A Fairy Tale Castle

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Goddag

Here’s the weather report.  Rain.  Rain.  More rain.  Occasional clearing.  Wind.  Rain.  I am so glad I have my raincoat.

I did some chores, recycling, groceries, getting cash before the real day’s business began

I went to Norrebro Station.  My target was Hillerod.  So easy the guidebook made it seem.  Get on the suburban train and ride it to the end of the line.  Or not, because that particular line wasn’t running.  Fortunately I had a day pass, so I could chop and change as necessary.

So I got on a train.  Realized I was going in the wrong direction.  Got off.  Found the new train.  Got on and got off at least three times in confusion and insecurity.  Sheesh!  It was like taking a bus.

Finally I settled in and waited and the train took off.  I knew I would have to change to another line to get to where I really wanted to go.  An announcement came in Danish.  I guessed what it meant and prepared to leave the train to change.  An announcement came in English to confirm my guess, so off we got and stampeded for the proper platform.  Then the train came.

I got on and settled in.

I hopped off at Hillerod, which is a pretty town in itself, but I was there to see the castle. I walked up and down hill through the town following signs.  Then I got to the main square and looked across the lake.  Ahhh

Hans Christian Andersen probably did not see Fredriksborg but the castle surely could have served as a backdrop or setting for some of his stories.  Rising out of the lake it looks far more like something out of a fairy tale than a fortress.  I get lost between all the Fredriks and Christians who ruled Denmark, but they used to live in this idyllic setting.

I approached—in the rain of course, by walking along a lovely path around the lake and entered across the bridge and through the gatehouses.  The castle now holds a natural history museum, which I did not visit. The various courtyards with their fountains and passages are free to the public as is the garden.

I spent hours in the grounds wandering around the formal gardens and strolling the paths, and I barely scratched the surface of the extensive park.  In good weather this would be a great place for a hike and picnic—or a more civilized lunch in the charming town.

Is that what you did, Pil?

Actually, no.  When I emerged from the station at Norrbro it was pouring.  Even so I stopped at the polservogn where I got a far more serious sausage than the hot dog I had previously.  It was huge and actually looked like food.  Tasted like it, too.  Yum!  These are served with a soft bun, large dollop of catsup—although it does not taste like American catsup but more like cocktail sauce and mustard—which I carried home through the rain.

And of course after I’d taken off my contact lenses and my shoes and settled in the sun came out.  I was too tired to go back out though.

Farvel