A visit to a Western European country is not what I always longed for, but I didn’t want to turn down the opportunity when I got it. Denmark, "the happiest place in the world," based on standards of health, welfare, and education, but what could it offer me. The weather is very cold out here and I expected the Danes to be quite cold hearted as well.
But, I was amazed when I landed in the Scandinavian country as all my assumptions were proven wrong, except for the weather. However the chilliness of the wind is blown away by the warm gestures of the Danes as they wouldn’t mind going out of their way to help anyone who walks up to them. Well they all don’t speak English but that does not restrict them from communicating with the rest of the world as they speak the language of the common human being.
Almost all Danes are relatively busy during the morning and afternoon and unlike in Sri Lanka one could see both young and old jogging down the streets and engaging in their daily workouts. Sri Lanka is a developing or a third world country and one of the biggest issues it is faced with today is the fuel price hike. Many experts come up with fashionable solutions, but the solution is right before my eyes in Denmark. If not for everyone, almost everyone uses a bicycle and it is the most common mode of transport, whether you are going to school, the supermarket or even clubbing. It is beneficial to the society in several dimensions as riding a bike keeps you healthy and of course it is easy on the pocket.
In Denmark the nightlife takes off late, but once started is near non-stop. At most venues nothing really gets going until after midnight. However, the warm-up starts earlier in the evening at the countless cafés and bars. Later on the scene shifts to the discos, live-music venues and clubs. The underground scene and club culture is best sampled in and around Copenhagen.
Therefore it didn’t take me eons to figure out why Denmark is "the happiest place in the world".
But, I was amazed when I landed in the Scandinavian country as all my assumptions were proven wrong, except for the weather. However the chilliness of the wind is blown away by the warm gestures of the Danes as they wouldn’t mind going out of their way to help anyone who walks up to them. Well they all don’t speak English but that does not restrict them from communicating with the rest of the world as they speak the language of the common human being.
Almost all Danes are relatively busy during the morning and afternoon and unlike in Sri Lanka one could see both young and old jogging down the streets and engaging in their daily workouts. Sri Lanka is a developing or a third world country and one of the biggest issues it is faced with today is the fuel price hike. Many experts come up with fashionable solutions, but the solution is right before my eyes in Denmark. If not for everyone, almost everyone uses a bicycle and it is the most common mode of transport, whether you are going to school, the supermarket or even clubbing. It is beneficial to the society in several dimensions as riding a bike keeps you healthy and of course it is easy on the pocket.
In Denmark the nightlife takes off late, but once started is near non-stop. At most venues nothing really gets going until after midnight. However, the warm-up starts earlier in the evening at the countless cafés and bars. Later on the scene shifts to the discos, live-music venues and clubs. The underground scene and club culture is best sampled in and around Copenhagen.
Therefore it didn’t take me eons to figure out why Denmark is "the happiest place in the world".
