Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” unfolds in the Danish castle of Elsinore, undoubtedly an anglicized version of Helsingor, where indeed a Danish castle can be seen while cruising through the straight called Oresund that separates Denmark and Sweden. At one time, both sides of the straight, and indeed most of Scandinavia and England, were ruled by Denmark.
In 1429, Danish King Eric of Pomerania established Sound Dues, whereby he charged a tariff on all ships sailing through the straight between Helsingor and Helsingborg, where the coasts squeeze together to create a three mile wide channel that was easy to control. The Sound Dues enriched Denmark for over 400 years, even though Sweden won Helsingborg and surrounding lands on what is now the Swedish side of the sound in 1658.
At Helsingor, King Eric built a castle called Krogen that was renamed Kronborg when expanded about 150 years later. We got no closer to Kronberg Castle in Helsingor, which is advertised as Hamlet’s Castle, than the balcony of our ship as we cruised by,
but we get a close look at beautiful Helsingborg, and taking a ferry to Helsingor would have been simple enough had we desired.
In short, this is a wonderful, easy to explore port. After a quick tender ride, we made the pleasant stroll into town. Along the way we passed a funny little sculpture setting that represented actors performing “Hamlet” for a small audience.
We saw a cool brass coffee grinder in a window, but not enough of our group were ready for a break, and though we said we would return, we didn’t.
A short walk from the waterfront is their beautiful City Hall. Past that is an ideal Swedish street leading to Karnan, an impressive fortress.
We climbed many steps to the top and were rewarded with panoramic views. We heard music in the distance, and upon investigating, we found seats arranged for a concert.
On stage, a small jazz combo rehearsed some great numbers, including “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans.” It seems like I’m always ready to settle in for the duration and enjoy what I happen upon, but we had places to go and things to do.
On to the Church of Saint Mary. It is a beautiful church in a very nice port city. Outside, an entrepreneur had set up shop selling some interesting heirlooms, and Gina bought a set of blue glass nut trays in the shapes of card suits, which is perfect for an avid card player.
Because we had been on the go for so many days in a row, Julie was ready for a little time relaxing in a lounge chair while reading a good book under the bright sun and blue skies of Scandinavian summer.
For Jay, Amy, Gina and Laszlo, the day was young, and they wanted to do some more shopping. Also, Laszlo was on a new food quest: Swedish meatballs.
I tagged along with Julie and returned to the ship. While I hadn’t drank a Swedish brew at this stop, but back aboard Emerald Princess, I did find a bottle of Dos Equis with my name on it. To coin a phrase, I don’t always drink beer, and when I do, it is seldom Dos Equis when I’m outside Mexico, but when we sat by the pool, I have to say it felt like the Mexican Riviera or Playa del Carmen. Ole!
