Shopping in Thisted

Travel Date: July 25, 2008
Destination: Thisted, Denmark

Two notes before I start. First, Peter has put up some more pictures from Skagen. Head over there to see pictures of boats and babes. Second, I promise this post will be shorter than the last few.

Every time we visit Denmark, Peter's mother and I make sure to leave the girls home with Peter at least once or twice so that we can have a Girl's Day Out. We get to shop and talk without being interrupted every 2.8 seconds. It's something I look forward to a lot.

So this time we went to Thisted, a little town nestled along the bay, and the birthplace of Peter. Below is the aerial view courtesy of Google Maps:







Here I am, armed with a camera and plenty of money to spend (and spend it I did):







I made sure to buy at least one outfit from each of my favorite stores: Noa Noa, Fransa, Noa Noa Miniature (for Emma) and Miniature Copenhagen (for Emma).

There are several things I love about shopping in Denmark (besides the really cool clothes). One thing is that most of the shops are located in the center of town along pedestrian streets. Meaning, no cars allowed. So you don't have to worry about the threat of being run over. The stores themselves are quaint and cozy, unlike shopping malls and the big box stores of America. You aren't rushed; you can take your time.











And when you need a break from shopping, you can just stop at any one of the outdoor cafes for a cup of coffee or tea, or even a beer (these people are having a beer at 11:00am).







Another thing I find very charming is that stores can leave their sale items outside without the threat of them being stolen. Look:















Now do you think this could happen here in the US?

This brings me to another thing I love about Denmark. Danes are generally honest and respectful people. It just isn't in their nature to take something that doesn't belong to them. They don't consider the "honor system" a set of rules; rather, it's just natural to them. It's so refreshing to be in that kind of environment.

This honesty also extends outside the cities. When you drive around the countryside you will come across many of these roadside stands sitting in front of houses (this sign is advertising new potatoes):







Some have just potatoes, and some offer more (other kinds of vegetables, homemade jellies and jams, that sort of thing). The interesting thing is that there is no one to collect the money. You just take what you want and put your money in the box. Amazing!

So that is it for this portion of our day. After shopping the whole family went out to dinner, and that is a whole other post for another day.