Copenhagen :: Take a Liking to a Viking
Having heard about the fabulous LGBT events being held in Copenhagen this year, EDGE travel editor Jason Salzenstein decided to find out what was attracting the large crowds to this beautiful Danish capital city. He found out that it wasn’t just the promise of hot Vikings. Here’s his take:
If asked to make a list of five European destinations they’d most like to visit, most people reading this wouldn’t include Copenhagen, Denmark. For some reason, although the city is one of the favored holiday spots for travelers hailing from Europe (according to Fodor’s Travel Guide), it’s not on the radar of most Americans. The European locals clearly know what they’re doing; a short visit to the city quickly confirmed that Copenhagen has everything you could possibly want from a vacation destination.
With their massive Pride Festival coming up in August and the city’s hosting of one of the world’s biggest LGBT film festivals in October, I felt like I had to check out Copenhagen to see what’s going on. What I found was beautiful architecture, a rich and interesting history, active gay culture (and very open society in general), and some of the friendliest people I’ve met in all my travels. Add to that the dozens of gay cruises that begin or end in the city, gorgeous design hotels, and great food and shopping, and you can see why Copenhagen is set to be the next hot spot for gay tourism.
(Of course the promise of hot Vikings doesn’t hurt either!)
Scandinavia?
Having graduated college as a European Studies major in and being a travel editor, I hate to admit that before I went to Copenhagen I didn’t exactly know what countries made up Scandinavia. It sounds horrible, but don’t be too quick to judge- it’s not as easy as you’d think. According to Wikipedia, Scandinavia "is a historical and geographical region... which includes the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark." However, "the other Nordic countries, Finland and Iceland, are sometimes included because of their close historical and cultural connections..."
Not so simple now, is it? Apparently, the terms "Scandinavian" and "Nordic" have been used interchangeably for so long that they’ve become synonymous in some circles. However, just to be "straight," Scandinavia includes Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Add Finland and Iceland (and by some definitions Greenland...) and you’ve got all of the Nordic Countries. Got it? Good. End of geography lessons for the day.
I expected to get off the plane in Scandinavia and be greeted by tall, gorgeous blonde men and women, all with prominent features and names like Frida, Inga, Greta, Sven, Bjorne, and Jorgen. Not so much. It turns out that not everyone in Sweden and Denmark is blonde, and (sadly) there isn’t ABBA music playing everywhere you go. In fact I don’t know that I heard any ABBA at all when I was there. I’m definitely going to have to write to them about that...
What I did find - in both Copenhagen and Stockholm - were two similar yet unique cultures, both very open and inviting, and both very warm towards tourists- even Americans (a nice change compared to some other European cities I’ve been to recently!). Another bonus? Everyone I met spoke English; it’s by far the most used language in the tourism industry, and spoken by nearly everyone over the age of 10 and under 65. (I was told that because of the number of countries - and languages spoken - in such a small geographical area, English has become the common language.)
When planning a vacation to Scandinavia, I’d definitely recommend visiting both Copenhagen and Stockholm; a week between the two is perfect. If you’ve got more time you could also make a stop in Oslo (in Norway), Helsinki (Finland) and Reykjavic (Iceland), although that’s a lot of flying so be sure to plan enough time to actually see some things on the ground, not just peering down from 30,000 feet.
Denmark
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark. Denmark is a Kingdom, although Denmark’s current "King" is in fact a Queen. Confused? Don’t be; after a progressive movement in the early ’50s to advance the role of women in society, the Danish people - and therefore their parliamentary government - passed a law creating a new Act of Succession that allowed women to ascend to the throne. And while the powers of the current head of state, Her Majesty The Queen Margrethe II (the first female Danish sovereign), might be limited on paper, don’t go telling the people of Denmark this, because they love her.
Unlike Britain, royal scandal is relatively unknown in Denmark, and the members of the royal family are seen as fabulously wonderful people- which from all accounts is true. They forego most pomp, most of them have had "real" jobs, and when I visited, thousands of people gathered in a square outside the Queen’s residence to sing her happy birthday- and she actually came out and waved! Amazing.
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