Something is rotten in the State of Denmark.......

Well, not really, but how could I not use that quote?  :)  With a week of vacation in our hands, we decided to veer away from beach resorts and high-tourist European cities and instead head to Denmark to explore new lands.  Using Copenhagen as our base-camp, we stayed on the island of Zealand and headed to some of the surrounding towns to encounter Vikings and royalty, castles and Shakespeare.

Arriving in Copenhagen on Thursday morning, we set off immediately for the Carlsberg brewery to sample some local brews.  This proved to be a bit more difficult then anticipated, as our bus driver forgot to tell us where to get off, and if not for the keen eye of James, we might still be on the bus.  However we did arrive, and embarked on a history lesson of the Copenhagen brewing industry.   As with all good brew tours, this one ended with partaking in the product, and it set our mood for the rest of the trip.

I have to admit, we did quite a bit of guessing on this trip....knowing only the highlights of the city (thank you Lonely Planet), we choose to steer away from the known chains (both American and European) for everything from hotels to restaurants to our mandatory morning coffee run.  This tactic served us quite well, as we enjoyed the local seafood on the Nyhaven Canal, grabbed an early batch of some Danish pancakes at the street market and enjoyed the habour-view from our "budget" hotel. 

Our best find, by far, was the Copenhagen pass.  This gem not only gained us admission to most of the well known museums, sites, and attractions in the Greater Copenhagen area (including many of outlying cities and towns), it also provided us with free use of the bus, metro and train systems.  In the first 24 hours of our 72 hour pass, we had already exceeded its value by 1.5!   Highly recommended!

As we were keen to see more of Denmark then just the city, we headed out to Hillerod on Friday to see our first castle, the Fredricksborg Slot.  This amazing structure is built across 3 islets in a lake, giving the illusion of floating on the water.  Built in the 17th century, its truly magnificent, with its towering walls and long approach.  The very helpful guide at the main desk directed us up to the chapel ("Skip the first floor, its really quite dull") which was ornately decorated in gold trim with high vaulted ceilings.  Impressive, but really makes it clear how historically tied power and religion have been.  We were equally impressed with the remainder of the castle, as each room was elegantly painted, walls and ceilings, and in some areas, the art was quite intricate.  James put it best when he said "this is how I always imagined castles as a kid.....grand and colorful". 

Next stop was Roskilde, which is home to Denmark's answer to Westminster Abbey.  That's right.....a whole bunch of dead royalty in a church.   The Domkirke (cathedral) towers above the town, making navigation quite easy.   Expecting a similar experience to the chapel at Fredricksborg, I was pleasantly surprised to see a much simpler, yet still elegant decor of the interior.   At least it was this way in the Nave.   The side chapels which housed the coffins/memorials of the monarchy were quite another story, and once again the ornate (and sometimes colorful) paintings, carvings and tombs dominated. 
James patiently humoured my love of old churches (and subsequent graveyards), and was well rewarded as we set off to the Viking museum on the shores of the Roskilde Fjord.   Seeing the ship making was cool, and all, but it so much better when you get to sail a viking ship.    And so we piled into a replica Viking ship, grabbed the oars and rowed our way out into the fjord.   We had a nice strong wind, so we hoisted the sails (and I mean we.....this was a DYI sailing trip), and set out to the seas to test our pillaging skills!  Ok...so maybe the trip was light on the pillaging side, but it was a blast, and a nice workout too!

Our final excursion from the city was up the northeast coast of Zealand to Helsingor....other wise known as Elsinore for all you Shakespeare fans.   That's right...Kronborg slot is the home of Hamlet, and as we approached this castle on the sound, I was definitely feeling a bit literary.  We got to do some nice exploring of the grounds and courtyard of the castle, but unfortunately the interior was closed for some meeting of Danish old men.  No worries, as we wandered back to town, and hopped aboard the floating duty-free shop for a 20 minute ride across the sound to Sweden.   After all....if its that close, why not pick up another country?  So for a few hours, we strolled the streets of Helsingborg....having coffee, doing some geocaching, and watching the waves at the shore.

We spent quite a lot of time out of Copenhagen, but I have to say the best night of the trip was that spent in Tivoli.  The amusement park in the middle of the city, it was not over-run by kids like so many places in the US.  Mostly, it was the perfect mix of an old fashioned fair with some high-flying rides.  The entire place is full of gardens, lakes, concerts, and restaurants.  And at night its transformed by hundreds of fairy-lights, turning it truly magical.   It was quite easy to get lost in the evening, and its by far, a new favorite memory.