The best of Copenhagen and Stockholm

(Highlights of our two-week trip in Denmark and Sweden) 

During the longest ride day of our self-guided bike tour, we were sitting down to an afternoon “reward” beer in the Swedish harbor town of Hoganas, chatting with the young server, who was a native of the area. She said, “which do you like better, Denmark or Sweden?” 

At this early point in the trip, neither of us had to ruminate much before answering, “Sweden.” She said she preferred Copenhagen to Stockholm because it was “more cultural” and Stockholm was “more uptight.” Both Danes and Swedes have an amazing grasp of English. They seamlessly use words like “uptight” in native speaking fashion. The only Swedish or Danish words I now know are the easy greeting of "hey" or "hi," as well as "tak" (thanks) and "ol" (beer). 

I stand by my assessment from the whirlwind trip to Sweden in March that Swedes are by far the friendliest Europeans I’ve come across. Also, Sweden, though expensive, has nothing on Denmark. Perhaps the worst surprise of the trip was how insanely pricey things were in Copenhagen and surrounding towns (we went to Helsingor, Hillerod and Roskilde). From $22 cocktails to $30 basic dinners (per person), Copenhagen in particular is on par with Zurich, which is often ranked as the priciest city in Europe (we spent a couple of hours there on the return – took a quick train to the city center to stroll by the lake). 

Besides that, the food was a little better in Sweden, though the standard Danish lunch item – smorresbrod, a pile of small shrimp and fried fish on a piece of rye bread drowning in mayonnaise (they love to drown things in mayonnaise) – was pretty tasty. 

All told, it was a fantastic trip, and by the time we had more time in Copenhagen, we absorbed its many charms. The service in restaurants and in the hotel was generally a little brusque, but Danes overall were extremely helpful, as there were at least three instances in which we were accosted by strangers on the street asking if they could help find the way when we were obviously struggling. They also have fantastic beer, as we discovered by taste testing about 300 varieties. 

Compared to other European bike tours we’ve been on, Ruby Rejser was definitely lacking – particularly in the way there was no initial orientation before the start or any human contact whatsoever to welcome us. On the outset, the entire group of about 40 strangers had to find our individual bikes in the pile of rentals left outside of the hotel in free-for-all fashion. We were given a basic list of instructions. The turn-by-turn tour directions were also more than a little off, dead wrong on some turns/features. Our bikes, though decent, were in pretty bad shape, with gears that wouldn’t shift well, seats that fell continuously, brakes that squeaked and lights that didn’t work. But it took only one second of observing the free spirited, don’t-give-a-fuck, tutto bene! attitude among the pack of Italians on the trip to keep our attitudes in check. 

This mindset also aligns with the national MO in Denmark, which is, of course, “hygge.” It essentially advises that one be present, have fun and soak up the good. We clung to this motto by drinking a lot, eating a lot, swimming in the Danish Riviera, the Roskilde Fjord and in the Islands Brygge harbor in Copenhagen with a ton of locals also soaking up the sun.

Best meal: Saffron fish soup at 22 Matgatan in Stockholm. I discovered this place during my half-day whirlwind tour of the city in freezing March and returned twice on this trip. The soup is steaming hot, piled with fish, carrots and fresh basil on top. Maybe the best soup ever.

Best drink: That reward beer in Hoganas was pretty amazing (we had two each, as it turned out, pedaling the final 22 km back to the ferry to return to Denmark with a pretty good buzz). It was long-awaited, because it being our longest day of pedaling (about 95 km), we didn’t realize the climax (left out of the tour details) took us literally to the top of the land – about 1,200 feet up to the lighthouse at the high point of the cliffs (Kullenberg) on the southern tip of Sweden. It was spectacular. We’d planned to celebrate upon descending back to the nearest town – Molle – but ended up continuing to the picturesque harbor in Hoganas, where we’d had lunch, and ended up discovering a delicious local IPA – Four Strokes. A close second (or tied for first), was the generous Aperol Spritz I got in a to-go cup to sip while watching the passers by in Nyhaven and listening to a talented accordionist play swoony Frank Sinatra.

Most memorable encounter: The guy who worked at the bike shop in Copenhagen’s Norrebro neighborhood, where we stopped to purchase a bell. Upon leaving, we were plotting our bike route to the next stop and he asked if he could help. As we chatted, he told us about how he bikes 3,000 km a year just to commute to work and is so proud to be from a place where bicycling is so accessible and embraced. Dude embodied hygge. 

Friendliest person: The manager at Cafe Vitus in the small harbor town Snekkersten. After chatting with him for a while and our tasty meal of smorresbrod, we went to get ice cream from him (dude did everything – poured beer, plated meals, ran the register and scooped ice cream) and he gave it to us on the house.

Most memorable night: The night that there was no night. Mid Summer’s Eve in Stockholm – aka, summer solstice. The sky only darkened for a couple of hours –between about midnight and 2 a.m. It's a huge national holiday celebrated by hordes of people dancing around a maypole, singing songs every single Swede knows by heart along with communal dance moves (as witnessed at the urban version of the tradition in Stockholm’s Skansen). We joined in for a cheesy (but endearing) number about frogs jumping.

Most impressive structure: Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerod, Denmark. Truly fairytale, situated in a massive green expanse with tube-shaped trees on the ridge, surrounded by a moat with stone bridges leading into vast courtyards and the town located across a lake. 

Frederiksborg Castle

Best scene: Reffen Street Food market – a bunch of food booths housed in shipping containers by the navy shipyard in Copenhagen.

Coolest cultural stop: The Vassa museum in Stockholm. The closest you’ll ever get to feeling what it must have been like to be a Viking 400 years ago.

Most scenic spot: our swim in the warm and crystal clear “Danish Riviera” in Holbaek.
Best hygge:  jumping off the docks into the harbor water while sunning and drinking like all the locals ... with our tiny towels and grocery store mimosas.