Helsingor, Denmark

Our 36-hour voyage from Bergen to Helsingor was much calmer than expected. In fact, it even surprised the Captain. He predicted high swells again, but shortly after we left and turned south, the wind direction changed and we had following seas. Monday morning, the sun came out, though it still remained quite chilly on the open decks. Later that afternoon, it had warmed to the point that we tried playing cards poolside. The direct sun felt very nice, but after about 15 minutes, the ship changed course, the winds shifted and our cards blew off the table. I don’t think I’ll ever complain about the summer heat in Phoenix again. When we go to Charlotte each month during the winter for family time & drum corps, it’s usually pretty cold but only for a few days…then home again. The frigid temps we’ve been experiencing the past few weeks have just hauled on, much like a recurring nightmare! I guess I’m just getting too old to tolerate cold. And Cheryl, while younger than me & having been raised in Florida, she struggles with anything under 50-degrees. So, between the two of us, we’ll take the heat in Phoenix over these conditions any day! Granted, we’ve had brief periods of warmth, but very short-lived. I think I packed a half-dozen pair of shorts but to date, have only worn one on a couple occasions! Hopefully, our final 3 weeks will improve. Today in Helsingor was better, but still not appropriate for shorts!

A couple items of interest. Boarding the ship in Bergen was a gentleman by the name of Willy – a Holland America employee we sailed around the world with in both 2012 & 2013. He’s the on-board beverage manager. We had no idea he was joining the ship, so it was quite a reunion when we ran into him at dinner Sunday night. He’s such a great guy, and a Holland America employee for 20+ years. The other surprise – open marijuana smoking on the Lido deck. We thought we smelled something a little strange on our way to lunch yesterday and sure enough, a guy about my age was sitting at a table next to the pool smoking a joint. While it’s perfectly legal throughout Amsterdam where we boarded the ship, it’s clearly against published shipboard regulations. That said, he’s a very nice fella and in talking with him, he’s an author and just released his new book this past January, ”Death Postponed”. Maybe his next book should be, “Arrest Postponed”.

We anchored In Helsingor at 8am…classically known in English as Elsinore…a city in eastern Denmark. I was up at my usual 4am surfing the internet for drum corps scores. Our organization is still running a strong second, but as we understand it, the show is still yet incomplete so we’ll see what happens in the coming days. It’s very difficult for me not being with them, particularly during competition season.

The population in Helsingor is approximately 62,000, and is known for its castle Kronborg where William Shakespeare's play Hamlet is set. We spent the majority of our time there – more on that momentarily. 

Interesting – there’s a car ferry line between Helsingor and Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden, and they say it’s the busiest in the world with more than 70 departures in each direction every day. The course is known as the HH Ferry route and has been sailed by several shipping lines through history. The ferry terminal is connected to the town's main railway station. From the station, trains depart to Copenhagen every 20 minutes. There are another 6 stations or train stops within the city and connected suburbs. 

So, after the end of the industrial era, Helsingsor had to redefine itself, and came up with an ambitious project labeled Kulturhavn Kronborg, literally "Culture-harbor of Kronborg". It officially opened in May 2013, intended to appeal to tourists with an interest in culture. The main attraction of Kulturhavn Kronborg is Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides the historical attractions of the site, William Shakespeare's play Hamlet is performed annually in its courtyard, and has been since 1937. There is a longstanding tradition of performing the play in English, and notable actors in the title role have included Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Christopher Plummer, Derek Jacobi, and in 2009 Jude Law. Absolutely amazing, breathtaking structure – and only $15 each to get in. We were able to interact with many of the local performers before touring the castle itself. Incredible. We ventured into the dungeon before leaving. While we don’t regret it, we were two of the very few tourists who attempted it. At one point, we were completely alone several dozen feet under the castle – it was extremely dark, wet, and the cobblestone walkways were difficult to navigate. Cheryl was using the flash on her camera trying to light our way – I nearly fell twice – but it was a great experience. We made our way up and out after about 30 minutes, then ventured into the small city. Very clean, quiet, scattered with many old, ornate buildings. 

At the heart of Kulturhavn Kronborg lies kulturværftet or The Culture Yard, a new cultural center and a public library located in the old dockyard. It opened in 2010. Adjacent is the former dry dock, which now houses the Danish Maritime Museum.

In the center of the harbor basin stands the polished steel sculpture Han (He) by artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset, commissioned by the City of Helsingør in 2012. It is seen as the counterpart (and even little brother) to Edvard Eriksen's world-famous The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, and has caused both praise and protests among locals. We’ll check it out when we’re there tomorrow and decide for ourselves. We leave Helsingor in about 30 minutes, and are scheduled to dock in Copenhagen yet this evening where we’ll be until 8:00pm Wednesday night. Looking forward to our first visit there!

All for now…time to eat…yet AGAIN! My waistband is beginning to tighten – must be the fault of the laundry room downstairs!