Shedding winter

January and February were colder and snowier than usual in Copenhagen. It felt like proper winter — or at least more wintery than England or Vancouver.

Heavy duty winter wear was pulled out of storage. Tractors were fitted with ploughs. Bike lanes were cleared and salted, often far earlier than sidewalks (if pedestrian pathways were cleared at all). Cross country skiers relished not having to travel to Sweden. Children went sledding down Denmark’s negligible hills. Neighbour kids built a make-shift ramp on the driveway to the building’s underground parking. And the snow from the above ground parking lot was piled into a dirty mound taller than my head.

Although the temperatures still aren’t breaking into double digits, the snow and ice are melting. Tiny snow drops and anemone are popping up. Chunky knits and bulky mitts have been packed away. Kayakers far hardier than we are have returned to paddling. Spring is creeping in.

While the absolute temperature rarely dipped below -10°C during the coldest months, the wind chill dropped the ‘feels like’ below -15°C far too often. It was cold enough that the sea froze. The harbour where we warmed up before heading into the Øresund in our kayaks this past summer fully iced up.

At the start of January, I wrote a piece for Last Week in Denmark with tips for getting through the rest of the winter. Points number 2, 4, and 5 are moot as most lights came down before the end of February and spring outerwear is somewhat simplified (although it’s the season where every morning’s jacket choice is wrong as warmth and wind shift throughout the day). But I’m still very much enjoying point number 1 and sunnier days make number 7 a little easier.

And it’s amazing how much more hopeful the world feels when there’s daylight to accompany my morning coffee! (even if world events don’t seem all that hope-inspiring)

Tur-retur: Episode 11 – Getting through the last half of Danish winter: a Canadian’s top 7 tips