Greetings from Copenhagen! All four of us were here for the weekend, and Noah and I still have two more days to enjoy all that this city has to offer. We have all been relieved to relish in the cool air (low-mid 60s) and a city that is compact, tidy and easy to navigate with beautiful architecture, fresh food and a relaxed atmosphere. While Denmark comes in second place to Finland as the happiest place in the world (according to the UN World Happiness Report– that by the way sounds like a very fun job!), it feels just as delightful to this Californian.
I didn’t think that I liked danish pastries– the ones at home are so gooey and smothered in frosting– but this morning, I walked about 10 minutes from our hotel to a bakery I had read about called Sct. Peders Bageri (in the city’s Latin Quarter next to the oldest building in Copenhagen, a church from the mid-15th century). The bakery was easy to spot by the line of customers spilling onto the street but it moved quickly, as they brought more trays of freshly baked goods out of the oven into the street-facing window. At first, I wasn’t sure which ones were the famed cardamom buns, as most of what were displayed looked like smushed cinnamon rolls or puffy croissants, but as a fresh tray of round spotted pastries were brought out from the back, I could smell the incredible cardamom aroma and knew what to order. Three cardamom buns and a cinnamon roll made their way back to the hotel to share with Noah, who is still sleeping. I can still taste the freshly ground cardamom after savoring my portion. That was definitely a danish to remember.
Our prior two days here had so many highlights. Julian and I spent an afternoon soaking up exhibits at the Danish Design Museum, given his newfound passion for design (which we pretty much knew he had from an early age given his lego obsession– more thanks to the Danes!). We particularly loved all of the chairs and the interactive pottery exhibit where you could design your own perfect cup with a computer-generated pottery wheel that was about 5 million times easier than actually throwing clay on a wheel. They also had some incredible exhibits about the future of work and leisure, and how AI can help us to live more fulfilled lives by focusing on work that brings us joy.
We also enjoyed a beautiful harbor cruise that gave us a better sense of the layout of the city and its most notable architecture, as our guide navigated us under the lowest arched bridges with aplomb while we wondered how many boats had previously gotten stuck in the narrow passages. Noah and Jonathan particularly enjoyed the brewery tour at the massive Carlsberg factory complex, where Jonathan re-learned that we are a bit old for day drinking.
Our meals have also been memorable, with plentiful smoked salmon, pickled herring and cod prepared several ways, all served with lovely local greens. The food here in Copenhagen is pricey but worth it– all of our meals have been fantastic. This has been a huge breath of fresh air after all of the sausages, fries and schnitzel in Germany, which is one giant tummy ache.
Speaking of Germany, Noah and I had a fun adventure down to Munich last week and really enjoyed the culture and spirit of Bavaria. The beers were fantastic, and Noah even got to try the newly released Oktoberfest brew. I still prefer the Hefeweizen, but all of it was smooth and delicious. We had a really fun bike tour with Mike’s Bikes, an American company founded in 1995 that Jonathan toured with back in 1997.
Our guide was a local 20something who was well-versed in Munich’s history, and took us by all of the major sites, including the river surfers, English garden, Bavarian parliament, and some beautiful bike paths along the river. Of course there was also a stop by the square where the Nazis had their first rally in 1923, and a walk down the alley where Germans who wanted to avoid giving the Nazi salute could pass by until the route was discovered and the alley was blocked. Now there is a path of copper covered stones to mark that route of early protest against the Nazi party.
For our evening activity, our guide had recommended that we head to the hillside beside the 1972 Olympic Stadium to watch the sunset (also where Taylor Swift fans gathered en masse to listen to her show earlier this summer), so we took his advice, and it was magnificent. Noah loved peering into the actual stadium, and the complex was really impressive in terms of design and layout. The BMW factory was there too, but that is a spot we’ll save for a return visit with Julian. We visited the outdoor exhibits about the preparations for the 1972 Olympic games, and the next day, read online about all the details of the Munich massacre there. They now use the massive facilities for concerts, football games, and other cultural events. The sunset was one of the best I’ve seen with spectacular city views and the funky shapes of the Olympic park structures in the foreground.
On our way back to Berlin, we also visited Nuremberg, where there was a phenomenal museum (temporarily in a warehouse space as the facility is under construction) tracing the rise of the Nazis and their use of Nuremberg as their headquarters. The exhibit focused on both the big picture and very powerful individual stories that included interviews, photographs and original documents. It was heavy but very well-done. In terms of the rest of our day, we did visit the hilltop historic castle from the Holy Roman Empire (a medieval relic from the 9th century) which had great views of the city below.
But with our backpacks on and crazy heat/humidity, we were pretty withered and ready to get back to Berlin. The local trains and transfers we took to utilize our Deutchland train passes were comfortable enough but took forever, and make us appreciate the ICE routes even more!
Today Noah and I are headed to the Forest Tower outside of Copenhagen, one of Time Magazine’s 2019 “World’s 100 Greatest Places” where we will walk up an enormous spiral tower overlooking the woods below. I’m looking forward to a some forest bathing before our last night in the city, where we will be taking a former student & advisee of mine (and friend of Noah’s) who is here for study abroad out to dinner. Tomorrow we’ll soak up more of the Danes’ awesome mojo (hygge, I suppose) before heading back. This next week is my last week of my 40s… and I’m counting my lucky stars to have this glorious sabbatical year.
Sorgers in Berlin: A Midlife Adventure 
One response to “Bavaria and a danish to remember”
Definitely disproving the old adage “there’s something rotten in Denmark!” I visited Copenhagen many moons ago and adored it. And it was a favorite visit of my father, whom I remember referring to it in German as Coevenhauen. And I join you in Hefeweizen! One of my standby draft orders…. Lastly, please don’t race into your 50s – I can’t possibly be that old!
Love,
Dad
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