Rick Steves Tour of Scandinavia - Part 9: Helsingør, Denmark to Varberg, Sweden

 June 11: From Denmark back to Sweden

I don’t know if I’ve already said this a million times, but we have been SO lucky with the weather on this trip! Every day has been sunny and WARM. (I should have packed even lighter!) We left Ærø Island bright and early (although there was a bit of a wait for the ferry, as the one that was to have taken us broke down.) We were on our way from Denmark to Norway, but on this day and the next, we would be driving up the west coast of Sweden.

Karen, Karen, and Susan wait for our tardy ferry.

The painted Ærøskøbing Ferry

The Danish flag waves goodby to Ærøskøbing...

...and we wave goodbye to the cute little cottages along the strand.

At lunch time, we made our last Denmark stop in Helsingør, which we Shakespeare lovers know as Elsinore, home of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. We had quite a short stop there, so I bolted down my lunch in the giant food court and headed across the field to the moat-ringed castle, which is actually named Kronborg Slotte (Danish for Castle).

Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark

Hans Christian Anderson got it wrong...cygnets are not ugly ducklings!  They are adorable.

Moat and entrance to Kronborg Castle

Courtyard of Kronborg Castle

Coat of Arms of King Frederick II who built Kronborg Castle (on the site of previous structures)

Amusing decoration on an arched doorway

The castle was not as impressive as most of the ones we had seen on the trip so far, as it did not display the usual ornate decorations and painted ceilings. But it has a prominent role in Danish history. It's position at the entrance to Øresund, the narrow sound between Denmark and Sweden, and the gateway to the Baltic Sea, allowed it to protect the Sound Dues, or tariffs that had to be paid to travel this route.  Its strong walls and moat demonstrate that it was a fortress as well as a royal residence.  

In the 1420s, Eric of Pomerania built the first castle, the ”Krogen”, on this unique site. In 1574 King Frederik II began the construction of the Renaissance castle and the surrounding fortifications, which would eventually be known as Kronborg Castle. Following a disastrous fire in1629, the castle was reconstructed almost exactly as it was before. The Chapel, which was the only building not to have been ravaged by the fire, has preserved its original altar, gallery, and pews, with fine carvings and painted panels.  (Unfortunately, my short time here did not allow me to visit the chapel.) 

Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination, (despite the disappointing news that Hamlet never walked these ramparts.) I wondered why Shakespeare had placed Hamlet here and discovered that Hamlet is based on the Scandinavian legend of Prince Amleth. Shakespeare most likely chose Elsinore because the castle was politically significant at the time. King James I, who ruled England during the latter years of Shakespeare's life, stayed in this castle with his Danish Queen Anne after their marriage in 1590.

Cannons guard the Kronborg Fortress

Because of the limited time here, I zipped quickly through the large rooms, which held some impressive antique furniture and large tapestries.

The Banquet Hall was used as an office, a meeting room, a dining room,
and a salon for government meetings and banquets.

A 17th century bedroom (photo above) and salon (photo below)

A "Parade Bed" - Parade Rooms were not private bedrooms.  From a Parade Bed,
nobility would receive guests while already sitting and fully dressed.

The entire 2nd floor was intended for parties, with guest rooms and banquet halls.  When not in use, they were convenient for storage.  It was not custom that apartments were ready for use.  Instead, they were left empty, and royal visitors brought their own furniture and staff!

The Kronborg Tapestries
The seven tapestries of kings in the Little Hall belonged to a series of 43 tapestries originally ordered by King Frederick II for the Ballroom at Kronborg in 1591.  A total of 100 Danish kings were portrayed on the tapestries, which were made in Elsinor under the management of a master from Antwerp.

A tapestry depicting the short reign of King Abel (1250 to 1252)
A quiet peasant scene and a group of soldiers in the background sharply contrasts the ferocious acts spelled out in the accompanying verses: "For kingship I did crave. Thus my brother I sent to the grave."
The evil king himself was killed in an uprising only two years after the ruthless assassination of his brother.

Kings Erik VII and Erik VIII

Of course, you can't have a castle without a Throne Room - even if it is a very simple one.

My favorite part of the visit was underneath the castle. The long, dark tunnels carved through the rocks used to house the soldiers barracked in the castle, but now it holds an enormous glowering statue of Ogier, the Dane, a famous legendary Viking. The legend says that if Denmark is threatened, he will awaken and save the people. Although Ogier (AKA Holger) didn't show up personally, one of the most famous resistance groups in WWII Denmark was named after him and fought valiantly against the Germans.

Entrance to the barracks tunnels beneath the castle.

Imagine all of the feet that walked these steps over the centuries -
enough to wear depressions into the bricks!

One tunnel in the maze of tunnels beneath Kronborg Castle

Ogier the Dane - his legen is told on the sign below.

With only minutes to spare before the bus left, I had to dash through the impressive gift shop, which was full of Shakespeare memorabilia. I thought about picking up a copy of Hamlet, but when I checked, it was written in Danish.

We ended the bus ride in the Swedish coastal town of Varberg. The Hotel Gastic was old but had a large pretty lounge with comfortable chairs for sitting and enjoying drinks and conversation.

The Lounge in Hotel Gastic

We were on our own for dinner, so several of us had a great dinner at the hotel’s restaurant across the street and then walked through the park to Varberg Fortress, the large fortress that used to guard the town against invaders from the sea.

The walls of Varberg Fortress.  Due to the defensive position on a clifftop, there has been a fortress here since prehistoric times. Count Jacob of Halland fled here when outlawed by the Danish king in the 13th century, and he constructed a huge walled fortress.   It served as a fortress for Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish kings over the years, as those three countries fought for dominance in Scandinavia.

The entrance to Varberg Fortress

An ancient iron door still stands at the entrance to the fortress.

There are residences inside the fortress gates.

Bruce and Dan take in the scenery

Varberg Fortress glowing in the light of the setting sun

Varberg Fortress

The cannons of Varberg Fortress

A view of the town of Varberg below the fortress

Joan at Varberg Fortress

It was a beautiful, balmy evening, so we stayed until the sun set then went back to pack up again for our drive to Norway.

This interesting structure in the harbor reminded me a bit of Brighton in England

Sunset over the Kattegat Strait on the west coast of Sweden

And as the sun sets slowly in the west, we bid a fond farewell to Sweden 
and pack our bags for our last Scandinavian adventures in Norway.

Rick Steves Tour of Scandinavia - Part 8: A Day on Ærø Island

 June 10:  A "Vacation from Our Vacation" on Ærø Island

Another thing I love about Rick Steves' tours are the special days he calls "A Vacation from Your Vacation."  These are days in a fun and relaxing spot with no itinerary.  You can join others in the group and plan a special activity or just spend the day exploring.  

Today was that special day for this tour - and it could not have come at a better time.  I actually woke up feeling a bit depressed, as every little thing, like taking a shower and getting dressed was complicated by my injuries, and I really missed having Rob with me. But it was a beautiful day outside, so I gave myself a good talking to and knew I'd be fine once I had breakfast and started enjoying the day's activities. And I was right!

Most of our group stayed in Pa Torvet

The entry to the courtyard of Pa Torvel

The courtyard of Pa Torvet

Beverly, Ruby and I set out after breakfast to explore the town, starting with a great walk out to a row of adorable little beach cottages that line the strand. These tiny cottages have stood here for over one hundred years, and they are passed along to family members. They were colorfully painted and decorated inside with little knick-knacks.

The set of "runestones" in the Ærøskøbing town square

Ærøskøbing Harbor

Ærøskøbing Harbor

The more modern homes along the waterfront of Ærøskøbing Harbor

Views from our walk to the beach cottages

Ærøskøbing sheep watched us pass by

As we approached the beach cottages, we found Stan, Sharon, Joanne, and Dan out exploring.

Ærøskøbing beach cottages line the shore

Ærø countryside

The colorful beach cottages of Ærøskøbing

After visiting the cottages, Bev and Ruby and I tried to follow the Rick Steves walking tour, but we couldn’t seem to find the beginning of it, so we just browsed around until it was time for an optional bus tour of the island. There are three towns on the small island, so we visited one of them and had a fantastic lunch of three gorgeous smørbrød sandwiches. Smørbrød just means buttered bread, but in Scandinavia, the bread is just the base for fantastic creations. Ours were topped by three different and artistic offerings of shrimp, roast beef, and egg salad.

A look back at Ærøskøbing from our bus.

The beautiful green interior of Ærø Island, where the sea is never far from view.

At lunch, Raymond and I discovered we had selected the same shirt from the Viking Ships Museum!

Smørbrød for lunch 

An amusing painting in our lunch restaurant

After lunch, we visited the beautiful Bregninge Church. People have lived on Ærø Island since before 8,000 B.C.! This old church wasn't quite that old, but it was first built as a Romanesque Church in 1200 A.D., and the Gothic arches were added in the late 1400s. The cemetery outside of the church is lovely, well-maintained, with trees and flowers. But the inside of the church was gorgeous! The walls are covered with original medieval frescoes from the 1500s, and the arches are painted in arrows of orange and teal. The altar is a beautiful triptych created by the 16th century sculptor Claus Berg, and several ships hang from the ceiling as a tribute to the seagoing people of the island.

Bregninge Kirke and cemetery

The Gothic arches and altar in Bregninge Kirke

Altar by Claus Berg

Pulpit in Bregninge Kirke

Medieval Frescoes in Bregninge Kirke

Ships hung in Bregninge Kirke

Our final stop was the top of a bluff called Voderup Klint, considered one of the most beautiful places on the island, for views of the sea and Germany far off in the distance.

A breezy day at Voderup Klint

Happy Danish Cows

Linda and Laurel prepare another Skål opportunity.  

In the afternoon, I set out on my own to follow Rick Steves' town walk, which took me past various interesting and colorful houses and gardens. Some of the houses in Ærøskøbing date back to the 1600s, and the age of some was evident by their sagging or crooked half-timbered exteriors. The following are just snapshots of the town.

One shop was filled with Ships in Bottles

There were several home with pairs of dogs in the windows.  If I remember the story correctly,
the dogs facing out meant that visitors were welcome.

Tall trees block the homes along the waterfront from the wind.

Along my walk, I met Carla and Mary, who had taken advantage of the bikes on the island.

IS means Ice Cream - and it was delicious!

My walking tour ended in the pretty Ærøskøbing Kirke that stands in the square kitty-corner to our hotel. This church, built in the mid-1700s, is the third to stand in this location.

This church is known for its copper spire.

A remnant from one of the older churches that stood here?

Danish Coat of Arms hangs in the church

The neoclassical altar dates from 1821.

The Renaissance pulpit dates from 1634 and was donated to the church by Duke Philip of Lyksborg.

The organ dates from 1680.

At 5:00, we all met for “happy hour” at the Andelen, the guesthouse being used by six of our group. The gathering was lively and fun, but I nibbled so much that I was happy to order just an appetizer for dinner with some of my tour members.

Bruce and I head to Andelen for Happy Hour

And, all too soon, it was time to pack up for the next leg of our trip the next morning. What a lovely vacation day it had been!