As a kid, I was lucky. I got to see a fair number of movies. I was even luckier in that I got to travel. I guess it’s why when I see or hear about a new place in a movie it makes me curious.
So that brings me to my question. What do you know about Denmark?
I suppose I should confess a fondness for romcoms. In the movie The Prince and Me, the prince is from Denmark. Some of the characters want more information about the prince’s home. He mentions Hans Christian Anderson who wrote fabulous fairy tales like "Thumbelina" and "The Little Mermaid." The guys weren’t impressed.
The prince says Lars Ulrich is from Denmark (the drummer from Metallica). This makes a bigger impression.
I like fairy tales, and I like Metallica, but I don’t need to go to Denmark to experience them. That lead me to do some research about Denmark. Why would I go there, and where should it place on my travel dream list?
Whenever someone mentions a location, I try to get a visual in my head and think of things related. My visuals and list were short. I knew the capitol was Copenhagen. Shakespeare’s Hamlet was Danish. I’ve purchased Danish ham at the store…and there’s a little mermaid statue on a rock there. Vikings! Vikings are from Denmark, right?
What did you think of?
Obviously, I needed more information. I was able to immediately confirm that Copenhagen is the capitol of Denmark, and the mermaid statue is located there.
Denmark is part of Scandinavia, and Vikings are a part of their history. These are great things to know, but what would I see or do there?
My movie gave me more information when I thought about it. Denmark still has a monarchy. Where there’s a monarchy, there is usually a castle or palace, and Copenhagen has several. Tours abound. Choose your architectural preference and your time frame, and make it happen.
An hour or so outside of Copenhagen is Kronborg Castle. This is the castle where Shakespeare placed Hamlet. If you remember from English class, there were ghosts at the castle. However, even better than ghosts is a statue of legend. Holger the Dane is a statue who lives under the castle. According to legend if Denmark is threatened, Holger will rise to protect her. Go Holger!
From a stone protector to children’s toys, did you know Legos were Danish? The first Legoland is nearly 4 hours from Copenhagen, but it is an option.
Within Copenhagen is another treat for kids and adults. The two oldest amusement parks in the world are in Denmark. The second oldest is Tivoli Gardens, and it is in Copenhagen. It has been operating as a seasonal amusement park since 1843.
Tivoli Gardens charges for rides individually, so if you just want to ride the 100-year-old roller coaster once, you won’t have to pay for the newer rides if you don’t want to. FYI: I could not confirm they had funnel cakes at Tivoli.
If an amusement park doesn’t thrill you, would you like to ride a bicycle? It is estimated there are more than half a million bicycles in Copenhagen. Some of them are available to ride for free. Others are available for rent. The city encourages bike use to reduce pollution and has many bike paths.
Maybe we could take a bike to one of the many museums in Copenhagen. There are many art museums, some with outdoor art as well. In addition, there is a worker’s museum, history museum (remember the Vikings), science museum, and botanical gardens. This city seems to have everything.
As Copenhagen is on a harbor, there are many water activities to consider as well. There are traditional boat tours, kayak rentals, pedal boats, solar powered boats, and even boats with built in hot tubs for a winter excursion. Another interesting fact is they have water buses that charge the same as a city bus.
The more I research Copenhagen, the more it continues to rise on my destination wish list. It has so many things that I love to do when I visit a city, and I haven’t even really investigated anything more than the capital.
Alright, I can’t write about a place without investigating the food. If I’m hungry, there’s not much point in going any further. I was afraid I was going to read only about fish. Fish is okay, but in general it’s not my favorite. Several sites report that the national dish of Denmark is Stegt flaesk. It’s described as crispy pork with potatoes and parsley sauce. I’m a little hungry right now, and that sounds pretty good to me.
I was a little surprised to read that hot dogs were also popular in Denmark. Should we add a Carlsberg to drink? Meatballs are also listed as a regular menu item. There are fish dishes regularly listed as well as shrimp and caviar. Copenhagen is becoming a bit of a foodie destination with restaurants with Michelin stars.
Finally, I should have remembered the pastries known as Danish. I felt so dumb, but my embarrassment was somewhat lessened when I read that what we know as Danish really originated when bakers from Vienna, Austria came to Denmark. Regardless, I’m ready to try the pastry called a cinnamon snail.
Copenhagen has captured my attention. Although COVID19 is preventing travel into Denmark at the present time, it is a destination I would like to visit. The next time someone asks me where I want to go, I will have to mention Copenhagen.