Is it hygge, or is it novelty?

I went back to Copenhagen to find out whether the lifestyle I fell for the first time was just a city-break illusion.

Being fortunate enough to travel fairly regularly across Europe and America for work and my own trips over the last three years, I’ve never been quite as drawn to a place as I have to Copenhagen.

I first visited in April 2023 - for a conference trip that I thankfully extended! - and left completely taken by the lifestyle I thought I’d witnessed.

It’s the balance that I love: pastry-laden tables spilling out of fresh espresso-scented cafés, fruit and flower-filled market stalls, stretches of clean-cut green space, waterside benches seemingly made for two, and irresistibly cheerful colourful buildings fronting pockets of history. I notice cars and cyclists somehow passing in harmony, the occasional mural-like street art, and clean streets paving the way for a noticeable pep in passers-by’s steps. Then there’s quirky vintage clothing shops, a spread of multicultural restaurants, and nightlife lively enough to properly let your hair down. And all the rest I couldn’t possibly capture.

But there was an obvious problem with the conclusion I’d drawn from one long weekend…

Read the full article on my Substack here: https://substack.com/@joanneemurphy/note/p-215279935?r=22x73v&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action