Dave and I have been very lucky. Back in May, when I was here with Nani to look at places to live, we were shown seven homes and were asked to make a decision on the spot, that very day. Our first choice, a house close to the beach, just south of downtown Copenhagen, rejected our application because of our dogs. We were disappointed but had a close runner up in mind. A place about 15 to 20 min away from the downtown of Copenhagen, in a town of Lyngby.
I am not a fan of suburbs. But Lyngby does not feel like a suburb. It’s a town in its own right, with a proper city center and so much going on, I hardly ever venture to Copenhagen proper.
Our street is situated the perfect distance from two grocery stores and a train station (about half a mile, or a 7 to 10 min walk). And across the street, there is a park.
And what a park it is… Sorgenfri Slotshave is not just any old park. It’s the backyard of a royal palace, currently occupied by a real princess, Princess Elisabeth.
Princess Elisabeth is the first cousin to Queen Margrethe and is twelfth in line to the Danish throne. Her back yard is where we like to bring our dogs for walks.
A small area of the grounds around the palace still belongs to the crown and is fenced off, but just beyond the fence the Sorgenfri Castle Gardens stretch for a few kilometers in every direction and their northern tip ends just about across the street from us.
Some of the park grounds are neatly maintained, while other parts are left wild, giving the park this uniquely Danish look and feel. It’s not exactly manicured, but it’s not left to its own devices either.
There is a lake there with a pair of swans.
And lots of streams and canals where you can take your canoe or a kayak.
There are mysterious cellars.
A few mysterious buildings.
And plenty of monuments.
There are many incredible, old trees here.
And lots of grand lawns for the doggies to frolic.
Dave and I often take our dogs for their walks here and most of the time we say things like: “is this a dream?” “I feel like I’m in some hyper-idealized version of the real world.” “I can’t believe this place is just across the street from our house…”
Post-Amerikan 