A Trip to Denmark

I grew up in Denmark, and my family lives there to this day. with the children grown up, we decided to visit, so my husband, who is Canadian, could see the country in more, than was possible when visiting with young children along.

I usually try to go to Denmark in the spring or the fall, to avoid high season airfare costs. April/May and September usually have pleasant temperatures for roaming around the country.

As far as lodging goes, the cheapest would naturally be to stay with family or friends. If you don't have that luxury, I suggest looking into renting a small home for 2 weeks to a month. If you can go for a month, you can manage to see most of a mall, but very old and interesting country.

I would also suggest that you rent a car for getting around as train fare is pricey. There are very good and frequent connections between cities and towns by train, if you prefer that mode of travel. In that case you might want to check into a Euro rail pass, which means you pay a flat rate, and can travel freely most places in Europe with it. Details are available through travel agents. Keep in mind, that fuel is over twice as expensive as it is in Canada, so probably about three times more than you pay in the States.

The upside is that you can drive right across Denmark in not too much more than three hours, and from north to south in about the same time.

If I was to rent a house for a month, I would choose the island of Fyn as my base. Denmark consists of a peninsula called Jylland, bordering Germany to the south, and an island called Fyn in the center, then a slightly larger island called Sjaelland to the right, with Copenhagen on its east coast. Aside from those landmasses, there are numerous smaller islands, that are also ripe with historic sites.

Placing yourself in the center would allow for easier travel to anyplace in the country. Starting out in the morning, you can spend the day at your chosen location, and still make it home to your lodging at night, thus saving additional costs.

The three main landmasses are connected with bridges, with the one between Fyn And Sjaelland being a toll bridge. So there is a charge to use it. But you can choose from various types of passes. It has to be remembered that you can't turn right on a red light in Denmark. In Canada we can. I would also strongly recommend a GPS.
Due to street signs and directions being in danish, a GPS with the language of your choice would save a lot of time.

To mention a few of the must see places, the city of Odense on Fyn is a great place to start. It is the home of Hans Christian Andersen, the author of so many beautiful fairy tales, among those, "The little Mermaid" and the "Ugly duckling". You can still go Through his home, and a museum has been attached, in which you can view many of his manuscripts, and even articles of his clothing and many photos. It is like taking a walk in the past.

Another great favorite of mine is the castle Egeskov build in 1554, that sits in the middle of a moat with about 5 meters of water all around it. You can go into the castle and wander through the majority of the fully furnished rooms. It truly is a walk through time. You can also walk through the beautiful gardens, or the amazing labyrinth.
There is a motorbike, car and airplane museum, and a great playground. You can easily spend a day or two here.

On the island of Sjaelland, the capital Copenhagen is a must. There are several castles you might want to see.
Amalienborg, where the queen and her family resides, Rosenborg and Fredericksborg castles are also worth seeing.

The walking street called " Stroeget" is another must, as is the medieval round tower "Rundetaarnet" from where you can look out over the city of Copenhagen. There is a magnificent cathedral right next to it, that can also be visited. Don't forget to visit the original Carlsberg Brewery, where you will be treated to a beer, a wonderful museum and a collection of beer bottles from all over the world.

You don't want to miss a boat tour of the canals around Copenhagen. This amazing tour is filled with wonderful sights and their is a tour guide along with a lot of historic and architectural information as well as some funny anecdotes.

From this area of Denmark you can drive to Sweden across a bridge, part of which turns into a tunnel, under the water.

Below the island of Sjaelland lies a smaller island, Moen, on which you will find white cliffs, consisting of chalk.
You will also find an beautiful old castle called Liselund, which has been used as a youth hostel for many years. Another place of sheer beauty from another time.

Going west of Fyn, you cross the bridge to the peninsula, where in the South you will find the town Soenderborg.
Here you will find another caste from the middle ages, that you can wander through. The ruins of an even older castle lies beside it, remnants from the end of the time of the vikings.

One of Denmark's oldest streets is located here, near the harbor, and this is where I grew up. The name of the street is Havbogade, and the houses are several hundred years old. The town lies partially on the peninsula, and partially on a small island called Als on which the area described above is located. On the harbor front you can eat in the restaurant of the late danish king Frederick, (father of the present Queen Margrethe). Here you can ask for the dish that was the kings favorite meal when he visited here.

Going south on the peninsula, you reach the border with Germany after about a half hour drive. On the way you will see a number of soldier graves and dugouts from Denmark's war with Germany in 1864, where part of an area called Schlesvig Holsten was lost to the Germans. Many people in this area still speak danish.

Many fields along the highway are littered with soldier graves, and also viking graves, and the farmers go around those when they plow their fields.

Going across to the west coast to where you will find an island called Roemoe, you will find a wide beach that stretches almost all the way along Denmark's west coast. Closer to the east side of the peninsula you will find the town of Billund, where Legoland can be found. It is an amazing place, where everything is made of Lego Blocks, and a must if you have kids along.

The next stop, a bit further to the north, you will find the city, Aarhus. Here you can visit the Old City, a collection of streets and houses from the middle ages. These buildings have been moved there from all over
the country, literally stone by stone, brick by brick. You can enter each furnished building, and get a feel of how people lived in those days. They even have people walking around, and in stores dressed in period costumes.
It is an unforgettable experience.

Going all the way to the north of Denmark you get to a dessert like area with a church that is now buried in the sand. Only the tower stick op out of the sand. The northern tip of Denmark is called Grenen, and here you can walk all the way out on the point, into the sea, and stand with a foot in two seas at the same time. On one side of the point is the sea of Kattegat, on the other side of the point, the sea is called Skagerak, and the current from the two seas come together right at that point.

Big old cement bunkers lie along the beach from the war, and you will also find the grave of Holger Drachman here.

If you love old towns, don't miss a town called MoegelToender. It is located on the southern part of the peninsula, and has a small castle, where the queens youngest son reside with his family. The main street is cobble stoned and it is like walking into another century. You can reach up and touch the roof line on the old houses , many of which are straw covered.

Not too far from that area lies Graasten, the town that is the home of the queens summer residence. Here you can go for a walk in the castles beautiful gardens and around the pond where graceful swans has their home.
The queens late mother (Queen Ingrid ) designed those gardens herself. This area of the country was her favorite.

There are innumerable places worth seeing, that I have not mentioned here. I have simply mentioned a few of my favorites. But no matter where you go and what you choose to see, if you like history, and the feeling of centuries past, you will not be disappointed. The food is great, the streets and houses are clean and well cared for, and the people are friendly. Most people are able to converse reasonably in English.