TRAVEL Copenhagen

Why is Copenhagen known as “Paris of the North,” and why is the country of which it is the capital known as the happiest country on Earth?

Perhaps it is all in the food and culture. This city hosts 15 Michelin Stars of culinary acclaim, with the number one spot in the 2014 edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list held by the famed restaurant Noma.

While the legacy of writers and philosophers such as Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard can both enchant and challenge the notion of happiness, their impact on culture is undeniably Danish. It is not uncommon for one to strike up a warmly humorous and welcomed conversation about the meaning of life with a

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complete stranger, as most Danes defiantly refuse to be worried or hurried by the bustle of modern life.

Anyone who visits Copenhagen is immediately wowed by the number of bicyclists and pedestrians. As 2014’s European Green Capital, Danes pride themselves on having electric buses, free bicycles to use, and by 2025 will be the world’s first carbon-neutral capital city. The city is filled with design stores championing Modern Scandinavian design while promoting sustainable harvested wood and clothing fabrics.

OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – FALL 2015