Oh please, you knew this was coming. I've been in Denmark for a month and have yet to blog about Ikea. This would be because there isn't an Ikea in Copenhagen, you have to travel just outside to Gentofte to reach the nearest one. Lucky for me there is a bus that stops right in front of the entrance, and another bus that takes me straight there from my class at the hospital - meaning I'll be back again and again and again.
I decided to make the trip this past weekend as I had nothing to do either day. You don't have to remind me that I'm in Denmark and should be traveling every chance I get - I have many trips planned and will post about that soon. But back to Ikea! I took the 5A bus to Norreport Station, where I stopped to get breakfast/lunch (it was noon) and ran to catch the 150S, the express Ikea bus! Everyone piled on and everyone piled off at Ikea. When I say this is the Ikea bus, I mean it. They even announce the stop.
When I walked inside, I immediately regretted going on a Saturday. If you don't know, Ikea has a restaurant with very good food and great prices, as well as a play place for kids (and a daycare - more about that later). I was overwhelmed by the completely Danish signs and mass of people walking around me, heading in to refurnish their entire house for under $1000 (I don't know if this is possible, but I don't doubt it). Apparently in Gentofte, Saturday is Ikea day.
I managed to avoid getting lost and had no major collisions with carts. My purchases included a duvet cover and pillow case for six dollars (Ikea pick of the day - but I didn't know this until after I bought it), three reusable grocery bags for a dollar each, a scale - it was eight dollars and probably a smart buy, and a scented candle for my room! It smells like apples and cinnamon and I've been burning it ever since I bought it. I'll have to go back to get some more fall scented candles. It just makes things so cozy!
My bed with my new duvet cover and pillow case!
After I bought everything, I went to the restaurant for some lunch/the only meal of the day so far. Being at Ikea, I had to have the meatballs! I also slipped in a piece of pie since it looked so delish and I wasn't in a soft serve ice cream mood (Ikea has a sundae bar). Oddly enough the soda I got tasted just like soda in the US, not like soda here in Denmark. I guess commercial companies in North America are at the same standards level as the Ikea cafeteria... The meatballs were just right for the rainy afternoon and the mashed potatoes and gravy reminded me of Thanksgiving (it could also be that it came with cranberry sauce). Definitely a decent meal for only eight dollars.
Mental note: 10 meatball meal+drink+dessert is only $8!
I will definitely be back to Ikea, it was so much fun! Hopefully next time it will just be to visit, not buy things, since I'm going to run out of room in my suitcase! But going to Ikea, being alone, and only hearing Danish definitely made me feel more immersed in the Danish culture. And I'm sure when I head back to school in DC and go to the Ikea in College Park my experience will be very different...
- Devon.
No comments:
Post a Comment