Today, a few of us decided to visit Kronborg Castle, better known as Elsinore, the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Since we all had bikes, we figured we would bike to Helsingor (where the castle was)...approx. 30 MILES north of Copenhagen! To quote a line from Hamlet: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." We not only saved some money but were able to also get a great workout and experience the Danish landscape in a way few Danes and even fewer tourists have.
It took between 2 and 4.5 hours and a couple detours (our cross-cultural skills really came in handy), but we all made it! We had a long/short lunch (depending on when you arrived) and set out to explore Kronborg Castle. The castle was built in 1425 and rebuilt in 1585 to defend the Øresund, a straight connecting the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.
We explored the Maritime Museum, Telegraph Tower, Chapel, Royal Apartments, and the Casements (which we thought was the dungeon because it was dark and gloomy, but actually served as soldier quarters during times of war). Highlights included large beautiful tapestries and works of art in the Royal Apartments and a statue in the Casements of Holger the Dane, Denmark's legendary hero who sits slumbering, ready to be stirred into action the instant the Danish kingdom is threatened by an enemy.Incredibly sore after a long day, most of us opted to take a nice 40 minute train ride back to Copenhagen while Steph and Sam chose to bike back to Copenhagen!
~Kearby Chen
On top of the Telegraph Tower in Kronborg Castle!
No comments:
Post a Comment