Denmark 2022 Trip Report

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Tuesday 16 Aug

Boston Onion reporting from beautiful Copenhagen. We just arrived yesterday (Monday 15 Aug) morning after departing from Boston Sunday and transiting through Amsterdam. We walked in circles a little, trying to locate our hotel near Kobenhavn Central Station/Tivoli Gardens. It was HOT and humid (~26C/80F today). We passed out for a few hours and then headed out towards Nyhavn around 4 pm. After a stroll along the canal, we headed off the main thoroughfare and onto a pleasant-looking side street and decided on Union Kitchen based on their varied meatball menu. Nice-looking space, both indoors and out. We got the beef meatballs in tomato-based sauce and veggie balls with a pesto-like sauce; small shared plates of spaghetti, Caesar-like green salad, and avocado salad. We created a Goldilocks salad - the green one was too salty, the avocado under salted, but mixed together, they were just right. Nice wines and beer in a fun mug. Great start!

Our current hotel is a bit hostel-like but it has an extensive breakfast buffet and free admission to a great pool. Right now (Tuesday afternoon), we are enjoying Tivoli. Rain is on the way and, against Claus’ sage advice, we are considering eating inside the park while it rains. We will definitely come back tonight once the park lights up.

[Harters (John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)]

Welcome back to Europe

[GretchenS]

Yay! You are in Denmark. Gratuitous scenery shots encouraged…

[LindaWhit]

Looking forward to your reports! And yes, scenery shots for those of us less-traveled readers, please. Have fun!

[Saregama]

Traveling vicariously through you — enjoy and keep sharing!

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Wed 17 Aug

Not much to report on, food-wise so I’m lagging behind by a day. Last night, we had a pizza dinner (surprise surprise for those of you who know us) at Mother in the fun meatpacking district as our hotel was located nearby and didn’t seem obnoxious like the NYC version (although who knows what happens after dark? We were there ~6:30 pm). Fun vibe and as I had read, the Danes eat early. We were lucky to get a table at that early hour. Sadly, the pizza was not very good - a margherita and a veggie…I think the former had a slight edge, but by a thin margin. The crust was lacking soul and salt. But that didn’t deter us from having a nice time. Night cap at Tivoli and then off to a rough night of sleep due to lingering jet lag.

Today (Wed), we got a late start and felt like zombies at nearly noon. This resulted in a weird eating day. We spent most of the day at the superb National Museum, had a small croissant snack at the pleasant restaurant/bar, which seems to have quite decent food, specializing in smørrebrød (which we’ve yet to try…I think we’re a little intimidated by the traditional places for some reason). We moved onto Bastard Cafe which we thought would be fun with all the board games and snacks but the outside eating area was stifling and even worse, there was a lot of cigarette smoke. I had read that the Danes smoke quite a bit and that smoking is allowed at venues and we definitely have encountered that. So, we moved on and were feeling a bit desperate at this point. B found a place called Brewpub and it was fine, nothing to write home about, but I’m doing it anyway. Nice staff, better than expected pub food (they made homemade Wasa-like flatbread crackers, really good fries). B broke down and had a burger, which suffered from over-doneness and bun disintegration. Spring Onion and I also snacked on decent bread, goat cheese, tamari almonds, and olives.

No scenery pics quite yet but Copenhagen has quickly become one of our favorite cities. The bicycles alone make us swoon. We didn’t shell out money for a canal tour but instead opted for a canal ferry, which is part of the public transportation system (much like the MBTA ferries in Boston). We just had some store-bought snacks in the hotel room. Tomorrow will be a more productive day if we all sleep.

[GretchenS]

Sounds like a fun day, jet lag and sub-par food notwithstanding. Those fries look great and made me wonder what’s for dinner.

[digga]

Playing catch-up. Again, not much to report food-wise and we’re in the middle of a 3-day stay in Billund, home of Lego House (which was chaotic but awesome). Today, Legoland, here we come!

Thurs 18 Aug
Had a fun day at the aquarium and at the nearby “sea bath.” The harbors in and around Copenhagen are famously clean and people swim in them. For “lunch,” B and I picked on some very hot and crispy French fries while Spring Onion had a hot dog at the nearby snack shop. We’re finding that food takes time to come out, even at the simplest food venue. And everything is made with care.

We had every intention to go to the Design Museum but we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather (we’ve had almost constant sun and heat…only a brief spell of rain/cloudiness). Checked out Torvehallerne, the food hall in Norreport and it was hopping. I was craving noodles, so we went to nearby Slurp Ramen and it hit the spot. My veggie ramen was filled with grilled mushrooms. I prefer a different type of noodle, though. They use a thin, soba-like style, rather than the thicker, wave-ier one that I like. I don’t like eating eggs, so I gave B my jammy egg, which he gobbled up. On that hot day, B opted for the fried chicken snack and kimchee (interesting taste - I think beets may have been involved?). Refreshing house beer and it was fun to sit at the kitchen counter - the friendly cooks were entertaining to watch. I was sweating by the time I reached the end of my bowl. As dad used to say, it isn’t a good meal unless you are sweating by the end.

Friday 19 Aug
Lunch was a quick panini at Lego House and then we didn’t emerge until way past what I thought would be a reasonable time for dinner. There are very few restaurants nearby. B had his heart set on Gastropub so I suggested we leave early enough to beat the scrum, which we failed. Spring Onion and I settled for cheese pizza at Mama’s, which was adequate. B enjoyed his “UFO” calzone which had beef kabob (the owners are Turkish).

Today and tomorrow, we’re at Legoland, which probably means eating inside the park, at least for lunch. Hope I live to tell the tale!

[digga]

My dear Onions, my HO badge might be taken away from me…the food inside Legoland at the “Saloon” wasn’t half-bad. The lines for food were nutso but luckily, because Spring Onion isn’t interested in eating, he never causes a fuss when there is a wait for food. He chose salmon which he and B split. Came with a big salad and baked potato. I got a variety of sides, a broccoli salad, a green salad made with the cutest baby spinach, and onion rings to offset the healthy-ness. And they were each only ~$3.50 USD. The salads could’ve used a little dressing but I love the Danes’ appreciation of fresh veggies and there were pickled onions, which is great. B got a side of roasted chicken thigh to supplement his meal, which was also $3.50. I got a 0.5L of white wine for $16, B had a big beer, which came with free bottled water. Spring Onion hit the milk hard. I think the total was ~$75. I’ve never been to a theme park, other than Disneyland when I was but a spring onion but I think decent food that is reasonably priced is an anomaly.

Good thing because we’re going back tomorrow! We’re still all full, so dinner will be cobbled together from the grocery store. Breakfast buffet at our hotel has been decent and we can walk to Legoland. Too close to the airport, though.

[TheLibrarian28]

@digga

My dear Onions, my HO badge might be taken away from me…the food inside Legoland at the “Saloon” wasn’t half-bad.

Personally I think that part of having an HO badge is doing the best with what you have, and not being a PITA food snob!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Sometimes good food happens when you least expect it. And vice versa, unfortunately.
Great reports, Digga! I wish I could go back to Copenhagen and spend more time both there and “upcountry”!
I am visiting a place that is, in some ways, the antithesis of Copenhagen. I am in a small ski town in Montana, Red Lodge. The picture is from South of the town at Crazy Creek.

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@ZivBnd

antithesis of Copenhagen. I am in a small ski town in Montana

@ZivBnd Man, I have wanted to go to Montana for at least 20 years. I’m gonna make that happen soon. Hope you eat well!

[digga]

Where did the time go? Between sightseeing and yet another working vacation, I’ve not had much spare time. I’ll try to recap as best as I can.

It’s our last full day on Ærø. It’s a beautiful island and we came from an equally beautiful coastal spot, Lønstrup following Billund (Legoland). We just spent a fun late morning at the Maritime Museum and now we’re currently having lunch at Prinsebroen Rogeri, a seaside open-air joint that specializes in smoked fish. Fish burger and the smoked salmon smorrebrod were both delightful. The beers from Ærø Brewery are excellent.

From here, I will step into my time machine.

After Billund, we spent 3 nights in Lønstrup. We had our first dinner in nearby Hjørring at a place I can’t recall the name of not realizing that there is a lovely town center in Lønstrup. B had the best meal, a big smorrebrod of salmon and shrimp (fitting as it was his birthday). My mussels were a sad small shriveled up affair, and Spring Onion’s frikedeller just sat there (we took it home and repurposed it into a pasta sauce). Fries have been uniformly good and theirs was no exception.

We spent one day in Skagen (pronounced “Skain”), the northernmost tip of Denmark. After going to the touristy but fun tip, where the Baltic Sea meets the North Sea, we had lunch at the Skagen Brewery. More than decent shrimp smorrebrod, fish cakes. Beer was just ok.

After leaving Lønstrup, we had a 6 pm ferry to Ærø so we had time to stop in Aarhus. We tried to stop at the small food truck area near the waterfront but almost everything was closed until 4 pm. We were skirting hangry territory (ie, me) when I spied a diner-ish looking place right across the street. We were pleased with the place - the food again was carefully prepared and really good (beef burger, veggie burger, hot dog, beer and wine). The most memorable thing was that the diner was called “Pearl Harbor.” Spring Onion had JUST been listening to an audio piece about Pearl Harbor when we pulled up and has a library book about it with him on this trip. So, we were destined to eat at this simple fast-food place / diner in Aarhus. We had a few minutes to check out the town - we are definitely coming back.

Made it to the ferry and I managed to make a feta tomato bake by 9 pm-ish for dinner. We’ve had really basic dinners at home when we weren’t in hotels but the meals have been to basic to report on. Grocery stores are inexpensive and well-stocked.

Yesterday, we visited Ærø Brewery, a lovely campus, but as we’re finding out, the island really shuts down once the Danish kids go back to school (last week). So, the brewery was technically closed but they took pity on us and let us drink some of their delicious beer (we were also piggy-backing off a big tour group that had just left and a couple from Copenhagen who were doing the same as us). Normally, they have a charming cafe that serves smorrebrod but it’s closed for the season. There is a beautiful book-lined room. We love the Danes love of reading, literature, books.

We ended up having fast food again after the brewery, at a place in Aeroskobing on the waterfront, Lenda’s. I didn’t want another veggie burger so snacked on good fries. The guys were happy with hot dog and fish burger.

We walked around the town. It’s just too darned cute for words.

We swam. The water was warmer than back home, where the last place we went into the ocean was in Rockport MA. The beach huts are great.

After lunch today, we wandered around Aeroskobing again and just happened upon a regatta. Now, normally, we are not regatta-type people, but we went with the flow and it was so much fun. We felt like the only non-Europeans. Back home, for example, in Newport RI, the regatta crowd would be an unruly drunken mess by mid-afternoon. Here, the alcohol was definitely flowing, but the crowd was not loud and the crews seemed well-behaved (of course, we left by 7 pm, so who knows what happens later tonight). I got a goat cheese sandwich and a lambrusco at Rococo Sol at the waterfront (I had sacrificed most of my food earlier today for B and Spring Onion) so I was starving by 5 pm. I love that everyplace has real plates, silverware (or bamboo ones), and glassware. This would never happen back home.

We leave on a 10:30 am ferry tomorrow, which saddens us. We have 1 more night outside Copenhagen before we jet home.

[chienrouge]

Nice I love those little baby shrimp so sweet

Thanks for the report!

Tak!

[TheLibrarian28]

Smoked salmon, shrimp, and hot dogs - three of my favorite foods. I think I need to visit Denmark!

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Final dispatch from Denmark. We took the ferry from Ærø back to the mainland and drove east. It wouldn’t be a complete vacation for us if we don’t have pizza (unbelievably, we’ve only had pizza once thus far, in Copenhagen) so we checked out Pakhuset Braunstein, a taproom that also does pizza and sandwiches. We shared a margherita and a potato/prosciutto/rosemary. Cracker-thin crust is not usually our preference, but these were good. Helped to soak up the decent New England IPAs. We were the only ones there the entire time, giving us room to spread out and play a few hands of Uno Flip. Cool space and nice young guy behind the counter (he just graduated and is doing a gap year in Japan/Australia/Indonesia - I dream of Spring Onion doing something like that…of course, B and I will be tagging along ).

We spent our last night in a peaceful town 1 hour south of Copenhagen near Stevns Klimt, which was interesting. I woke up early this morning to find a text from Delta that our flight to JFK has been delayed by 2 hours, leaving us only 30 minutes to make a connection to Boston. I got on the phone and changed our JFK → BOS leg from 6:25 pm to 10 pm, leaving us stranded in awful Terminal 2 for nearly 4 hours. I may ask the Delta folks at the airport very very nicely if we could get passes for the Delta lounge. Couldn’t hurt to ask. Maybe we’ll coach Spring Onion to look up at the agent with his best Tiny Tim impersonation. Stay tuned…

[Phoenikia]

I agree.

Also, I’m much more likely to click with the posters who find joy unexpectedly, than the posters who enjoy being food snobs. LOL.

[chienrouge]

Cool spot. The modern Viking drinking hall look is a thing there! Thanks for the reporting I enjoyed it.

[LindaWhit]

@digga

Helped to soak up the decent New England IPAs.

A New England IPA in Denmark? Whodathunkit?

[honkman]

NEIPA are brewed at breweries around the world