The magic of Facebook put me back in touch with a friend that I first met back in the summer of 1987 at a summer program the two of us attended in Seattle. Rory B. now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark with her Danish partner, Anne. Many thanks for their hospitality and their comfortable couch.
My first stop while in Denmark about 40 kilometers (I'm European now, so I'll go metric) north of Copenhagen in the town of Helsingor, was the Kronborg Slot, or more widely known as Elsinore, Hamlet's Castle. The castle is a great representative of a renaissance castle as it was built by King Fredrick II in 1585. Kronborg sits on a point that juts out into the channel that separates Denmark from Sweden and was important both militarily and economically.
A fire burned most of the castle in 1629, but it was rebuilt by Fredrick's son King Christian IV. From the late 1700's through the 1920's Kronborg Slot was a military installation, housing soldiers and used for administration. In the 1930's it was restored to its former state and is now used by the Danish royalty on special occasions as well as the annual reenactment of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
My hosts Anne and Rory
A view of Kronborg Slot (from Wikipedia)
The moat, I show this picture because it's documents the only time I saw sunshine in my three and a half days in Denmark.
The entrance into Kronborg Slot
The 4 km wide Oresund which separates Denmark from Sweden.
There is no bridge across the channel, so boats still ply the waters. The channel is active with both cargo ships traveling North/South and passenger ships East/West.
One tower of Kronborg Slot is a lighthouse.
Cannons were used to fire upon enemy ships, although today they are used for ceremonial reasons.
Kronborg Slot is built in a square with a large courtyard in the center.
The King would sit in this room and look out the window and watch for ships to pay respect to him by lowering their flags. If they didn't the paid a fine. In addition, for many years the King of Denmark would charge a tax to any ship coming into Danish waters. This was abolished once and for all in the mid-1800's.
A typical feast of up to 15 courses. Note no silverware.
Many tapestries hang throughout the castle. They had a practical purpose, as they helped retain heat in each room. But they also serve as propoganda as each King had his own tapestry created and upon which was written his achievements.
This is the great hall of Kronborg Slot.
Every trip has to have some comment about food. Throughout Denmark, there are sausage carts where you can purchase tasty franks. The best one I had was one that was wrapped in bacon!
Apple Dumplings and Glogg, a mulled wine with raisins.
Glogg is made and kept warm in huge copper vats.
My first stop while in Denmark about 40 kilometers (I'm European now, so I'll go metric) north of Copenhagen in the town of Helsingor, was the Kronborg Slot, or more widely known as Elsinore, Hamlet's Castle. The castle is a great representative of a renaissance castle as it was built by King Fredrick II in 1585. Kronborg sits on a point that juts out into the channel that separates Denmark from Sweden and was important both militarily and economically.
A fire burned most of the castle in 1629, but it was rebuilt by Fredrick's son King Christian IV. From the late 1700's through the 1920's Kronborg Slot was a military installation, housing soldiers and used for administration. In the 1930's it was restored to its former state and is now used by the Danish royalty on special occasions as well as the annual reenactment of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
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