Emdrup Troublemaker

Copenhagen-based AI artist otherwise known as Kay Xander Mellish. NFTs minted on Polygon blockchain. Buy on Rarible. Midjourney + Photoshop for the win!

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

https://t.co/jj8Pb6hm7Y

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

https://t.co/beB2QY9q0f

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Friday June 5 is 𝘎𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘨, or Constitution Day, the closest Denmark gets to a national day.

But there are none of the colorful parades, fireworks, or military fly-bys that characterize national days in some countries.

And unlike Swedes and Norwegians, Danes don't dress up in traditional folk costumes on their big day. In fact, I'd never seen one of these outfits until I came across photos from Solvang, California, where Danish heritage traditions are celebrated more visibly than they are in Denmark itself!

Most Danes will just enjoy the day off, and perhaps take a trip to their summer house, where they will raise a very large Danish flag.

If you'd like to do something special to mark the day, visit Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen and see the actual pen King Frederik VII used to sign Denmark's first democratic constitution on June 5, 1849.
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I write more about Constitution Day and many other Danish traditions in my new book, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤.

If you enjoy learning about Danish culture and customs, or if you like my free How to Live in Denmark podcast, I think you'll enjoy the book too. 📷

[How to Live in Denmark @How2LiveInDK]

Want to understand Danes? Watch what they watch. 🇩🇰📺

Danish film & TV reveals more about Danish culture than any guidebook — from classic noir to beloved comedies like The Olsen Gang and the landmark series Matador.

And a lot of it is FREE. 🧵

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Looks like a price of DK35 is the sweet 🍭 spot for eBook downloads - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 is selling well - so I've dropped the prices on all my other eBook downloads to just DK35, exclusively on Amazon Kindle.

That's just $5, EUR 5, or GBP 4. 💰

That means you can download all these books for just Dk35 apiece:

📕 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
📙 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝘛𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣, 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴
📘 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬: 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴-𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰-𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
📕 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴-𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰-𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
📘 𝐓𝐨𝐩 35 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝘈 𝘍𝘶𝘯 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘌𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴

And, of course, my newest book

📙 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦

All for less than the price of a flat white! ☕️

You can read your eBook on any phone or tablet using the Amazon Kindle app.

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Denmark has plenty of holidays that aren't on any calendar, and one of them takes place tomorrow, or on any other Monday in April and May. It’s “Blue Monday”, where teenagers who have been confirmed the week before skip school and take the money they receive from their parents, relatives, and family friends out on a daylong shopping binge.

Retailers love this, of course, in particular those that sell electronics, gaming equipment, makeup, or trendy clothes.

But so do criminals, unfortunately.

The Danish police have issued guidelines suggesting that the young shoppers (Danes get confirmed at age 13 or 14) hold their cash in a secure place, watch out for pickpockets, and not withdraw cash from ATMs for anyone else.
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The Danish holidays that aren’t on any calendar is the topic of my short new book, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤, only Dk 35 on Amazon Kindle.

You’ll read about:

⛷️ January, and why ski holidays are a good indication of income inequality

😻 February, and how the “cat in the barrel” shows the decline of traditional religious faith

💌 March, and how the decline of “gækkebrev” is a loss for romance in Denmark

🪏 April, and why Danes care more about gardening than many foreigners do

🕯️ May, and what it means to put a candle in the window on May 4

⚔️ June, and the “defense day” military screening that is required for all Danish boys – and, as of 2026, of Danish girls as well

🌼 July, and why “the Daisy Route” is a great way to discover parts of Denmark you ordinarily would not see

📚 August, the first day of school, and why early education is an important part of making kids ‘Danish’

🤾‍♀️ September, the opening of handball season, and why elite sports are exempt from the Jante Laws

🗳️ October, often election season, and why you’ll often see Danish candidates putting up posters with their own faces on them

☔️ November rain, and why Denmark is tearing up its streets to prepare for the flooding caused by climate change

🧑🏼‍🎄 December, and why Christmas nisser are a clue to the way Denmark sees itself

Check it out, and if you like it, please leave a review on Amazon or on Goodreads! 😀

You can read it on any smartphone or tablet with the Amazon Kindle app.

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Just a reminder that I'm available as a Copenhagen-based keynote speaker for international business groups, conferences, incentive travel, and MICE events visiting Denmark.

I deliver humorous, insightful presentations on Danish culture, working life, and what makes Danes so happy. Educational and entertaining.

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Would any of my followers be interested in reviewing my new book "The Danish Year" on Goodreads? I would appreciate it very much. https://t.co/aHNE74Sgw6

[How to Live in Denmark @How2LiveInDK]

New "How to Live in Denmark" podcast! 🎙️ It's all about my awkward first year in Denmark - and why I was known as "the Hamburger Girl."

It's the introduction to my new book, "The Danish Year: Twelve Months of Customs, Quirks, and Rhythms of Everyday Life in Denmark." 🇩🇰

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Thank you for the many lovely reviews of my new book, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞.

Readers have called it
🔴 "the tour guide of what Denmark actually looks like for an international."
🟡 "a genius idea to break down Danish culture on a month by month basis"
🔵 "very digestible and readable in one massive sitting (as I did) or in bite-sized chunks you can return to"

One reader said "I truly enjoyed going along on this year of cultural adventures. Even after living in Denmark for 16 years, I found myself finally getting answers to things I’ve quietly wondered about for a long time.

"At times I laughed, at others I raised my eyebrows, and once in a while I almost straightened my back a little… and then suddenly: “ohhh, now I get it.” Those moments were my favorite."

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The book is an Amazon Kindle exclusive.

👍 The good thing about that: if you have 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥, you can read this book and many other books for free, either on your Kindle reader or on your phone or tablet.

👎 The bad thing: Amazon will not let you review the book unless you have purchased $50 or €50 or £50 of foot powder, hair dye, chocolate crumbles or anything else from Amazon in the past year.

I find this beyond exasperating 🤯, since several readers who liked the book have gotten in touch to tell me that Amazon will not let them leave a review.

I'm considering creating my own "review page" with their contributions. What do you think?

[How to Live in Denmark @How2LiveInDK]

My new book "The Danish Year: Twelve Months of Customs, Quirks, and Rhythms of Everyday Life in Denmark" talks about many events that aren't on any Danish calendar - but for @TheLocalDenmark, I found even more! https://t.co/SbjCAIO2y4

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

Get the book here! https://t.co/pwZD6DICiB

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

New book - cover made with selected #Midjourney images. @midjourney

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

New book, new strategy! Published today, "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤" is my newest book.

After more than 10 years of putting out print books, I've chosen to debut this one as electronic-only on @AmazonKindle.

Why?

🔴 It's short - only 89 pages - and going electronic allows me to sell it for only $5 or Dk35, which is within most people's budgets.

And it allows for color illustrations, which make a print book very expensive.

🟡 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰. Our attention spans are fractured, sadly, and as a passionate reader myself, I have plenty of half-read books around the house.

The Amazon Kindle app allows people to read the book wherever and whenever they have time, on their tablets, phones, and or Kindle readers if they have one. (I do.)

🔴 Online books can be revised whenever circumstances change.

Although this book, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫, isn't really a news book, small updates are sometimes required (such as to the section on the June "Defense Day" and the Danish military, which now will draft girls).

I must admit to being extremely annoyed when I've published a print book and the facts on the ground change. For example, 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴: 𝘛𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 states that there is no Uber in Denmark. That was true on publication, but it isn't true now.
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My new strategy? As opposed to writing one big book every few years (How to Work in Denmark, my previous book, came out in 2022) I plan to write 1-2 short books per year.

Some will also be published on paper, and some will be online-only as part of my new "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬" series on Amazon.

Get 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 here: https://t.co/N0f3uiJlhP

[Kay Xander Mellish 🇺🇸🇩🇰 @kaydenmark]

Springtime is day trip time, and the old monastery at Esrum Kloster is an easy drive from Copenhagen, Roskilde, Helsingør, or Kalundborg. It’s fascinating to see what’s left of the old abbey where the Cistercian monks lived, prayed, and sang, as well as their innovative heating and hydraulic water systems.

And if you love marketing and retail, you’ll love the Esrum Kloster gift shop, which features products from abbeys and monastaries all over Europe. Abbey-made candy, jams and jellies, soaps and moisturizers, beers, it’s all there.

The area around Esrum Kloster is a national park, hich makes it great for a picnic, and there are picnic tables available.

There's also a café, which we did not visit. The café opening hours vary, so check in advance before visiting – there’s not much else in the area besides the large and beautiful Esrum Lake.

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

Danish Nisse carrying an iPhone and a Cybertruck. Nisse live in the walls of Danish houses and come out at night for mischief, such as putting socks on kitchen chair legs.

Danes give them little presents and rice pudding to placate them.

Made with @midjourney and @Photoshop.

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

And here's the long version.

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

November rain; a woman walks in a meadow in Denmark. Made with Midjourney, influenced by Vilhelm Hammershoi, a master of Danish greys.

[Emdrup Troublemaker @EmdrupTrouble]

Here's the wide version of the same image.

[How to Live in Denmark @How2LiveInDK]

Denmark is getting hit with more cloudbursts—intense storms that flood streets in minutes.

To adapt, cities are rewilding neighborhoods and even daylighting rivers that were buried under concrete. 🌧️🌿

Excerpt from the new episode of the "How to Live in Denmark" podcast.