We had a chance to return to Denmark yesterday and today with our cruise - so wonderful to be back! As shared in earlier posts, we really fell in love with Denmark during our visit a couple of weeks ago. We especially loved the chance to meet and connect with Craig's cousin Tue and his family. Flashback picture from that visit.
During our first visit to Copenhagen, we had a chance to see the city and surrounding areas accompanied by Tue, Elisabeth and Johanne including time at their home where Laurits was able to join. With our return we had limited time and stuck to a couple of tours offered by the ship - both ended up being fabulous.
Our first tour was called the Copenhagen's Food Lover Tour. Our guide was Maria - she was awesome. She has her master's degree in archeology with an emphasis on food - we had no idea this was a degree - but it's actually pretty cool. She is very passionate about both history and food - and this combines the two. She also loves how the Danish food scene has evolved in the past few years to really embrace all kinds of food with an emphasis on using local ingredients in new ways to make the food both delicious and interesting. After the tour we have to agree that they have succeeded!
We went to a market hall that had two enclosed halls separated by an outdoor area. The first hall was filled with fresh fish, meats, cheeses, breads, and other danish specialties. A few pictures of the fish - not looking so yummy to me :)
The second hall was filled with danish sweets, spices and other treats. Amazing aromas.
In the outdoor area there were beautiful flowers, fresh vegetables and fruits.
We started with a sample of three types of danish cheese, tomato jam and cider. It all was very tasty!
Next up was a variety of treats all made on the Danish island of Bornholm. This island is located between Sweden and Poland in the Baltic Sea. There are ~40,000 residents most of them moved there for a simpler life. Many of them have found ways to make a living by producing different food products or arts and crafts. This little shop in the market only has products from that island. Given the variety Maria joked that every resident must be responsible for at least one product :)
We were able to sample a seed cracker (amazing), rye crisp with jam, rhubarb juice (surprisingly refreshing), toffee and licorice. Maria commented that to be a true Scandinavian you must love licorice. I've never been a big fan - but Craig loves it and so does my mom - who's dad was Scandanavian (Sweden (with some ties to Denmark) and Norway). Funny to see the connections.
After the 'appetizers', we were treated to a danish open faced sandwich called a smorrebrod. We first tried this with Tue during our earlier visit. This time it was crispy cod with tartar sauce on delicious rye bread.
Fourth course was meat and beer - simple but tasty!
Of course by then it was time for some sweets, aquavit (danish schnapps) and organic honey.
Final stop was for some danish ice cream - oh my. Maria said the Danes are known for making wonderful ice cream - so much so that a well known company tried to look like they were Danish. She was referring to Haagen Dazs - which apparently is actually a New Jersey company :). Anyways, the real thing was amazing. Craig described it as cherries jubilee with chocolate pieces in a cone - so yummy!
Today we were in Aalborg which is the northernmost part of Denmark. What a really cute town - oops, sorry - city :). Craig's great grandfather was from a town not too far from here. We really enjoyed the short visit and are already talking about maybe coming back some day - they have a jazz and blues festival that might be fun. Here's some pictures from walking around.
After yesterday maybe it would have been a good idea to sign up for a tour today with some physical activity to work off those calories - or, maybe instead a walking beer tour would be good. Let's just say we opted for the second one :). Our guide was Lars - what a cool guy. He said all good Danes love three things : laughter, family and the queen. We definitely experienced the laughter today!
First stop was described as the 'most international pub' in Aalborg. It was an English style pub serving Danish beer with a Turkish owner :). They are known as "the" place to watch soccer (football) games and apparently are the gathering spot for the local Liverpool fan club.
Next stop was a local microbrewery - so it was the 'most danish pub' on our tour. The name of the pub was "Missing Bell Brewpub". The meaning behind it is that the pub is furnished with everything from an old church that was getting torn down - and the owner didn't want to see the incredible interior destroyed. He was able to purchase everything except the bell :) It made for a stunning decor.
If you are following the blog, you might remember that earlier we met Kelly who owns a pub near our home in Florida. We reconnected today on the tour - such fun.
We had a surprise snack at this stop - another of the danish smorrebrod - this time with pickled herring. When in Denmark... :). As mentioned in an earlier post, we actually liked this much more than expected and Craig is intent on finding a way to bring this tradition back with us.
Final stop was a pub housed in the basement of an old wine cellar - so it was the 'most historic pub'. The archways and walls were so cool.
After the tour it was back to the ship where we joined Kelly and her mom Kathy for lunch. Such fun making these new friends and knowing we can continue the friendship when we are back home.
So, there you have the three elements that helped us to fall in love with Denmark - family, food and drink. You may be wondering about Hygge - no, it's not another type of Danish sandwich :). It's a Danish word that doesn't directly translate to English. And, it's not a thing - it's a feeling. Tue and Elisabeth actually gave me a book titled "The Little Book of Hygge : The Danish Way to Live Well". As our guide described it "It's the feeling you get when you are sitting in your favorite chair sipping a drink and chatting with your spouse; or relaxing outdoors on a beautiful fall day soaking in nature with your children; or watching your favorite sports team over a pint with your best friend". It is about being with the people you love and appreciating the simple joys in life. Our second new word with this trip - Yoho + Hygge - love it.
Here's to finding your hygge as you enjoy the ride.
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