Go To HEL

 

This parkinson's thing is sucking the life out of me.  So I am trying to suck back.  Now, instead of 1000 days a week at the nursing home, I am trying to take 1 day off - Tuesday preferably or Wednesday.   I have been doing this for almost 2 months now.  It was the 2nd or 3rd free Tuesday that I had planned on taking my annual day trip to Malmö, Sweden.  But I was so exhausted, I just couldn't get myself together and go.  That's when I knew something was terribly wrong; not having the strength to do the thing I wanted. 

Well........... the next Tuesday came along and I said ok - this is it, Eddie, you are going to Malmö even if it kills you.  But when monday came along, I said: Hey Eddie, you've been to Malmö so many times already, why not try something different?  My good neighbors Finn and Liss just came home from a little trip to Helsingbor, Sweden and they said they had a really nice time and it sounded so easy to get there. 

On the platform at
Copenhagen central station.

It was so easy, that I actually started to get a little upset with Jens for never suggesting that we do this.  He doesn't like the Swedes, he says - because back in his youth when he was a policeman on the streets, he was constantly arresting drunk Swedes.  Or so that's the story he tells me.

Here comes my train.

This is my train. 

Anyway, I got up at a reasonable time, walked 10 minutes to the Metro and at the next stop, the central station, I hopped on the next train to Helsingør.  It departs every 20 minutes. It was so easy. The Metro is only 1 stop / a 4 minute underground ride, the train ride is only 55 minutes and it's the last station.

In the background, above and below photos, is my final destination.  A smaller portion of the ride is along the coast on the Danish side.  Across the opening to the Baltic Sea is Helsingbor, Sweden.

When the train pulls into the last station, I simply get out, snap a few photos of the beautiful train station, walk to the end of the track, hang a right and make my way into the entrance to the ferry.  Passengers walk upstairs to the many ticket machines, punch in their travel info and then simply follow the signs to the ferry.   So dang easy  - AND cheap too.  

I just bought my ticket and now I am in the gangway to
the ship.  You can see the ferry that I am about to board.

These are passengers disembarking.  You can see
the train station where I just came from.

I've seen this train station a hundred times
and I find it to be so amazing every time.

Walking thru the gangway.  Almost there.
In the background you can see what is nicked-
named Hamlet's Castle.  More about that later.

The real name is Kronborg Castle.

I am now on the ferry and totally wowed 

by how modern and huge it is.

Huge bar but it was closed.      I could only imagine
that if you were not first in line to get your cocktail,
you better have it served in the cardboard cup
because the ride is that short.


Within just minutes, we are already on our way.

I managed to find my way to the bow / front of the ship.

Completely wonderful.

Here you can see a ferry on it's way back to Denmark.

In the video above and below, I am pointing too 

far south.  I couldn't see anything on my camera 

screen because of all the wonderful sunshine.

Plus I didn't really know where I was going other than to Hel.

Now approaching the harbor on the Swedish side.

The ferry approaching the dock.

The ferry approaching the dock.

In this video you can see when the ferry actually

hits the ramp as the trucks wiggle back and forth.

I have now stepped on ground.

Here come a few shots of the city.

As soon as you get off of the ferry,

you are welcomed with a huge bouquet.

And now come the photos of all the old buildings 

in the town.  It's what I really enjoy looking at.

Of course most old European cities are built around old churches. So you always have to check them out - well... I do.  This is St. Mary Church (without the 's).  Originally built in the 12th century but rebuilt again in the late 13th century.  What you see now is from 1410 with an addition from 1953.

You will almost always find a ship hanging from the ceiling of a Scandinavian church - The ship itself serves as a metaphor for the church congregation, navigating through life's challenges and temptation under Christ's guidance. My ship has sunk - and it's more of a rubber raft than a ship.  Thank goodness for my water wings.

I lit a candle for departed loved ones :-(

All that holy moly stuff worked up my appetite.  

I found the nicest place to eat just in front of St. Mary.

I ordered some salmon swimming

 in a dill sauce over pasta, and a

  nice glass of white wine.  I ate

  it while filling out YOUR

post card.  I hope you  

have received it by now.  

;-)

As I am eating and writing, 

I have this view of St. Mary.

After lunch, I walked to the tower. 

The tower is just beyond this 

staircase structure called

King Oscar II's Terrace. 

 

It's not possible to see it from this angle and I don't have any photos of it so I am borrowing the photo below from google.  But if you zoom in on the arches in the above photo, you can see a bit of the tower with the Swedish flag at the top of the tower.

The tower Kärnan, built in 1310, is a medieval tower.  It is the only remaining part of a larger Danish fortress when, at the time, along with the fortress Kronborg (the castle you saw in the video/photo at the start of this blog and which I said I would get back to) on the opposite bank of the sea, controlled the entrance way to the Baltic Sea.  This of course was at the time when Sweden was Denmark.  Since then, the castle has undergone several reconstructions and repairs.  Now a museum open to all.  What you see in the foreground is the top part of the King Oscar II's Terrace which was built in 1899 - 1903,  which was then and now, Sweden.  

 

Hamlet's Castle in the background.

Kronborg - This fortress/castle was built to keep tabs on who is coming and going thru the Baltic Sea and to collect a crossing toll.  You may ask - If it is Denmark on one side and Sweden on the other side, why was it the Danes who collected the passage toll?  At the time, the entire area, on both sides of the Baltic Sea entrance was Denmark.  Kronborg castle also has a nickname: Hamlet's Castle.  This is because William Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet, took place here.  In his play, he changed the town name Helsingborg to Elsinore.  In the play, the guard named Marcellus says the famous line you all know, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark".  And if you know that one, then you definitely know the line by Prince Hamlet, "To be or not to be, that is the question".

As you approach the terrace steps,

you pass this sculpture.

Sculpted in 1922, the bronze figure depicts 

David with Goliath's head under his foot.  

 

Inside the tower.

A few shots from the top of the tower.

After my climb to the top, I walk back to the center

of town to admire and discover the architecture.

from 1759

from 1641

Tycho Brahe square and fountain to commemorate 

the most important astronomer of the Renaissance,

 before the telescope was invented.

He has quite an interesting history if you are into that

sort of thing.  Click here if you want to read more.  

It's getting time for me to leave and head back to Copenhagen but before I say good-bye, I find a spot in the sun to have a slice of pie and a cup of coffee.

After I soak up the last bit of sunshine for the day, I made my way back to the ferry and grabbed a little snack on board.  It was a great free day away from the nursing home.  

And now that I know that it is so easy, I will for sure have a difficult time deciding next time if I should go to Malmö or to Helsingborg.

Yeah, That's what I was thinking too:

Why not both?