As a native Californian, I have experienced the romance of excellent weather throughout my life. But summer in Copenhagen, where I've spent many months as a temporary resident, has a magic all its own. No ray of sunshine is taken for granted by Copenhageners after the months of grey, wintery weather. The city comes alive with music festivals, outdoor activities, and ecstatic park goers and sunbathers. People rejoice at the sight of the season's first strawberries, first rhubarb, first day the public harbor baths are officially open for swimming. The summer buttermilk dessert called koldskål is sold by local supermarkets like it's going out of style. And friends gather over picnics in the park, potlucks in gardens, and finally heat up their backyard grills after the long winter hibernation. It was on one such sunshine- filled day that one of my favorite Danes invited a group of us for a terrace picnic overlooking the Copenhagen lakes.
Brought together by a passion for international travel, this group of friends knows how to cook up a great meal. I am thankful for many things in my life, but one of them is having a good friend who can fry up a tastier than imaginable Spanish tortilla from her time living in Madrid. Few recipes are better suited for an intimate after-work gathering such as this.
True to the magic of a Copenhagen summer day, the many hours of sunlight allowed our noshing and conversation to last far into the evening. Though my days living in this country are numbered, the memory of this terrace dinner is one I won't soon forget.
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