hygge & fika

Before I delve into my weekend biking trip to the beautiful town of Bornholm, Denmark, I wanted to write a bit about the concept of hygge and fika. 
Part of what I want to do when I go to each country is to learn a word that is untranslatable. A word that's meaning is so specifically within the culture that it is hard to grasp the understanding without experiencing it yourself. And hopefully I will have experienced it enough to run it by. 


The word hygge very directly means coziness. But it's more of an all around good and peaceful feeling. You can most often find this word when a group of friends enjoy one another's company and conversation at a comfortable regular cafe. 
And yes, as I have asked Mette, you can hygge yourself. This would be done curling up in bed and reading a good book or watching a good movie. It's just the general feeling a peace and well-being. This is a Danish word.

A super oldie, but I think this exemplifies "hygge" well

In Sweden I learned the word fika, which is in a general sense, means getting coffee. However, it's more of a social institution and has more of a cultural meaning than just coffee break. Fika is another positive word that can be used many times a day. 
Used in a sentence:
"Let us fika after this marvelous modern museum tour."
or
"Yo, let's fika the shiz out of that cafe." 


More commonly found in the former than the latter. 

Fika-ing with the finest.

More on Bornholm trip tomorrow.

-C