Last weekend, I was visiting old friends on my first trip to Copenhagen. Becca (of Scandinavia Standard fame, who is also a native Bostonian) showed me around the city with what was clearly a lot of affection; the wide streets, lack of crowds, fresh food, and limited shop hours all combined to give an air of relaxation to the city that is definitely lacking in most, if not all, of London.
I think what really struck me was that the city felt confident, in a laid-back way. The best food we ate was authentically Danish - an evening spent at Manfreds had us eating carrot salad with olive sauce, onions in blackcurrant vinegar, and other seasonal combinations that seemed to come out of thin air. The best shopping we found was all in independent stores, selling Scandinavian-produced goods (to be fair, I was traipsing around town with a local expert, but even wandering around for a few hours on my own I found more stylish home goods stores than I knew what to do with). Even transport was its own form of entertainment - I loved the cycling culture, and find it hard to believe I've ever gotten used to spending so much of my London transit time underground.
