would be a great hygge experience to think of on this National Day of Hygge. Have some great hygge today – and don’t forget it is all about relaxing and enjoying!

Hygge Ideas for the Fall

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It is a misty, grey day. One of those days where the sun will never come out. Now rain is pouring down in heavy streams. And I love it! What better excuse is there to hygge inside? Fall is prime time for hygge. Hygge is giving yourself some love in the darkening, cold months to come. It is really a gift to be able to hygge and this Fall and winter I am determined to make my kids feel a lot of hygge so that one day they will be able to create a home full of hygge. Here are some of my ideas on how to hygge in the Fall. First, go outside and enjoy the beautiful colors before they disappear! It is hard to think of anything more beautiful than the colorful leaves against a crisp blue sky. It almost looks as if the trees have dressed up in golden jewelry. Even on grey days the colors are stunning. After a cold but beautiful walk you will be ready to get some warmth …

Live, Laugh, Love – Truths of Happiness from Children

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Sometimes the deep truths of life are pretty simple and cliché like, yet we often forget them. I was having a stressed out day trying to be five steps, or actually months, ahead of myself when a displaced coloring book with the title “Just Breathe” suddenly popped up on the children’s book shelves in Walmart.   When my daughter came home from a long day in kindergarten I let her choose a couple of pages to color and out of all the life wisdom quotes this is what she picked out: There you go. It is that simple. That got me thinking about how good children are at making themselves happy when we give them the chance. If we give children time and freedom to do what they want (within reasonable and safe limits of course;) they will just go out and have fun and be happy. For adults it can be so much more complicated to find happiness even in our free time. There are always so much on our to-do-lists and things we should …

Fairies, Merpups and Finding Joy When Things Don’t Go as Planned

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In my last post I promised to give you an update on my use of the playguide in the book Play – The Danish Way by Iben Sandahl. I am not sure what happened but we went on vacation to Cape Cod and now suddenly half the summer has gone by. I am so excited that we have been electronics free for two entire weeks now (two hours after I published this post my kids were watching “Chuggington”… oops)! The absence of electronics has definitely made room for a greater imaginary universe but the summer still has not been as perfect as I imagined: me sitting in a garden chair, reading books while my children would play joyously for hours by themselves. A lot of times, I have had to dig deep in order not to get (too) frustrated with constant requests for help, questions about every possible thing (“why do people have swimsuits?”) and cleaning in 95 degrees fahrenheit with what seems like max air humidity (Maryland summers are tough for a Dane!). But I …

Dream Cake from Brovst

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Dream Cake from Brovst is such a classic from my childhood in Denmark. Originally invented by the Danish woman, Jytte Andersen, who took part in a baking competition in 1960 in the Danish town Brovst, Jutland (See Droemmekage on Wikipedia). This woman would be a millionaire if she had got the copyrights for the recipe because it is a favorite everywhere in Denmark. So much so that it was voted the fourth most popular cake in Denmark in a cake research/questionnaire conducted by the newspaper Metroexpress. I have already received feedback from enough Americas to know that this cake will become a classic over here as well. It is similar to a pound cake – heavy and moist with lots of eggs and butter. But it is the topping with coconut and brown sugar that makes it. It is pretty simple to make and will be a hit at any social get-together.   Droemmekage fra Brovst / Dream Cake from Brovst Recipe Ingredients: 250 gram / 9 ounces all-purpose flour 3 tsp baking powder 50 gram …