Europe

A Confirmation Takes Us to Copenhagen 

In early May, we made a much-anticipated trip to Denmark. We had been invited by friends in Copenhagen to participate in their daughter’s confirmation. This is a pivotal event for Danish teens. It revolves around their confirmation in the church, of course, but it is much more than that.  It is a rite of passage, into semi-adulthood, a debut of sorts. While there is nothing similar on our culture, it resembles a bar or bat mitzvah in the Jewish tradition or a quinceañera celebration among Mexicans. 

We found the morning ceremony in the church touching despite not understanding a word of it. There were a dozen teenagers, half boys and half girls. The girls were dressed in a wide variety of fashion styles, but all in white. The pews were packed with friends and family. The priest seemed to be genuinely fond of these youngsters. They in turn appeared to like, or at least respect, him.

Afterward there was flower-giving and photos in front of the church before each confirmand departed with his or her entourage for a private luncheon. Our friends had reserved the entirety of an excellent restaurant for their lunch party. There were nearly a hundred present, split almost evenly between adults and teenagers. The celebration stretched over more than five hours of drinks, toasts, games, conversation, excellent food and lots of speeches, most in Danish. There were a handful of guests from outside Denmark, and everyone made an effort to make sure we understood what was being said. It was an extraordinary event, warm and full of joy.

Leaving the restaurant, we were reminded that the next chapter in the day’s event was to be an informal party at the home of our newly confirmed friend. They have a beautiful home in a lovely setting just beside one the artificial ponds called simply The Lakes. The twenty-minute walk was refreshing. That was a good thing. When we arrived at the site, the kitchen was abuzz. A celebrity chef (we were told he had done a dinner party for the queen earlier in the week!) and his crew were turning out course after course of delicacies.

By now it was dark. Guests continued to arrive, filling all four floors of the house and its two courtyards. Again, the partygoers were split between the youngsters and the adults.  Gifts were opened, copious amounts of wine were consumed, and many new friends were met. The last course we saw come out of the kitchen was mini burgers. Amazingly good, a perfect nightcap snack. Sometime before eleven, we said our goodbyes and made another welcomed twenty-minute walk along the lake in the brisk night air to our hotel. The next day we learned that the last guests had departed around 3:00AM.

We were very impressed by our introduction to the Danish custom of confirmation. It was a joyous mix of seriousness and fun. We felt blessed to have been included and allowed to participate as our young friend Lea Amelie was welcomed to adulthood.

The balance of our weekend was full of exploring the many splendors of Copenhagen. By chance the annual marathon was taking place and the city was charged with energy. It was a treat to walk around Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish government. It is commonly referred to as Borgen, the title of a Danish TV series we have enjoyed.

We interrupted our Copenhagen visit for a trip to Norway which you can read about in a separate post. When we returned, our friends had planned several days of activities for us, one of which included a visit to the renowned Tivoli Gardens. This sprawling entertainment complex in the middle of the city includes indoor and outdoor performance venues. The evening we were there, the Queen and her family were, too! They attended a ballet and had dinner at one of the several fine restaurants. We did not witness it ourselves, but we saw a photo in the next day’s paper of the Queen riding a rollercoaster! 

The city has a wide variety of architectural styles.  One of the architectural wonders not to miss is the Opera House which sits on the harbor opposite the Royal Palace. It was a controversial and extraordinarily expensive building that was donated to the Danish government by the founder of the Maersk shipping empire.

A highlight was a sightseeing cruise which is something we can highly recommend. There are many that depart from the dock at colorful Nyhavn (New Harbor). The tour slowly moves through the maze of canals lined with houseboats still very much in use and also includes the city’s important harbor. We viewed the city’s most famous tourist attraction, the statue of the Little Mermaid, from our cruise. It is as tiny as the Opera House is grand.

Copenhagen is also a great walking city. There are several food markets to explore. In addition to the impressive Botanical Garden, the city has many other beautiful gardens that were in full bloom during our springtime visit. Not to be missed is the Christiania neighborhood, a self-governed, bohemian community of what are essentially squatters, who openly use and sell otherwise banned drugs. Christiania definitely adds to the diversity of architecture and lifestyles seen in Copenhagen.

Foodies from around the world descend on Copenhagen to experience some the most revered restaurants in the world. Our friends made sure we tried a wide variety of the modern and traditional cuisines that justify the city’s growing reputation as the center of the “dining as an experience” revolution. I’ve written a separate piece about our own experiences on the Copenhagen restaurant scene in an adjacent post.

Our friend Malena drove us to visit the justly famous Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, located in a beautiful seaside setting about a half hour north of the city. This alone is worth a trip to Denmark.  Art is exhibited outside in the garden-like grounds as well as within the expanded and modernized villa. The museum derives its name from that given to the villa by its original owner who named it for his three wives, each of whom was named Louise.  Our trip outside Copenhagen included stops at several charming beach towns. We will want to explore these and other parts of the country on our next visit to Denmark!