Not so dark after all… Autumn and bicycles in Copenhagen. (Photo courtesy of Kristoffer Trolle at Flickr, CC License.)

How many årstider (seasons) has Denmark got? Two, says an article I read: the Golden Summer and the Great Murk. On the one hand, you’ve got the nice hot time of the year with plenty of festivaler (festivals), garden parties and family trips to stranden (the beach). On the other hand, you’ve got the long, dark months where people are plagued by regn og kulde (rain and cold). Here are some tips for you to survive life in Denmark until solen (the sun) reappears!

Visit a greenhouse

In both København and Århus there are public, no-entrance-fee væksthuse (greenhouses, literally ”houses of growth”). Reconnect with Nature among green planter (plants) and a temperature that’s much nicer than that cold wind on the cykelsti (cycle path).

Watch a movie

Sometimes a bit of virkelighedsflugt (escapism) is all you need. Whatever you step into the Brazilian rainforest in the local biograf  [bee-o-GRAHF] (cinema) or fly to a Netflix galaxy far, far away, you’ll probably feel less trist (sad) afterwards. Maybe you’ll even smile at the raindrops and appreciate the fact that you live in one of the world’s safest countries.

Go for a swim

Feeling tung (heavy) after your work or studies? You can always let the water carry you for a while. Obviously, you have to be a Viking-type of person to enjoy the cold hav (ocean) this time of the year. But most Danish byer (towns) do have a public svømmehal (swimming bath) that is not too pricey.

Eat oranges

No sun? Eating healthy mad (food) gets you through the worst gloom. Fortunately, the dark season is also the time when fruits like appelsiner (oranges) are generally cheap in shops like Føtex or Rema 1000.

Join a community

Many foreigners in Denmark have a hard time getting to know Danes – maybe because many Danes already have enough ”quality time” with familie og venner (family and friends). Well, you beat them at their own game! There are many Danes active in some kind of forening (community) – like a roklub (rowing club), a sangkor (choir), a football club or a book café at biblioteket (the library). You don’t need to speak perfect Danish. Just show some interest, and you’ll have a nice community to help you make the dark time brighter.