Copenhagen Part Two: Moments I Don't Want to Forget

With any place that I travel to there are certain moments and interactions that inspire connections, that I don’t want to forget. Writing them out not only gives me a reason to try and find beauty in them, but also to pick out those moments that may seem ordinary, and give them the meaning that they deserve.

For me, the more I am able to distinguish the parts of my life that seem ordinary, the better I am able to discover the beauty I am blessed with, the beauty already exists in my everyday step. These moments are disguised as the mundane, the simple, or the even the painful.

Finding them is what I want to master.

With that said, this post is a practice for me—to find the moments, appreciate the simple, pick out the ordinary, and give them the meaning that they deserve.  

1. 42.

There is something you must know about this trip. The entire trip, had a soundtrack. An accompaniment of chords that infused each breath I took, giving each sight I saw a vibrant color and a feeling. I must have listened to this album 20 times in 6 days. Mumford and Sons had just released their newest album, Delta. Kyle and I had decided to wait prior to listening to it until this trip had begun. He was supposedly going to be listening back home in California and I in Denmark, and it would be something that would connect us during this short period of time.

So, I stuck to our plan and played the album from the top, once the plane doors were shut, and I was rolling down the runway. You can imagine my thrill of getting to press play on something which I had been resisting and waiting for, for months. This moment holds such a special place in my heart. Let me just say, the sounds from inside an airplane being boarded, is one of the best in the whole world. Especially if it is international flight. It’s a cluster of rustling, whispers of pardon’s in different languages, and clicking of upper compartments. It is a constant beeping of signals, the sound of zippers coming undone, and echoing coming up and down the aisles of seats that slowly begin to fill with strangers you can’t help but start to recognize. It’s somehow exciting, thrilling, and overwhelming at the same time.

The first song on the album is called 42. When I played it, I felt like it burned through my headphone speakers, washing out all of the other sounds that seem to suddenly dissipate. The world around me shook as the plane took off, and the music seem to overtake everything. I looked around and observed these new strangers, and began to listen. Listening with my eyes as I watched the expressions, and the movements of those around me.

This song, will always take me back to this moment, and this feeling of burning anticipation, for what thrilling adventures could possibly lie ahead.

2. Seeing the City for the First Time.

After hours of being on that plane, getting our connecting flight in Sweden, and getting checked out of the airport, we took a subway to the inner city of Copenhagen. The Subway was underground, so we had to take a lift up to ground level. I had been awake for so long at this point, and had lost some of that anticipation that overwhelmed me back in Los Angeles. But soon, the lift which had glass doors became filled with natural light, and all in a moment we reached the top. The doors opened, and I was standing in the heart of Copenhagen surrounded by city life and the constant sigh of bikes riding past.

The first walk around this city was one of the best walks I’ve ever had. We explored in silence, and watched the sunlight disappear as the cold became almost unbearable. Something that could only be cured by hot chocolate, or mulled wine.

3. Stepping Outside of the Museum.

Right after Kyle surprised me and we took our first steps outside the museum, I felt a huge wave of happiness that I have yet to experience again. It was quite possibly one of the best moments of my life. We had just become engaged, and hand in hand, we left to explore the city all on our own with nothing but each other, and our whole lives suddenly ahead of us.

I cried. So. Much.

4. Høst

Easily, one of the best moments of this trip, was a restaurant Kyle had booked months in advance called Høst. This restaurant gave us such an experience, it still is the place we compare every other restaurant to. Maybe it was all of the wine, maybe it was the complimentary champagne they gave us, (which turned out to be the best champagne I’ve ever had).

But what really made this memory so engrained inside my heart, was the emotions that flowed through me that night. This was the night everything started to sink in and the moment of realization that the person I was looking at across the table, was the same face I would grow old with, have kids with, and the same person who I would promise my life to.

I really can’t tell you, what it feels like to look into the eyes of the person you know you will spend just about every breath, of the rest of your life with.

It’s a feeling that still shakes me down to my core, and makes my eyes feel heavy with tears.

We both wept at that table. We wept in silence, we wept while drinking, and talking. We were everything, and felt everything that night. And I will never forget it a moment of it.

5. The Train and Subway Rides.

Possibly one of my fondest memories are the train and subway rides we took to travel all across the city. Just our headphones in, hands held tight, and my head on your shoulder for hours. Our bodys leaning forward and then swaying back again, at each stop. The world flashing by all around us, and watching the light flicker from in between buildings. Scarves and red noses, we were the happiest and most free in these moments. With nothing but our future ahead of us, we sat in silence and watched the world, from our corner.

I’ll never feel as free and as peaceful as I did in these moments.

6. Our Trip to Ishøj.

We took a day trip to a town called Ishøj to see a Van Gogh exhibit we had seen an advertisement for the previous day. This town, and the coffee shop we found next to the museum was one of the sweetest spots in the world. I regret to say I do not remember the name, but I can say that I felt a sort of bliss there that have yet to feel again. Writing this post now in May the following year, I can say that the type of bliss was only comparable to my wedding day. That is how magical this little hut was. I remember wanting to write a whole blog post on it. Something about it’s charm enchanted us both, and I couldn’t help but be a admirer of its walls and warm light, forever.

Even the little dog seemed to fit perfectly in this dream-like visit.

We took a walk after down this little road, into the forest on the right. All I remember is starting to laugh extremely hard over nothing, and covering my mouth to hold in the giggles as a couple walked by and gave us a odd look.

7. Early Morning Walks.

We did do quite a bit of walking in Copenhagen. There is a morning I do not want to forget, a morning where the air was cold, and the hour was early.

We had to wait a while for a coffee shop to open. So we explored the streets a little more. I remember distinctly, the cold air on my cheeks and the early morning church bells. The sound of pigeons rustling and flying away from the bikes that whizzed past them.

Inside this underground coffee shop, Kyle and I first talked about our wedding. We discussed our ideas, our plans, and our wedding party. This picture always leaves a warm feeling, and a fond memory.

8. The Cathedral.

The same morning, we walked into a Cathedral to take a break from the cold (that is something I did not expect. We basically had to walk from building to building, cafe to cafe, to re-warm our hands and feet. We could only stay outside in the open for so long).

We made our way inside this Cathedral with heavy doors and empty seats. We sat down and listened to a man practicing hymns on an organ. There were intricate statues of the apostles on each aisle, with Christ at the end of the altar. I remember feeling a lot in this church. We just sat in silence, and I think I even fell asleep.

There was a lot that stirred in me spiritually that is a comfort to me now. I think I would like to keep the memories of those feelings to myself but I will say, there were powerful and deep memories for me in the sanctuary of this building -ones that I still carry with me today.

I had many, many moments in Copenhagen and too many to put down in words. Honestly, I know that this blog post is long overdue. I think part of me was holding back on finishing it, because I didn’t want to face the sad truth, that this trip was over. That it was over, and it was time for me to reflect on the good moments, and to look back on these times as memories, instead of recent events.

But that’s another thing, isn’t it? We have to let go, and process even the best bits of our lives, so that we can have the room to experience better ones to come.

That is why it has taken me so long to finish this post. That is why it is a practice for me to reflect, to pick out the moments that may seem ordinary, to appreciate, and then give them meaning in my heart.

I want to be okay with letting good moments, be good memories too.

I want to find these little moments in the ordinary parts of life, and in the moments I do not think to look.

I want to find them, and give them the meaning they deserve.

love,

toria.