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August 2, 2014August 1, 2014

The Zealand Blitz — Roskilde Cathedral, Viking Museum, and Frederiksborg Castle in a Day

If you have just one day for the most exciting side-trips possible from Copenhagen, here’s a plan for a wonderful day.

Leave Copenhagen by train at 8:00, arrive in Roskilde at 8:30, and wander through the town to be at the cathedral when it opens at 9:00. At 10:00, after an hour in the cathedral, stroll down to the harborfront to tour the Viking Ship Museum. They can call a taxi to take you back to the station for a 13:00 train back to Copenhagen. (Buy a picnic lunch at Roskilde station, and munch it on the train.) In Copenhagen, catch the next train to Hillerød (around 14:00), from where you catch the bus to Frederiksborg castle — arriving at 15:00. This gives you two hours to enjoy the castle before it closes at 17:00. Browse through Hillerød before catching a train at 18:00 back to Copenhagen. You’ll be back at your hotel by 19:00, having seen the highlights of Zealand.

Frederiksborg Castle sits like a fairy tale on an island in the middle of a lake in the cute town of Hillerød, 50 minutes north of Copenhagen. This grandest castle in Scandinavia is often called the “Danish Versailles.” Built from 1602 to 1620, Frederiksborg was the castle of Denmark’s King Christian IV. Today it houses Denmark’s Museum of National History, taking you on a chronological walk through the story of Denmark from 1500 until today that comes to life thanks to the excellent iPod tour that comes with your admission. The countless musty paintings are a fascinating scrapbook of Danish history — it’s a veritable national portrait gallery, with images of great Danes from each historical period of the last five centuries.

Vik literally means “shallow inlet,” and “vik-ings” were the people who lived along those inlets. Roskilde — and its award-winning Viking Ship Museum— are strategically located along one such inlet (half an hour west of Copenhagen). Centuries before Europe’s Age of Exploration, Viking sailors navigated their sleek, sturdy ships as far away as the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Americas. This museum displays five different Viking ships. These vessels were deliberately sunk a thousand years ago to block an easy channel into this harbor, and were excavated only in modern times.

Roskilde’s imposing, 12th-century, twin-spired cathedral houses the tombs of nearly all of the Danish kings and queens (39 royals in all). It’s a stately, modern-looking old church with great marblework, paintings, and woodcarvings. The nave is ringed by chapels, each one with a king’s tomb. This rather austere tomb holds the body of one of Denmark’s least austere monarchs, King Christian IV.

August 1, 2014January 8, 2018

Scandinavian Royals

Scandinavia feels like Europe’s most modern corner. But unlike Germany, France, Italy, or Greece, the Scandinavian countries all still have their royal families.

Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are all constitutional monarchies. Their royal families know they are anomalies. But as long as they don’t embarrass the citizens who pay for their jeweled lifestyles with stupid scandals (like Spanish and English royals have done in recent decades), pragmatic Scandinavians seem to like the idea that figurehead monarchs do the fancy VIP receptions and ribbon-cutting ceremonies… and their prime ministers get to focus on the serious governing.

Seeing this system working well — and seeing ours not (when our country’s appetite for a glittering human symbol of our government is incompatible with its insistence that our rulers are not above the rules) — I can understand why Scandinavians continue to enthrone kings and queens. And as for sightseeing, all those palaces, crown jewels, and glittering processions add some razzle-dazzle to the traveler’s day.

Touring a palace in Copenhagen, I enjoyed this photo of an extended royal family gathering, which included blue-blooded royals from all over Europe. Danish royals are particularly adept at marrying their children into other royal families. That used to be a key to a country’s well-being. These days, I think it just means that you have to put on the tux a little more often. Denmark’s King Christian IX was famously nicknamed the “father-in-law of Europe”— his children eventually became or married royalty in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Britain, France, Germany, and Norway.

In Copenhagen, much of your sightseeing involves Denmark’s royal heritage — like here, at Amalienborg Palace. While Queen Margrethe II and her husband live quite privately in one of the four mansions that make up the palace, the twin mansion just across the cobbled square is open as a museum, which I found particularly interesting. It displays the private studies of the four kings who ruled Denmark from 1863 to 1972 (the immediate predecessors of today’s Queen). Each room affords an intimate and unique peek into Denmark’s royal family. They feel particularly lived-in — with cluttered pipe collections and bookcases jammed with family pictures — because they were.

Many countries have one dominant figure in their history — a big and charismatic personality who really shaped the place. Denmark’s larger-than-life king was Christian IV, who ruled for 60 years in the 17th century and created modern Denmark. This painting decorates the chapel that holds his tomb in the cathedral at Roskilde. The king was a large man who also lived large. A skilled horseman and avid hunter, he could drink his companions under the table. He spoke several languages and gained a reputation as outgoing and humorous. His lavish banquets were legendary, as were his romantic affairs. This painting shows Christian IV wearing his trademark eye patch. He lost an eye to some shrapnel in a sea battle and, according to legend, pulled out the shard and made it into an earring for his mistress. Great he was… until his many wars impoverished his once-mighty country.

July 31, 2014January 8, 2018

The ‘Wrong Side of the Tracks’ in Copenhagen

With the affluence of our time, all over Europe, once-scuzzy neighborhoods on “the wrong side of the tracks” are becoming gentrified. (In fact, here in Copenhagen, the trendiest new area for dining and nightlife fun is the old Meatpacking District, just a couple of blocks behind the main train station.) Stepping into the station, I’ve long heard the martial melodies they play on loudspeakers at its back door without giving it a second thought. Then, with the help of a guide, I learned the reason for the regimented march beat. This video clip explains:

July 30, 2014July 30, 2014

Having Fun in Copenhagen

Flying from Amsterdam to Copenhagen is like connecting sister cities — bikes, canals, lots of construction work, slick and extensive infrastructure, and people who really know how to have fun.

As I mentioned earlier, my two-month summer trip has five sections: Germany guidebook research, filming in the Netherlands, Scandinavia guidebook research, filming in Berlin and Prague, and finally guidebook research in Poland. I’m just kicking off part three and ready for some Scandinavian travel fun. Join me for the next two weeks as I offer my latest travel tips from in and around Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen. First up: Copenhagen.

In cities like Copenhagen, I enjoy tuning into the little details of everyday life. For example, the pølse (hot dog) is fast, cheap, tasty, and — like its American cousin — almost worthless nutritionally. Even so, what the locals call the “dead man’s finger” is the dog Danish kids love to bite. Danes gather at pølsevogne (sausage wagons) for munchies and pølsesnak — the local slang for empty chatter (literally, “sausage talk”). If you join them, you can study this institution — and maybe pick up on some societal insights, as well. Denmark’s “cold feet cafés” are a form of social care: People who have difficulty finding jobs are licensed to run these wiener-mobiles. As they gain seniority, they are promoted to work at more central locations. Traditionally, after getting drunk, guys stop here for a hot dog and chocolate milk on the way home — that’s why many of these stands stay open until the wee hours.

Wandering Copenhagen’s harborfront, visitors are struck by the many young people out drinking in the streets. There’s not more beer consumption here than in the US; it’s just out in public. Many young Danes can’t afford to drink in a bar (where the tax on serving booze is astronomical), so they “picnic drink” their beers in squares and along canals, spending a quarter of the bar price for a bottle from a nearby kiosk. In my guidebook’s self-guided walk of Copenhagen, I encourage my travelers to drop by Nagib’s kiosk (a block from the popular wharf at Nyhavn) and grab a cold $2 beer to join in the scene. It was fun meeting Nagib, as for years, he’s had a steady stream of Americans dropping by to buy a beer…as dictated by some mysterious guidebook writer.

Appreciating local culture extends to sightseeing, as well. When you’re traveling, don’t just seek out the Van Goghs in Sweden, the Rembrandts in Scotland, or the Titians in Spain. Instead, open up to the local artists. In Norway, check out Munch. In Vienna, go for Klimt. And in Prague, give Mucha a look. All over Copenhagen, you’ll see the swoon-worthy art of the great Danish Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. This local Canova’s work is in the cathedral, in the palace, and packing a museum dedicated entirely to his statues right next to the palace. Do you have a favorite underrated national artist that we should keep on our list when in that artist’s homeland?

Copenhagen is a city of lovely spires and public spaces. As in many towns, once-formidable fortified walls and moat systems have morphed into peaceful, lake-filled parks. In the maps of these cities, you can see the “star fort” shapes centuries after the last cannon was retired. Copenhagen does a particularly good job of utilizing land formerly spent on defense to make the city a wonderful place to live. Wandering through these parks, you can understand why Danes usually top the list of the world’s most content societies.

spiral-spire-Church-of-our-Savior-Copenhagen — Once a mighty military base, today this Copenhagen district is a park…with bastion-shaped hills and moat-shaped lakes.

topless-Danes — Anywhere in Scandinavia, when the sun’s out, so are the people. Topless Danes were turning heads in the harbor.

copenhagen-polsevogne-hot-dogs — All over Copenhagen, mobile hotdog stands sell the traditional pølse. After a long day of weenie sales, this man is ready to roll home and take a break.

Nagib-beer-kiosk — Nagib is happy to sell my readers a bottle of beer to sip harborside for just 10 kronor — that’s about $2…a huge bargain in Danish terms.

Bertel-Thorvaldsen-cupids-arrow-statue — Local artists — often largely unknown outside their native lands — are a treat just waiting to be discovered. In Denmark, I’m in the mood to be pricked by the cupid’s arrow of Thorvaldsen.

July 29, 2014

Escaping Amsterdam with an Idyllic Countryside Canal Canoe Trip

I’ve recommended Majel Tromp’s Wetlands Safari tours in my guidebook for over a decade. And I filmed a segment with Majel years ago, when 60 Minutes did a feature on my work. It was so beautiful, I wanted to get the experience into one of our travel shows. And on this trip, it worked out perfectly.

For a little break from the Amsterdam scene, we headed into the polderland just half an hour north of the city for a canoe ride. Gliding along the canals, where the homes face the water and everyone has their own little boat, was a delight.

When we finished filming the canoe ride, Majel surprised us with a grand picnic dinner on a remote island. After putting away the dishes, we turned her tablecloth tarp into a big bedspread and took a scenic nap. I truly savored the moment, knowing that we had two great shows — one on the Netherlands and one on the great city of Amsterdam — in the can. They’ll be seen all over the USA this fall.

canoe-in-village — To film Majel’s canoe trip, we waited until “the magic hour” — with low light and warm colors late in the evening.

Rick-Steves-crew-in-car — To reach the prettiest canals, we had to pack into Majel’s car for a quick drive into the countryside.

dog-in-hole-yard-ornament — I want one of these for my yard.

dutch-duck-homes — If you give your ducks a comfy home, you never need to wonder where your duck eggs are.

Rick-Steves-crew-sleeping-on-lake — After a busy 12 days filming all around the Netherlands, our crew enjoyed a hard-earned rest.