10 things you might not know about Copenhagen...

Over the past week and a half in Copenhagen, I have made many observations. Now, I finally have the perfect number to create a list of things you might not (or you just might) know about this city. In no particular order, this list goes as follows:

10) Food, drinks, clothing, shoes...most things sold here are not cheap. Aside from the canteen on campus (aka cafeteria) and bars that have student specials, I have yet to find very many places that offer great deals, for college students especially. I did know coming into this, however, that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities to live in. I guess I just didn't want to believe it, haha.
9) Buying a metro ticket for the first (or second time) is a confusing process. How to purchase the appropriate clip cards for your zone, how many times you clip them before getting on the metro, and how to clip them is extremely mind-boggling (my parents and I can contest).
8) Learning the Danish language is not an easy task, I'm only now starting to catch on (please note the word 'starting').
7) Parents giving their children ridiculous names is not just a phenomenon that occurs in the States or among celebrities. While at the Frederiksberg Kommune getting my CPR number, a young Danish mother called her daughter "Chili Talula". Really, what does that even mean?!
6) Most places lack air conditioning, meaning that on a warm day outside you would think that restaurants, hotel rooms, shops, and even the gym would use the A/C to make being inside a little more bearable. Not true. But the lack of A/C does makes sense during the winter.
5) The bars in Copenhagen (and the nightlife in general) do not come to life until after midnight. Most people don't go home until early morning. My friend was telling me that last weekend when she left the bar, the sun was starting to come up. Party until the sun comes up, I guess.
4) Riding bikes is a MUST when you live here. Nearly everyone owns and rides one, from elderly men and middle-aged women wearing heels and smoking cigarettes, to young fathers riding with their babies in front and toddlers. The infrastructure here makes riding so easy and pleasant for bikers. There are raised bike paths, and cars give bikers the right-of-way...not the other way around. Rain or shine, bikers are everywhere, which is a great segue into my next point:
3) The weather is so sporadic, one minute the sun will be out, the next the wind is blowing you almost off your bike, and then the rain comes soaking you completely. It's rather unpredictable at times.
2) The Danes are some of the friendliest people I've ever encountered. They are cordial, welcoming, and helpful (always willing to give directions to confused tourists and students examining maps...even without being asked). They truly are the "happiest people on Earth".
1) Copenhagen is amazing, beautiful, diverse, exciting, picturesque...my list could go on and on. Before departing, people would always ask me why I would choose to study in Copenhagen out of all the popular, more well-known cities in Europe, I didn't really have a concrete or consistent answer because even I didn't know why. But now I do. This Scandanavian city is a hidden gem that has so much to offer its tourists, students, and the locals. All you need to do is discover it...