So today is to be our last day in Copenhagen. We've had a good time on our first visit to Scandinavia. Although it has been very expensive, the trip has been worth every penny. However, I would recommend that anyone thinking of visiting this part of the world has plenty of money in the bank, particularly with the cost of beer.
For our final day we decided to take a trip to Hillerod, on the same island as Copenhagen. It was actually quite a tough decision, as we were also keen to visit Helsingor and the castle that provided the setting for Hamlet. However, the castle at Hillerod sounded very attractive. The castle itself (Frederiksborg Slot) stands on three small islands in Slotso (or Castle Lake) in the middle of the town. This all sounded very appealing to us, so we decided to catch a train from the central station and made our way to Hillerod.
The trains themselves were typical of those on the continent. Fast, efficient, clean all the things that the rail network back home seems to fail at. I could never figure out why our rail service is so poor, after all, tickets aren't exactly cheap. Anyway, we soon arrived at our destination and took a short fifteen minute work from the railway station to the town centre. As we made our way to the town centre, we came across a square that was surrounded by shops and cafes on three sides. As we made our way further into the square, we saw first the lake and then the castle in the distance. It was a breathtaking view. We knew there and then that we made the right choice in coming to Hillerod.
We walked around the perimeter of the lake towards the castle, taking in the beautiful scenery. This certainly beat the 'castle' in Malmo. The castle itself was built in the early 17th century on the site of an early castle built by Frederick II in 1560. Christian IV commissioned Hans van Steenwinckl to rebuild the three-winged palace between 1599 and 1620. In the centre of the courtyard stands the Neptune Fountain, a replica of an original that was stolen by the Swedes towards the end of the 17th century. During the nineteenth century, a fire destroyed large parts of the interior, threatening to leave it in ruins. Fortunately, JC Jacobsen (who established the Carlsberg brewery) helped to save the castle with large donations to a public funding scheme. The castle itself was used for the crowning of the absolute monarchs and, since 1693, has been the home to the chapel for Danish knights. The castle is also home of the Nationalhistoriske Museum (National History Museum).
The interior was very impressive, reminding me of many other similar castles that we have visited throughout Europe, particularly Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich. Which is probably unsurprising given they were built around the same period. I love walking around these castles and palaces and getting a sense of the history that resides within the walls.
After taking in the interior of the castle, we made our way to the restaurant and settled down to some smorrebrod (our first since arriving surprisingly!) in the gardens. A smorrebrod is essentially an open sandwich with various toppings of cold meat or fish, in this case it was served with pickles. It seemed like a very Germanic lunch to me, all carbohydrates and high fat content, still it was certainly enjoyable!!
After lunch we took a walk around the grounds, before making our way back to Copenhagen in time for the Sankt Hans Aften celebrations. St Hans Night is one of the biggest celebrations of the year for the Danes. Bonfires of witches are built across the country in remembrance of the church's witchburnings from 1540 to 1693 The burning sends the witch to Bloksbjerg, the mountain 'Brocken' in the Harz region of Germany where the great witch gathering was thought to be held on this day. We decided to visit Tivoli gardens to witness the festivities. Sure enough, out cam the witch for the bonfire, onto the centre of the lake in the gardens..
After a tense wait, they set fire to the witch and watched her slowly burn to the sound of......absolute silence. No-one cheered, clapped, shouted, nothing. It was weird. My wife was most unhappy about the lack of noise from the crowd. She even commented that the Danes were worse than the English for being somewhat introverted. Even I found it strange. In England there would have at least been some rowdy shouting or even applause. In Denmark there is a rather muted response.
The whole incident seemed to rather sum up my experiences of the Danish people. Although they seem a liberal, content and enlightened group of people, they are just as introverted as other northern Europeans (like the English and the Germans). They seem happy to flaunt pornography on every street corner, and yet when it comes to any public displays they become rather inhibited. The contrast with our cousins in southern Europe couldn't be more stark in my experience. In Spain, strip clubs and their ilk exist, but they are not as 'in your face' as they are here. And yet, the Spanish and Italians are perhaps the most emotional people you could meet. They are never afraid to express their emotions in public. Perhaps it has something to do with the climate. In the north we tend to be 'indoors' people due to the cold climate for much of the year whereas, in the south, they tend to be 'outdoors' people due to the heat. Who knows why there is the difference, but it makes for an interesting combination of cultures.
Posts
|