The old Danish post service you know… Just three times more expensive!

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Regular readers, from my first post here back in September 2010 (which was – selvfølgelig – about farts – “Mind your language!”) will know that I am in l-o-v-e with Denmark and those crazy Danes! (I’m Scottish but I felt like I had finally come home when I moved here to Copenhagen in 1998.) I love the traditions, the humour, the contrasts, the people. There is only one thing that gets my goat up (okay then, two – if we count the blatant Danish overuse of the ‘F’ word – “I swear I heart Denmark!“). And that, dear readers, is the Danish postal service! Boo! Hiss! 😉

Don’t get me wrong. I love our postmen (and especially our very nice parcel lady, with whom I always have a long chat).

postman

But the cost of sending a letter? Daylight robbery! I’ve growled before about price increases (“Pass the smelling salts, I’m buying Danish stamps“) but even I couldn’t foresee this new craziness. Here are the current options if you want to send a letter or a greetings card to a friend. I know I’ve said it before, but even Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask – ha!

Brev (letter) – for letters within Denmark, delivery takes up to 5 days – cost: 8 Danish crowns (roughly USD 1.20 or UK£0.91). Keep in mind that not all postboxes are emptied every day, so it may take even longer than 5 days to arrive…

Quickbrev (quick letter) – next day delivery – cost: 27 Danish crowns (roughly USD 4.07 or UK£3.06). Oh, and you can’t just pop a Quickbrev in the postbox. You have to physically hand it in to the post office! I kid you not. Honestly, it would be funny if it wasn’t true!

And if you want to send a birthday card to a friend outside of Denmark, for example, Europe? That costs 25 Danish crowns (roughly USD 3.77 or UK£2.83). You can use a postbox or hand them in to the post office… But, again, keep in mind that not all postboxes are emptied every day.

postbox

PostDanmark is now part of nordic PostNord – a Swedish Danish conglomerate. Bringing with it a colour change from the traditional red to blue. So all post bikes, vans, uniforms, logos etc are now blue. But, they assure us, postboxes will stay red. Hmm, let’s see what happens… And the snappy marketing line they have come up with? “Post du kender. Bare blå.” “The post service you know. Just in blue.” Perhaps they should have said. “The old post service you know. Just three times more expensive!”?

Funnily enough, our neighbours the Swedes, also served by PostNord, continue to enjoy normal postal rates. How on earth did they manage that? Answers on a postcard, please! Oh, wait, don’t bother. Just send me an email instead…

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Diane 🙂

My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar – 10 December (Cards and post)

Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar!  Join me every day in opening a new door.  Once again, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes…  So sit back, relax and enjoy!

10 DECEMBER

I got an e-mail from my mentor, the Flylady, yesterday morning, reminding me tocheck my Christmas lists twice 😉 and finish off those jobs that I’ve been procrastinating over. So today I got the last of the Christmas cards written, stamps on and they’re ready to pop in the postbox.

I always send one of the PostDanmark (the Danish postal service) special Christmas cards to my family and friends in Scotland.  Not cheap (at around DKR 39.95, UK£4.25, USD 6.50 ) but always a talking point.  And, more often than not, a building exercise!

They come in a cellophane packet.  Exhibit A.

And when you open the packet, it all comes spilling out.  Exhibit B.

And they always require (some fiddly) assembly by the recipient.  This year’s one, as I hope you can see, contains an envelope, a 3-D Christmas tree, a ‘tree mat’ (this is the ‘card’ where you can write a seasonal greeting or perhaps a “good luck with building!”) and eight (count ’em) small boxes which will be the ‘gifts’ under the tree.  Cute or kitsch, you decide! 😛

xmastree

Just remember to post your cards in good time (last posting dates are here).  Especially if, like me, the price of Danish stamps makes you reach for the smelling salts and you therefore send everything B-post (second class).

Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!

Diane :)

1 TV, 2 TV, 3 TV…

When we were in Paris last month, my daughter wanted to send a postcard to one of her schoolfriends.  She wrote the message and I wrote the address:

Danish addresses are always written with name of the street first, followed by the number of the house or building: Lykkevej 38

And then sometimes you’ll see “1 tv”, “2 tv” or “3 tv”.  What?  Mrs Dahl has three televisions, whilst Mrs Schiøtz has two and poor old Mr and Mrs Bjerg only have one? 😛 

No, silly!  TV means they have appartments on the left hand side.  T.V. means til venstre.

What about Mrs Boysen and 2, TH?  Well, that means she lives on the second floor, the appartment on the right.  T.H. means til højre.

Look at the picture again…  Quiz time!

Where does Mrs Dahl live?  3.sal, t.v.  On the third floor, appartment on the left.

And Mrs Boysen?  2, th.  On the second floor, appartment on the right.

And Mrs Schiøtz?  2, tv.  On the second floor, appartment on the right.

And Mrs Øberg?  1, th.  On the first floor, appartment on the right.

And Mr and Mrs Bjerg? 1, tv.  On the first floor, on the left.

How did we do…all correct? 🙂

But what if you live on the ground floor, appartment on the right?  Well, that’s called stuen in Danish, st.  So your address would be Lykkevej 38, st, th.

Oh, and if by chance you cross over the Sound to Sweden, remember that our neighbours – the silly (but lovable) Swedes – don’t have “ground floor” or “stuen”.  Unlike the rest of Europe, they call the ground floor the first floor – American stylee.

Have a wonderful Wednesday – the only way is up!

Diane 🙂

I sent a letter to my love and on the way I…bought a virtual stamp!

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When was the last time you wrote a letter?  A real one.  Perhaps a postcard?  Or a greetings card, written with a pen, safely tucked up in an envelope, address finely printed on the front?  But then comes the difficult part.  Procuring a stamp!

Although the number of Danish post offices seems to spiral ever downward (while the price of Danish stamps continues to rocket upward), you can now access Danish stamps 24 hours a day.  Straight to your mobile phone.  It’s a service called “MOBILPORTO”.  (There’s also an app if you’re in the habit of buying large numbers of stamps…)  Anyway, you send a text/SMS to 1900.  Write the weight of the letter, whether you want it sent first or second class post, then the destination country.  So, when I want to send a letter first class to the UK, I write “20g A Storbritannien”.  Or papers secondclass to Denmark would be, “50g B Danmark”.

First you’ll receive a reply, asking if you want to proceed with the transaction.  Once you reply “Ja” (after swooning at the cost these days of the cheapest first class stamp to Europe: kr 14, USD 2.50, UK£1.50…), Post Danmark sends you the virtual stamp: a code of letters and numbers, to be written in the top right hand corner of the envelope.

Quick and easy!  Then all that’s left to do is remember to post the dang thing (‘cos the code expires within 7 days.)! 😉

Still prefer the old school way and want to lick your stamps?  Never fear, you can still buy “real” stamps online from Post Danmark.  They have awebshop and will even post them out to you.  For free.  Imagine that – no pesky Danish postal charges! 😉

Diane

You know you're in Denmark when… (Postmen)

You know you’re in Denmark when…

Have you met our Danish posties?  Always on a special cargo bike or moped.  Dressed in red like Dannebrog (the Danish flag).  And, more often than not, sporting shorts.

Whether they’re stopped in a quiet suburban backstreet or, like here, right in the very centre of Copenhagen, it always surprises me that…

…they go off to make a delivery, leaving the bike and panniers unlocked.  And nothing gets pinched! 😉

Yep, Postman Pat – or should I say, Postmand Per – has reason to be a really happy man!

Diane 🙂

PS: In case you’re wondering, Postmand Per’s cat is called Emil.  Miav!  Miaow!