Travel & Inspiration: Copenhagen

I recently spent four days in Copenhagen and loved every minute. As someone who frequently returns from a holiday with almost no photos, I found myself snapping far more frequently on this first visit to the Danish capital. You'll see from both the highlights below (and corresponding photos) that the general theme was Great coffee and Excellent food. For me the highlights were:

• Sticks "n" Sushi for dinner on the top Floor of Hotel Tivoli

• Morning coffee at Steel House

• Lunch at Nyhavn

• Morning coffee and cake at Buka (simply the best)

• The Design Museum

• Lunch at Soho House

• Morning coffee at Lokal

• Lunch at Mad & Kaffe (Danish tapas?)

• Southern Cross Pub (Ireland were on fire; England were not)

• Dinner at Mother (beer and pizza - what's not to love)

That's not to say we were total philistines. We visited (and loved) the Rosenborg Castle, Frederik's Church and Amalienborg. But what really stood out for me was the following:

• Spotlessly Clean City and Harbour

• Relaxed, cozy, high quality lifestyle embodied by "hygge"

• Cycling Culture (much like Amsterdam)

I'd booked us into the Copenhagen Island Hotel which sits on an artificial island in the city's harbour in the Vesterbro district. To get there we travelled by Metro from the airport: no barriers, no ticket inspectors, no graffiti, clean, fast, efficient, honest. The hotel is located next to Havnebadet Fisketorvet (Harbour Baths) and I had intended to swim there. The only problem was the weather; it was minus 3 degrees and most of the harbour was frozen solid. My first thought: I must come back...

Hygge

As you can see from the highlights above, we immersed ourselves in "hygge" from the moment we touched down. It is a lifestyle that oozes with contentment and conviviality, and you don't just see it in the architecture (the Danes are design gurus), you feel it. And it is everywhere. Mmm I'm thinking I really might need to come back...

Running

I braved the cold a few times to go running. It's the perfect city for it; roads and pavements are wide, there are plenty of cycle lanes and runners, cyclists and motorists live in harmony rather than mutual loathing as you see and hear all too often in our cities. And running is clearly popular, twice I ran past hundreds of people out on a club run, chatting away, putting the world to rights and keeping themselves in good shape. Right "I absolutely must come back"

Cycling

And there was the cycling. It isn’t sport there. It’s transport. It’s normal. It’s built into the infrastructure and the rhythm of daily life. And I absolutely loved that no one wants to or needs to lock their bike. How refreshing.

It all combined to make me reflect on how much environment influences behaviour. When movement is easy, visible and socially reinforced, participation becomes effortless. There was much to learn and take away from the experience.

Sat at the airport and waiting to get on the plane home, it came as no surprise to me that I found myself looking at both Ironman Copenhagen and the Copenhagen Marathon. No firm plans (yet). But the idea of racing in a city so clearly aligned with endurance sport is appealing.

I've always loved travel. And sometimes a change of scenery is all the stimulus you need to find inspiration; to reset your motivation.