Living as a 4-month exchange student in Copenhagen【Denmark Tour: Week 1】

October 3, 2021

Hey everyone! I'm Ivan from FF Classroom. Starting in September, I'm an Exchange Student at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark's capital — got 4 months to explore all of Europe, hitting over 13 countries! Now I'm basically visiting new spots daily, so expect tons of fresh stories every day 🥺

Day 0-1 (8-9 Sept): Missed the flight…?!

 

I had originally booked a 11:45 PM Swiss Air flight with friends, but I messed up my name on the booking and couldn't board 👀. We had to quickly book another flight just two hours later right there at the airport, shelling out an extra ~4,000 HKD… 🐽 After a grueling 16-hour journey with a layover in London, we finally made it to Copenhagen!

Should've arrived at 6:00 AM, ended up 7 hours late 😶‍🌫️

First impression off the plane — people here move so slowly 😂 No elevator close button; doors close on their own. HK life must be too hectic — no rushing pedestrians on streets felt weird.

 

Luckily a friend guided me to the dorm, grabbed keys, dropped bags, then hit the Guinness World Records Museum 🏅 with other study-abroad pals (more details later!).

Soon headed home, cleaned dorm, unpacked clothes, then grocery shopping for dinner. Supermarkets here are chaotic 🥶 (maybe 'cause I can't read Danish). Soda and Coke in two spots — wandered 1 hour to find stuff… Done shopping near 8 PM, rushed home for dinner.

 

Super tired today, so showered after eating and crashed. Bed's insanely soft, sofa-like — 5 mins and you're out 😂 Writing this now and already drowsy.

Day 2 (10 Sept): Danish Royal Luxury

Up early with CUHK friends to the Natural History Museum 🪨 — full dinosaur fossils, massive sizes 🥶 Reminded me of HK Science Museum exhibits years ago, but way more here. Shame the 1st-floor minerals were closed 🥲

Next door: Botanical Gardens on a hill, over 1,000 global plants 🥗. Tons gifted to Danish royals — tropical zone has a 240+ year-old tree with thick vines. Everyday stuff like coffee, avocados grown here too. Spot any you know~

 

 

 

Day 3 (11 Sept): Rosenborg Castle

Up super early again, this time to Rosenborg Castle 🏰 at city-center Nørreport. Built 1606 by Denmark's top king, Christian IV.

Hands-down the most lavish palace I've seen. UK/Germany/France ones lacked artifacts (wars?), but every room here packed 100+ exquisite pieces — ivory and glass blew me away! Spotted Asian blue-white porcelain, prob from old China trade 💵

 

3rd floor: King's throne in a hall with Renaissance Christian ceiling murals 🖼️ Sculptures every few meters — wonder how many artists slaved over this 🥺

Those blue-tin cookie ads hyping Danish royalty? Castle holds 10,000+ gold crafts, glassworks, ivory carvings, even the crown 🥺 Totally worth the ticket — roamed 5 hours, hit aesthetic overload from constant bling 🤯

 

Napped 3 hours home, missed coffee party, fried salmon for dinner 🐟.

Evening: Planned grass BBQ with CBS friends for new semester ❤️ But rain hit in 10 mins — chatted in downpour, then home. Pan-fried steak as my first home-cooked CPH meal ⛄️

Tomorrow: Copenhagen suburbs for nature/village life — stay tuned!

 

 

Day 4 (12 Sept): Fairy-Tale Colorful Houses

Early train with local/US friends to northern suburb Hillerød. Main spot: Frederiksborg Castle (built 1560). Less blingy than Rosenborg 🏰, more like an art gallery.

 

Center: Massive church ⛪️ — attic lined with 100s of donor family crests. 2nd floor turns gallery with Danish celeb/politician portraits (most unknown to me) + kids' art. Less crowded, so comfy viewing 😌

Nearby huge park — neatly lined trees, vibrant green lawns (pics do it justice) 🌿. We hit a clearing, blasted music, napped on grass. Pure exchange vibes 🥴

 

No masks here 😷 — parks everywhere for fresh air 🍃. Danish rules cap buildings at 5 stories, no urban crush, real Euro slow life.
Cooked home again 🥘 — skills leveling up, pink-inside steak 🤤. Exhausted after 3 play days, so Day 5 full dorm rest + backlog work (Flowclass piles up 🤫).

 

 

Day 6 (14 Sept): Iconic Nyhavn "New Harbor"

Slept short, up at 7 AM. Quick meeting, then to CPH landmark Nyhavn — canal system's heart, those postcard colorful houses.
Friends suggested canal boat tour 🐟 — 99Kr for 1 hour, steal! Guide narrated buildings. Spotted Queen prepping seasonal finale 👑 — first real royal sighting!

 

Buildings mostly black/white (IKEA style), big floor-glass windows for modern feel. Spacious squares everywhere — small-population perk 🏞

After the tour, we hit the nearby Church of Our Saviour ⛪️, which towers over the city with an external spiral staircase on its tower ♟. Inside, the steep wooden steps felt precarious 🥶, flanked by abandoned marble angel sculptures like something out of a haunted house 😮‍💨. Despite my fear of heights (legs shaking the whole way 🗿), we made it to the top. The view showed a super orderly, flat Copenhagen.

 

 

We snapped extra pics up there before descending for lunch at a vegan spot nearby — the owner even threw in free dessert, so heartwarming 💛. Back at the dorm, I napped hard, gearing up for my first class tomorrow — an 8 AM lecture, fingers crossed I don't oversleep 🥵.

 

Over the next 3 months, I'll share life in Copenhagen as an exchange student with 10+ friends ❤️. Drop your suggestions for our next destinations ✈️! Want daily updates? Subscribe to the blog via email and like/follow my IG! 🔥

 

追蹤我的動態!

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