About Denmark
Three literary figures define a significant slice of what many Americans know about this smallest of Nordic countries. Shakespeare's Hamlet, the fictional son of the Danish royal house, is nicknamed “the melancholy Dane” — for good reason considering the play’s plot line. By contrast, there are the tales brought to us by Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on the island of Funen.

It's easy to imagine yourself in a fictional Nordic world as you explore castles and manor houses (there are more than 120 on Funen), the thatched huts, parks and gardens of the area that nurtured the Andersen imagination. The other well-known Danish author is Karen Blixen who came to life in her book and the later movie, “Out of Africa.” Others of her stories, such as “Babette’s Feast,” were set in her homeland. Descendants of the daring Vikings, today's Danes, almost all of whom speak English, are a well-educated, egalitarian and widely traveled lot. They are concerned about protecting the environment, as well as the preservation of charming little towns, the great houses and other aspects of their heritage.

Open-air, living history museums dot the country illustrating the past ways of life for farmers, fishermen and Vikings; there are also several Viking museums. At the same time, the Danes are on the cutting edge of elegant modern design for furniture, glass, silverware and the like. Their classy products are for sale though not for a song. In fact, Denmark can be a relatively expensive vacation choice. It is a safe destination, and the largest city Copenhagen prides itself on being both a livable capital and the liveliest of Scandinavian cities. Greenland, sparsely populated and ice-covered, is the largest of Denmark’s islands; it also is home ruled and treated separately at BestTripChoices.com. Because of its northern European location, Denmark’s visitors most often arrive in summer when days are delightfully long.

Charter a schooner out of Elsinore for a private sailing excursion. Or, charter a yacht from any of several marinas.

Check out the Roskilde Festival, northern Europe’s largest rock festival.

Recite your Hamlet at the castle made famous by the Shakespearean play. Kronborg Castle in Elsinore is both a Renaissance castle and military fortress.

Visit a sports center where you can try parachute jumping, or archery, or indoor mountaineering.

Try your skills at water polo.

Lend a hand to reenactors when they construct houses or other buildings as part of an ongoing re-creation of Viking life at the Ribe Vikingecenter living history museum. Also, sample Viking foods on site. The country’s Viking museums include the intriguing Viking Ship Museum, built in Roskilde because several Viking ships were found submerged in the fjord near the city.

Search for Danish ancestors at the Danish Emigration Archives in Aalborg.

Go scuba diving or windsurfing off the east coast of Bornholm island.

Eat smoked herring and smoked salmon. See if you can manage a traditional tall, open-face sandwich called smorrebrod. And, if you dare, sample Aalborg Akvavit, a potent, caraway-flavored liqueur.

Take day trips or longer cruises on the Baltic Sea.

Attend a concert or theater performance at Esrum Abbey, near Gribskov and Esrum Lake. The building is the last remaining wing of a once-vast Cistercian Abbey dating from about 1150.

Try Nordic walking, a form of walking that employs modified ski poles and combines the effects of running with those of cross-country skiing.

Cycle one of Denmark’s 11 bike routes. For more information go to www.visitdenmark.com

Go to the island of Bornholm for hiking and fishing.

Get your jazz fix at the annual VinterJazz festival, which offers performances in Arhus, Copenhagen, Odense and numerous small cities.

See preserved Iron Age men, the Tollund Man in the Silkeborg Museum in Silkeborg and the Grauballe Man at the Moesgaard Museum of Prehistory outside Arhus. The Moesgaard grounds also feature Viking graves and a reconstructed stave church. Also, at Jelling you can see the Jelling runic stones, which date from the 10th century.

Attend the July 4 celebrations in the Rebild National Park, and hear prominent American and Danish speakers, who could include members of the royal family. Additional Independence Day activities are scheduled in nearby Aalborg.

Taste the beer made using traditional methods at the Old Town living history museum in Arhus.

Bathe in the Baltic Sea on the coast of Bornholm island. Or, snorkel there.
Or, swim on the beaches on the west coast of northern Jutland and, if you visit after a storm, look for amber. It sometimes washes ashore when seas are choppy and winds strong.

Spend a day or evening at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, a site for concerts, theater, restaurants and other kinds of fun.

See Legoland, a miniature amusement park and museum built entirely of plastic Lego blocks, located in Billund on the Jutland Peninsula. Look for Mount Rushmore made with Legos.

Play golf at any of more than 100 courses in Denmark.

See the home of Karen Blixen, aka Isak Dinesen, author of “Out of Africa.” Her estate, Rungstedlund, north of Copenhagen, is now a museum.

Tour the Carlsberg beer brewery in Copenhagen.

Shop for amber, considered to be Scandinavia’s first export. Time your trip right, and you can troll the country’s several Christmas markets.

Attend a concert in one of the four 12th century round churches on Bornholm island.

On Funen island, see samples of collage artwork by Hans Christian Andersen (he did more than tell stories). Attend Andersen plays at the Funen Village living history museum. Learn more about the man best known for fairy tales at the eponymous museum and at his childhood home in Odense, Funen’s main city.

Walk a maze on the grounds of Egeskov Castle outside Odense. Tour the fortress home, too, with its system of double walls allowing defenders of the castle to abandon one section and defend the other. There also are scalding holes in the outer walls (to warm the enemy!), and those double walls conceal staircases and a well.

For more information, consult Visit Denmark at www.visitdenmark.com

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