There are some awesome new things I absolutely love about Copenhagen, especially our apartment. And some things I don’t love. Some things were fixable and some just became our new normal.
We moved in the summer, which was fantastic for the weather. Not so fantastic- the sunlight. In July, the sun rises before 0500, sets around 2145 (945,) and even then it’s not really that dark. When you have a beautiful apartment, with high ceilings and huge windows, it means massive amounts of sunlight. Needless to say, this did not help with acclimating. Curtains (from Ikea, naturally) for the bedrooms were one of our first purchases. Problem solved.
Copenhagen is six hours ahead from Atlanta. Which means I need to wait until at least 1300 to text or call someone. Not a huge deal I know, but it took awhile to get used to. It also means explaining to family that you will not be answering calls or texts if they send them in the evening. Side note- They use military time here. Everywhere. Luckily, I’m used to it, from working in a hospital.
Our apartment has a flat stovetop/oven. It is smaller than ours in the States, as most things are here. After some struggles- thinking it was broken, wondering why our cast iron skillet was the only pan to work, we figured out it was induction. I LOVE it! At least, after buying induction compatible pots and pans. Andy and I don’t know if we can ever go back. The oven doesn’t preheat, it’s just hot?!! We don’t even have a microwave. I am also in love with our instant hot water faucet at the sink. I drink tea, so it was a game changer. I know these things are available in the States, but they are new to us and more standard here, from what I can tell.
The kitchen has a black oven/cooktop and black sink (which is actually really cool looking.) They rest is all white- white walls, white cabinets (they cover the dishwasher and decently sized refrigerator and freezer), white countertops, white tile backsplash, white grout. It looks cool, but is not super fun to clean. Danish cleaning products can’t hold a candle to American cleaning products. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. The Danish don’t use all the chemicals we use. Considering Copenhagen has really hard water, harsher cleaning products would be helpful. Alas, you learn to make due with what you have. You just have to scrub hard… and often.
I also have learned to live with the grocery stores here. I go to the store at least 3-4 times a week. The stores are small and don’t always have everything you need. You sometimes have to visit multiple if you want something specific. The options are a fraction of what you find in the States. A positive though, their products don’t have the preservatives that American ones have. But, that does mean constant trips because stuff spoils fast. You can’t buy in bulk. They poke fun at our insistence on big “American buys.” Since we don’t have a car, I can only buy what I can carry too.
I have also learned to live with Copenhagen being more expensive then Atlanta. We knew that going in, but living it day to day is different. It took some getting used to. So far, there are two things, that are cheaper here; wifi and Andy’s Crossfit membership.
ps. K found a little bit of Atlanta in our Ikea.
xoxo-sk
xoxo-sk 