Castles, kingdoms and peasants

Eve and I have been having some great time together visiting places while Sue continues her study.

One Monday we got on the train at Sorø then to Copenhagen and finally to Helsingor (Elsinore of Hamlet fame).  The tulip garden in town was sooo pretty (Eve loved it).

The castle there (Kronborg) is recognised as the finest example of a Rennaissance castle in Europe. The tour through it was wonderful. The castle had stood guard over the Kattegut seaway that connects the North sea with the Baltic. It was built in th 1500's and collected tolls from the merchant ships (in return for safe passage and protection from pirates) until some time in the 1800's when an American ship refused to pay and were not attacked by pirates. The stream of revenue then dried up overnight.

It was great to see fishermen on the shore outside the castle fishing and pulling in some mackerel.

 The land on the other side is Sweden.

The castle is made from brick as stone is not common here.

 Inside, yes they really knew how to live like kings (and queens). They were expected to eat 9 kg of meat each day (and the servants would come around with a bucket and goose feather for you-know-what).









The tapestries were amazing, the chapel so ornate, and overall a real eye-opener into life at the time.