Copenhagen, Denmark

After a day at sea to recharge our batteries we arrived in Copenhagen at the crack of dawn and were soon off on our tour of North Zealand's castles. Once again we drove through small villages and rich agricultural land where flowers and lilac bushes were in bloom. Our first stop was at Frederiksborg Castle, a Renaissance castle which has been restored and turned into the National Museum of History. Like many of the castles and palaces we have visited, the original castle was destroyed in a fire with only the chapel surviving, and the rest was rebuilt in the 17^th century following the original plans. The castle was immense and the rooms were full of paintings, tapestries, crystal chandeliers, porcelain vases and intricately carved wooden furniture. The rooms themselves were adorned with stucco mouldings and details, and even the ceilings were covered with paintings and stucco figures. Outside the castle there were extensive formal gardens reminiscent of those found at Versailles but time would not allow us to do more then admire them from the castle windows. In the courtyard at the front of the castle there was a huge fountain surrounded by mythological figures and wild animals spraying water in every direction – an impressive sight! Our second stop was at Fredensborg Palace, the summer home of the Danish royal family. Because they were in residence we were only allowed to view the outside, but as luck would have it we arrived at noon, just in time to witness the changing of the guard. The soldiers with their bearskin helmets came out from the barracks accompanied by fife and drum and marched right past us to the guardhouse where they went through a series of maneuvers while trading places with the guards who had been on duty. It was great to be in the right place at the right time! Our final stop of the day was at Kronborg Castle, better known as Hamlet's Castle as it is the site of Shakespeare's play “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. While the castle is impressive from the outside, sadly it has fallen into disrepair over the years and is just now being restored as money becomes available. Still, it was a thrill to stroll the hallways and gaze out at the harbour below. Kronborg Castle has the largest banquet hall/ballroom in northern Europe according to our guide. She said that sometimes the royal family holds special events there. Recently they held a ball where everybody had to dress up in period costumes. Every summer there are live performances of Hamlet at the castle and in one room there is a display showing pictures of the many companies and famous actors who have performed here over the years.