Let me save you some packing headaches….leave your bathing suit at home (unless of course you are incredibly tough….like Viking tough!)

Yesterday I shared a pretty amazing viking day out in Northern Germany, but today I wanted to share what I PACKED and WORE and hopefully give anyone who is planning a trip to Northern Europe in the late August a bit of a heads up…..more sweaters and fewer tank tops!

I’m not going to lie I was REALLY looking forward to this vacation because the heat in Modena was just crushing. I couldn’t take it anymore, even though now I will admit that wearing a coat in August just seems wrong! It is COLD in Copenhagen and Northern Germany!

What to Wear? What to Wear………

I didn’t pack enough clothes for myself. I was restricted to a carry-on for two whole weeks so we could bring as much gluten free food as possible for our toddler. I was NOT going to let another Lisbon experience happen so I opted for fewer clothes and more gluten free food.

This has been the perfect excuse to go shopping! Too bad I can’t actually afford ANTHING in Copenhagen. Or at least that’s what I thought! I managed to find a few essentials that have made this trip much more pleasurable!

A TRENCH

I didn’t bring this trench with me, I bought it on sale for 20 euro (about $27) in Copenhagen a few days before this trip to Germany. It has been a much needed addition to my wardrobe.

LAYERS!

It can be very hot and sunny one moment and then frigidly windy and cold the next, only to be followed by rain!

You’ll want to back and wear many a layer from cotton sweaters, polo shirts and t-shirts. When it gets cold layer away, and if you start to sweat just peel a layer off! Plus, don’t you find that adding in layers instantly makes any outfit so much more interesting?

On this day I wore a tank top, cropped white cotton sweater, zip up cotton peach blazer and my essential trench coat.

RAIN BOOTS

Yes, I managed to pack rain boots into a carry on luggage! Specifically Portuguese brand Jeffrey Campbell’s Chelsea rain boots, bought on sale for 42 euro!! BEST 42 EURO EVER SPENT (about $55)! And to think I actually felt guilty about this purchase! I have worn them non-stop while in Copenhagen, they are comfortable, my feet are dry and they are compact…. enough said. I’ll be doing a whole “where to buy” post on these boots this week!

On Friday I’ll be putting together a little shopping list to help you find these types of boots (designer look, discount prices!) Believe me you’ll be glad you have them since it rains every second day in northern Europe. Yesterday was our first full day of sun, and we were in disbelieve the whole day, just waiting for the sky to darken.

HATS and RAIN GEAR

Remember my trusty rainhat from my Spring trip to Rome? Well I keep it in my pocket at all times! When it starts to pour and I need to push the stroller, I just pull it out and voilà! When it really starts to come down I also have a fashionable Topshop rain poncho that I use, but luckily we were greeted with pretty decent weather on our trip to the Viking settlement (by decent I mean it only rained twice in a 10 hour period!)

It was windy, however, so I’m glad I had my cotton beanie (touque for those of us who are Canadian) to protect my ears. The hats are available now at H & M as part of their new collection and are under 10 bucks, but any thin cotton hat will do!

A BIG BAG

Big enough to carry essentials, but not so big that you can’t find something when you need it. This Vintage find is real leather and canadian made. It also has a full zipper, which I’m hoping will act as a pickpocket deterrent!

It should be big enough to carry your wallet, maps, camera, phone, emergency phone charger, some dinosaurs, a water bottle, a rain hat, gum, chapstick, hand cream and sunglasses…..which leads me to my next point.

SUNGLASSES

You’ll want to pack sunglasses, when the sun shines it REALLY shines. Mine were bought on sale for $17 and did the trick.

Here’s some advice, skip the expensive sunglasses when on vacation, if you loose them or forget them they will be gone forever!! I’ve lost $400 sunglasses in Paris (pre-baby days obviously) and to this day it still bothers me. Enjoy your vacation without the worry of loosing things that you won’t want to replace.

A SCARF

I live in Italy! I dare not go ANYWHERE without a scarf. If you want to read about the Italian obsession with scarves and drafts I wrote a bit about it last winter here!

A BRAIDED BELT

Last, but not least I would recommend a braided belt. Since there are no holes, there is no specific “sizing” so you can wear it up high on your waist, or with pants and jeans and even over a coat. I usually pack at least 3 belts when I go on vacation since my husband is a belt artisan, but on this trip, being limited to one small carry-on for two weeks I only packed this belt and it GOES WITH EVERYTHING! For a chance to win this belt, valued at around $600, please enter the giveaway!

And that’s what I wore and how my day went at the Viking Settlement. If you’re wondering if I found any stylish moms to photograph in Hedeby, I found only one! I call her “Viking Mom” and she was pretty cool! Little does she realize that plaid will be all the rage this fall! Come visit the blog next week and I’ll be sharing some Copenhagen DAD Street Style, with a pretty hunky dad that looks surprisingly like Jude Law (good thing my husband has a lot of self-confidence!).

Have a great day and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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