![]() You can email Rick at and follow his blog on Facebook.Derek is a bittersweet comedy drama about a group of outsiders living on society's margins.ĭerek Noakes (played by Ricky) is a tender, innocent man whose love for his job and the people he cares for shines through. This column revisits some of Rick’s favorite places over the past two decades. Still, I think when a Dane dies, they (more than their loved ones) should say “Tak for Alt.”Įdmonds resident Rick Steves (writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio and organizes European tours. It is a message from the living bidding their loved one farewell (like “rest in peace”). But I asked a Dane and learned that it means something else. When I saw a tombstone store with “Tak for Alt” (“thanks for everything”) pre-carved into the stones, I figured it was a message from the dead person after living a very blessed life in Denmark. But the collective decision is not based just on what’s good for the economy. I think Danes know they could make more money if they embraced the “big gulp” track and started super-sizing things. A cup of coffee costs $6 - and free refills are unheard of. A glass of beer at a restaurant can cost $10. The society is designed in a way that encourages people to use less, chew slower and just sip things. In Denmark, things are so costly that it seems people consume more sparingly. We pay in taxes.) Your system may be better for business … but not better for service.” you pay triple per person what we pay for health care. ■ “We Danes believe a family’s economic status should have nothing to do with the quality of the health care or the education their children receive. When there is a student demonstration, it’s generally for more pocket money.” And university students get a monthly supplement for living expenses for up to six years. If I don’t like the shape of my nose, I pay to fix that. We’ve had national health care since the 1930s. ![]() ■ “We pay on average 50 percent taxes – yes, worker or big shot, we pay about 50 percent. A few people with alcohol problems manage to be homeless. ■ “In Denmark you have to work quite hard to find a crack to fall through. People laugh politely when I ask if they speak English, responding, “Of course I do.” Conversation flows easy. When I jaywalk in Denmark, Danes look at me like I’m a bad influence on the children present. When I jaywalk anywhere, I do so thinking people will appreciate my lead and follow me. At midnight they still stop for a red light even if there’s no traffic. To be honest, I don’t know how well I’d fit in here. Kids are holding their mothers’ hands, learning about the Lego buildings or smiling contentedly as they whip around on the carousel.Įuropeans trade off “individual-ism” for “social-ism.” The Danes seem to take it to an extreme. (They claim if you lined them all up, the bricks would stretch from here to Italy.) The place is crawling with adorably cute, ice cream-licking, fair-haired children. ![]() The local Disneyland - Legoland -is a wildly popular place featuring 58 million Lego bricks built into famous landmarks from around the world. It occurred to me on my last visit that, after a week of travel, I never heard a local person raise their voice. Travelers find the society itself is the focus of their “sightseeing.” Poll after poll lists the Danes as some of the most contented and happiest people on the planet. ![]() We say, “Everything’s so…Danish.”ĭenmark is, simply, cute. When traveling here, I have a running joke with my guide friends. While Copenhagen is a thriving metropolis, when you venture out into the Danish countryside, you find yourself saying “cute” more than you know you should.
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