Denmark's White Cliffs: Visiting Møns Klint

Sunday, September 29th, 2019

Møns Klint, Denmark

Yesterday, 10 of us, Annika, Julia, Ava, Emma, Nate, Reily, Isabelle, Emery, Sam, and I, loaded up into two rental cars. We were a bit of a motley crew. Annike, Julia, Emma, Ava, and I knew each other from our Arts LLC, and Annika, Ava, Nate, Reily, Isabelle, and Emery knew each other from class. Sam knew Annika from back home, and Reily was studying in Edinburgh but knew Nate from preschool... But we all came together to celebrate Annika's birthday with her. 

Our group, settling in under an overhang to hide from the rain

So we met at 10am at Sixt car rental, and divided up into two cars. Only to realize that none of us really knew how to drive stick... Or at least not well enough to risk driving two hours in a car that wasn't our own with 4 passengers. So we had to traipse back from the garage, and back into Sixt, to sheepishly ask for an automatic car. Which that had, for an extra fee of course. But pretty soon, we were on the road. 

Møns Klint is a protected nature reserve about a 2 hours drive south of Copenhagen. It's home to fairytale forests and 6km of white chalk cliffs boarding this Baltic Sea. So if everything went around to plan, we would've been there around 12pm. But between switches the cars and our pitstops, we didn't make it until almost 2:30. We stopped in a small town called Præstø to get a cup of coffee. Wandering around was a little strange because we really stood out as Americans. The town was really quiet and very empty and had Danish flags lining the street, at about 20-foot intervals. I was kinda digging it, but I actually think it made a few of my car-mates a little uncomfortable. 

One of the Danish flags along the street

In my experience, Denmark has been really accepting. I have felt more at home here than in a lot of other areas. I think their approach to pedagogy, work-life-balance, and political leanings really fit with who I am. To me, even the way they dress even feels like there's less pressure or judgment to look like a Kardashian or always have your makeup done. It feels like they really value authenticity. I feel like these are maybe my long lost people. That I could really fit in here. I'm still clearly American, but I could see myself, and have seen myself, adjusting to some of their values. But I also look really Scandinavian, so I don't visually stand out as much. I was raised in Minnesota, the Scandinavia of the United States, and I have very Scandinavian ancestors that passed down Scandinavian traditions to my parents and me. 

Denmark is often criticized for being really homogenous. With a social welfare society and a long tradition of valuing the collective whole, there are those who feel that Denmark doesn't support or encourage the individual. And a few of my friends here don't feel like they fit in at all. Some of them feel really ostracized by being American. Three of the women in my car had stories about not being let into a club or being charged a higher cover because they were American, and one of the girls has twice seen black American boys blocked from a club because they what they were wearing wasn't nice enough, despite seeing white boys wearing the same style inside the club. She was really concerned about how race is perceived in Denmark and really concerned with how Americans were perceived in Denmark. 

A sweet yellow street in Præstø

And I'm not sure what I think about that. Because on one hand, I think being in a really small town was bringing out feelings of foreignness that was really coloring the situation. I actually think it is sometimes good to recognize your American-ness and how different you are in a new culture. It can be really good to be uncomfortable because I think especially at home in the US, we get really complacent with who we are in the world. The entire world bends to fit us. (Or rather, US). Everyone speaks English. Everyone knows where the US is. Everyone knows who our president is. Everyone knows our music, and TV shows, and movies, and pop culture. And it becomes a real privilege. You can walk through the world not having to really explain yourself on a basic level. 

Some of the colors in Præstø

Spending an extended amount of time in a new country though, especially one as small as Denmark, exposes you to cultural depths that are very different, and much harder to maybe navigate as a stranger. That's the reality. And sometimes I think we spend so much time wanting to blanket statement "accept everyone", that we steer towards cultural white-washing, and often, American-washing. That we are so uncomfortable with the idea that the culture we are raised in might not be everyone's default, or even respected by everyone, that we resist wanting to learn about their culture. Now, does that mean Americans should be charged more for a club? No, probably not. I would be really frustrated with that too. But I think we need to pay close attention to how we're interacting with our new space and people, and what background or biases we might be bringing with us into these interactions. 

Præstø street

I don't, on the other hand, think that the instances of racism my one friend saw at the two clubs in Copenhagen were okay. But, I am learning that race is perceived really differently here, and I'd like to learn more about it. Because coming from the United States, we have a really different history with chattel slavery, and Jim Crow, and institutional racism in our country. Our view of race is heavily impacted by being born in the United States. I know in France, for instance, "color-blind", not acknowledging racial differences, is seen as more progressive and less racist by a lot of people, while in the United States, social justice advocates really push against that. Denmark's history would be really different, having a very nordic, ethnically white population, but being heavily involved in colonialism. I'm not condoning what she saw at those clubs, and I've seen some really rather racist cartoons of people of color here myself. But I wish I knew more about the context of racial issues in Denmark. I just don't know a lot about it.  

A burned-out building in Præstø

So anyway, being in this small coastal town, drinking coffee, and discussing these things with my friends, got me thinking. For better or for worse. :) Those are my two cents on Denmark in that context anyway. 

We caught up with the other car around 2:30 at Møns Klint. We met them by the Geological Center, which was opened in 2007. We didn't go in the museum, but I read that it talks about how the cliffs and the rest of Denmark were formed. Instead, we took off up the boardwalk trail to the top of the cliffs. The trails go pretty far, and I imagine you could get a pretty good hike in if you wanted to. We walked up to a lookout to gaze down at the rock face and out across the Baltic. We were all absolutely blown away! It was a little cold and rainy, and we were some of the only people in the nature reserve. 

View from on top!

Annika looking at the cliffs

We then started the treck down to the beach. That's right, you can make it all the way down to the beach! It's 900+ steps but you can do it. And do it we did. The chalk cliffs were white, and they contrasted gorgeously against the smooth black stones that made up the beach. There were long patches of dark purple seaweed, and I'm not gonna lie, it smelled HORRIBLE! But the rest of the beach was so lovely it didn't even matter. It started to rain once we got down there, so we all huddled up under an overhang to eat cake and sing happy birthday. I ventured out in the rain to wade into the sea, while Reily and Sam skipped rocks. After a while, we broke up a little bit and walked around in groups of 2 or 3. Annika, Emma, Sam, and Julia decided the chilly 40-degree weather wasn't going to stop them from swimming. Neither was the rain. Neither was their lack of swimsuits. The birthday-girl and her crew jumped in in their birthday suits! 

 The steps down to the beach

The beach

The black stones

The cliffs! (ft. our group)

Meanwhile, Ava and I were climbing up the trail, trading stories about being kids at Disneyland. I know. It's so gross and wholesome we all should've been in some sort of feel-good, coming of age story. It was an insanely perfect and crazy and relaxing day. We are pretty sure the whole experience might've even qualified as "hygge". Although my socks got so wet, I ended up buying a dry pair in the Geological Center's gift shop. They have sharks on them and they might be my new favorite socks. But maybe I'm so attached to them because they provided warmth and dryness in my time of need. 

Wandering back up through the whimsical fairytale trees

Ava stopping to take a quick picture

The forest

We stopped back in Præstø on our way back to Copenhagen, to have dinner at a small Mexican-Italian (do not ask, I do not know) hybrid restaurant called Kaktus. I have to say, the salmon cream sauce penne I had was EXACTLY what I needed to fill my chilly empty body. 

Restaurant Kaktus

We made it back to Copenhagen just in time to return our rental car. And let me tell you, that was stressful. We could not figure out how to get into the right part of the garage, and then the garage was all divided into different parts with gates that shut and locked behind you, and we were on the wrong level, and our pamphlet said nothing, and Sixt was closed by that time and it was really stressful but WE FIGURED IT OUT! Renting a car was a bit of a hassle, not gonna lie. But at least none of us have Danish CPR healthcare cards yet, because if we had, the taxes on our rental would have doubled the price. And thank goodness Ava volunteered to drive and take care of all the paperwork.

Our day ended with a short back to our apartment, where our cozy warm beds were waiting for us. All in all, a wonderful day, and a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday! 

Before I go, here are some quality Danish memes. Enjoy. 

Hygge hugs from Denmark, 

Cristiana