We left Copenhagen and headed to the northern tip of Zealand - to Helsingor. On a spit of land overlooking the sea is Kronborg Slot - Hamlet's Castle. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and once a year, each August, Hamlet is performed in the Castle's courtyard. That's a production I'd love to attend.
The coastal drive from Copenhagen to Helsingor is beautiful. The coast is dotted with lovely towns, fishing villages and beaches. The weather was fine and sunny and we dipped our toes in the water - freezing cold water! There were however plenty of swimmers. I guess this is why Scandinavian swimming is described as 'invigorating'.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is also along this coastal drive. It is a beautiful museum set in green lawns with a sculpture garden overlooking the sea.
So, a day featuring a Renaissance castle, fabulous Museum, stunning coastal drive should be enough for anyone. The highlight for me though was a visit to the small town of Rungsted to visit the 400 year old ancestral home of Karen Blixen. I knew nothing of Karen Blixen until in the 80s I saw the film Out of Africa, which remains to this day my favourite.
In 1913 Karen Dinesen married her Swedish cousin and became Baroness von Blixen. They moved to Kenya where she "had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills". Karen Blixen was an independent and adventurous woman; a story teller and writer. She grew coffee in Africa at an altitude where coffee had never before been grown. She divorced the philandering Baron and safari-hunting Denys Finch-Hatton became her big love. Her home in Rungsted is furnished with classic Danish pieces that sit beside furniture she bought back from her life in Africa. There, in the sitting room, is the studded brass chest given to her by Farah - her ever faithful Kenyan servant; and also the chair favoured by Denys as he sat and listened to her stories. In the attic at Rungsted we too sat and listened to recordings of Blixen telling her stories.
The coastal drive from Copenhagen to Helsingor is beautiful. The coast is dotted with lovely towns, fishing villages and beaches. The weather was fine and sunny and we dipped our toes in the water - freezing cold water! There were however plenty of swimmers. I guess this is why Scandinavian swimming is described as 'invigorating'.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is also along this coastal drive. It is a beautiful museum set in green lawns with a sculpture garden overlooking the sea.
So, a day featuring a Renaissance castle, fabulous Museum, stunning coastal drive should be enough for anyone. The highlight for me though was a visit to the small town of Rungsted to visit the 400 year old ancestral home of Karen Blixen. I knew nothing of Karen Blixen until in the 80s I saw the film Out of Africa, which remains to this day my favourite.
In 1913 Karen Dinesen married her Swedish cousin and became Baroness von Blixen. They moved to Kenya where she "had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills". Karen Blixen was an independent and adventurous woman; a story teller and writer. She grew coffee in Africa at an altitude where coffee had never before been grown. She divorced the philandering Baron and safari-hunting Denys Finch-Hatton became her big love. Her home in Rungsted is furnished with classic Danish pieces that sit beside furniture she bought back from her life in Africa. There, in the sitting room, is the studded brass chest given to her by Farah - her ever faithful Kenyan servant; and also the chair favoured by Denys as he sat and listened to her stories. In the attic at Rungsted we too sat and listened to recordings of Blixen telling her stories.
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| From Helsingor harbour |
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| Courtyard of Hamlet's Castle |
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| The 60m long banquet hall, complete with original tiled floor |
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| From the tower looking out over the Oresund to Sweden |
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| There's a legend that says a Viking chief is sleeping in the cellars and he will awaken if ever Denmark needs to be defended. |
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| Karen Blixen's home at Rungsted |
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| What a thrill to wander around her home which contains many carvings, ivory and artifacts from African home at the foot of the Ngong Hills. |
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| I loved her elegant sitting room |
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| It was a beautiful drive along the coast from Copenhagen to the north coast with many thatched roof homes along the way |
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| In a front garden along the coastal drive the stump of an old felled tree remains as a work of art. It has been carved into an exquisite bird sculpture |
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| That's what I mean about Danish design. It's everywhere. |
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