Last Sunday, I was chatting with a friend about his summer vacation when he said, “I’m really not ready to go back to work on Monday.” I asked how long he’d been on holiday — or “sommerferie” in Danish — and he said, “Only two weeks. Three is really much better.”
As an American, the idea of a three-week vacation seems almost absurdly luxurious, but it’s very commonplace for Danes (and many Scandinavians) to take nearly a month off during the summer, usually in July. This year, we decided to take a page from the Danish playbook and enjoy three weeks up at a summer house on the north coast of Sjælland, the island where Copenhagen is located. Tomorrow we will leave the sommerhus, return to the Copenhagen area and prepare to get back to the business of work, school, etc. As we ready ourselves for a return to normal life, it occurs to me that my friend was right; three weeks of summer holiday really is better than two. Here’s why:
scandisensibility 