After 6 months of anticipation, 2 flights and 11 hours of travel time, I think it's safe to say the entire group had pretty high expectations for our arrival in Denmark. From the moment we stepped off of the plane and into the Copenhagen airport, however, we were nearly rendered speechless. We were immediately greeted with a gorgeous hanging art installation, hardwood floors, and high ceilings. As far as first impressions go, it was a stunner.
Our first order of business was to find a place for lunch, and we broke into our smaller groups to explore the area around our hotel. I found a smørrebrød shop and Hui Wen and Katie and I started off the trip with a traditionally Danish lunch – open-faced sandwiches.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in a walking tour and canal tour. We were all in a bit of a daze after having gone up to 30 hours without sleep, but that didn't stop us from getting the most out of our first day.
Some interesting facts we learnt from our tour guide include
- 48% of Danes live in flats
- There have been 4 major fires in Copenhagen in which almost the entire city burned down
- Canada's wind turbines are imported from Denmark
- 87% average voter turnout
- 180% tax rate when buying a car
210 years ago today, Hans Christian Andersen was born. A prolific author whose fairytales paved the way for contemporary children's literature, he is considered one of Denmark's greatest national icons. It was quite incredible to get to explore the place where he lived on the anniversary of his birth, which is now a national holiday.
Overall, it was a very groggy and jet-lagged first day, but the sights and experiences made for a breathtaking start to the trip. I am in awe of the fact that there are still nine days left, and I can only hope they will be equally special.