Maria Smedstad: Pat the horse

Forgive me Sweden, but Denmark has one of the greatest capitals of the world. Copenhagen is all that is good about Scandinavia, but with the best of the rest of the world mixed in. I arrived on a recent stopover in the pouring rain, troubled by a bad cold and a wasp sting. My bad mood was lifted by the fact that the tiny shop by the metro served medication for both (unheard of in Sweden) as well as wine (extra-unheard of).

After this triumphant start, my spirits sank again. Having already spent most of my budget on a spa hotel, I was informed on arrival that the spa in question cost extra. My miserable face made the receptionist spring to action. “Just do what the Danes do,” she advised. “Relax. Pat the horse.” Perhaps it was the combination of cold medication and wine, or my confusion at this particular proverb, but her reassurance made me pay the extra. Moments later I was indeed relaxed, in a sauna, surrounded by the most beautiful people on earth, because yes, Copenhagen has them.

After this, I happily spent my remaining budget on the best sushi I’ve ever tasted, because apparently Copenhagen has that too. Flying home the following day, something odd happened at the airport. The self-check-in machine spat out a random boarding pass for a flight to Greece. When I reported this, the smiling staff reassured me this could not have happened. “That’s too fantastical to be true,” they promised. Which just about sums up my feelings for Copenhagen. And that proverb about the horse? Perhaps it refers not to a horse, but to some resident unicorn, gifting the city its magical charm. Which would explain a lot.