Traveling in the Off-Season

We went to Copenhagen to celebrate my 30th birthday, an endeavor that inherently meant (at least in Europe) that we would be traveling in the off-season. We are becoming pros in off-season travel.

The most obvious downside of off-season travel is the weather, which in Copenhagen meant arctic temperatures, lots of snow, and general darkness. Personally, I'm not a big fan of snow: it's cold, wet, makes life difficult, and then turns to slush. And if it's cold and snowing (hard), it's not easy to force yourself to look up and around at whatever you happen to be hurrying past on your way to the next warm place.

Other difficulties: typical tourist highlights are closed for the season or have severely reduced hours. OK, maybe that's the only other downside, but I'm still bitter I didn't get to go into the casements (underground tunnels) of Luxembourg City's fortifications.

However, December travel also means holiday festivities, and Copenhagen was in full Christmas swing. Evidently, when it comes to Christmas shopping and Christmas markets, the locals are undeterred by the generally uncomfortable weather.

Our favorite: a church holiday bazaar, where I bought a fabulous retro apron, homemade Danish cookies for my colleagues, and a refreshingly cheap cup of glogg. (We always appreciate a good value.)

The kind Danish church ladies were also making fresh aebleskiver (doughnut balls), and an older gentleman was playing simple Christmas songs on a piano. Except for the distinctly Danish flavor of the handmade Christmas decorations (the white-on-red cross of the Danish flag featured prominently), it could have been a church bazaar anywhere.

Other upsides of off-season travel: we had a personally guided tour through a palace, generally avoided all lines, were introduced to the wonders of glogg, and got to watch Danish kids sledding.

Despite the long hours we spent at the airports, and the windburn I suffered on exposed portions of my skin, I would call our Copenhagen adventure a success. After all, as with any travel, it really comes down to your attitude.