Winter Blues?

Living in a cold weather it is definitely a challenge, especially for those who come from a tropical weather or simply a much warmer one.

Having lived in different countries had taught me to deal with that situation more efficiently, so let me give you few tips about it.

 Have you ever noticed a mild depression, or a lack of motivation to do anything, perhaps low energy? These are the common characteristic during a cold weather, most known as Winter Blues. 

If you are a healthy person, but are experiencing these unattractive symptoms without knowing why, don't let it pass. Luckily, there is a lot you can do to avoid or to suppress winter blues.

• Exercising is extremely important not only to keep us fit, but to release stress. If you are not the type of person who likes to exercise, take advantage of one of the most important ways of transportation in Denmark. Do you know what I'm talking about? Bicycling! Even if it's only to take your bicycle to the train station. If you make it a habit, you will enjoy it so much. So do not hibernate, go out and take a walk, enjoy the snowing days, perhaps a snowball fight with your friends! What about ice-skating? Doesn’t it sound good? In Copenhagen you can ice-skate in many public outdoor ice rinks for free if you bring your own skates, or you can rent them. 

  1. Blågårds Plads' ice rink, free admission, DKK 40 per hour to rent skates 

  2. Frederiksberg Runddel's ice rink, free admission, DKK 40 per hour to rent skates 

  3. Genforeningpladsen's ice rink, free admission, DKK 40 per hour to rent skates 

  4. Elsinore C02-friendly ice rink, free admission, DKK 30 per hour to rent skates 

  5. New ice skating ring at Toftegårds Plads, Valby, free admission, DKK 45 per hour to rent skates

  

    

     After doing all of those activities, go home and drink a nice and warm Hot Chocolate. without whipped cream, hot coco,  it's a good and healthy alternative to sweet your cold days. 

• Indoor activities are also fun. What about catching up with your favorite book. I can suggest one I'm reading now Alexandria Link. It is a really good book if you enjoy history and fiction. (a lot of the action happening in the book, takes place in Copenhagen) What about a movie you couldn't watch during the summer, because you were outside all the time, or fixing your house can be a good project during the winter, and finally do some handicraft activities. 
• Eating well and healthy is very important during all seasons, but during the winter, especially, our bodies crave sweets and fats that are not necessary. So keep an eye on that subject. Fats are extremely important to our diet, but not all, since they give us the boost we need to be active. Omega 3 fatty acid is the responsible for our hearth wellness and cellular repair. Omega 3 fatty acid is found in fish such as salmon and in our famous Danish fish herring. Eating fish 2 to 3 days a week will make it up. Nuts, cheese, vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, are also good sources.  

So remember, get out of your comfort zone and let your brain be creative. Enjoy the winter days, the snow, the amazing frozen lake view, your friends...

  

Herlev, Denmark   

 by Gabriel Cuellar.

What About Some Danish Numbers?

Have you heard something about Vigesimal System? it is a system used for Danish numbers. Vigesimal means that numbers occur in intervals of 20. In a simple way to put it: 50 in Danish is halvtreds, numerically is 2.5x20. I know it's not too simple, because we are used to a 10 base system. As it is the case of most European (France is an exception) and western countries. But this is only to understand its system, you don't have to do the calculation every time, simply memorize it, learn it, and finally say it. 

Few weeks ago, I read that the University of Aarhus is trying to propose that Danes adopt a simple way to count (cphpost.dk), but until it happens, we must find a way to get familiarized with it.

It doesn't matter where you work or what you do, if you live in Denmark of course, I suggest learning it. At some point you will have to use the Danish number way, even if you mostly live in an English environment.

 

   CARDINALS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

en to tre fire fem seks syv otte ni

10. 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. 70. 80. 90.

ti tyve tredive fyrre halvtreds tres halvfjerds firs halvfems

Studying and memorizing numbers from 1 to 20 perhaps is the easiest part, because when you continue with the count, it gets a bit more complicated. 

After number 20 you have to read numbers backwards, so instead of saying: 

*25 you say five and 20 (5&20=25) fem og tyve

*32 you say two and thirty (2&30=32) to og tredive and so on... Basically inversion takes place. 




If you need some help with number's pronunciation click on the link (Speaking Danish). This is a nice and interactive site, with lots of games, and brain training systems that will help you learning numbers easily.  Good Luck!


FYI: Besides the Danish classes I'm taking at IA Sprog, I additionally help myself with a Rosetta Stone program and it absolutely works. Sneak a peek. 

   

Places to visit in Copenhagen for free

In Copenhagen, there are several attractions to visit and many other things to do for free. Let's start by naming few places you can go for as much as "FREE." 

Ny Carlsberg Gliptotek, art museum of international statue in the centre of Copenhagen. It has amazing art, a beautiful garden, and a cozy coffee bar. At Ny Carlsberg you will learn from Mediterranean, French, western, and Danish art. It is mix of culture. Don't miss it, it is free on Sundays. NCG is located on Dantes Plads 7   

The Open Air Museum, is one of the largest and oldest in the world. It has free admission and it's definitely a place you need to visit if you like to learn about Denmark's history and how its people used to live on times of Hans Christian Andersen. The museum is located on Kogens Lyngby

National Museum of Denmark, once upon a time, a beautiful mansion was home of a royal family, now this classical 18th century mansion houses the National Museum, located in the center of Copenhagen. If you enjoy history, this is the perfect place to go. There you will find Denmark's history right from its beginning until its present. Admission is free. Natmus.dk

The Royal Gardens, The kings garden (Kogens Have) at Rosenborg castle is one of the most beautiful and popular in Copenhagen. There you will find the Hercules Pavilion, and Hans Christian Andersen statue. The garden is located on  Øster Voldgade. Admission is free.  Kogens Have

Strøget, it is Copenhagen famous pedestrian shopping area. This street dazzles you in every single season of the year. It offers you street art and music performance along the way, besides that it is recognize as one of biggest shopping streets in Europe. If you are not interested on buying anything, take it as an attraction. You'll be very close to various popular streets as Frederiksberggade, Gammel Torv, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet, Amagertorv, and finally Østergade.

One of the most popular methods of transportation is the bicycle. The city of Copenhagen offers a free service of them. You simply use a 20Kr coin when you pick it up, and get your coin back when you return the bicycle. For more information click on the link Bycykle.dk   

Take advantage of free transportation with S-train on the first Sunday of every month. for more information follow the link DSB

Useful Words and Phrases in Danish


Hello: Goddag/Hej (polite/informal)
Goodbye: Farvel
Yes: Ja
No: Nej
Thank you: Tak
Excuse me: Undskyld

What's your name?: Hvad hedder du?
My name is ...: Jeg hedder ...
Where are you from?: Hvor kommer du fra?
I'm from ...: Jeg kommer fra ...
How old are you?: Hvor gammel er du?

Places to Visit in Copenhagen

Once you move to Copenhagen there are some places that you definitely have to visit to get a real essence of the Vikings land. Even though Denmark is a small country (43,093 sq km or 26776.75 miles) there are endless things to do and places to go. Let’s start by saying that Copenhagen is a city buzzing with life, with a classic and modern style that characterizes it, astonishing architecture, lots of museums, sculptures, amusements parks, etc. 

Exploring Denmark is a pleasure. Its streets, its people, even its weather makes it a magic place to visit. Below you will find few spots that will dazzle your mind.  

 Attractions and sights to suit every interest:

• The Little Mermaid: Hans Christian Andersen wrote a fairytale about her, and a statue was built in her honor. She is one the most visited statues in the world. The Little Mermaid is situated on Langelinie Copenhagen's water front Harbor.

• Tivoli Gardens: It is the oldest amusement park in the world. Tivoli is a vibrant place that includes history, tradition, and modernism. It is located on Vesterbrogade 3
  1630 København V, few minutes’ walk from Central Station

• Amalienborg Palace: The royal winter residence. At Amalienborg you can see the changing of the guard daily at noon and the equestrian statue of Frederick V thrones in the middle of the castle square. It is located at Chr VIII's Palæ, 1257 København K, five minutes walk from Kogens Nytorv metro station.  

• Kronborg Castle: Renaissance castle, known from Shakespeare Hamlet, also one of the most famous castles in Denmark. It is located at Kronborg 2 C, 3000 Helsingør.

• Canal Tours: You definitely have to take a tour canal. It is one of the best tourist activities to do, because it takes you through the entire city and its best sights. Canal tours, the Netto boats, and the water bus will be available. For more information follow the link Canal Tours.

• The National Museum: Largest museum of cultural history, where you can go all around the world from Greenland to South America. Don't miss it! It is located on Ny Vestergade 10, 1471 København K. For more information follow the link National Museum

  

 These are only a few spots in Copenhagen that I highly suggest to visit. Check out Lonely Planet Denmark to find more about the culture,gastronomy, and places to visit.

Opening a Bank Account in Copenhagen!!

Opening a bank account is one of the most important things to do when you move to a different country. First, because you don't want to pay high international fees, and second because there are some places that don't take international credit cards, as it is the case of you neighborhood discount store. 

Opening a bank account requires following certain steps such as:

1.     Have a legal residence permit

2.      Bring your passport for them to make copies

3.     Provide your CPR number

4.     In some cases you will be asked to provide a tenancy agreement as proof of your address

In Denmark as in many other countries is not a good idea to carry with you large amounts of money, so opening a bank account gives you a lot of benefits.

In Copenhagen, there are several bank institutions where you can open your account. Some of these are: Nordea, Danske Bank, Nykredit among others. All of these banks follow the same steps mentioned above to open an account.  

When opening your account make sure to mention that you would like to have paperless or e-banking service, so you don't get charge every month for a monthly statement they send to you, because you can check your account balance online. In addition, you can also pay your bills directly via e-banking. It is worth to mention, that you will save time and money by handling your own transactions any time of the day, and finally you will help reduce paper consumption. So don't be afraid to ask, unless you don't mind paying fees every month. 

Bank Hours:

Bank opening hours are usually from 9:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday, with a 'late' opening until 18:00 on Thursday nights. Banks do not open on Saturdays. At Copenhagen’s Central Station banking hours are from 7:00 to 21:00 - 7 days/week. 

ATMs:

ATM machines are provided outside every bank in Copenhagen and in major supermarkets. Mostly all ATMS accept international credit cards.  

You can use your bank's ATM for free, but if you withdraw money from another bank's machine you will be charged a fee.

Beginner's Danish with 2 Audio CDs

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It is important to learn and understand a culture, you can start it by learning some Danish, and not only for the benefits it brings, but for the great insight you get when you start experiencing a language interchange. Don't wait the time is now!! 

 Knowledge is Power!!

Administrative Divisions

Five regions:

1.  Northern Jutland

2.  Middle Jutland

3.  Southern Jutland

4.  Zealand

5.  Copenhagen    

The regions are divided into 98 municipalities. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are part of Denmark but have separate self-government and administrative divisions.