Rainy days in Copenhagen.

Teresa asks if I’m interested in joining her for a yoga class at Soho House.

I’ve done my best to pack light for this trip and haven’t brought clothes appropriate for yoga. But tell her I’ll tag along. Afterwards we’ll spend the afternoon on a walking tour of the city, getting coffee at April and visiting the National Museum of Denmark.

But before we do any of that we hop on our bikes and cycle in the rain to the House, a formers Customers House overlooking the waterfront.

On the way we cycle past Nyhavn, the iconic 17th-century waterfront canal lined with brightly-colored townhouses. Under the grey skies of the day the colors are muted, but I can’t resist pausing to take a few photos while we’re in the area.

Undaunted by the rain, tourists fill the cafes and restaurants. Sightseeing boats ply the waters, their passengers wrapped in windbreakers and plastic ponchos.

I wait for Teresa in the club, alternating between my book and phone. I’m on a cozy couch and with the grey light of the day filtering through the windows it’s all I can do to keep myself from lying down to take a nap.

Before I know it, however, Teresa is done. We walk out to our bikes and cycle to central Stockholm where we chain them up and begin our stroll around town. While walking down Købmagergade street I’m reminded of the main street in the Old Town of Ljubljana and I can’t help but take a photo to compare with others later.

We walk to April for coffee. Teresa greets the staff warmly. Unfortunately, there’s no space in the main cafe but they let us order and sit next door where they have a slightly more downmarket cafe.

The coffee is fantastic and I’m so glad to be spending time with my friend in her home town. She’d moved to Copenhagen a number of years ago and my first trip here was visiting her and her then boyfriend for a few days. I fell in love with the bike paths and freedom a bicycle brings to the European capital. I couldn’t imagine living somewhere without those two things, which is another reason I’m so attracted to Buenos Aires.

After coffee we head back out into the streets. A few souls have rented small electric boats to cruise along the canals and I tell Teresa that that’s one of the things I’d like to do next time I visit. She tells me that not only can you bring alcohol on board but you can order pizzas to pick up along the way. As if on cue we see a man return to boat by the side of the canal carrying a pizza.

We walk past Christiansborg Palace, the seat of Danish government and the only building in the world that houses all three branches of a country's government. Completed in 1928, the building is the latest to occupy the location since the 12th century.

We continue on to the National Museum of Denmark and decide to visit. It’s been a long time since Teresa has been and I never have. We begin touring the galleries together, but quickly split off, progressing through the exhibits at our own pace.

Outside we pass the Gammel Strand square and “Slægt løfter slægt” (Generations lifting generations), a bronze sculpture by Danish artist Svend Wiig Hansen. A former circus clown and a singer, Hansen found his path as a sculptor when a job requiring his help in the completion of climbing angels unlocked his talent.

We pick up our bicycles and continue to cycle through the city. Teresa takes me through the up-and-coming neighborhood of Århusgadekvarteret, across the bassin from Nordhavn and UN City, which commands the Marmormolen. We stop to admire the building; it’s where Teresa used to work for one of the 11 UN agencies housed in the building.

On the way back home we pass D*Face’s “Them the Brakes,” a large mural featuring one of his iconic couples. Inspired by the concept of ‘target fixation’ where a pilot will focus so intently on one thing at the expense of all others resulting in catastrophic results, D*Face applies the concept to romance and relationships.

The next morning we go on another short cycling trip through the city. My flight doesn’t leave until the afternoon and so we take advantage of the time we have, cycling through Assistens Cemetery, where I pause to visit the grave of Hans Christian Andersen. I recognize the area, asking Teresa if there’s a coffee shop on the corner, slightly set underground. The neighborhood nearby is known for its boutique shops but nothing seems quite open at this hour.

Cycling through the Nørrebro neighborhood, we pass a large mural by Chilean street artist Inti Castro. Titled “Union” after the building next to which it exists, the mural was created as part of “From Port to Port,” a cultural exchange program conceived by artists Caroline H. Thon and Jacoba Niepoort after visiting Santiago and Valparaíso in Chile in 2018.

Teresa leads me into a gated community nearby, comprised of small homes, each with a small yard. It feels like a quaint village and it’s surprising that such an enclave exists as a section within the more metropolitan city. But it’s also little flourishes like this that add immensely to Copenhagen’s charm.

Back at Teresa’s house I shower and pack for my flight. My time in Copenhagen has been short, but I’ll be back. It’s always a joy to visit and see friends. 🇩🇰