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Published: February 1st 2006
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The Little Mermaid
Do you know the Danish version? It is a tear-jerker. The Little Mermaid might be the best-known sight in Denmark. Rachel Vanderkruik, my ex-roomie and partner in all cape-cod related summer adventures, fortuitously ended up studying in Copenhagen this semester. She visited me in Vienna; of course I was more then happy to return the favor with a visit to Denmark, especially since my mother's cousin Bill and his wife Susanne live there! It was really exciting both to meet up with Rachel - in Vienna, we literally laughed so much our throats hurt - and to reconnect with my family.
Copenhagen is an amazing city. When I first arrived, I strolled around the old city, fascinated mostly by the procession of Danes in these pedestrian, cobbled streets in the old city. I have never seen such an attractive group of people! Everyone is so well put together. And a note on the Danish language: what a tease! Every once in a while I can pick out a word I know from German, which tricks me into thinking that maybe if I just tried harder I could understand it... but no! Not a chance. Not that this was a hindrance in any way, everyone speaks english beautifully. The city was tastefully decorated for Christmas and the air was filled with the
Full of whimsy
Hans Christian Anderson's House. He is to Copenhagen, what Mozart is to Austria. If I were a fairy-tale character, I'd be walking like this. For sure. delicious smell of gebraente mandeln, roasted/caramelized almonds sold from stands in the streets.
Even in the rain, everyone was riding bicycles. They just pop up an umbrella. I was amazed to walk through the city and see cobbled squares just filled with bicycles, nothing locked up... people just ride wherever they are going and then put down a kickstand or lean the bike against a building. No worries. What a beautiful way to live.
I was doing some reading for school (haha yes, I really am a student, I swear!), killing time before Rachel and I were supposed to meet up at the train station. In walked a girl, and I thought to myself, Jeez, these Danes really look like Rachel, she must get mistaken for a native all the time... and then I realized it was Rachel! She was picking up a coffee on her way to meet me at the train station! Like true americans, I walked up and slapped her on the shoulder and we both just burst out laughing, because we always met at the coffeeshop in Woods Hole (about three times a day, probably the root of my new appreciation for coffee, though living in
Vienna could also be blamed...) Our voice register is always about 10 decibels louder then the europeans, and we try to control it sometimes, but this was too funny...
She took me all over the city, to the requisite tourist spots like the Little Mermaid statue, Amalienbourg Palace, Hans Christian Anderson's house but also to places only a local would know - like the mediterranean vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet!
We also met up with Bill and Susanne... it was a real treat to stay with them. They are such lovely people, and their house is really a home, complete with that wonderful homey scent (something that Rachel and I both miss a little...)
Bill and Susanne took me to Helsingor, perhaps better known as Elsinor of Hamlet fame. The castle is actually called Kronborg, and is a fabulous and forbidding fortress surrounded by moat and cannons. The castle is right by the water where, back when the Danes controlled the part of Sweden directly across the water, they collected the "Sound Toll" from every ship that wanted to pass into the Baltic Sea. Pretty lucrative. Inside the castle was a little drafty, but stark and beautiful. Could definately hear echoes of,
"to be, or not to be..." My favorite part was a big statue in the dungeons. Called Holgar the Dane, legend has it he will spring to life and lead an army of "boys and grey-heads" in defense of Denmark if the land is ever truly threatened.
And as a budding marine biology wonk, the sea deserves special mention. Sure, it's December, freezing, windy - but there is nothing like the view of the sea. I was struck by the color, a surprising greenish blue, and the smell. Kramer had it right - who doesn't want to smell like a day at the beach 😊 Driving out to the castle we followed the coast, and at Helsingor, the water flowing between Denmark and Sweden was moving with great power at an astounding rate. The best view was from the Louisiana, a modern art museum that winds through sculpture gardens, pools and has a wing that juts out towards the shore with a view of the ocean - we caught the view just before dark. The Lousiana had a great Matisse exhibit, and the collection is an experience in itself.
My last hours in Copenhagen sure were strange. My flight kept
Bill and Susanne
My mother's cousin and his (Danish) wife were such wonderful hosts! Here they are at Elsinor, the castle of Hamlet fame. on getting delayed because of bad weather in Vienna; then, at about 10pm, as they were boarding the flight, they called passeneger Halliday up to the desk. They had overbooked and were bumping me because I wasn't transferring in Vienna! I was a little peeved but the other two guys who were also bumped, business men from Sweden, were so jolly and excited about the free dinner and drinks we were all recieving as part of our compensation, that it was hard to stay irritated for long. I ended up learning a lot about Sweden and the Swedes. They have very strong feelings about pea soup, actually, namely that it should always be yellow (they had only pity me for when I said it was normally green in America) and that it ought to be eaten with mustard... an entertaining end to a fabulous trip.
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rachel
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:)
what a cool blog you have!! such a world traveller:) I wish I could be joining you on your ventures to Rome and all over! Of course my fav is this entry on Denmark...such an amazing visit...sigh. Anywho, I miss you tons and keep having your crazy adventures! I can't wait until we meet again...maybe in some random coffee shop? Or in VACATIONLAND?!?! love ya! rachel