How to Live in Denmark

Cat Bites and Dental Vacations: The ups and downs of the Danish health care system

11 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

I've just arrived back in Denmark after a couple of weeks in the US and the night I got back, my cat bit me. This was not just a little affectionate p...

'Best of' Podcast: Christmas in Denmark Part 2: Get Yourself an Elf Hat

05 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Don't mention the flag: What I learned when I studied for the Danish citizenship exam

29 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There was no How to Live in Denmark podcast last week, and I apologize for that.  I have been busy studying for my Danish citizenship exam.  As some...

Donald Duck, Anti-Depressants, and the Myth of Danish Happiness

16 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Hello, and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast.  I'm Kay Xander Mellish.  Whenever I hear that Denmark is the happiest country in the worl...

Danes and Environmentalism: Why a country that loves green tech is the world's fourth-biggest polluter

02 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a beautiful autumn here in Denmark.  Warm, with golden sun, blue skies, red and yellow and orange leaves on the trees.  Just gorgeous.  A...

Are you a good foreigner, or a bad foreigner? How the Danes categorize newcomers to Denmark

05 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever seen the movie The Wizard of Oz?  It's a classic.  When Dorothy arrives in the land of Oz, the first thing she's asked is - are you a ...

The 8:00 meeting is not an 8:05 meeting: Do's and Don'ts in Denmark

21 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I did a little crowdsourcing for this week's podcast.   I asked some of our listeners, and some people on Facebook - what were some of the small cul...

The Little Match Girl and the Fur Industry: Danes and China

14 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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How to make friends in Denmark; or 'Friendship in Denmark is a slow-growing plant.'

31 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I was in London this week, and did a little fall wardrobe shopping.   I got tired after walking for awhile, and it was lunchtime, so I sat down in a...

Danes and English, or "Can I live in Denmark without speaking Danish?"

24 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I get a lot of mail at the How To Live in Denmark podcast, and some of it is from people who want to move to Denmark, but they're not sure what to do ...

Danes and Authority: The giant penis on the wall, or how to deal with Danish civil servants

17 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

  When you think you're talking to the authorities in Denmark, you're often not talking to the authorities. If it comes to bus service, train servi...

What I like about Denmark

28 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I got an email a couple of weeks ago at howtoliveindenmark.com from a Danish woman who now lives in Germany.  She says that this podcast helps her ke...

More thoughts on Danish summer: The downside of the 'light times'

15 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re in Denmark right now, you’ll know that we’re coming up on the year’s longest day this week.  June 21.  You know it because it st...

Danes and Swedes: The world's worst haircuts are Swedish

08 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Hello, and welcome to the How To Live in Denmark podcast.  I'm Kay Xander Mellish. I don't regret many things in life, but I do regret not going to a...

Danes & IT: Anyone can guess your CPR number

31 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ordinarily don’t get my technology news from the local newspaper sold by the homeless in Denmark, but I did this week.  First of all, I learned tha...

Danes and Norwegians: Bitter envy and brotherly love

23 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Danes and Norwegians were part of the same country for hundreds of years, and they're still family.  Written Danish and written Norwegian are very si...

Summerhouse or dollhouse? What to expect if you're invited to a Danish summer home

10 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

If you live in city or a big town in Denmark, you may notice that the weekends are getting very quiet just about now. The streets outside my home in C...

Stories of a Salty: Arriving back in Denmark after vacation

04 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

When you go back to your country of origin, it's alarming sometimes to realize how Danish you are becoming. I've been on vacation in the USA for a cou...

The Little Mermaid is Highly Disappointing: Better ideas for visitors to Denmark

06 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

If you've seen it, you know the Little Mermaid is only about four feet tall – that's 1.25 meters.  You probably own pillows that are bigger than t...

Raising children in Denmark: If their social life's OK, academic success will follow

30 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Denmark is a pretty good place to raise children. Working hours are shorter, and it’s perfectly OK to leave work at 3 or 4 o’clock to pick up your...

The Things I Do Double: Thoughts on Denmark's offer of Double Citizenship

23 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There was big news this week for foreigners in Denmark.  It looks double citizenship will soon be permitted.  Previously, if you wanted to be a Dani...

Salaam and Gooddag: Denmark for Muslims

16 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There's a new mosque opening down the street from me this spring, a big one.  It will be the first mosque with minarets in Denmark, although the min...

Danes and Stereotypes: The superficial American and the Copenhagen cheater

09 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As an American in Denmark, I get to experience Danish stereotypes about Americans on a regular basis: we are superficial, too outspoken and direct, an...

Danish Names: Why Bent is not bent, and why It's bad to be Brian

02 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Danish names are very strongly stratified by age. Ole and Finn and Knud and Kaj and Jørn and Jørgen and to some extent Poul and Per, are over 50. T...

How to find a job in Denmark: Not easy, but it can be done

23 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Finding a job anywhere is a headache, and Denmark is no different.  And let's be frank, if the employer has a choice between a foreigner and a Dane, ...

Dating in Denmark, Part 2: Dating Danish men, a guide for the foreign woman

16 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

If you are a romance novelist, the Danish man is not your dream man. He will not write poetry and pursue his beloved to the ends of the Earth. He won'...

Dating in Denmark, Part 1: Meeting Danish women, a guide for the foreign man

09 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

 A lot of the mail I get at howtoliveindenmark.com get is from men, wanting to know how they can meet women in Denmark. I can understand this.  Da...

More Snow Tomorrow: Surviving winter as a foreigner in Denmark

02 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I'm looking out the window as I record, and it's snowing again. It's pretty, but it's not a novelty any more. It's been like this for the past couple ...

Danes and Vikings, plus: Two words to use to get Danish people to do what you want

26 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I play a little game sometime when I look at Danish people. I imagine them as Vikings. It’s easy now that big beards are in fashion on young men. So...

Danes and Work: My vacation flight was cancelled, because the pilot was on vacation

19 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, during the peak July vacation season, SAS had to cancel a large number of flights out of Denmark. This is because too many SAS pilots...

Gossip and Scandal in Denmark

15 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

While French or American politicians have sex scandals, Danish politicians have tax scandals. Only the Royal Family is permitted to be the subject of ...

Sex and Denmark

08 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Even though Denmark is very open about sex, it isn't very…sexy. Everything's so accepted, out in the open, so practical, that sex in Denmark is a bi...

How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?

23 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sitting at my desk in grey, November Copenhagen, I received an email from sunny Portugal. Eighteen-year-old Bárbara asks: Should I move to Denmark?

Christmas in Denmark Part 2: Get Yourself an Elf Hat

16 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Wearing an elf hat at Christmas time is a way to show you've got a sense of humor about yourself. You're likely to see an elf hat on your boss, your p...

Ørestad, Ørested and Øresund: Why I still get lost in Denmark

09 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

I still get confused about Danish place names. A lot of names sound so similar that I am constantly getting lost in Denmark. People's names are tricky...

Voting at McDonald's: Danish politics, and the posters that will last until spring

02 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, political posters went up all over Copenhagen, on streetlights, on bridges, and on train platforms. The posters are for the local elections...

The Two Months of Christmas: Holiday drinking in Denmark begins now

25 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The 12 days of Christmas is an old French Christmas song. But those 12 days have nothing on the Danes, who have more than two months of Christmas, and...

Just buy more insurance: Crime and Punishment in Denmark

17 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Traditionally, there has been little crime in Denmark, which is a society based on trust. But when that trust is broken, Danes get confused about what...

No planned hangovers: Ways I refuse to integrate in Denmark

11 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

More than a decade after moving to Denmark, there are still a few things I won't do to fit in. I won't cook fried fish balls, or watch Danish talent s...

Danish Design: From spaceship toilets to thieves that steal chairs

06 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Danes are passionate about design, and they really believe in making everything that is useful also beautiful, even a toilet. After living here a whil...

Here come the dark times: Winter in Denmark

28 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The dark days of winter in Denmark last from October to March. The sky is dark when you get up in the morning, and it's dark when you leave work. If y...

A thatched roof over your head: How to find a place to live in Denmark

22 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to live in a thatched cottage in rural Denmark, you'll find a lot to choose from. Finding an apartment in downtown Copenhagen is harder. T...

All the colors of the Danish landscape: The truth about Danish fashion

12 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Danes dress to match the Danish landscape. This is why most Danish fashion comes in grey, green, blue and brown - plus beige for the adventurous. 

Two-Wheeled Vikings and why I own three bikes: Danes and Cycling

05 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

For Danes, bicycle lanes are the Vikings' last stand. These gentle blond people - these people who will wait two minutes at a 'Don't Walk' sign instea...

No food, only stuff to make food: My culture shock in Denmark

31 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

At every Danish dinner party, I'm asked a standard set of questions: How did you come to Denmark? Why did you come to Denmark? What type of culture sh...

Public nudity and the passion for privacy: Why I Google my Danish neighbors to find out who they are

24 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

They may appear nude on public beaches and in daily newspapers, but the Danes have a passion for privacy. And they may be respecting YOUR privacy by n...

Danish, Dutch, Deutschland: Confusing Denmark with its neighbors

15 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It's a common mistake to confuse the Danish and the Dutch - all those healthy blond people on bicycles! - but if you really want to understand Denmark...

Painful hugs and Poison Gifts: When the same words mean different things in Danish and English

09 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Danish words and English words can look similar, but some of the similarities are deceiving. A Danish hug is not comforting. And slut is not a slut. T...

Danish sports: Big handballs and lonely ping-pong players

02 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Denmark is a small country. It needs sports it can win. Team handball, team badminton, and team ping-pong are where Danish sports men and women shine....

White Socks and the Danish Tax Burden

25 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The price of white cotton socks in Denmark is about five times as high as in the USA. I explain how the price of socks has a lot to say about the Dani...

The Deeper Meaning of Pigs

18 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hear about the role of significant cultural role of pigs - and we mean real pigs, not just people with bad manners - in Danish public life. This is th...

Summer in Denmark

26 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hear about summer in Denmark (or what there is of it) and why 'summer herring' sometimes wears a bikini, and sometimes nothing at all. This is the fir...