The most popular sports are soccer, handball, golf and badminton, in that order. Sports are subsidised by the state as it contributes to the general health. Most sports activities are outside the school system. Children do sports by choice after school, except for a couple of hours of gym (PE). Swimming lessons are also obligatory in the early grades. There are many sports clubs and the surrounding waters invite for lots of water sports. Adults join sports clubs and meet with friends doing sports. Fitness centres have become increasingly popular over the past years. Larger companies have internal sports facilities or sports clubs as a fringe benefit for their employees.

 

Adult education is BIG. During the dark hours of winter we take classes in all kinds of things: painting, languages, handicrafts, or lectures of cultural issues of some kind. Classes are cheap, due to the subsidy by the state. During summer we enjoy lots of barbecues and love picnics and foreigners are amazed what we can fit in a box on the back of our bikes.

 

Danes love to socialise while enjoying culture. During the winter theatre is popular. During the summer outdoor concerts are a big industry. Young people, but also families enjoy going to music festival - there are many to choose from. The most famous rock festival in Denmark is The Roskilde Festival, where around a 100.000 people camp for 5 days enjoying concerts from noon to midnight. Smaller festivals like the Femø Jazz Festival, Langelandsfestival and the Samsø Festival are popular with families.

 

Because of the weather not being so warm Danes like to travel to southern Europe for warmer climates. During the winter The Canary Islands and Thailand are popular.

 

Work 

Danes take pride in their work and are known for efficiency, flexibility and high quality.

 

Danes typically work 37 hours a week and by law everybody has 5 weeks of holiday. Most people have an additional week of vacation according to their contract. This makes it a family friendly country that expats enjoy. Maternity leave is up to 11 months and both the father and the mother are allowed the leave. Most women work and the whole setup of the country is based on both men and women working, hence good day care.

 

"You hardly work" - foreigners are surprised. But after a while they find that we are very focused and efficient when we work because we want to get home to our "life". Socializing at work is not common. We like to have a professional relation to co-workers and therefore we rarely mix friends and work.