When I am travelling I usually try to buy a souvenir from the country, however, it is not one of those touristy knick-knacks or an object with the name of the city or country on it. A souvenir for me is an item that has a function, something that I can use, eat or give. Based on the pieces I have bought during my travels, they vary from a piece of clothing, to an accessory, shoes, sometimes jewellery and most of the times gourmet food and delicacies. They are easy to bring home and pack in the luggage. No need to declare them at customs (unless its travel outside the EU for food items), or worse, ship them. I used to buy home decors in the past and even hand carried a lamp with me on a transpacific flight.
But I don’t really travel to shop. I travel to see the place, to experience it, meet the people, taste their food, bask in their culture, see some architecture, be pampered (read: to unwind, especially during summer holidays) and from time to time I’d like to see the nuances and odd things of daily life in the country I am visiting. And if I find something nice along the way, I will buy it.
Magasin du Nord
Website: Magasin du Nord, Denmark
Nevertheless, Copenhagen, like many bustling cosmopolitan cities, offers a wide array of fantastic shopping opportunities. It may be important to note though that Denmark is expensive but they do have items, especially in the design front, that you cannot find in other countries. Danish design is big, and if you are this kind of shopper, looking for that unique world-class design, a home accessory, a furniture or whatever, then this is your place. So, after my Irish Coffee and people watching at Nyhavn, I decided to check out their oldest shopping mall—Magasin du Nord.
I did not have to walk far because the Magasin du Nord department store (owned now by Debenhams UK) is nicely located near Nyhavn. It is what Bijenkorf is to the Netherlands, Galeries Lafayette to France, Globus to Geneva and Harrods to London. It’s not that big, but it offers quality and upscale market brands. The nice thing about this department store is they have a gourmet paradise in the basement complete with a café and all the nice things a foodie wants.
It wasn’t really the shopping that attracted me to Magasin du Nord, it was primarily the architecture of the building. The department store is housed in an impressive historical edifice. That is enough for me to go in and check out the place.
My damage in the store? Not much. I bought a blouse for myself from a local brand, Saint Tropez and a box of Summerbird chocolates as a present for the Dutchman. I saw some really cool designer kitchen stuff as well but the idea that they are bulky and that I may have to carry them separately (for this trip I have a hand carry luggage and there is no more room in it) hindered me from the thought of buying them.
Well, at home, I (and we) have this policy of less is more. I’m the minimalist type so I always think twice, thrice, well in fact more, when it comes to buying home items.
For outdoor shopping, the action is on pedestrian shopping streets, ‘Strøget’ and ‘Købmagergade’.
Magasin du Nord is by the way located just beside Stroget near the rotunda adjacent to Nyhavn. So it’s an easy combination of outdoor and indoor shopping if splurging on material things while travelling is your forte. And, since we are on the shopping topic, there’s Illum shopping mall as well.
Travel Period: April 2012
Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark
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