Brigitte arrived at our house at 9:30 AM to drive us to the airport in Marseille. Lots of luggage! Checked in for our flight on Brussels Air then had some lunch before boarding our flight to Brussels. Short layover in Brussels and then a flight to Copenhagen, ran late due to some problem with air traffic control but still arrived only half-hour late. The Hilton Hotel was a 2 minute walk from the terminal building. Checked in and made our way to the bar for some refreshments and a dinner of fish and chips. To bed.
August 19, 2016
Up early, breakfast at the hotel and then walked back to the airport terminal and the train ticket office to buy our transport into the main train station in Copenhagen, about 20 minutes. The station in Copenhagen is right across the street from the Tivoli Gardens (think Six Flags in the middle of downtown). Another block from that and we were at the City Hall where the square in front was taken over by the Gay Pride Week celebration.
Our tour bus was just around the corner from the City Hall. We boarded our bus for the Castles Tour and after about an hour drive we arrived at the Kronberg Castle, built on a point closest to Sweden, only about 3 miles across the water. The wealth of King Frederick II who converted this castle (1574-85) derived from charging tolls for cargo ships entering the waters between Denmark and Sweden. The castle was immortalized in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet". The royal apartments and ballroom were the highlights of the tour. Lots of stairs, you'd think a king could put in elevators. Kronberg Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Arriving back to our bus we found our lunch waiting, chicken sandwichs that we ate while traveling to our next stop, Fredensborg Palace, the summer residence of the Queen of Denmark. We arrived in time for the changing of the guard at 2 PM so we got some photos but no visit to the palace as the Queen was in residence.
Another ride on the bus through countryside. Agriculture still plays an important role in the economy of Denmark, producing 3 times the needs of the country thus providing a huge source of foreign earnings for the country. We drove past many houses on the beach, many with thatch roofs and many with private beaches. Our driver said this area was the Beverly Hills of Denmark.
Our final stop was Frederiksborg Castle, a pearl of history built by King Christian IV in the 17th century. This is now a museum that was rebuilt after a fire by Carlsberg (Beer) Foundation and now houses furnishings from the period when it was a royal residence.
The chapel was closed due to a wedding ceremony but otherwise we had the run of the place along with thousands of others.Crowded but well worth a visit.
We were pretty well exhausted by this time and ready for the drive back into Copenhagen. Walking through the crowds from City Hall back to the train station was an interesting journey among all the costumes and participants of Pride Week.
We got our ticket for the train back to the airport only to discover that there was an hour delay. Finally we boarded with all the others that had been waiting and we were fortunate to grab a seat as the aisles were packed with standing passengers. Arriving back at the hotel we opened a nice bottle of French wine and had some snacks and promptly went to bed. Big Day but a Good Day!
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