University of Wisconsin–Madison

Denmark: Annabelle Majerus (The 5 senses in Copenhagen)

For this blog post, I wanted to try to bring you into my world here in Denmark. When I’m going about my daily activities, I don’t often stop and think about how my life in Copenhagen differs from my life back in Madison on even the most subtle levels – the sensory levels.

A wooden table filled with platters of large servings of different foods.
Homemade smørrebrøds from a class at Meyers Madhus.

First, I want to take you on a culinary journey. Smørrebrød is a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich served on rye bread. You can top it with whatever you like! I was given the opportunity to make several different types (fish, roast beef, egg salad) during a class at Meyers Madhus. Although this isn’t something that I personally eat every day, to me this dish is iconic-ly “Danish” and therefore gets the award for representing “taste” in my Copenhagen experience.

Annabelle's legs as she walks on a road with different sized stone tiles.
One thing I’m very glad that I packed when preparing to come to Copenhagen: good walking shoes.

As we leave the kitchen and head out to explore the city, there’s something that is unmistakably different from Madison: the streets. As with many European streets, significant portions favor cobblestone over paved sidewalks. It makes for a very different sensory experience while traveling from place to place, and makes you constantly need to watch your feet so that you don’t trip.

A canal lined with houseboats sits in front of a row of narrow, colorful houses on a cloudy day.
When a friend came to visit me and asked me to take her to see colorful buildings, I knew exactly where we needed to go.

We continue our journey and stumble upon something beautiful: the canal at Kongens Nytorv. If you’ve seen pictures of Copenhagen, you’ve probably seen this canal. Colorful buildings line the street, with plenty of outdoor seating areas for the restaurants located within them.

Five white boxes, each filled with two donuts with different colored frosting.
A collection of pastries from my current favorite bakery: St. Peder’s Bageri.

Now that we’ve left the canal, we notice we haven’t had something to eat since the smørrebrød we had for lunch. As if on cue, the smell of pastries drifts our way, and we follow it to a locally owned bakery. Bakeries and coffee shops are very easy to find in Copenhagen – chances are if you turn down a random street, you’ll find one. They pull you in with their enticing smells and they never fail to deliver on the promises they make.

A street sign with multiple signs pointing in different directions next to a red brick building.
I try to recognize words that I hear when I’m walking around to help me learn Danish as the pronunciations and spellings can be very different from English.

As we head home with our pastries in tow, something strikes you from your time in the bakery and walking around Copenhagen: most people are speaking Danish. Although generally people in the city speak English as well, Danish is an official language in Denmark and is favored by the Danes as it instills a sense of uniqueness and national pride.

Now that our day in the city is over, we have some time to reflect. Living in a European city shares many similarities and differences with living in Madison back in the States. I hope that I was able to give you a little taste of my sensory world in Copenhagen.

 

Anabelle smiles in front of a blurred background of trees and mountains.

Annabelle Majerus 

Hometown: Rogers, Minnesota

Major: Global Health with a certificate in Environmental Studies

Program: DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia

As a global health major, I knew that I wanted to study abroad so I could learn about different health issues from new perspectives around the world. My family heritage is primarily Scandinavian, so I wanted to participate in a program that could connect me to a culture that I haven’t gotten to experience as much because of growing up in America. The DIS program offered the ability for me to enjoy a semi-normal school semester while also exploring new experiences.