Falling in love at a coffee shop

As you may or may not know, one of my goals of studying abroad was to become a "regular" at a cafe or coffee shop of my choosing.  I've been in Copenhagen almost a month now (whoa!) and the other day, one of my housemates asked me how I was doing with this endeavor.  Sadly, I had to say that it wasn't going well.  As I adjusted to life in the city, meeting new people, schoolwork, and traveling, I had neglected my goal, and subsequently one of my passions in life- coffee.

Sticker shock played a part it in- coffee is much more expensive here than it is at home.  Back at Dunkin Donuts, a 24oz iced coffee costs me $2.45.  Yes, I do know the exact price, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Here, a tiny little cup of black coffee averages about 25 kroner.. that's about 5 US dollars.  Eeek.  Iced coffee is out of the question.  Any iced drinks are basically lattes, which I don't like that much in the first place, and which cost about 38 kroner (a little less than $8) for like 12oz..  maybe.  Frustrations.  Also, the fact that my homework routine at Stonehill involved going to the science center, buying coffee, and studying for hours means that I really struggle studying in the same place that I live.  As much as I love my house in Copenhagen.... I desperately needed a different venue to be at all productive.

It's been a process, but part of my adjustment to Copenhagen involved letting go of my propensity to buy mass amounts of coffee.  In the beginning, I thought I would give up purchasing coffee completely (don't misunderstand me though- I never had intentions to give it up completely, my apartment has a coffee maker!!)  This plan was going okay, and probably saving money, for a few weeks, but then I remembered- my goal.  Budgeting out a few extra dollars toward the achievement of my goal seemed to be well worth it.

Since then, I've been on the quest to find the perfect coffee shop.  So far, there have been a few prospects.  First, there was Baresso- basically Copenhagen's equivalent to Starbucks.  Like Starbucks, there is one on almost every corner, and its on the pricier side; however, there are two located within about a 2 minute walk of my house, and the atmosphere is nice.  One is located over a bookstore, and the other has a great view of the Round Tower.  Downside of Baresso- there are no outlets, meaning that any homework I take there requiring the use of my computer is rushed.

Then, there was a cafe down the street from Frue Plads, halfway in between DIS and my apartment.  I was told by Anna that it was a good place to go and study, so I was excited to check it out.  I went to work on a paper for my Scandinavian Detective Novel class on Monday afternoon.  Unfortunately, it was lunchtime, so it was packed.  I waited in line for quite some time because all drinks/meals were ordered at the bar.  Oh well, decent price, and the food looked good too.  After I got my coffee, I went to find a table.  Saw a few outlets, but the only table open didn't have any nearby.  Also, at some tables, studying was prohibited.  Not cool.  Oh well, I sat down and typed away rapidly, talked to some nice Americans who were in Copenhagen for a conference, and then went back home to plug in my computer.  Conclusion- this cafe is much better for socializing than homework.

Still in search of my next prospect, I went to Danish class this morning, and we translated a passage about "The Living Room," a cafe that I actually grabbed coffee at my very first day in Copenhagen but had since forgotten.  Inspired, I decided to go back and check it out.  As I sit here now, in a window seat with outlets galore sipping on a cappuccino that came complete with a heart drawn into the foam, I think I found my winner.  There is plenty of seating, and my favorite part is the cozy leather furniture downstairs!  In case I'm ever hungry, they have a small selection of sandwiches, and, if I'm so inclined, I could even grab a Carlsberg!  It seems to be a place with quite a bit of character- also downstairs, the walls are exposed brick.  I am obsessed with exposed brick walls.  (Also, there is free unlimited WiFi!!)

Although it's different than my familiar Dunkin Donuts medium french vanilla iced coffee with milk, this search for the perfect coffee shop has made me appreciate coffee, because I can't just swipe my Stonehill ID card and have it blindly deducted from my balance.  It takes a bit of budgeting, planning, and thought, but my quest for a coffee shop has not only satisfied my need for good coffee, but it's also given me a place other than my room to do schoolwork (which I'm sure my teachers will appreciate!)

Next step: get them to know my name!

(and a "frequent flyer" discount wouldn't be bad either...)