Settlers ’Sjove Steder’

by Martinne and Rhiannon

Married to a Dane with a decision to make Denmark our future family home I quite frankly struggled through my first Danish winter and experienced the painful ´Culture shock´. As Spring and Summer approaches I am beginning to appreciate what Denmark has to offer and I decided to write a page dedicated to the discoveries people at LINK have made in their time in Denmark. These recommendations will be the things your average tourist guide will never reveal but offer an unrivalled experience while you are here.

Learning about Denmark

http://www.denmark.dk/ In May 2002, the Danish State will open an extensive website which will serve the world as the official internet gateway to Denmark. The entire site will be in English, and as an extra service, several areas will be available also in French, Spanish and German. The aim of the site is to make it as easy as possible for people to find out information on the country, whether from a trade perspective, or just to find out how the country is run. Although not yet officially open, there are still many useful links and a lot of easily accessible information on the site. You can also sign up to be informed when the site officially comes on line.

Paying your LINK Giro Account by NetBank
Christine Møller has gone to quite some considerable trouble to find out why our members have been having such difficulty paying their LINK memberships and other payments using NetBank via the web.  Try the following steps next time and you'll discover how easy it really is. 

Go into KONTOOVERFØRSEL (left panel) 

Scroll down to KONTO - INDTAST KONTONUMMER 

THE NUMBER IS WRITTEN IN AS FOLLOWS:    15510016500291

i.e. with two extra 0's after the 1551

The Danish Tax System

I've recently discovered two useful booklets which give information in English on the Danish Tax System. The first one is "When Moving to Denmark", and it covers things like The National Register of Persons, How Your Tax is Calculated, Special Pension Savings and Special Rules to name a few. There is also information available from their web page at http:// www.toldskat.dk in English, Swedish, French, German and Spanish. "Tax in Denmark" (Skat I Danmark) is another useful booklet that briefly describes the Danish Tax System. Both booklets have been translated into English, Arabic, Pharsi and Somali and are produced by the Central Customs and Tax Administration, Østbangade 123, 2100 København Ø where you can also obtain copies.

Postal Rates:  Just a reminder that postal rates in Denmark have risen from 1st January, 2003. Mailing a standard letter up to 50g now costs 4.25 kr internally, 5.50 kr to UK and Europe, and 6.50 kr outside Europe. There are also more complicated rules regarding size and thickness of envelopes, so it is worth asking at your local post office for a brochure on Post Danmark's prices for 2003.  It should also be possible to get a "Brevformater" which is a cardboard guide describing the thickness and dimensions of what is considered to be a "standard" letter.

Moving:
Also available from the post office, and handy if you are moving house is a Flyttemappe, which is a  Folder containing Change of Address Notification prepaid postcards for use within Denmark.  For sending to Post Danmark, Folkeregistret, Electricity, Gas, Oil, Plumber, Waterboard, Falck, Bloodbank, Leasing Agent, Vet, Employer, Schools, Newspapers, Telephone Company, Television / Cable company, Doctor, Dentist. Can be used for notification of personal address changes.

Recipes

Here is a Danish masterpiece.

Ingredients
175g butter (room temperature)
175g sugar
1½ eggs
150g cleansed almonds chopped in small pieces
100g of flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder (Did you get confused without the ability to purchase self raising flour!)
400g rhubarb
150g sugar
1½ teaspoons of vanilla sugar
Flan dish

Blend the soft butter with the rest of the ingredients in a mixer. To separate the skin from the almonds soak them in boiling water for 5 mins and then it is easy to peel it off. Put half of the sticky dough in the bottom of a ovenproof flan dish. Cleanse the rhubarb stems and cut them into pieces mix with the sugar 150g and vanilla sugar. (Do this at the last moment or else it gets too wet!!) Put this mixture on to the dough and add the rest of the dough at random over the top. It is very sticky so I take small clumps at a time. (Don’t try to roll out the dough) Put it in a warm oven at 225ºC for ½ an hour and serve with whipped cream after it has cooled off a bit.

Danielle Williams recommends that custard powder, which can't be bought in Denmark, can be substituted with "gul creme" sometimes also called "vanilje creme", it works just as well for cold applications and is always creamy - never lumpy and because you use room temperature milk, you don't have to stand and stir and make sure it doesn't over thicken as you do with custard powder.

Need to keep the smaller kids amused during this cold weather while they are stuck indoors ? I found this recipe for Play Dough in one of my Australian Women's Weekly magazines. Rhiannon.

Travel

Bicycle Touring Maps: Martinne Heckscher recommends the København's AMT website http://www.kbhamt.dk/ for bicycle touring maps around the Copenhagen area.  These can be found in Danish under the section of 'Natur & Miljo - På cykeltur" and they are downloadable if you have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader. Alternatively you can purchase the maps from Københavns AMT.  I noticed when I visited the site that there is also an excellent section in English explaining many aspects of København's AMT from social services, roads and culture to statistical information.  There are also some interesting and informative links.

Cheap Holidays: www.clublastminute.dk  You can register with Club Last Minute on their web site to be notified by email of any half price holiday offers that come available. 

Play Area
If you are using Kaastrup airport, remember once you are through security there is a great play area for kids at the entrance of Terminal A on the upper floor .  The café Karen Blixen does an excellent Caffe Latte too!

B&B
Lori Andersen recommends a Bed & Breakfast in Fyn.  She has stayed there 4 times.  The rates are 360kr (per room per night), which includes a nice breakfast.  The hosts, Solveig and Johnny Kongsmark, are very nice.  The accommodation is charming (its an old bindeværks hus).  They have 3 bedrooms and a community bathroom, complete eat in kitchen and living room.  There is a big garden,  kids and dogs are welcome.

Naboløs B&B
email: bb@kongsmark.nu
www.kongsmark.nu

Travel bargin www.Sites

Hunting down travel to the USA for an August break I discovered my husband had some clever search tools here they are:

http://www.travelmarket.dk
(danish travel portal to airlines offers, charter travel offers etc.)

http://www.ryanair.com

Cheap flights to the UK 

http://www.go-fly.com

This route for cheap flights to and from the UK.  I was able to bring my sister over for £50 return on a special offer which included taxes!  homepage to be notified of special offers.

http://www.travelocity.com
(THE airline travel portal - also car hire and accommodation - US centric in offers)

Media

Teletext tips:

I have discovered that the teletext on the Danish channels offers some handy features for those of us with bad Danish who still want to keep up with the news: On DR1, page 171 offers a news summary in English, usually about 6 pages, covering both Danish and international news, updated every day. (There is also a coverage of the news in Turkish and Somali).

Subtitles: If you are trying to improve your Danish but are always missing the crucial bits of Danish TV programmes, you can tune into Danish subtitles (TextTV) (usually available on all pre-recorded shows). If you select the pages below, you will see the programme with Danish subtitles to help you along. I can now even follow Rejseholdet, it's great!

On DR1: page 399
On DR2: page 399
On TV2: page 333
TV Danmark don't offer subtitles and I don't have the Viasat channels myself, so I don't know about them, but if you look in the contents (indhold) section of the teletext menu, look for TTV Tekstning, to check if they offer the facility on the channel you are watching.

Flight arrival times can also be viewed with Teletext on page 497.
If you don't know how to use teletext at all, give me a call and I'll try to explain it.  Christine van Waveren, tel 39630306

På Let Dansk

Easy to read monthly Danish newspaper. 
www.samspil.dk or email redaktionen@samspil.dk 
Costs DKr150 per year (they will send you a Giro)

På Let Dansk has been taken over by a company called Kroghs Forlag A/S, Chr. Hansens Vej 3, 7100 Vejle.  Telephone: 7582 3900 / Fax: 7582 3271.  Likewise with Scandinavian Living, you can still get to the subscription site via the link on your page.

The Copenhagen Post

Noreen Krogsgaard recommends this weekly.  It is not cheap ( I think it's 695 DKr a year) but it's worth it when it's your only connection to Danish news in English and delivered to the door.  Tel. 33 36 33 00 , e-mail. info@cphpost.dk, web:  www.cphpost.dk

Improve your Danish and visit Restaurant Godt 

Gothersgade 38, Tel: 33 15 21 22
In an effort to improve my Danish I often pick an article in the paper to translate.  Olav Hergel has a new series in the Berlingske Tidenge called ’En dag I livet med’ and he plans publish an article each week.   He follows different people through their day and by doing this gives an insight into how people in Denmark live their lives.  The first article was about a small unknown Danish restaurant that has landed on the world map after being awarded a Michelin Star.  It is run by a husband (English) and wife (Danish) almost without any other helpers.  He buys his vegetables, on his bike, in the the morning at Israels Plads.  The price for a 3 course meal (one menu) is 335 Kr and they are open Tuesday to Saturday (17.30 – 24.00) .  We have booked in to try the place and I recommend you do too.   Other articles in the series have been about a lawyer who looks after the ’Hells Angels’, a family who can’t find a place to live, and a girl who wrote a letter to the queen on her birthday.

FOF (Folkeligt Oplysningsforbund)  

Check the directory for your nearest branch Denmark provides all foreigners with the ability to learn Danish Free of charge via FOF. Classes are held both during the day and the evening and there are various levels.  You need to be interviewed by FOF and then they will place you in the right class.  The only obligation is that you attend the classes 85% of the time.

Subscribe to Copenhagen Living 

www.cphliving.dk
The union of 2 people takes place on July 1^st with the opening of the Øresunds bridge between Sweden and Denmark.  I have only realised the cultural significance by reading the summer fall issue of Copenhagen Living.  This is an award winning magazine about Denmark, its people, food, design, fashion, architecture, shopping etc.  The magazine started in June 1999 and it has fascinating articles that really get behind the scenes.  You can find it at the airport or subscribe for a year for 112kr for 2 issues delivered to your home.   You can also order back copies, which I would really recommend.   

Copenhagen Living is now called Scandinavian Living http://www.scandinavianliving.com/  to incorporate Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The first issue is Summer 2002.  You can still get to this page from the link on your web site though.

Radiostation

Kids and their English (0-5yrs)

Local Library

Lori Andersen recommends you don’t overlook your local library. These provide a number of services at little or no cost. You can use their computer, find free legal services, borrow cd's, videos, and even artwork to hang on the walls. Lori has a toddler and before she started in daycare we often went to musical playgroups, storybook readings or just to play with their large assortment of toys (while she read a few magazines!).  My au pair books a 1 hour session on the computer so she can keep in touch with friends and family at home by email.  If you don’t have internet or computer access at home simply log on at http://www.hotmail.com create an email address and get on line.  All this is free!

Another suggestion from Rebecca is that local libraries (biblioteker) are usually rather well stocked with English books. The Hellerup one also has Spanish and French literature. The Hellerup Library also offer a rich supply of international newspapers on a daily basis.

Pop Album Sissel ‘All Good Things’

Sissel is a Norwegian and married to a Dane.  She has recently released a new album in English, which I highly recommend.  She has a wonderful voice and I would put her in the Celine Dion bracket.  She was the voice behind the Titanic soundtrack and she has sung with the Chieftains.  Everyone knows her here.  I personally love track 10 a duet with Espen Lind!

”Åh Abe” Greatest Hits available on CD

They may have won the Eurovision contest but for me Denmark contribution to music is best represented by the excellent children's "Åh Åbe" series of CD’s.  Famous Danish musicians have interpreted the best known Danish children's nursery rhymes and songs.  The CD’s can be rented at the library or I recommend that you purchase the latest Greatest hits CD which has completely ’funked’ up the favourite tunes.  You simply don’t need to understand the words to enjoy this music.

Shopping

PENTIK Boutique -  www.pentik.com  Recently opened in Fisketorvet is the Finnish store, Pentik. Started 30 years ago and today having 50 lifestyle shops throughout Scandinavia, Pentik specialises in hand crafted ceramics produced in their factory in Finland, but also stock a number of other delightful gift items such as candles, linen and baby gifts.  All their ceramic ware is oven, microwave and dishwasher proof

For those Brits or South African settlers - that don't manage to get "home" as often as the grocery cupboard needs replenishing - there is a great website www.abigail.dk which supplies UK and South African groceries by mail order to your door! and at not too over the top prices.

Indian Specialty Food - If you're trying to find specialty ingredients for your Indian cooking, I recently came across the Dhadra Food Store at Nørrebrogade 60, 2200 København N.  The staff are friendly and helpful and they carry an impressive range of spices, curry pastes at reasonable prices. They even stock Marmite. Tel. 3539 5377

Delicious Candles -  Another fairly new shop in Copenhagen is Kassel Candles, right next to the British Shop at Nørreport. There is a huge range of scented candles of various shapes and sizes from reusable gel candles in glass jars, to hurricane candles and tea lights.  The delicious aroma of the shop is enough to guarantee that you won't walk out empty handed !   Kassel Candles, Rosengården 1, København. Tel. 3333 0686 or Brostræde 2, Helsingør. Tel. 4926 0686.  www.kasselcandles.com

Cooking Enthusiasts: At Fisketorvet and the City 2 shopping centre in Taastrup you can find an exciting range of spices at The Spicy Spoon www.spicyspoon.com.  The company started by selling CrushGrind pepper mills , and have built up their business by blending a high quality selection of different herbs and spices into exotic mixes.  The basic grinder costs 124 kr and additional interchangeable jars cost 24 kr each. Their extensive range of spices start at 15 kr, however you could just use the grinders and buy your own spices elsewhere if you prefer. They also make up reasonably priced gift packs.  Fisketorvet Shopping Centre, Kalvebod Brygge 59, 1560 København V.  Mon - Fri: 10.00 - 20.00  Sat: 09.00 - 17.00, City 2, Butik 209, 2630 Taastrup.  Mon - Fri: 10.00 - 19.00 Sat: 10.00 - 16.00 For enquiries telephone: 33 45 57 54 or info@spicyspoon.com   Spicy Spoon have expended their outlets and can be found in Magasin (City and Lyngby), and most Føtex and ISO supermarkets around Copenhagen.

Jewellery - Janina is a small store between Nørreport and Jorakes Passage where you can find a lovely range of reasonably priced and unusual jewellery. If you're looking for something different to buy for female friends or relatives, I thought the silver (or copper) hair jewellery was quite unique. If you know someone with long hair, they have a beautiful range of pony tail "holders" in various sizes which look just fantastic. They also have a lovely selection of earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces which all come in matching sets. You can find Janina on Fiostræde 16, 1171 København (3312 3394).

Markets:

For those of you who are interested in browsing around "Trash and Treasure" type markets, Denmark's largest indoor permanent "Kræmmermarked" is held every Saturday and Sunday between 10.00 and 17:00 in Haslev.  You can get there by train to Næstved, although it is somewhat easier driving.  Det Blå Marked is located at Lysholm Allé 86, 4690 Haslev.

Clothing (Mail Order) for Women, Men and Children

Bonaparte offer a wide range of quality clothing for men, women and children, as well as a selection of lingerie and manchester. Catalogues can be ordered from their web site, or you can view their range and order online at www.bonaparte.dk.  Delivery is usually quite quick and there is no problem at all returning goods you might not want to keep.  Details are in Danish, but it is fairly easy to navigate around.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day will be celebrated on the 30th March in the UK. Here are a few web sites where you can order on-line gifts for Mum back home in the UK and save both time and postage !  Thornton's have a lovely range of gifts, chocolates at http://www.thorntons.co.uk something fairly new is Chocolate Express http://www.chocexpress.com, flowers from Interflora http://www.interflora.co.uk  and a range of gifts and flowers from Marks and Spencers http://www.marksandspencer.com/.  If Mum is more into books, music or movies then try Amazon www.amazon.co.uk for an >outstanding range of books, CD's.

Don't forget that Mother's Day in Australia, New Zealand and USA falls on Sunday, 11th May this year. Just in case you need to send some last minute flowers, here are a couple of useful web sites http://www.interflora.com/ (covers 140 countries worldwide), http://www.proflower.com/ (USA). For other gifts, try http://www.giftvouchers.com for those last minute online purchases for Mum's in Australia and New Zealand, or http://www.macys.com and http://www.officialusa.com for a wide range of links to online shopping all over the United States.

Factory Outlets

Copenhagen’s hottest new boutiques are the so called “outlets”, where the price conscious shopper can save loads of money on last seasons collections.  And even though the outlets sell “old” models, there are still much which can be used this year.

CF Retail
Factory Outlet,
Nørregade 12,
1165 København K
Tel: 33 11 20 70
CF Retail is one of the many boutiques in Factory Outlet, it is situated on the ground floor of what used to be Daells Varehus. The boutique sells primary left overs and collections samples of well known brands such as Lee, Wrangler and Miss Sixty. Savings can be as much as up to 50 percent.

M Outlet
Nybrovej 2
2820 Gentofte
Tel: 39 76 63 18
M Outlet  sells the extra stock from the two large department stores Illum and Magasin. The goods which weren’t sold last season are available for sale here, with a saving of up to 70 percent.

Space DK
Øster Fælled Torv 39
2100 København Ø
Tel.: 35 26 02 60
SpaceDK is Copenhagen’s newest Outlet. They sell the left over stock of the expensive brands such as Hugo Boss, Armani and Donna Keran, from this season.  The savings at  SpaceDK can be as much as up to 70 percent  on the expensive dresses, suits and ties.

Original Danish gift for a child

ISLEV Elektrikeren        

Tel: 44 94 67 38 www.islev-el.dk

After shopping around for a freezer this month I can recommend the above shop for the lowest price for white goods.  Choose your make and model from the equivalent of Snevide then request a quote from ISLEV, they invariable beat it hands down!

American foods & other misc.

Melinda Langeland has been here 20 years and rejoiced when Americana opened.  There are now 2 great places selling American foods & other misc.

 "Americana Company", located on Peder Hvitfeldts Stræde (Kraks 148 E3)

"Clario's", located on Øster Farimagsgade 8 (Kraks 148 E1)

Both have great owners who are willing to order things you want that they don't have.  Americana sends goods all over Denmark.  Clario's is new and will soon open a juice and bagel sandwich bar in addition to their regular store.   

Castor sugar not to be found in Denmark : http://www.billingtons.co.uk/

Rhiannon is a a pretty avid cook and when confronted with the need for "unrefined castor sugar" in various recipe's she set about trying to find out whether unrefined castor sugar was available here in Denmark.  She ended up visiting the Billington's web site and requested some of their free recipe books which she highly recommends.  If you enjoy cooking, you've probably discovered that the only place you can actually buy white castor sugar here in Copenhagen is at Scott's (the British Shop), and he charges an arm and a leg (Dkr18 for 500 grams).  Here is a tip from Rhiannon until we find someone in Denmark to stock the stuff…. castor sugar is much finer than normal sugar (melis), but you can get almost the same result if you put normal sugar through the blender.

Kildegårds Fiskehus, Kildegårdsvej 15, 2900 Hellerup T: 39622848

Sue Allingham recommend this shop and I agree it stocks the very best quality.  The owner Martin speaks English and is happy to help all who visit.   They recommend you try the following fish while you are here:

Viktoria Bra Filet – in English? suggestions on a postcard please!

Lakse Fillet – Salmon Filet

Rødspætter - Plaice

Torske Filet – Tuna Filet

Søtunger - Sole

For the kids you should order Fiskefars (fine).  Heat up a frying pan with butter and take a tablespoon full of the mixture, form into a flat circle and fry it until brown on both sides.  Serve with fried leek in butter and maybe boiled asparagus potatoes.  Don’t forget the remoulade (tartar sauce).  This is a firm favourite with all kids and adults, including visitors from abroad!

Sushi and cooking websites

Last year I attended an event where one of our Japanese members demonstrated the art of making Sushi.  Although it's possible to find most of the ingredients here in Denmark, I have been constantly searching for the wooden sushi press she used.  I've finally found this web site where you can buy an assortment of Asian cookware on-line. http://www.pacificrim-gourmet.com/index.html . A little closer to home is http://www.mountfuji.co.uk/ , however I don't think this site has the same range of goods available as Pacific Rim. 

As someone who greatly enjoys cooking, I can recommend the following web sites for cooking resources such as recipes, explanations of ingredients and places to buy cooking utensils and ingredients on-line in the UK.  These are http://www.deliaonline.com/ and  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/. 

As an Australian I also like the Australian Women's Weekly site where they also have household hints and craft ideas http://lifestyle.ninemsn.com.au/aww/ .

Rhiannon can recommend the following:
Thai Village Supermarket, Istegade 134, København 3379 4345  Large clean Asian supermarket stocking frozen seafood, spring rolls, and a huge selection of Asian grocery items.  Fresh vegetables and Asian spice herbs delivered fresh every Wednesday and Saturday. 

Ecolological Products

For the past couple of years ecological fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and other products have been available in Denmark from the online ecological supermarket "Aarstiderne" http://www.aarstiderne.com . They will deliver free of charge provided the order comes to a minimum of 172kr, and there is a huge choice from the Small Green Box containing 5 to 6 varieties of vegetable  to the Mixed Box containing 7 to 8 varieties of vegetables and 2 to 3 varieties of fruit. Also now available is fresh fish, meat, bread, cheese, wine and a large range of food products from rice vinegar to orecchiette pasta. Even if you're not interested in the concept from an ecological point of view, for those of us with families and work commitments, the home delivery aspect is certainly convenient.

http://www.eco-info.dk

Also on the subject of things ecological, I was recently recommended some excellent hair products called M.O.P. (Modern Organic Products) which are now available in Denmark. The range is almost good enough to eat with names like Pear Shampoo, Lemongrass Shampoo, Basil Mint Shampoo. I've found their Glisten Shampoo, Conditioner and Shine Drops range for chemically treated hair exceptionally good and can highly recommend it.

Household Tips

Cleaning Tip: A Danish friend recently gave me the following tip on how to clean stained, greasy cookware. Salmiak spiritus (ammonium hydroxide) is available in most supermarkets. You need to remember that it is extremely concentrated and should not be used in confined spaces due to the potent fumes. The most effective method is to place everything you want to clean into a huge black plastic garbage bag, pour in about 1/3 bottle of Salmiak Spiritus and then seal the bag tightly.  Leave overnight (or even a day or two) and then rinse off in warm soapy water with a sponge. You might need a scourer for the really stubborn parts, but I was really surprised when everything literally wiped off leaving the oven shelves sparkling clean. Make sure to wear gloves and keep away from children.

Kalk (Calcium) build up what to do ?
Denmarks subsurface has a lot of chalk and so the build up all around the house is a battle for everyone…here are some tips:

Heavy duty problems:  Mix 50gr of ‘Citron Syre’ (available in Matas) with 1litre of hot water.  Soak cotton wool in the solution and place it on the build up for as long as possible (ie WC ).

Weekly build up: Use ‘Kalk’ sold in the supermarkets in a clear bottle.  Dilute as instructed and use to clear out build up on kettles,Coffee Machine and glass vases.  Ajax bathroom spray with kalk is the best we use to make the taps shine.

Ironing: It is worth investing in demineralised water for your iron to prevent the discharge of calcium on your clothes.  This is sold in Matas or good supermarkets.

Spring Cleaning -Things I wish I had known

There is also a liquid called ‘Grundrens’, which you can use on most surfaces for extra cleaning or as a preparation for painting. The guy on television - Leth - mentions it all the time.

Another tip…I highly recommend the inflatable hangers from Magazin homewear department for drying jumpers and shirts as it allows the air to circulate better.

What to do when you need an Au-Pair in Denmark contact:

Agency Exis - exis@po.ia.dk

Healthcare

Doctors and the system in Denmark

Sick kids are not fun in English and certainly not in a foreign language and another country. (Children's vaccinations) 

Here is simply my experience of the Danish system for what it is worth!

The Kommune will send you a list of doctors for your area for you to choose from.  Make sure you find one that you are comfortable with but you can always pay to change if you are unhappy later on.  The most popular ones have waiting lists but we did change to a new doctor as soon as a place became available.  

The Kommune will then issue you with  ’sygesikringsbevis’  (social security card). This will have your doctors details on it and your personal number (CPR), always remember to take it with you to the doctors!.  The CPR number is vital and worth noting down as it will be asked for time and time again on many forms.  

Denmark have an advanced computer system in place where your medical history is stored at each visit so should you need to go for emergency treatment the new doctor can pull up your details.   

Most doctors have a specific time in the morning you can ring and speak to them directly by phone.  This is very popular and you might get confused when there is a Danish message.   This is often a dial back service capability they have from the phone company.  You press the number 5, return the receiver, and it will then ring when the line becomes free.  

There is a limited private care system in Denmark but you need to be aware of the referral system.  If the doctor believes the diagnosis requires a specialist they will issue a ’Henvisning’ (referral)  and you can use it to see a specialist.  Again the good ones have long waiting times and the skill is finding the right specialist (ask your doctor for recommendations).  

My advice with the Danish system if you are not happy with the first diagnosis find another specialist.  (It is one of the hard lessons I have had to learned here.)  You may also find that the queue can be shorten if the doctor escalates the issue with the specialist.  

Finally if you have an out of hours emergency you need to ring the ’vagtlæge’ (24hr doctor service) they will assess the problem over the phone and refer you to a doctor on call.  In the greater Copenhagen area the number is T: 44 53 44 00. 

Prescriptions are dispensed at the Apotekt and there are 24hr services in each Kommune.

Alison Jones recommends Personal Fitness Trainer, Claire Ross-Brown, who can come to your own home and offers a mixture of different techniques to tone up the whole body and nutritional advice.  Hers rates are reasonable and she can be flexible about time.  Claire has trained many of Denmarks top actors.   Call Claire for more details on 33 14 03 91 or mobile: 51 20 54 06.

Orthopaedic Surgeon

I am lucky enough to live next door to a orthopaedic surgeon who has repaired a torn ligament in my hand and recently a knee that has been bothering me for the last 2 years. He operates from his clinic in Lyngby and has a fantastic reputation operating on most of the sports stars in Denmark. If you need surgery or a consultation he is your man!
Rene Cetti
Sports Klinikken
'Specialist in Sports Injuries'
Jægersborgvej 64-66
2800 Lyngby
45 933933
www.sports-klinikken.dk

Pregnant

New Home page for pregnancy :  http//www.BabyCentre.co.uk

Hipp organic baby food was awarded Gold for the best baby food range by Mother & Baby Mag and best organic baby food and you can get it in the supermarkets here.

Pregnancy exercise in the water 

Contact Lene Tegl, Jordemoder Tel: 39 69 99 08
One of the midwives at Gentofte Hospital runs water exercise at Trongardens svommehal, Trongardsvej 44, 2800 Lyngby for women in their 30 week and on wards.  There are two classes on Monday morning 9.00am or 10.30am for an hour in a lovely pool which we have all to ourselves.  I attended my first class and I really enjoyed the exercise which is gentle but still energetic with plenty of stretching and motion.  I was only in my 24 week at the time and felt humiliated as the 39 weekers lapped me on the swimming.  Having the water to support my expanding body and the company of other women means I really recommend this to anyone who is looking for an exercise class whilst pregnant.  The cost is 500kr for 5 sessions.   This pool is only open on Sunday’s for the public.

English Prenatal Education in Nørrebrogade

Tel: 45 80 67 00 www.familieskolen.dk
FamilieSkolen are now offering English speaking work-out classes for women when pregnant and for later on pre-natal classes for couples.  Prices are 450Dkr for 16 lessons.

Beauty

Vanløse: www.kbhkosmetologskole.dk, Tel: 38 74  24 06  -  Cheap facials, etc by students at the school.

Estée Lauder Skincare Center

www.estee-lauder.dk  I just have to recommend this beauty center - it is sheer luxury.  I had the "Beauty all over" treatment and it definitely won't be the last time I do it!

Facials at Lissy Koch 

Ehlersvej 2H 
2900 Hellerup 
Tel: 39 62 32 11

I love facials and if anyone else does try this. Quite near Mums and tots is a wonderful place to have some beauty treatments.  Lissy works from home and celebrated her 75 birthday recently.  She has had her own shop before she retired and now offers treatments from a room in her home.  It’s a very special experience as she uses a Danish product named after the founder Elsa Hjeronymus.   I really go for the deep cleansing treatment which  I have never experienced anywhere else.  A special mixture is applied to the skin which brings all the impurities to the surface this is then left on the face and covered in cold water bandages.  It really revitalizes the skin and my husband always says I glow when I return!  This is followed by a massage and another mask which is heated under a warm lamp.  She is lovely to visit and still takes courses.  Last year she attended a course which dealt with the problems of Acne, Allergies and Aging.      A facial costs 325kr and lasts over an hour.

Things to do

Don't forget to check out the Copenhagen on a shoestring page

Movie Buffs: Cinemateket (The Danish Film Institute) http://www.cinemateket.dk show films in the original language from all over the world, mostly with Danish subtitles.  They also have a bookstore with a full range of English books, posters, videos and DVDs. The theatre, café and restaurant and be found at Gothersgade 55,  København.   Telephone for the box office is 3374 3412 and opening times are as follows: Tues - Fri:  9:30 - 22:00, Sat - Sun: 12.30 - 22.00.   The bookshop and video sales are located in Vognmagergade 88, 1120 København K. Tel: 3374 3421  Open: Tues - Sun. 12:00 - 18:00  email: bookshop@dfi.dk

For the family:

Bakken Amusement Park in Klampenborg opens again on March 27th, and this will be their 421st year of opening. The telephone number for information is 3963 7300, or you can visit their web site at http://www.bakken.dk/.  There is information on the web site for getting there by train, bus and car.  Monday to Friday the opening hours are generally 14:00 to 24:00, Saturday: 13:00 to 24:00, Sunday and Holidays: 12:00 - 24:00.  Entrance is free

Tivoli opens on the 11th April at 11:00, and this year (2003), will be celebrating their 160 year Jubilee.   For more information telephone 3315 1001 or visit their web page http://www.tivoli.dk/.  Opening hours are Sunday to Tuesday: 11:00 to 23:00, Wednesday & Thursday: 11:00 to 24:00, Friday & Saturday: 11:00 to 01:00. 

Experimentarium
The ultimate place for rainy days for all ages.  It can be extremely expensive to visit once but the tip is to buy an annual card for the family. "Experimentariums Medlems klub"  The cost for an annual card is paid back with only 2 visits!  

The cost is Dkr220 for the first family member then Dkr110 for the next household member and the card is valid for 12 months.  On top of unlimited access it includes 10% rebate in the Cafe, invitations to special membership events..etc.

The opening times for the Experimentarium is from 9-17 Monday to Friday (Tuesday late opening until 21.00).  Saturday and Sundays open at 11.00.  You can have a really good cappuccino right next to the play area…maybe you could even take the Sunday paper!  I recommend a change of clothes as the water play area often has dire consequences.

You can buy the membership club at the door with your first visit.  

Icelandic Horse riding

For anyone with any interest in horse riding the Icelandic version is something that should be experienced.   Icelandic horses have an additional gait between the trot and the canter know as the tölt.  In February I organised a group of 12 people to visit Fogedgården, Vejbyvej 4, Tisvilde T: 48708540.  This riding stables specialises in Icelandic horse riding and the 2-hour hack takes you into the forest and along the beach.   The riding stables has wonderful horses which are so good that they are often entered for competitions.  Don’t let this put you off if you are feeling rusty in the saddle, all who attended in February survived and enjoyed the experience.  Tisvilde is North of Copenhagen and takes about an hour to get there from Central Copenhagen.  Weekend rides start at 9.30am –10.00am and can be booked on (48 70 85 40).  They are very popular so early booking is advisable.

Horse riding at Fortuna

Vedfortunen 33 
Lyngby
Tel: 45 87 60 58 (no need to book!)

It is possible to hire horse impromptu at Fortuna for both children and adults.  I like to in the forest.

Malmo & Aq-va-kul 

Malmo is only ½ hour away from Copenhagen by boat from Nyhavn or by train. It’s a great Sunday outing as Sweden allows their shops to open.  Highly recommended for the kids  is Aq-va-kul which is more than just a swimming pool its an indoor swimming adventure park!  It is not just for kids as it has a separate adults department which boasts and costs 90SEK.

Go on get involved !

Have you enjoy this page then please contribute by sending me an e-mail or  calling me Home: 45 85 89 45,   Mobile:  21 27 02 14) with your own discoveries. Anything goes: shops, places to take kids, books, recipes, places, observations, your own skills, pregnancy relief etc. I will happily try out your recommendations and put a new sample together for the next issue of LINK.

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Send mail to Danielle Williams danielledegel@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: April 03, 2002