Petra Kleis: “I feel like I've put down roots in Copenhagen.”
Petra Kleis, 41, portrait photographer. Lives in Nørrebro with her boyfriend and their 11-year-old twin girls. Read more at petrakleis.dk
1. When does Copenhagen feel most like your city?
"Copenhagen feels most like my city when I greet Lars, who owns the local café, in the morning, and I walk on and say hello to my daughters' classmates on their way to school. If I'm lucky, I also bump into some of my colleagues who are cycling to work. I feel like I've put down roots in Copenhagen, and now I can reap the rewards of having been in the same wonderful local community for 13 years."
When the cherry trees blossom and the black-and-white-striped square is covered with a pink sprinkling of leaves, I pinch myself to believe that I live here.
Den Sorte Plads
2. Which place in the city do you always return to?
"My answer has to be Nørrebro. I've lived in Nørrebro for so long that I know every nook and cranny. I've seen my street go from being really outer Nørrebro to now being right in the sweet spot and being named one of the hippest places in the world. Here you'll find friends from all over the world, boys from Mjølnerparken with their caps pulled down low, hipster girls in crop tops, and everything in between. I feel that there's room for everyone in Nørrebro—and I hope it stays that way.
Den Sorte Plads with a glass of wine from Arrebo on a summer's day is hard to beat. Everything has been carefully thought out, and when the cherry trees are in bloom and the black-and-white-striped square is covered with a pink sprinkling of leaves, I pinch myself to believe that I live here."
3. What is your best tip for a unique experience in Copenhagen?
"My best tip is something I no longer practice myself because my calendar is so busy, but I definitely need to start doing again: Take the metro to a part of town you've never been to before and just walk around. You experience so many cool things when you walk! You're so flexible, and that's the key to experiencing things. We have the coolest city in the world. I always proudly tell people that I live in Copenhagen when I'm out in the world working, and people always say, ‘OMGGGGGG Copenhagen! You are lucky’ – and I am!"
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4. What hidden gem in the city is almost too good to share?
"Skjolds Plads has blossomed like a beautiful rose, which I simply didn't think was possible! A good 13 years ago, my friend had an apartment on Tagensvej. I remember thinking that no matter how many years passed, Tagensvej and the surrounding areas would never become trendy, but they did. At Skjolds Plads, you have Siciliansk Is, fantastic food at Oberra, a super delicious bakery (Bageriet B), and a Korean breakfast/lunch café (Et Cetera)."
Skjolds Plads has become trendy, even though Petra never thought it would
5. Which metro station is your favorite?
"I'm a huge sucker for art, and since I can't afford Jeppe Hein's insanely cool balloons myself, I LOVE that there are several of Jeppe's balloons hanging from the ceiling at Kongens Nytorv. It's awesome!! I love it and always wonder how many people think they're real balloons that someone has lost, completely unaware that there are balloons worth hundreds of thousands of dollars hanging from the ceiling."
Coloured Mirror Balloons by Jeppe Hein
Experiences with the Metro
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