Livet med den Vikings

1. Brave the snow like a viking.

The first thing that hit me when I arrived in Denmark’s second largest city Aarhus was the freezing temperature. It was snow of Christmas fairy tale proportions. You can’t blame a girl from Sydney Australia for being constantly mesmerised by the snowflakes that were falling from the sky in January. “It’s snowing” was a phrase people were constantly saying when I first arrived. While I said it in an excited tone, it was soon clear that the Danes were not the biggest fans of the winter wonderland.

At first, I didn’t understand how anyone could hate the snow. It was so beautiful right? Many of my walks to university were taken through the fresh snow rather than walking on the path like a normal person. I would soon be freezing afterwards as the snow proceeded to melt in my boots. It was still worth it.

Of course I write about the snow in past tense because it has now melted into a spectacular spring. That’s the one of the most brilliant thing about being here. I’ve really been able to see the changing of seasons which is absolutely magical!

In the snow.

The same photo taken now in the spring.

2. Bike through that snow.

I bought a bike a week after arriving in Denmark. I can’t think of a more Danish possession than a bicycle, other than a wardrobe of black clothes of course, but more on that later.

But biking in -4 degrees is much harder than it seems. And getting a flat tire in -4 degrees is even more of a test of your Viking skills. Since biking around Aarhus, I have now had 3 flat tires and frozen brakes at least 5 times. Luckily for these times, Danish bike lanes are amazing and so are the abundance of bike shops and helpful Danes.

It’s been so much fun living close enough to the Danish school of Media and Journalism and riding to and from it each day. I think I’ll really miss it when I have to go home to Sydney.

3. Skål!

Boy do the Vikings know how to party. Since moving here I have had some of the most amazing nights out with all the new friends I’ve made. Living in a dorm has allowed me to make lots of friends with Danish people who know all the fun games and most importantly- the best places to party.

Aarhus is also a massive student town, which means that you never have to stray far to have some fun. There are no rules in this country when it comes to having fun either. As you can see in the picture above, Lego is sold right next to the triple distilled vodka in Denmark. There’s even one game you can play in public bars here where you can rent nails and a hammer to verse your friends. The game: who can hit the nail into a tree stump first. The catch: the last person to get their nail in has to buy a round of shots.

Emily finds her look alike in a bar downtown with Jakob aka Bowie.

4. Remoulade

In the winter I also did Danish classes for 3 months. As you probably already guessed, I am no Princess Mary yet when it comes to this difficult Scandinavian language but it was sure fun to try. At the very least, it’s really nice to know greetings and enough to get you through a transaction at shops.

What I have learnt is a lot about Danish food. I love everything about Denmark but the food is enough to make me want to live here forever. I can’t do any of it justice by trying to describe Danish foods, especially remoulade, an amazing sauce that I first ate on a hotdog but since have put it on pretty much everything! Instead, here are some pictures of some of my food adventures.

5. Get Hygge with good friends 

Hygge is a Danish word that has no direct English translation. To attempt to explain what it means, a lot of people say it is “cosy.” Others have discussed that it is a space devoid of all negativity. Either way, it’s something Danes really know how to do well.

Studying journalism in an international class here has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people. We’ve had some really Hygge times together. We are from all over the world yet through studying together 5 days a week and being able to travel to Brussels on a school trip has allowed us to form friendships with one another here that makes us all want to stay in Denmark for as long as we can.

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Ps: 6. Sneakers

I have to add this post script and I make no apologies.

Scandinavians by generalisation are a bunch of incredibly good-looking people. I am seriously amazed how they can take off their coats after a long winter and somehow still be tanned underneath!

But their sneakers. Wow. Before coming here, I was by no means a big fan of wearing sneakers with all types of clothes. But if Adidas wanted live models they should look no further than Denmark. Danes rock sneakers with every outfit you could possibly imagine. In other words, the Danes have ignited my new unhealthy and unaffordable sneaker obsession.

Francine Crimmins

Student ID: 98127766