Cumbersome Colds in Copenhagen | Lowell Dever

The infamous Nyhavn (New Harbor) in Copenhagen.

As I parted ways with E3 for officially the last time I certainly considered myself a changed man, but not necessarily a sick one. Unfortunately, the latter became ever more apparent as I finished my hour flight from Munich to Copenhagen. The previous week in Brannenburg had lent itself to a barrage of sneezes and sniffles the second I stepped foot into the outside world, which combined with my ignorance of treating allergies was ultimately a recipe for disaster. No illness was ever going to stop me from enjoying the trip of a lifetime, but failing to realize it was me who was the least of my worries was quite selfish.

My first day in Copenhagen could not have been a better one. Our tour wasn’t due to start for another two days, giving my grandparents and I freedom to do as we pleased until then. Thus, into the city we went. It reminded me in many ways of Berlin: not quite as aesthetically pleasing as ancient cities constructed by the Catholics, but instead exercised beauty by means of practicality. Sure, Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid were as good of a snapshot as you can take in my opinion, but never have I witnessed a city so profuse with bikes as this one.

When presented with a 150% tax on most standard motorized vehicles, it isn’t hard to realize why the Danes love their bicycles. And not only are these bicycles prevalent, the city was actually designed more for them than the cars! Every street is equipped with 2 separate sidewalks, one for the walkers and the other for the bikers. Not that this isn’t common in Germany, but not even Berlin had the separate traffic lights dedicated solely for the bikers.

If you think the Germans are the world leaders when it comes to caring about their environmental footprint, think again. According to our tour guide, a whopping 40% of Denmark’s entire energy usage comes from renewable energy alone, with Germany lagging behind at a mere 15%. With that being said, such a high standard of living cannot exist without a price, and only after my hotel presented me with a $220 bill solely for laundry services did I begin to realize just what that price is.

Now, what a liar I would be if I told you the rest of my trip was as splendid as the first day. Here I sit a week later still plagued by my original illness and the likely culprit of two other passengers joining me in my struggles. One of those poor souls happens to be my Grandmother. As a precaution we were forced to spend several hours in a Norwegian hospital to ensure whatever this was wasn’t pneumonia. Thankfully it wasn’t, but whatever visions of writing a cheery and lively blog on Copenhagen have since become obsolete, and only after several hours of staring out the window of our coach into the beautiful Norwegian countryside did I finally muster the strength to write the jumble presented before you. Never the less, true to my word I have stayed, and this illness will be the last thing that ruins my experiences here in Scandinavia. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and still beam with excitement as our bus nears Stockholm to wrap up the final few days of an unbelievable summer in Europe.