Café Talk

Denmark is not the most cheerful travel destination, although it can compensate this lack of liveliness with other positive attributes. But to be honest I was kind of filled up with all the seriousness and grayness of that cold tiny Nordic country and was not feeling very excited about the road trip to Skagen, a town where the main attraction was the meeting of the North and Baltic Seas.
Unenthusiastically me and two friends drove through small villages and Vikings cemeteries in a very well-maintained and almost desert road until we reached the “northest” place on Denmark. We were young people belonging to a generation used to fast-pace and colorful and loud inducement, so we did not get very impressed by the view or by the town (although we were not expecting anything different, actually). At that time we still hadn’t figure out the charming simplicity of the Danish way-of –life.
But our epiphany was soon to come as we entered a yellowish café among other yellowish houses. There we ended up sharing a table with fellow traveling couple, who looked absolutely satisfied with their touristic endeavors of the day. That couple, seeing our discontentment with the places with visited and the trip in general, made a very strong decision to enlighten stuck-up nosed travelers such as my friends and I, and I am glad they did. They explained their satisfaction using the Danish word “hygge” to describe it. This word has not a direct translation into English (nor any other language) and it means, simply put, the feeling of comfort and coziness. More than that is a philosophical approach towards life.
Maybe this last part is an exaggeration on my part, but the talk in the café was indeed life changing, no matter how “self-help” this may sound. To search for “hygge”, appreciating warmth and togetherness is a wise way to appreciate things, including travelling. Sometimes I am in the mood for crazy parting and crowded shopping streets, but that does not mean I cannot enjoy the simple moments, as the Danes do.