Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for denmark
Copenhagen’s Round Tower
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the oldest functioning observatory in Europe, Copenhagen’s Round Tower was built by Christian IV in the early 17th century at a time when Denmark was famous for its astronomical achievements. You’ll access the observatory by walking up a wide spiral path to the top of the tower. This iconic tourist attraction offers, as you might expect, stunning views of the oldest parts of the city. It’s located in one of the busiest shopping areas, in the pedestrian zone between Nørreport station and Strøget.
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Denmark’s Garden Island
By Linda Tancs
Dubbed Denmark’s “Garden Island,” Fyn boasts a treasure trove of castles and manor houses. Arguably its biggest tourist attraction is Egeskov Castle, reportedly Europe’s best-preserved Renaissance water castle. Since 1784, Egeskov has been in the possession of some remnant of the Bille family, who still live in the castle today. Some of the palace’s notable exhibitions are the dolls’ house with over 3,000 objects, a historical toys collection and a paper doll designed by Hans Christian Andersen. The fastest way to Egeskov by train is from Odense to Ringe, where you can pick up a taxi.
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Hamlet’s Castle
By Linda Tancs
Immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Strategically located at the head of the Øresund Sound in Helsingør (Elsinore), it was a toll-collecting site for ships passing into the Baltic Sea. These days it’s better known as Hamlet’s castle. Not surprisingly, each summer you can enjoy live performances of Shakespeare’s greatest plays from Danish and international companies. Get there by train in 45 minutes from Copenhagen’s Central Station or one hour by car.
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Underground Art in Copenhagen
By Linda Tancs
The Cisterns (Cisternerne) is a subterranean art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. Once the city’s underground water reservoir, it now hosts contemporary art exhibitions that avail themselves of this dimly lit dripstone cave. Case in point: the current exhibition by the Argentinian-born artist Tomás Saraceno, which is experienced by boat and reveals artwork in and out of the environment’s darkness. The venue is located in Søndermarken across from the zoo and Frederiksberg Castle. Glass pyramids mark the entrance to your underground adventure.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Denmark’s Most Beautiful Festival
By Linda Tancs
What better venue could there be for a giant music festival than among beech trees, some more than 200 years old. That’s the locale for Denmark’s second largest festival, Smukfest. The forest is Dyrehaven in Skanderborg, where more than 55,000 beautiful people (as they’re called) gather during the second week in August for an event that has come to be known as “Denmark’s most beautiful festival.” Like an ongoing Woodstock, it’s all about life, love and togetherness to the sound of music, featuring local and international artists in various genres.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Slice of America in Denmark
By Linda Tancs
You might not expect America’s upcoming Independence Day to be especially celebrated vigorously anywhere else in the world unless, of course, you’re up-to-date on your Danish history. Arguably the largest July 4 festivity outside the U.S., the Rebild Celebration takes place in a national park (Rebild Bakker) in the hills of northern Denmark. The reason for this unusual event relates to a mass exodus of Danes to the U.S. driven by economic opportunity that reached an apex in the early 20th century. In gratitude for the good fortune that ensued and seeking a place in the homeland for reunions, a group of Danes purchased a parcel of land in northern Denmark that was ultimately granted to the king, who established the area as a national park. As a symbol of friendship between the nations, the park was used not only as a gathering place for homesick Danes but also as a place of celebration of their adoptive country’s independence. Taking place virtually every year since 1912, the July 4 festival draws thousands of expats and locals as well as dignitaries and celebrities.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Samba Beat in Denmark
By Linda Tancs
You needn’t travel to Brazil to experience the infectious rhythm of the samba. This time of year it’s waiting for you in Denmark at the largest carnival in Northern Europe, Aalborg Carnival. It’s a celebration of springtime, with colorful costumes, samba music and dancing in the streets of Aalborg, the country’s fourth-largest city. The festivities kick off with an international parade and a children’s parade, culminating in the Grand Parade on May 23, when everyone is free to march to the route’s end in Kildeparken. The crowd of participants swells to about 60,000, with another 100,000 spectators lining the route.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Salt of the Earth in Læsø
By Linda Tancs
Just a 40-minute flight from Copenhagen, the island of Læsø might be best known for its seaweed roofs and white, sandy beaches. But it’s also been a major site of salt production in Denmark since the Middle Ages. The ancient process is known as seething, where groundwater is heated in a large iron pan over a fire in a seething hut until the salt crystallizes. You can listen to a presentation on the process by a salt-seether in a reproduction of a hut from the 12th century.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Guards of Amalienborg
By Linda Tancs
Amalienborg Palace, the residence of Denmark’s royal family, is a people’s palace; in one of its four royal quadrants, some residents of the family share space with the palace museum. Like any other palace, a changing of the guard delights visitors. Every day they march from the barracks to Amalienborg for the changing of the guard at noon. What you’ll see, however, depends on who’s home on any given day. When the queen is in residence, the Royal Guard provides an extensive display of pageantry; when no family members are home, a Palace Guard suffices. You’ll know who’s coming by the flag flying atop the palace—the Royal Standard, the Flag of the Heir to the Throne, the Flag of the Regent, the Flag of the Royal House or the Swallow-Tailed Flag (which indicates that none of the members of the Royal Family is in residence).
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Denmark’s Sunny Isle
By Linda Tancs
The sunniest part of Denmark is Bornholm, the nation’s easternmost island in the Baltic Sea. Its charms include round churches and arresting granite cliffs, great fodder for painters who are perennially attracted to this popular resort area thanks to its dreamy natural light. Historically a fishing village, be sure to try Sol over Gudhjem (“sun over Gudhjem,” a local fishing port), an island dish featuring an open sandwich with rugbrød, smoked herring, chives and a raw egg yolk on top. Book your summer rental now so you don’t miss their food and crafts festivals.
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