Restaurant Review: Cocks and Cows

This is the first time at attempting a food review on my blog, so apologies for the pretty rubbish photos and ramblings from me. If I do another restaurant blog post I will be a bit more prepared next time. Anyway on to the review...

Let's first just get one thing straight. Eating out in Copenhagen is expensive. This is a fact. I don't think you can find many (if any) sit-down meals for under £10, which is currently around DKK 80-90. Take-out food you can find cheaper (e.g. pizza aroung DKK 60). I thought that London was expensive, but Copenhagen is more so i'm afraid. Because of this, I do not eat out much. However when I have guests visiting, it's nice to treat ourselves once in a while.

There are a few American style diners popping up around the city which tend to be on the cheaper scale. I came across Cocks & Cows on tripadvisor with good reviews so booked for a Valentines Day meal. When we arrived for our table, it was busy - and I mean super busy. There was a queue of people waiting outside of the door. We were told our table would be a few minutes late so were shown to the bar downstairs. Less people, comfy sofas and a 'hygge' atmosphere, we enjoyed a drink while waiting. Our table was ready in 5 minutes and so time for the food!

Cheese and Smoke (L) and Pulled Pork (R)

We each ordered a burger, and then shared 3 sides (which is a deal they offer for DKK 80-90). W ordered the 'Cheese and Smoke' (bacon) and I ordered the 'Pulled Pork'. You can choose what bun you want, we both has 'American Sweet' which is similar to brioche and I also added jalapenos to mine (a personal favourite). Our sides consisted of curly fries, onion rings and BBQ ribs. Burgers we also cooked rare on request which was nice. A bit of a wait for the food, but considering the amount of people in the restaurant it wasn't an issue. All food was great and polished off in quick time, washed down with a bottle of Sol.

Our feast!

Somehow after all that food we still had room for dessert. I think this was the only slight let down. We ordered a brownie to share which was nice, but it wasn't really a brownie. More cake like in texture and covered in a layer of melted chocolate, like icing. Still enjoyable though.

W managing to look both impressed and unimpressed? (I assure you it was the former)

The bill was not cheap nor expensive for all that food, 2 beers and 2 glasses of cava. A definite recommendation if you are in the City centre!

 Also the toilet situations confused me, I'm still not sure whether I am a Cock or a Cow. I made a guess for the latter but there were men in both!

Byeee for now!

Gammel Strand 34, 1202 Kbh. K

From Copenhagen to Malmö

So in February, my friends and I decided to take the train over the Øresund Bridge to the small city of Malmö in Sweden. I thought I would share some photos of our trip. The weather was windy and overcast, but it was a nice to visit a new place since moving to Denmark. It's quite a quiet place, but was very pretty and reminded me of a smaller Copenhagen in lots of ways. For more information, please check the YouTube video I made about our day out (at the bottom of this post).

Byeee for now :)

Turning torso

Malmö Castle

This painting was quackers...(ouch)

Creepy looking statues..

Why study abroad and being a terrible blogger...

My apology comes with an explanation. I've become a terrible blogger. Since starting both blog and Youtube vlog, I seem to be finding it difficult to dedicate equal amounts of time to both. Previously I was terrible at vlogging but now I seem to have neglected this. So this week I promise a proper blog post. 

In the mean time I have a new video:

Byeee for now!

Language Problems

I'm terrible at languages. How many languages do you know?

How to survive a long-distance relationship

A blog and a vlog in the same day?! Who am I?!

We all have moments in our love lives and relationships where it will be put to the test. For me, the test is a 900 mile distance. Not the easiest situation but one i'm willing to work hard at. So these are some of my tips for anyone who sees themselves facing a similar situation the future.

Vi ses!

J-dag and Julebryg

It’s been almost 2 months since my last post – how neglectful of me! It’s been a pretty busy period work wise but no excuses. I’ve actually had this blog post lined up in my mind for some time but actually getting around to writing it was avoided.

At least Tivoli dressed up for Halloween

So typically around the end of October, the pumpkins appear in full force and I start to get excited for Halloween. I’m a sucker for fancy dress, especially the ghoulish kind. I know Halloween is seen as ‘Americanised’ but I’ve always enjoyed it and wish I was still at an age for trick or treating to be acceptable. Here in Denmark however, the fever of Halloween isn’t quite as strong. Decorations popped up here and there, along with some seasonal gifts in the shops and bakeries but it pretty much ends there. Back at home, we would be finding or organising a Halloween party. so on October 31^st, my neighbour (also a fellow Brit) and I were left a little home-halloween sick, and resorted to pumpkin carving and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas (a must watch every year), so it turned out a good night.

Pumpkin time!

November 1^st however is a much bigger date in the Danish calendar, and something I’ve never experienced before. ‘J-dag’ (or J-day) in the day that Carlsberg, the most prominent beer producer in Denmark, release their Julebryg (Chistmas beer) for the season. I first heard of it when one of the Danes from my course sent us a video, stating ‘the snow would be falling at 8pm’:

Feeling a bit baffled, I went to do some research. The video is an advert that was first released about 30 years ago? (I may be a bit wrong with the timings) but seems to have stuck as a tradition to the Danish like the Coca-cola Christmas advert in my memories. What is meant by the snow falling at 8 would be that the beer would officially go on sale in bars, clubs and shops at this time. So I thought – lets go see what the hype is all about!

The beer has arrived!

We arrived around 7.30pm and ordered a pre-‘j-dag’ beer as we waited. Then just before 8, we spotted a blue and white spotted van pass the window and we followed it with a large crowd. It stopped at a bar just around the corner from us, where this happened:

This supposedly was happening at different bars are certain times in the night. Trucks were driving around and stopping at particular bars on a route, so we were very lucky to have been at one just by chance!  Into the bar they went, handing out some free julebryg’s and Santa hats. Numbers were limited, and it was first come first serve – but with numbers quadrupling the typical size of this bars clientele, you had to fight. I succeeded in a beer (not a hat) but we celebrated our gains. We returned to the first bar for a little while, before deciding to move elsewhere when suddenly the Blue Santa’s entered the bar we were in. Here, I gained a hat and another beer, along with a flashing stick thing (a useful prop for sword-fights as we discovered later).

Free beer!

I dressed for the occasion...

The beer itself is nice, darker and slightly stronger in percentage to typcal Tuborg/Carlsberg – but also tastes sweeter than the former. Being a brand, it’s not the cheapest drink, but there are plenty of ‘knock-off’ versions in supermarkets that don’t taste too dissimilar.

All in all, a fun night. I’ve heard they also release an Easter beer too but its not celebrated in quite the same way. Since that night, blue and white decorations have been popping up (even in the airport) and I still have my Santa hat to get me feeling festive. So see you next year, J-dag!

 Byeee for now!/Vi ses!

Skål!

Take a peek around my neighbourhood: Østerbro

Hello again!

Just a quickie to say i've started a new 'series' on my YouTube channel. I want to post some videos about the different areas of Copenhagen, what they are like and what you can find there (in brief). I thought I would start with my own neighbourhood Østerbro. I hope you enjoy :)

Byeee for now!

Throwback Thursday: Change

So it’s Thursday night, I’m home alone and I’ve just finished watching the Dexter finale (as disappointed with the ending as I am?). So pretty much a perfect time to write again. A combination of 2 things inspired today's post: the first was an instagram photo entitled ‘Throwback Thursday’, a new concept to me and the second was an old photo I stumbled across in a stack of photos of my mum, sister and a 14 year old me. Just a few moments while I cringe…

Learning to laugh at yourself: Christmas 2006

If you haven’t figured it out, I’m the chubby blonde on the right. I’m only half joking with that comment too, as some people have genuinely asked me which one is me. It had to make me wonder… have I really changed that much? Yes my hair is a different colour, I’ve lost some weight and my fashion sense have significantly improved (hopefully), but it’s something I assume everyone experiences and because I am still the same person to me, I don’t really see the change that much.

Another golden find courtesy of my sister (2008) 

I remember telling someone who meant a lot to me at the time that no matter what, I would never change as a person. I genuinely meant it. When I uttered the words at 17, I didn’t want my life to change because I felt it was perfect (I guess that shows my naivety at that age), but in the 7 years from when the top photo was taken to present day me, I was always going to change even if I didn’t want to. It’s like that moment on pokemon when you’ve built up a repport, mastered it’s moves and then suddenly evolves – WHY?! (Ok, apologies for the geeky reference).

In the last six years I’ve left school, completed 2 years at college and 3 years of university. I’ve made friends and lost them, been in love, then heartbroken and somehow found love again. I’ve moved counties and even countries. I’ve experienced a lot of new and exciting things but also the loss of others and at times a loss of myself (perhaps a bit too deep for this blog?). Basically my point is – how could I have not changed?!

A sort of evolution through photos

It’s weird, the evolution of a person. It seems slow but it’s actually quite quick. I’m approaching the age of 22 and I still don’t see myself as a true adult. Perhaps it will come with time, or perhaps I will never fully accept it. However what I will accept is that I will change again in the future. Some of my core principles have become concrete with time:

1.       Shit happens – sometimes you can control it, sometimes you can’t but the fact is you have to accept it, deal with it and get over it.

2.       Try and be as positive as possible and brush of the negatives as quickly as possible

3.       I will become a crazy cat lady

I have learnt these through my experiences. My life will change and so parts of me will change too.  But as with core principle one: I have to accept and deal with it. My message to others is embrace change - it's going to happen so make it a positive thing. Sorry about the serious post, I have a more light-hearted, Denmark based one to follow soon ;)

Byeee for now!

P.S. since on the change topic – I’m attempting to return to my natural hair colour very soon. Results will appear soon (probably ginger though..).

Homesickness vlog

Hello again!

My next vlog about homesickness is up. I have been sick this week with what I believe is that flu - bed bound for most of it. I am finally recovered though (although feeling sick today - but that was self inflicted from too much alcohol...).

New blog up in a few days :)

Byeee for now!

Foreign thoughts on cycling in Copenhagen

This was going to be a topic to talk about in my blog, but I pretty much lost my voice this week and I’ve spent a good part of the weekend in bed for similar reasons – so vlogging kind of went out the window. The next best thing? Blogging again! As the only requirement for this is hands to type with… perhaps part of my brain too but we shall see how far we get…

I have mentioned the biking situation in parts in previous posts so I thought after a month of being here, I would expand my thoughts on cycling culture so far.

My new other half needs a name.

So a statistic told me that now over 52% of Copenhageners commute to work by bike. It’s quite crazy for me to get my head around when UK bike commuters, although have been on the increase, seem so few in comparison. At first I thought the motivation behind this was eco-friendly and ‘being green’ (if you weren't aware, Copenhagen are aiming to become the first carbon neutral city in the world), however from some quick background reading it appears the most common reason is because it is just the way they do it here, everyone cycles! So when your city is geared up for it, with purpose built cycle paths separate from the road and pavement, why wouldn't you? So I decided to join the bandwagon!

Bikes and bike lanes

What is so useful about cycling? Although I had a couple of hiccups in the beginning (falling off, nearly being hit by a car) I’m growing to enjoy cycling like I did when I was a kid. The city is extremely flat in comparison to home which makes for easy travelling. You do feel safer not having to travel in such close proximity to cars and although bike lanes aren't on every street, it seems to almost be law that cyclists have right of way over pretty much everyone. On top of that is the cost factor – it’s much cheaper than running my car and public transport costs a bomb if you are having to use it more than once a day. Walking of course is doable, but in a capital it is time consuming (and I’m not exactly known for being the most patient of person..).

Bikes and bikes and bikes...

I do still have a bit of a love-hate relationship though. I’m terrible with knowing what to do with bikes so when anything goes wrong, I feel a bit stuck. I managed to deal with my flat tyre averagely well after a moment of weakness feeling stranded without transport in a foreign city. Also the parking situation can be a bit of a nightmare. When I say bikes are everywhere, I mean.. everywhere! Propped up outside houses and shops, along roadsides and in bike designed parking bays. Some never seem to move and I swear they are just ghost bikes, left for years gone by but you never know. On top of that, don’t aggravate a Danish cyclist – they take it very seriously if you get in there way or if you don’t signal properly, their bike bell aggressively ringing in your ear. Talk about a different type of road rage!

Just your typical bike parking in Copenhagen centre

I found the process of finding a bike not the best either. I messaged countless of people on a selling website with little results and with new bikes costing the equivalent of a second hand car in the UK – it was my only choice. I grabbed the first bike I could get my hands on. It’s not perfect, a few cracks here and there, mismatched pedals and no bike stand (yet) – but I’m learning to love it. It’s almost becoming a part of me now that I rely on it so much – like I did with my little green bug at home (my car). I feel I need a nickname for it – so any suggestions?

My little green bug - currently tucked up in hibernation until my return.

To sum up – it’s a culture shock I find interesting and enjoyable. I’m feeling nervous about the winter commutes but it’s something I need to get used to if I wish to become a temporary Copenhagener. Also drunken cycling on a night out is interesting (still not sure if its legal though...)So if you find yourself in this city – invest in a bike ASAP.

Byeee for now!

Floor art is the new wall art.

P.S. an update on my floor situation – supposedly I have leak. It’s looking good, no? It’s my own modern art feature for my room, don’tcha know.

Vlogging again

I've finally gotten round to making a second vlog, so please head over to my youtube channel if you are interested! 

I'm still new to this vlogging idea - there are a few things I still can't get right (like why the video isn't full screen) but I hope you enjoy :)

Byeee for now!

Home sweet home!

Hi there!

No no, I haven’t been kidnapped or accidentally died – I have just had two of the most manic weeks to date (surprisingly). HOWEVER I realise that this is not a valid excuse completely ignoring my blog like I have. So where on earth have I been since I last posted?!

Well.. I’ve finally moved into my own place! Last weekend, my dad took the almost 1000 mile drive from Derby to Copenhagen to bring some of my things for the next two years (which I am extremely grateful for) and on Sunday we moved myself out the hostel (hurray!!) into my new room at Tåsingegade Kollegiet. 

Welcome to my home for the next year-ish!

My building (and room)

I love finally having my own space and stuff rather than living out of a suitcase. I feel relaxed now and can finally start learning the city and my surroundings, rather than playing the waiting game of settling in – I can unpack, buy groceries, do washing etc… As you can see, the walls are still a little bare but I plan on decorating it over the coming weeks and making my 17m² feel like a proper home!! The building is pretty big and not the most sociable i've been to but i've met some nice people so far. The room is not perfect as there are a couple of hiccups, like the lethal floor.. but all issues are solvable and I think I’m going to enjoy it here for the next 10 months. The area I live in, Østerbro, is quite residential which makes it feel like a safe place to live, but I’m also not far from shops (supermarkets on every corner) and just a short distance by bike to campus and the city centre. 

Pretty sure that isn't normal, or safe..

Speaking of bikes – I have acquired one myself!  I feel like I’m slowly becoming a Dane, despite not being able to speak any Danish, not having the blonde hair/blue eyed Scandinavian look and not eating pickled herring (just appealing to the stereotypes here…). Having not ridden a bike in god knows how many years, I have felt a bit shakey at times, especially when I fell off on my first day (typical). I’ve sustained a few injuries, dinting my ego more than anything but as they say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ and I still find myself alive and feeling more confident everyday. I love the ‘damecykler’ style of bike over here but not such of a fan of back pedalling to break. Also I’ve been told that cycling slightly under the influence on a night out is somthing you have to get used to. I personally found it a bit terrifying..

MY BIKE :D

Please enjoy the lovely result of my clumsiness

Also this last week has been filled with 9-4 days of introduction lectures which have been both interesting but exhausting. It’s been great to meet people off my course and I really like the informal relationships between lecturers and students. So far we have been on a hike around a Copenhagen park, been out for dinner/drinks and had pizza & beers over discussions – it’s so unlike the UK style of University but so far, so good! I fall into my proper routine next week so posts hopefully will be more frequent. I also start Danish lessons very soon, so hopefully I’ll know more than just ‘Hej’ and ‘Tak’ (hello and thank you, just in case you weren’t aware..).

Enjoying the last of the summer sun, mentally preparing for the oncoming cold!

I’ve also got a few vlogs planned for this week, so keep an eye on my youtube channel for that. It feels pretty empty right now so I promise I’ll be better committed. Well, as long as i'm not too engrossed in 'Dexter' (new obsession)....

Typical night in, skyping my cat...

 Byeee for now!