If you were to believe a T-shirt in a Copenhagen, Denmark souvenir shop, the “Last Viking” is lurking somewhere on Stroget, a pedestrian street in the center of Denmark’s capital. How else would you explain such a bold slogan?
Vikings… Stoic, adventurous, courageous, intimidating, resourceful, blond-haired, blue-eyed knights in chain-mail armor on scary dragon-looking ships. Right? Right. But what are their Danish descendants like today?
Beautiful
Danes are a pretty people, no question. Tall, mostly, and yes, quite often blond. If you find yourself wondering what so many models are doing walking around in the middle of the day, you might as well be in Copenhagen. Or anywhere else in Denmark, for that matter.
Stylish
Still wondering what are all those models right off the runway doing walking down the streets? That’s because you are in Copenhagen, a design-obsessed, fashion-loving city where the latest fashions can be found at virtually any price. Copenhagen proudly hosts a fashion week every year at the end of the summer. But if you want to see a real-life fashion show, stroll down Stroget, the above-mentioned pedestrian street in the heart of Copenhagen at any time of the year and you’ll be wowed by the fashion sense of the local beauties.
Oh, wait; did I just see a model riding a bicycle? …
Bike-riding
Tricky city, Copenhagen. Judging by the number of bikes rushing past you in ever-present bike lanes or parked at any given moment on any given street, one might think they are in Tokyo. But biking is as much an attribute of Danish culture, as, let’s say, H. C. Andersen, or Carlsberg beer, which, if you were to believe another bold slogan, is “probably the best beer in town.” That “probably” is precious. Speaking of beer…
Beer-drinking
Where else in the world can you enjoy beer at a museum cafeteria? Or at a mall food-court? A bakery? A coffee-shop? An amusement park? Well, probably in a few places, but one of them is definitely Copenhagen. Vikings would approve…
Hard-working
Copenhagen is a rather expensive place to live, what with the rent rates, high taxes, food prices and the over-all high-climbing numbers on any price tag in view. But that’s the cost the Danes pay for their excellent welfare and healthcare systems. So, in order to meet the financial challenge and not end up moving out to the country, the Danish work hard, often after hours. An office building across the street from my home in Copenhagen has its windows lit by seven o’clock in the morning (that’s the earliest I ever wake up), and well into the night, any day of the week. Even on Sunday, somebody is there, in that vast office buildings with huge windows for walls, showing off their zeal and making me feel so lazy by comparison… There is a whole row of these transparent office “aquariums” on my block, and I am sure that’s not a coincidence.
Fun-loving
Danish people work hard, no question, but they play even harder, in my opinion. The amount of bars in this city is staggering, and they are never empty. Danes love to party and nothing, even a day-old baby (by the looks of it) would stop them; I’ve seen it myself. A large group would gather at a local café, join almost all of the tables together and form an instant party, with kids in tow. Party sounds from every other window in my apartment complex, that’s how you know it’s Friday night… Danes live their lives to the fullest on their time off. They enjoy outdoors tremendously, trying to catch every single ray of precious sunlight by immediately occupying all available grass-covered space in the vicinity. On any given nice-enough day, parks are full of picnickers, with their baskets, kids, dogs, bicycles, portable barbecue grills, what have you. Lounging in the sun, that’s what the Danes seem to adore. Just visit a canal-adjacent street in Amager, right across the river from downtown, on an especially sunny day in the summer, and you’ll see what I am talking about. Danish people are also very active, participating in any outdoor activity you can imagine, from jogging to… picnicking, of course.
Patient
It never ceases to amaze me, the way Danish people tolerate crowds and lines, or any kind of inconvenience, for that matter. Copenhagen is not a very crowded city, but it can get pretty tough on my beloved Stroget, especially in the last weeks before Christmas. So, what do the Danes do? Push their way through the crowd and snap at each other? Not in Copenhagen, they don’t. People would patiently follow the flow of the human river, at any pace that the crowd dictates, and rarely voice their displeasure. Same can be observed in queues, which, by some unexplainable reason, the Danish cannot quite form properly. They would gather in a crowd and patiently advance towards, say, a cash register, but in no particular order. The strangest thing… And, nevertheless, no complaints, not from the Danish. That’s how you know a foreigner – by seeing them pacing impatiently or rolling their eyes, or sighing obnoxiously loud. No Viking blood in those, obviously.
Non-discriminating
There are people of all colors and walks of life living in Copenhagen, whose Muslim population, for example, is rather large. But everybody treats each other in the same Nordic reserved manner, with no exceptions. At times, foreigners attribute certain cold demeanor from clerks or other service providers to some hostility towards their ethnicity or skin color. I can declare with all certainty that no such discrimination can be encountered in Denmark. Everybody is treated as equals, with no exceptions. If a foreigner breaks some non-written rule (like failing to ring the bicycle bell when passing another bicycle in the fast lane, for example), they would be non-discriminately scolded (but calmly, mind you). Even the whole Danish social system is structured so that nobody advances too much financially. The high taxes are making sure of that. So everyone remains equal.
Political
With all that patience in store, the Danish, nevertheless, do not tolerate any infringement on any of their rights or even expectations, politically speaking. Almost every month, you would encounter some sort of demonstration or picketing in the downtown area of Copenhagen. The Danes know what they are entitled to, or they think they do, and do not hesitate to demand it. Very Viking-like.
So, what would the Vikings think? My guess, they would be proud!
Picture of Danish flag originally posted by eriwest
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