Thursday 30 August – Wednesday 5 September
Bridging the end of August to the beginning of September, we enjoyed the company of Mate’s mother, who flew into Copenhagen airport late on Thursday evening. After a gentle morning on Friday, we introduced her to our lovely friends from Saltimbanque, meeting them for farewell coffee in the sunshine in Nørreport, before they began their final journey home to Oslo. We hope to visit them (if not by sea) during the coming Winter. Later we drooled over the fabulous food stalls of the Torvehallerne – the first time in five months Mate had seen a ‘proper’ fishmongers ie one offering more than just salmon or smoked anything.
We had a pleasant stroll through the grounds of the fort to Langelinie Park, in order to say hello to the Little Mermaid. Just South of the Park is the impressive Gefion Fountain, which depicts the Norse goddess, Gefion, ploughing the sea with four oxen, and tucked behind this is the attractive flint-walled St Albans Anglican Church, with a very familiar atmosphere within. We wandered past various important buildings on Amaliegade, to gaze at Frederik’s Church, a rococo marble church, before crossing the Amalienborg Slotsplads, the Queen’s winter palace that is guarded by busbied soldiers. Beyond lies an attractive route along the shore to wander through the pavement cafés of colourful Nyhavn.
Indulging Mum’s love of Shakespeare, a visit to Elsinore Castle, the setting of Hamlet – Prince of Denmark, seemed an appropriate item on the itinerary. Known in Danish as Helsingør, it lies less than an hour’s train ride North of Copenhagen, and was built to pair with Helsingborg, on the opposite side of the Øresund in Sweden, to defend the straits and collect tolls from passing trading ships. It remains an impressive fortification, and even from the outside has an imposing presence on the edge of the town. Helsingør is a popular day trip for visitors to Copenhagen with good reason: it boasts attractive architecture, interesting buildings, a pleasant harbour and a wide selection of cafés and restaurants. We enjoyed a delicious traditional Danish style lunch courtesy of Madam Sprunk.
Keen to take in her third Scandinavian country in her 80th year, having experienced Western Norway aboard a Hurtigruten cruise at Easter, we took a comfortable train ride across the Øresund Bridge to visit Malmø in Western Sweden. Grateful for a clear day, the views were spectacular. The Internet offered mixed reviews about this city, with which we would tend to agree. There is no traditional tourist information office (Mate had withdrawal symptoms), and when we finally tracked down a guide and map, we were asked to pay for it. It feels like a ‘normal’ working city rather than merely a tourist destination, and has an eclectic mix of old and starkly modern architecture, not always in harmony. The ubiquitous canal boat rides are on offer, and we did find a pleasant lunch which fuelled a long, cosy gossip.
On the Sunday afternoon, a pleasant hour was whiled away in Dragør Church, listening to a jazz concert given by a talented combination of piano, drums, double bass and saxophone. We’ve heard elsewhere that there is a vibrant jazz scene in Denmark, although to be honest, this audience was mainly of the silver variety, and probably the church’s usual congregation.