Ep. 40 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is yet another destination with great food, great things to experience, and a hundreds of years of a great history just waiting to be explored. Join us as we take on "The Land of The Vikings" in our landmark 40th episode.
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Transcription:
*Intro music*
Episode 40 of The Friday Take Five?! That’s right folks, we’ve made it to yet another milestone episode. Thank you for the support and for adventuring with me along the way. For the new listeners out there, you’re listening to The Friday Take Five, which is the best five minute podcast for history and adventure. I’m Mark Moran, the host of this show, and each and every week, I work to scratch an itch for travel bugs and history lovers alike. As per usual, we’re gearing up to delve into a new place with a new story. If you walk away with a renewed appreciation for history, or a new travel destination added to the bucket list, then I’ve done my job. Without further ado… Episode 40 is coming in hot.
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We’re back in Europe in our 40th adventure and we’re popping into Scandinavia to yet another awesome city making its way onto my bucket list - Copenhagen.
For the longest time, I hadn’t really given Copenhagen much of a second thought in terms of getting it on my bucket list. I mean, it’s yet another northern European city with fairly chilly average temperatures and winters that will have you struggling to get enough vitamin D. I already live in the northern US and it’s already decently cold here most of the year - why would I want to make it to another frozen tundra?!
Well, as we’ve found with our other 39 episodes, each country and the many cities within have unique aspects about them that make for a worthwhile visit. Copenhagen, and Denmark, are no different. Thankfully, the weather is fairly temperate in the summer time and the summer nights run long. If you know me, you know that’s an immediate two thumbs up. We’ll be visiting come summer time.
Copenhagen has quite a lot to offer for any traveler. It’s a haven for food with incredible Michelin star restaurants left and right throughout the city, including the astounding 3 Michelin star Geranium restaurant situated in the center of the city. but alongside the “fancier” top tier Michelin eats are equally intriguing, and significantly more accessible, street foods across the city that already have my mouth watering.
To pair with the great food, Copenhagen has tons of activities to offer and great sites to explore. Some places high on my list include the Tivoli gardens, which is an 18th century antique amusement park and a highlight of the city, and also the 400 year old Rosenborg castle, because well, I’m a history nut.
Speaking of history… Copenhagen has an awesome history, which is just another reason to get it on your bucket list!
Denmark, and Copenhagen, have a constitutional monarchy, and it’s one of the oldest in the world! The current monarch, Queen Margarethe II, can trace her lineage more than 1,000 years to King Gorm the Old. The Danes during the time of Gorm’s ruling were Vikings in the truest sense. They worshiped Norse gods like Thor and Odin, they set off on the high seas to pillage villages afar, and they had awesome names like Forkbeard, I mean, come on. Forkbeard was Gorm’s grandson, but really, just a fantastic name.
Although the Norse god worshiping piece was largely gone by the time Gorm’s son came around, and the whole population was virtually converted to Christianity, it’s still a very real part of the Danish story, and it’s astounding to me that the same lineage that worshiped Thor and pillaged as the Vikings did is still a lineage that is ruling today. Once again, history has proven to be pretty crazy, but I love it - The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I do this podcast a lot for my own sake because I love to just learn and soak up these incredible stories; experiencing them firsthand where I can through travel. But I also hope that in sharing tidbits of Copenhagen and great places all over this great rock that we call Earth, that I get you curious to learn more about places near and far from you. And who knows, maybe you’ll end up adding some of those places, like Copenhagen, or another awesome destination, to your travel bucket list as a result.
Well, that’s all for this week folks. Hope you enjoyed another episode, and we’ll see ya when we see ya…
*Transition music*
Hey there! Thanks for taking a trip with me to a new destination in episode 40. If you haven’t already, be sure to give the show a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and share this episode with a friend. Have your own stories about Copenhagen, feedback on the show or suggestions for new episodes? I’d love to hear it so follow me and DM me on socials @FridayTakeFive or email me at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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