On Side Quests, and The DIS Festival

The closer it gets to summer, the more alive Copenhagen seems to feel. That is why I’d like to chronicle some of my personal favorite must-dos! when the weather is warm.

Kronborg Castle 

I’m not sure why I didn’t come here sooner. It was the first thing on my bucket list, and yet one of the last things I ended up doing. My visiting host mom invited me to come, so I went! 

It was a lot bigger than I was expecting. I’m a big Hamlet fan, so it was interesting to see the castle that might’ve inspired the castle in the play, though they don’t lean into it as much as you’d think. Highlights include: walking down into dark basements, being a part of a 16th century party fit with 2010s pop, and writing your name with a quill.

Bakeries! 

It took basically the entire semester for me to end up at Juno Bakery, and that’s honestly for the best because I would’ve ended up spending all my money there! When almost everyone says something is good, I know it’s usually overrated, but no one is wrong about Juno. So good. 

Honorable mentions include: Hart Bakery (great BMO and Anderson and Maillard (pretty good cardamom bun). 

Reffen 

I went here with some friends from my core course on a weekday, and it was such a good time. It was all so lively, and it was really fun to sit by the harbor and watch the ships go past. The food options were also numerous and delicious. I caved and got a smash burger with one of my friends. Incredible. And we all topped it off with some ice cream. If you want to feel summer before summer arrives, go to Reffen! 

Walk around King’s Garden (Kongens Have) 

This is one of the easiest things you can do in between classes at DIS or in between museum runs. The sculptures and fountains were always nice to look at, and the design of the garden itself was very aesthetically pleasing.  It all seems intentionally designed for a nice walk or run. If you are early enough, you can catch the changing of the guards closest to Rosenborg Castle. 

David Samling, Natural History Museum, SMK 

For the inevitable day when the weather in Copenhagen decides to turn left, and it's rainy or windy or cold, a museum visit is a perfect way to spend the day. I put these three together because they are within walking distance of one another, and if ambitious, you could probably spend a whole day in all three. 

David Samling was quietly ambitious and large. They have an extensive collection of Islamic Art, and a little Danish and other Western European art. It’s a beautiful, decadent museum inside, and the best part: it’s free entry.

I went to SMK on one of the SMK Fridays, meaning that entry was free and there were special themed events happening. If you can catch one of these, I definitely recommend it. There are lectures, films, free refreshments, and a lot of people around to talk to! 

As expected, the Natural History Museum was full of specimens and dioramas, and bones, and exoskeletons. It’s aimed more for kids, but I had fun all the same. 

DIS Festival 

The DIS Festival felt like the perfect way to end the semester. The student hub, normally a place I’d go to work, became a place of beautiful celebration. There were tables and tables of research presentations, photography portfolios, creative writing books, food, and other special presentations. 

Two of my friends were in a concert where they sang Danish songs. We all danced and clapped and filmed. Music united us all that day. Along with food that was in the student hub, there was also another section of the festival, a couple of minutes away near a fire station. Here were food trucks, a raffle, and a photo station.   

The highlight for me was manning the tattoo booth. My LLC had designed tattoos, and we gave them away at the festival. People were so enthusiastic about it. I cut out so many stars, saved a heart for myself. 

On a reflective level, it was also a chance to see the entire semester laid out for me. I saw people I hadn’t seen all semester, people whom I’d never met. Classes I had never taken displayed their work, classes that I had showed me what I had forgotten I’d done. 

Seeing everyone together was overwhelming. This really was the end. This is what time had been moving towards, and now that it was officially over, marked by this celebration, what was there to do now? We would all soon be separated by counties, states, and even countries, by life experiences, and time. 

We are all moving towards separate ends that we can’t see yet, but I suppose what matters is that we were all together then, at that time, for those moments.