It has been a bit quiet here, but I have had a crazy couple of weeks! I had my final exam for my Danish education this week and last Thursday was my 26th birthday. It might be the first year that I thought “hmm, I’m getting old..” I had a great day though! My sister and brother from another mother came to visit me in Copenhagen and we spend the day in Tivoli (amusement park). We had the best weather and we literally took a nap in the afternoon sun. We finished our night with a 12 course dinner and some fantastic wine, I will post some of the food pictures later this week.
I love to celebrate my birthday, because I love presents These are all the wonderful gifts I received so far. My mom gave me the cutest birthday outfit from Zara and my dad gave me a Canon pancake lens (review is on its way) and some Mac brushes (haha, can you imagine this 60+ dad in a Mac store, totally lost in eyeshadow and blush). On days like this, I really miss hanging out with my parents. Obviously, I also had a (mini) period of being a rebel when I was younger. But these days I really enjoy being in their company, shopping with my mom or driving somewhere with my dad. So thanks lovely parents for being awesome!
My sister gifted me a new hairdryer, now there’s really no excuse to get some more volume in my hair. While I love make-up, I normally think my hair is just a burden. So for this summer, I’m really planning to (at least) try to blow dry my hair a bit more into shape!
The Nike short and Mac blush (from the in extra dimension collection) where little gifts to myself
My sister and brother-from-another-mother also gave me this mug from Starbucks, so I will never forget where I came from
Isn’t it a beauty? It is a blush and highlighter in one, with a consistency between liquid and powder. Normally I don’t really like glitter on my face and my every-day make-up is as matte as possible, but I definitely like this product on a tanned skin!
These were the brushes my dad picked out for me, my goal is to own all Mac brush (okay not all, but most) out there.
And last, but certainly not least, the boyfriend surprised me with some nice sneakers! These fly-knits are extremely comfortable, but so pretty that I actually don’t even want to use them to run in! They will match great with some summer skirts and dresses or even a boyfriend jeans.
To read more about my favorite to do’s in the city, read: Copenhagen – What To Do here
Copenhagen is a heaven for foodies, however it sure can be the enemy of your wallet. There are a 13 (!) Michelin star restaurants in the city, with Noma (former best restaurant of the world) on top. Sure this is nice if you have about 500 euro to splurge on one night, but (unfortunately) this is not my reality. A succeeded holiday for me includes eating at cute, local restaurants/cafees that are not filled up with tourists or screaming kids and are far away from the main street. Little gems, that you coincidentally find on your way. Well, that’s where I come into place I recommend you to STAY AWAY from the tourist hotspots like RizRaz and Jensen’s Bøfhus (or pretty much everything where there’s a dinner buffet), you might be tempted by the cheaper prices, but I think it’s worth to spend that 10 euro more on your final bill and to eat somewhere cosy. Here’s a list with my favorite places to eat!
NOTE: I would definitely recommend to book a table in advance, you can usually do this on the restaurant’s website. Do expect several no’s when you just walk in without a reservation!
All over the city you can find these hotdog stands and you have to try them! You have different variations, but I would suggest the “ristet hotdog med det hele” (toasted hotdog with everything). It’s a great little snack, for when you’re saving some belly-space for a nice restaurant later on.
Another snack place is Paradis Is, you can find them all over the city and they have great italian is. I love the design of the brand and also the fact that their ice cream is without artificial coloring or flavoring. The different flavors are daily home-made and my favorite is the Ferrero Rocher!
Torvehallerne, Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København K, website
I already wrote about Torvehallerne in my Copenhagen – What To Do post, but it’s definitely worth another mentioning. It is a great place to have a little lunch on your way, I do it almost on a weekly basis. I would recommend the city’s best sandwhich (google translate the link), which is a generous French duck sandwich with a mustard dressing. The sandwich costs 55 kr (7 euro) and is actually big enough to share.
Toldboden is a place I visit a lot during the Summer, you can visit it for a quick-lunch on your way to the little mermaid or like me: sit there for hours in the sun with a great view over the harbour. Their vision is to work with local and seasonal products, so everything is fresh and Danish. I love their seafood grill menu and I have heard great things about their brunch, which is open every Saturday and Sunday, with a seating at 10 and 12. It’s not cheap, 225 kr (30 euro), but that’s unfortunately what you can expect of Copenhagen.
Aamanns, Øster Farimagsgade 12, 2100 København Ø, website
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when you’re in Copenhagen, you must simply try smørrebrød: the famous Danish open-faced sandwich. Aamanns is one of the best smørrebrød restaurant the city has to offer. The menu features a seasonal selection of meats including braised pork breast, beef tartare, free range pork pate, chicken salad and roast beef sirloin; as well as seafood such as sugar-salted salmon, pan-fried white fish, fresh peeled shrimp, and herring prepared in three distinct ways. Each piece of smørrebrød will be dressed with a seasonally rotating variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts and light, homemade sauces sourced locally and inspired by traditional Danish smørrebrød recipes.
But not to worry: in case you didn’t manage to book a table at Aamanns in time, there are some great alternatives:
- Ida Davidsen, Store Kongensgade 70, 1274 København K, website
Only open on weekdays from 10 – 17, one of the most famous, but expect prices from 10 to 20 euro per sandwich.
- Slotskælderen hos Gitte Kik v/ Frank Due, Fortunstræde 4, 1065 København K, website
A real authentic place, where you have to add a snaps (alcoholic shot) to your sandwich.
Famo 51 might be my all time favorite Copenhagen restaurant. It is a small place, with an a-typical interior, you might even just pass by it without noticing. But it contains everything that I demand from the perfect dinner: the service is great and the food is amazing. There is a daily 5 course menu, which is composed according to season with a focus on only the best produce from Denmark and Italy. They even import their own cheeses, vegetables, sausages from Italy! A menu costs 400 kr (50 euro) and every Friday their daily menu contains only of fish and shell-fish. Oh and before I forget they are Michelin Bib-Gourmand awarded!
Madklubben is the “cheap” version of new Nordisk food. It is a chain with 6 different restaurants, but every branch lives up to the same philosophy: cheap no-nonsense food (one course costs 100 kr (13 euro), 2 courses 150 kr (20 euro), 3 courses – 200 kr (26 euro) and 4 courses for 250 kr (33 euro) and Danish designed interior. The quality of the food might be variable and the restaurant is always really packed (expect that your neighbor is sitting 5 cm away from you), but besides that: it is a great way to experience some nice food for a more reasonable price. It is a must to book a table in advance!
Mother, Høkerboderne 9 – 15, 1712 København K,
Mother is located in the meat-packing district and it’s always filled with people. Their pizza’s are AMAZING and not too expensive! A pizza cost around 100 kr (13 euro), and I really can’t explain how good they are. They aim to bring really good simple soul food, where seasonal ingredients are combined with directly sourced artisan products from Italy. Their anti-pasti is worth ordering, as is their gorgonzola pizza with spicy salami. Same as all the above, making a reservation is a must.
Cock’s & Cows, Gammel Strand 44, 1202 København K, website
Cock’s & Cows is a great place for a chill night with the boys before heading to town, they have pretty amazing burgers and if you book a table after 9 you get your cocktails double up! The burgers are humongous and if you want to have some place for the french fries, you might think about ordering the burger without the bun. The chilly fries are a recommendation!
Hit this to read my review posts about Cock’s & Cows!
Pluto is another cute restaurant that has been a big hit ever since they opened earlier this year. On their menu there are several small dishes and they recommend 3 or 4 per person. But the great thing about this is, especially for an indecisive food-person like me, is that you can just share the dishes with the table so you can have a bite of everything! Their “holy grail” is the family menu, which costs 450 kr per person (60 euro), but for this amount you’ll get a stunning amount of 12 dishes!
Obviously, I haven’t tried all restaurants in Copenhagen (yet). The following are restaurants, I still would love to try:
- Noma (but for this I have to win the lotto first)
- Kiin Kiin (the first Asian Michelin restaurant, outside of Asia)
- Kødbyens Fiskebaren (because Fish, what not to love?)
- Retour (because it looks darn cute from the outside!
Spring and Summer are on their way and Copenhagen is AWESOME during this period! I know a lot of you want to visit the city (please do, you’ll love it!), so why not a city guide of my favorite places I probably will update this post whenever I come up with or find something new and cute. So when you are planning a visit to Copenhagen, bookmark this post!
Copenhagen is divided in several districts and every district has its own attitude and atmosphere. The following are the districts I visit most often: the inner city (Indrye Be or København K) hosts several tourist attractions and the main shopping street. Vesterbro (København V) is the “hipster” part of the city, where you can find the meat-packing district. Nørrebro (København N) is the multicultural district, there are heaps of cute cafees and it’s close to the lakes. Frederiksberg is a city within Copenhagen, they even have their own tax rules.
While I wanted to write only one blog, there’s so much to do and to see in Copenhagen. So this will be the first out of three post. Find Copenhagen – Where to Eat here
Torvehallerne, Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København K, website
My all-time favorite place to go on a sunny afternoon (or even when it’s minus 5 degrees..). It’s a market place with a bunch of local or organic speciality and delicacy stalls. Most of the things are rather expensive, but as a foodie I love just to absorb all the great ingredients and usually there’s also a lot to sample. In the summer there’s a great little square in between the two buildings, with among others a cava bar where you can also get some delicious oysters! Don’t forget to try the French duck sandwich, the humongous Danish fiskfrikadeller or some delicious Spanish tapas.
Here you can find a blog I wrote about Torvehallerne last year.
Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 København V, website
Tivoli is an amusement park in the middle of the city, next to the central station. For me personally, it’s Copenhagen in a nutshell: not too big, but gorgeous in every aspect. For the Dutchies: it’s like the luxurious version of “de Efteling”. There are a bunch of exciting attractions, but there’s also a Michelin awarded restaurant. The entrance fee is 95 kr (12.50 euro), but you have to pay an additional fee (25 – 75 kr per ride) when you want to ride the attractions: this is a great option for those who only want to experience all the cool stuff from ground level. A multi-ride ticket cost 199 kr (25 euro). During the summer there is a concert every Friday, you can find the program here.
Kødbyen, Flæsketorvet 79, 1711 København V, website
Kødbyen (meat-packing district) is another place where you can find me almost an a daily basis. During the day-time it is a place where all restaurant owners do their groceries (hence the name meat-packing district), but at night it transforms into a nice place with a lot of good restaurants and cosy bars. If you want to take it more to the extreme, you could join me to Butcher’s Lab for a Crossfit work-out!
Christiania, Bådsmandsstræde 43, 1407 København K, website
Christiania might be the hardest place to explain. It is Disney land for adults, a free state within Copenhagen where you can find weed and hash. While I’m not interested in the latter, I think that it is such an intriguing place to be and to see. It remembers me to a modern Woodstock, where hippies still control the district. Everything is free and flowing, but most of all beautiful.
I always have mixed feelings regarding the real tourist attractions, one the one hand I feel obliged having seen it all, but on the other hand do you really wanna be in all those overcrowded places?! Anyway, a tour over the canals can be a good compromise! The boat drops by all the important places (a.o. nyhavn, the little mermaid and the opera house) and you can hop on and off at most of them. It’s a great way to explore Copenhagen, especially when the weather is nice!
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Gl. Strandvej 13, 3050 Humlebæk, website
Last, but not least: Louisiana. If you are in Copenhagen for a longer visit, I can really recommend the museum of modern art. It is about an hour away from the city, but it’s one of the prettiest museums I have ever visited. The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 3000 works and is one of the largest in Scandinavia. It takes its point of departure in the period after 1945 including artists like Picasso, Giacometti, Dubuffet, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol, Rauschenberg, Henry Moore, Louise
This was it for now, please stay in tune for some posts about where to shop and where to eat! If you have any questions regarding a visit to Copenhagen, you can always write me a comment or e-mail.
This cutie pie by Marc Jacobs has already been wrapped around my iPhone for the last month. I’m not really a pink-girly-girl but when I saw this one, I fell in love instantly: how much cuteness can I handle?
I love sample sales, who doesn’t wants to by new stuff for a bargain? I headed over to the Becksöndergaard sample sale the other day and I knew they would have some nice goodies! I bought this little pouch, which comes with a leather strap for around your neck. I think it will be great for in the summer, when I don’t wanna bring my entire bag but only my iPhone and some money. This one costs 100 dkk (13 euro).
Lately I have been (attempting to) networking a bit and I always end up with a couple of business cards, which I awkwardly dump in my black-hole bag (once it disappears in there, it may never see daylight again). So I bought this little card holder to respectfully order all those cards, but I guess it will also be great when I go out and only wanna bring my credit card! This also only costed 100 dkk.
The Dutch holiday “Koninginnedag” (queensday) is definitely one of those days where I miss the Netherlands and hanging out with my friends. Especially this year, where queen Beatrix abdicated the throne to her son. In the Hague, the city where I’m from, it’s tradition to celebrate the night before queensday and with a bunch of pictures on my facebook wall I just wished that teleporting was a real thing.
Nonetheless I had a great day at the Dutch residency in Denmark! Obviously it was not as crazy-drunk as the parties are in Amsterdam, but it’s always fun to see how many Dutchies actually live in Denmark. I pigged out on bitterballen (little bundles of happiness), rookworst and the free booz
The Canadian Adrianne Ho was born to a Chinese father and a French mother and is the new “it” girl in streetwear and lifestyle. You will rarely see her without a pair of Nike sneakers and a Supreme beanie. That’s exactly what I think is so cool about her: she promotes a healthy lifestyle and is cute as a button!
She is the new face for the Spring/Summer 2013 Stussy lookbook and how amazing do these pictures look?! They definitely make a girl wanna get some new gear and hit the street
“Unfortunately” her instagram is primarily used for showcasing her photo shoots. I would have loved to see a bit more about her daily sport routine. But those eyebrows definitely make up for that
Where to start? The 20-year-old Nirimmi Joy Firebrace (even her name is amazeballs) is the youngest fashion photographer ever signed to an agency. She shot a Diesel campaign in 2010 (when she was 17) and a Billabong campaign at age 18. She is the proud momma of Alba (1 year old) and deliberately choose to become a parent at such a young age. She and her lover (whom she has been with since age 14) live a bohemian life while travelling all continents. She seems to be a real passionate artist (in every aspect of the definition, the positive and the negative) and besides her gorgeous pictures, I also love her dreamy writing style (see: biography).
I love her vision on life, even though it might be 180 degrees different from my own life. She lives her life with the idea of only needing as much as food, a roof above her head and her camera. She dropped out of high-school to become an artist and she definitely succeeded for her young age. Her blog The Road is Home is definitely worth a visit!
All pictures are from The Road is Home. Isn’t she gorgeous?! Most of these pictures are made by her boyfriend M, but go to her blog to see more of her own editorials!
After running half a marathon I kinda went all crazy with the couch potato lifestyle (shame on me) and used the “but I ran 21.1K” excuses for way too long. So I decided to lift my ass up from the couch again, started doing Crossfit again (and directly being punished by having no arm-muscles anymore) and got my running shoes back from the Netherlands (I even just let those stay there for 2 weeks after the marathon because I knew I wasn’t going to use them anyways).
For me personally it is quite hard to motivate myself when there is no clear goal to work towards, while I don’t know if I would run a half marathon any time soon (perhaps the half marathon in September?) I did signed up for some shorter 10K runs. I signed up for the Mini city run which will be the 2nd of May and the Nike ladiesrun in Copenhagen which will be organized the 16th of June.
Distortion is definitely one of my favorite things to-do in the Spring of Copenhagen. It is a free one-week festival, taking place in the streets of Copenhagen where every district competes with each other for the best party award.
Unfortunately the organization wasn’t able to raise enough funds to keep the one-week festival in its original format, so this year not all districts will compete and the party is “downsized” to a five-days festival. However, to compensate they invited some pretty cool organizations and clubs to host their own dance floor. I’m thrilled that my favorite club in Amsterdam Trouw is also organizing one of the nights!!
Distortion will be all over Copenhagen from the 29th of May till the 2nd of June. If you are thinking about a city trip to Copenhagen, this period is definitely recommended!
These are all the wonderful gifts I received so far. My mom gave me the cutest birthday outfit from Zara and my dad gave me a Canon pancake lens (review is on its way) and some Mac brushes (haha, can you imagine this 60+ dad in a Mac store, totally lost in eyeshadow and blush). On days like this, I really miss hanging out with my parents. Obviously, I also had a (mini) period of being a rebel when I was younger. But these days I really enjoy being in their company, shopping with my mom or driving somewhere with my dad. So thanks lovely parents for being awesome!
I probably will update this post whenever I come up with or find something new and cute. So when you are planning a visit to Copenhagen, bookmark this post!
