2012 Europe Trip - Day 13: Outside Copenhagen

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

2012 Europe Trip - Day 13: Outside Copenhagen

Travel journal entries from my trip to Europe from May 12-28, 2012. Maybe subscribe to the RSS feed.

Friday morning, I was going to take a train north of the city to see some sights.

I walked from the hostel to the nearby Nørreport station, where I had to wander around for a while to find the ticket office. Copenhagen was in the process of a major revamp of their metro system, so, as with many other spots around town, Nørreport was a little out of sorts. When I finally found the office, the lady behind the counter was very helpful.

My first stop was the town of Helsingør, home of Kronborg Slot, also known as Elsinore Castle. The castle, in addition to its Hamlet ties, has an important place in Denmark's history. For centuries, Denmark collected a toll on all ships passing between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and Kronborg Slot was where that happened. Helsingør's position at the closest point to Sweden made it ideal for that purpose. So the site has some really nice views across the Øresund to Sweden. There were lots of people taking advantage of the good weather by fishing or boating. I did a lap around the castle, but decided to save some time by skipping the visit/tour (as Rick Steves said, "To see or not to see?")

Satisfied with that, I walked back around the town a bit. Helsingør's modern importance has less to do with tolls and more to do with alcohol. Apparently, Sweden's taxes and laws on alcohol are stricter, so the Swedes will take a ferry over to Denmark to buy their booze. I came across several liquor stores with pallets of vodka, gin, whiskey, or wine on display. Even selling truckloads of spirits looks classy, though, when Denmark is doing it.

Next stop was Humlebæk, a town a few miles south of Helsingør. It's home to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. After a short train ride and a medium-length walk, I was there.

The museum is probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's sort of half-outside, half-inside; situated on the edge of the water. There are a few different connected buildings, and outside are some wooded areas and some grassy areas spotted with sculptures. As usual, I made a point to seek out and appreciate the Picassos, but there were many other works that stood out to me. There were a couple works by Francis Picabia, an artist from around the same time who has recently caught my attention, and some really entertaining works by a guy from Iceland and a guy from Denmark. So the art would hold its own, even if you took away the amazing setting.

Another nice bonus was a combo of musicians jamming on the front porch of one of the buildings. It was relaxed, jazzy music that fit well with the setting. When I finished perusing the artwork, the museum was a great place to sit down, relax, and take in the environment. I kind of felt bad about leaving, but Copenhagen was calling me back.

Dinner that night was another Shawarma picnic at Nyhavn, this time with a Carlsberg beer to be extra-Danish. It really is a great dinner option.

Once I finished dinner, I made a trek up to see another one of Copenhagen's most well-known tourist attractions. The Little Mermaid statue was built in honor of the author of the story with the same name, Hans Christian Andersen. He was born in the Danish town of Odense, but lived much of his adult life in Copenhagen. The statue is one of the most photographed things in town, thought it's not really overwhelming. There were some good people-watching and nice parks on the way there, though.

By the time I returned to the hostel, it was happy hour. Time for some more socializing. I met a Filipino guy named Mike and an Irish guy named Paul. Strangely enough, though Mike grew up in the Philipines, he was actually born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, less than an hour away from my hometown of Marion. Small world. We chatted for a while and then decided it would be best to go explore the bars around the neighborhood.

Walking down the street was eye-opening. Lots of young Danes, out looking for a good time. Many just standing with their friends on the sidewalk, having beers. Denmark's liquor laws show a stark contrast to America's.

Anyway, we settled on a pub called Wall Street. It was loud and crowded (mostly with Danish people), and the music was a mix of "American" party music and some Danish stuff, which made us feel a little left-out. Still, though, it felt more "foreign" that way, which is sort of what you want when you visit a foreign country. We met a few girls there, and we talked about language, the songs, and some good places to visit and things to do. It was another fun night, but we did get back well before sunrise. Probably a good thing.

[Note: You can click on any of the photos below to zoom in.]