sights | Jan Trabandt Travel Blog

Copenhagen day 2: boat cruise and Hamlet’s castle

Fun little hour long boat cruise; here is the back of the Little Mermaid

Krongborg castle (think Shakespeare’s Hamlet) an hour north, overlooking the 2 mile wide straight (Sweden on the other side) that is the entrance to the Baltic Sea, from which Denmark made a fortune on ship duties for over 400 years, until an American boat refused in mid 19th century:

Grand ballroom, 72x12m:

Statue of Holger Danske in the casement (basement of sorts)

Side street in the cute town of Helsingør next to the castle (the long pedestrian streets we’re almost deserted after 6pm)

Susan found a huge cat to play with:

Tivoli at night

The one ride we took (DKK75 ~ $14pp, though an all day ride pass would be DKK 199 ~ $34) for a nice swing ride with view.

Just inside the main entrance: an amusement park with trees and lanterns.

Funky statue of a bull defeating a sea monster, in front of the grand city hall.

Insignia on the Round Tower.

Church spires peek up everywhere

Lunch in Nyhavn, Copenhagen

It wasn’t the most tourist-friendly arrival in Denmark… then had a touristy lunch in this pretty harbour after checking in to our slightly underwhelming hotel.

Archipelago day trip to Sandhamn

Woke up early time catch the fast Ferry time Sandhamn (SEK 130 ~ US$20 pp each way), the island on the edge of the middle archipelago with a famous yacht club (after being one of 9 stops in a sailing race around the world).

The islands are similar to the Muskokas and San Juan Islands, ie granite rocks, pine trees. And lots of cottages, especially closer in to Stockholm.

The ferry was crowded and noisy (yatzy, in Swedish spelling, at our communal table, really?)

A quaint village with packed in little summer homes, mostly painted red with well kept gardens.

Enjoyed a waterside lunch, though the menu options were limited ( and $11 for a 40cL draft beer!?)

A 25 minute walk through the forest led to a nice pair of small beaches, though one was windy and the Baltic sea was cold). We relaxed before walking back to join the hoards boarding the ferry.

Vasa Museum

Very interesting museum of a restored 17th Century warship that sank after 1km on its maiden voyage. Not wide enough for it’s height so it wasn’t stable.
Scale model, inc 150 statues:

The real deal:

And I like the realistic look of shock on the figurines in this diorama (the guy on the right couldn’t bear to watch the sinking)

Angkor Wat: fancy park passes

This is my 3 day park pass. They take a digital photo of you at the entrance and voila, a personalized pass! This one was a 3 day pass for US$40 – good for any 3 days in a 7 day period. A one day pass costs US$20, and there is a 7 day pass good for a month as well.

Siem Reap: today’s outing (sunrise, temple, water village)

1. Sunrise at Angkor Wat (tip: bring a flashlight as it is still dark when you arrive and you have to walk into the large temple grounds). Btw, Angkor Wat and the other temples are truly amazing, and way bigger than I had imagined.
2. Bakong temple (in the Roluos Group, east of Siem Reap, whereas Angkor Wat and the main temple group are north of town)
3. Kompong Phlok (village on stilts near the lake edge – water is currently 4m higher than in dry season)