what a piece of work is copenhagen!

This Above All, To Thine Own Self Be True. We just finished out a really good week in Copenhagen. With two day trips, seven days here may perhaps have been a day too long, or maybe
our sense of time is totally warped, having just passed the six-week mark on our trip. In any event, we have been really lucky with the weather here: no rain and high 60's/low 70's every day. We did pretty well with our flat, too, in terms of location and spaciousness. The only issues with our rental was a bit of late night or early morning noise and the showers. We first thought the showers were poorly designed, but later learned that it is a preferred feature of Danish bathroom design that a shower should spread water about the entire bathroom. I know I have complained about the prices here and I won't take any of that back, as it is still tough to swallow. A little research shows that, in part, a 25% value added tax is to blame. That money, in turn goes to provide free health care, education and promote a high standard of living for this beautiful country. So, Denmark, I appreciate you being true to those values that help you build and sustain this country and its people.

Plunder, Then Write. Danish National Museum traces the history of peoples in this place going back to the stone age, through the Viking period and up to present day. The museum is large, and we could have devoted a couple days to it. The section on "modern" Danish history of 1600 to the present was quite good. We also liked the Meet the Vikings exhibition, an effort to provide some depth into the lives and deeds of the people that dominated this part of the globe between 800 and 1050. What stands out from this exhibition is how little we know about the Vikings, which is largely a result of their having left virtually no written record about their lives -- their beliefs, their system of governance, their reliance on trade and plunder. We need to rely almost entirely on the archaeological record and the accounts of those with whom they interacted to figure out who these people were. This exhibit does a good job of it, leaving an impression far more nuanced and complicated than I had going in.

A Nation of Righteous Gentiles. The Danish Jewish Museum is small, a testament to the very small Jewish community here, but in no way reflective of the depth of courage and humanity shown by their fellow Danes under Nazi rule. The museum, like the Jewish museum in Berlin, was designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind. And like his Berlin design, this one promotes the aesthetic over the factual, with intersecting slanted hallways designed to disorient and remind you that the dimensions of Jewish life here were always a bit off kilter. I thought it worked extremely well in Berlin, where there are many other museums that document Jewish life in that city. Here, I wish the museum had gone a more traditional route, as there are few, if any, other museums here that tell the incredible story of Danish heroism between 1939 and 1945.

The history of Denmark's Jewish community before 1939 is typical for western Europe -- a few merchants invited in the early 17th century to help bolster the local economy, emancipation for the Jewish community in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars, and refugees from the east in the early 20th Century. What happened after 1939 is quite different. Where Jewish communities in western Europe were substantially impacted and those in eastern Europe murdered almost in their entirety, ninety-nine percent of Denmark's Jews survived the Holocaust. A truly remarkable fact. There is a lot of historical debate about why this is so, but all historians seem to agree that the collective support of the Danish people for their Jewish citizens was the predominant factor. When faced with opposition to their anti-Semitic policies received elsewhere with ease and often enthusiasm, the Nazis backed down. This history is important, not just for the Jews and the Danes, but for all peoples, as an abject lesson in how communities can act collectively to do the right thing. A lesson we all need to take to heart.

Look Out Ladies, The Fleet is In Town. The Danish War Museum is part of the national museum, but is housed in a separate building and (of course) charges a separate entrance fee. As you might imagine, given Denmark's location and geography, much of Danish war history is focused on the Danish Navy, which was once one of the world's better naval fleets. That ended sometime in the 18th Century. As is told in this museum, things started to go south for the Danish army in the 17th Century. A number of failed battles and lost wars left a lasting impact on this nation, causing an understandable aversion to armed conflict. This museum has an impressive collection of artifacts over the last 500 years, including a number of model ships that were used in ship design and construction. The museum also tells the details of Denmark's involvement in armed conflicts, from religious fights after the Reformation to various wars for Scandinavian dominance to an ongoing tug of war of Schlesweg-Holstein to Denmark's neutrality in World War I and its transition from German protectorate to rebellious territory in World War II.


Get thee to Hamlet's Castle! As much as anything, Denmark is associated with Hamlet, Shakespeare's masterpiece about a young prince confronted with the horror of learning his uncle murdered his father, married his mother and became king himself. Although fictional, the play is set at Elsinore, the city in which sits Kronborg Castle, which itself was built around the time the play was written. From the outset, Kronborg has been known as Hamlet's Castle. About a 40-minute train ride north of Copenhagen, the castle is impressive in its own right, a massive Renaissance building on an island at the tip of a peninsula, a short ferry ride from Sweden. The castle served as fort, a royal residence and later as an army barracks before, in the early 20th Century being entirely renovated and opened to the public. It is regularly used for theatrical performances of Hamlet and other plays, and has even served as the set for some, but not all film adaptations of the tragedy. The castle, and Elsinore, are worth a visit even without the Hamlet connection, but if you are a Shakespeare fan, you really do need to experience the place.

Alas, Poor Owen! Walking through the castles courtyards, chambers, and ramparts, one cannot help but think of that immortal play. And, to its credit, the castle embraces the connection, having every afternoon a group of players, in character, acting out vignettes from the broader story. Among the things we saw were Hamlet and Laertes bantering with word and with sword in the courtyard, Polonius leading the assembled audience in paying respects to the new king, Claudius and his queen, Gertrude, and Yorick (a court jester from Hamlet's youth who, pictured here, does not appear in the play, but is spoken of) sharing with us his frightful encounter with the ghost of the slain king. The actors were fantastic, staying in character as they interacted with the tourists in their audience. Three of us were enthralled. The fourth, who we will call Owen, was less impressed. Maybe someday he will look back on his 13-year old self with regret for the time he did not soak in the Hamlet at Kronborg experience. Regardless, the castle is a true gem, and a must-have experience for any serious Shakespeare fan.

Though This Be Madness, There's a Method in It. Just outside of Kronborg Castle is the Maritime Museum of Denmark, a seemingly excellent museum of all things Danish seafaring. I say seemingly because our time there was short. Somewhere along the line, I'm not sure where, but definitely before we walked into this museum, the Eckstein children ran out of steam. We have done a good job of avoiding art museums and keeping the focus on history-related places, which they like. But, everyone has their limits, and theirs had been reached. This museum looked interesting, given the depth of treatment it gives to the subject, so I tried to coax my children back into the game. I was game for all manner of bribes. I allowed Lauren to get a tattoo. (Don't tell Keri's mother.) I even promised to drag my sea sick-prone self on a cruise around Kronborg Castle. To no avail. The kids were done and, we can only hope they get their second wind, as we still have another week to go.


Sweets to the Sweet. (Last Hamlet reference, I promise.) Among the gems we learned on a walking tour of Copenhagen was that, in the basement of Magasin du Nord, a large department store near Nyhaven, there are a number of local candy shops, selling their wares, most providing free samples: Yes, please. I'll have one of those. We stopped in twice, helping ourselves to samples of strawberry-flavored marshmallows, dark-chocolate with sea salt and finely chopped almonds, orange-chocolate and coffee-chocolate coated licorice, and coffee and chocolate-flavored hard candies. I don't think these sorts of local delicacies get enough attention in the typical tourist publications. Indeed, we would have missed it but for a thoughtful guide, and Keri's keen ear and keen memory for such important things. On our second trip back, Keri could no longer resist the siren call of chocolate coated licorice at Lakrids by Bulow, and bought jars of red and coffee-covered.

Final Thoughts on Copenhagen. We had a great visit here. All the things you look for when traveling -- nice people, compelling history, delicious food, good weather and beautiful country. There is lots of world still to see, but it would not be hard to talk us into a return trip here some future summer. I'll just need some time to save up so we can eat.