In the town where I live, most of the shops are found on this walking street. Bikes are allowed, but cars are not.
The street has everything from green grocers and grocery stores to housewares, H&M, jewelry stores, cafes, chocolate shops, pizza places, kebab houses, and soft ice bars. The upper levels of the buildings are mainly apartments.
I love how the shops set their merchandise outside! I was walking home from the bus one afternoon and found the most adorable pair of ballet flats outside one of the shops. I immediately fell in love, and probably wouldn’t have seen them had they not been outside.
A major difference between life in Denmark and life in the US is the shopping culture. On weekdays, most shops are closed by 6 PM. On Saturdays, most close by 2 PM. And on Sundays and holidays they don’t open at all. Even the main grocery store closes at 8 PM and only opens on the first Sunday of the month until 5 PM. There are a few grocery stores scattered about the city that have later hours, but learning those will take some time.
Smilingsurfer says
Grocery shopping is more of a daily chore when you are on bike or foot. A lifestyle adjustment of sorts.
I hope that the limited retail hours also translates to a curtailed work schedule for you, Sage.
The Summer Solstice is only a month away, is it daylight 24 hours a day then?
Sage says
It’s definitely a different way to shop. Most people here only buy enough for a few days at a time. Before moving, I was an avid bargain hunter and stockpiler, but here, sales and coupons aren’t as prevalent as they are in the US, so there’s really no reason not to shop only a few days into the future.
Life in general is more laid back here, so if there’s something I really need to do, i can work remotely, or take an early bus to be back before the shops close. I’ll find my groove once I’m in my new place.
We don’t get a full 24 hours of daylight, but it does stay light until or just past midnight. Right now it’s light until between 9 & 10. I’m always losing track of time!
~ Sage