Fifth and Final Day In Copenhagen

I hope this is not my final day in Copenhagen. I really love this city and this country! The people are so warm and friendly and the city is so clean and beautiful and vibrant.

I think it has a lot to do with hyyge, pronounced, who ga. Hyyge is very important to Danes and is one of the keys to their perennial status as one of the happiest nations in the world.

Hygge is a warm blanket on a cold evening. Hygge is a cup of warm mulled wine. Hygge is having friends and family over for a long evening of food, including frickadilla, those delicious Danish pork meatballs, and smorgasbord sandwiches, and drink, Tuborg beer and of course the Danish National drink, Aquavit. Skol!

The Danes pay very high taxes, over 150% on the purchase price of a car, yikes, but willingly and almost gladly pay these taxes because the Danish government takes care of its people cradle to grave. The Danes think this is a pretty good bargain and it seems to work well for them. I don’t know if it would work in the United States or how it would work, but the Democrats seem to be moving in that direction and perhaps they will take hold of enough of the levers of power in Washington to make this aspirational goal a reality.

I want to thank Annie and Peter for generously answering my questions about life in Denmark and how Danes feel about their country and their lives. They say travel can be an enriching experience if you get to know the people and the country. Thanks to Peter and Annie our visit to Denmark has been a truly enriching experience.

Kronborg Castle

Sara and I got a late start this morning because it was a packing day. After we packed and checked out of the hotel, we had a quick breakfast – coffee, juice and a pastry – and then took a train to Helsingør. Helsingør is about 30 kilometers, about 18 miles, north of Copenhagen. It is on the coast and the Swedish city of Helsingbor is on the other side of a mile wide strait.

We found a great Italian cafe with outdoor tables and had a delicious late lunch. We both had pasta. The menu was in Danish and the waiter only spoke Italian so we don’t know exactly what was in our pasta but it was really good and reasonably priced.

After lunch we walked to the Kronborg Castle. Kronborg Castle is a World Heritage site. This castle is the setting used by Shakespeare for his play, Hamlet. King Frederick II built the castle which was completed in 1585. It was used to enforce customs duties that the Danes imposed in ships entering and leaving the Baltic Sea. If you didn’t pay, the castle’s cannons would sink your ship.

The exterior of the castle is impressive and the interior was somewhat dark and brooding, not unlike Hamlet. As you can see, we had a beautiful day and when we climbed the stairs to the top of one of the towers we were rewarded with a breathtaking view for miles in any direction.

There is a legend that a Viking giant, Holger Danske, sleeps under the castle. This giant will arise when Denmark is at its hour of greatest need. Of course I dragged Sara into the bowels of the castle and we found the giant Viking. These photo opportunity cutouts are everywhere.

We have arrived in Krakow and are excited to explore this jewel of Poland. Did you know that there are more people of Polish descent in Chicago than there are in Warsaw?

I hope everyone is having a good day.

Goodnight from Krakow.