cheese and foam

The Danes take the Germanic universe and give it some kind of lightness. It's places like this:

and this:

and it's hygge, and weird fascinating HC Andersen stories.

If the Germanic peoples are like milk, the south Germans (the Austrians and Münchners) are like a savory cheese, thick and fragrant. The Danes are like a light foam, that floats on top of your latte.

The whole country, and all the seafloor that surrounds it, lies within about 100m of sea level. They're just floating on, or slightly below the surface. Like the Vikings, who built on empire on lightness, on swiftly moving shallow-draft boats, attacking and withdrawing.

The Germanic thing usually feels so dark and heavy, like the lead blanket at the dentist. I've rarely been able to pierce very far into any Germanic imagination, except perhaps Beethoven. This Danish thing is still strange, and it's a bit cold, but it is light and there is fresh air at least.