The Home of Hamlet

We woke to sunshine today and thought it would be great to get out and revisit one of our favorite places in Denmark, Helsingor (Elsinore in English).  Its about a 45 minute drive from where we are and is a lovely port town that is situated at the narrowest point between Denmark and Sweden (they are only 4km (2.5mi) apart).  The reason Helsingor was founded in the 1420's by the Danish King, Eric of Pomerania, at this location was to be able to establish a tax on all foreign ships passing through the Strait.  This was a very smart move as it generated 2/3rds of Denmark's revenue at the time.  The Toll was abolished 428 years later in 1857 and replaced by a one time fee that all navel nations agreed to pay.  To make Helsingor secure the King built a fortified castle called Krogan.  The castle was substantially enlarged in 1580 and renamed Kronborg Castle.  It is the most famous castle in Denmark due to William Shakespeare who in 1601 wrote Hamlet with Kronborg Castle as its setting.  Over 200,000 visitors a year make their way through its gates.  As mentioned, Helsingor is a port city and its harbor is very busy with Ferry traffic that takes people on the 20 minute journey to and from Sweden.  The historic Old Town is very quaint as they have preserved most of the older buildings and most of the streets have only pedestrian traffic.

 Original entrance into Kronborg Castle as seen from the earthen barricades that surround the moat  

 

Through the entry gate Kronborg Castle is still protected by a second moat and third protective wall

 Passing through a second entry gate you are led into the massive Inner Courtyard

 

 Some of the wonderfully restored old buildings as you enter Old Town Helsingor 

 

 A narrow cobbled stoned lane full of residential homes just off the main street

 

 The main street full of people shopping

 

Rita making a purchase at a wonderful cheese shop in the heart of Old Town Helsingor   

Canadians Celebrating German Christmas in Denmark

In Germany, as in most of Europe the big build-up to Christmas climaxes on the evening of December 24th when the presents are opened from under the tree.  The traditional Christmas dinner takes place on December 25th.  After a lovely dinner of Gilleleje smoked fish we settled in around the Christmas tree to open our presents.  For Rita and I getting Christmas gifts for each other was quite a  unique experience this year.  After departing Cape Town we had a four hour layover at London Heathrow Airport before catching our plane to Copenhagen, so we split up and had to find Christmas presents in the Duty Free Shops.  We gave ourselves 90 minutes so it was little stressful but quite a bit of fun as we not only had to find appropriate gifts but also had to be able to hide them from each other in our carry-on luggage before we met up again.  It all worked out fine and everyone enjoyed each others gifts. 

Rita's parents had packed all the ingredients for our Christmas day dinner in their car and drove them here to Denmark, so it was truly a traditional German feast.  It was fabulous and the Schnapps afterwards was much needed as a digestive.

 Franz, Geoff and Evelyn toasting our Christmas Eve dinner of smoked fish

 

 Rita as Santa's helper distributing out the presents from under the tree 

 

 Evelyn, Rita and Franz, the Christmas Day prep team, waiting for our goose to be cooked 

 

 Evelyn and Franz team up to carve up the goose. A very delicate and precise operation

 

 The end result, a delicious plate of goose, gravy, dumpling, red cabbage and kale Yuuuuummmm!!

Gilleleje

Another sunny but cold and windy day.  But we will take it over rain.  Today we headed to a fishing village about 20 minutes drive from us called Gilleleje (pronounced gill-a-lie) to pick up some fresh and smoked fish for our Christmas Eve Dinner.  As you know, in most of Europe, the big celebration day is December 24th when you open your presents after a traditional dinner.  We are combining our traditions and will open our presents on the evening of the 24th but have our traditional goose dinner on the 25th.

Gilleleje is the 5th largest commercial fishing harbor in Denmark and has been a fishing village since the late 15th century.  The town is centered around its harbor and has a very quaint 19th century residential section filled with thatched roof homes between narrow, winding streets.

 At the edge of the property with the in-laws enjoying the beautiful view

 

 Part of the fishing fleet in Gilleleje Harbor

 

 One of many fish markets.  Notice the two chimneys, they are part of the smoke house at the back

 A wide assortment of fresh and smoked fish for sale inside the fish market

 

Built in 1538, Gilleleje Church is the most famous Church in Denmark for hiding Jews in its attic during WW11.  Unfortunately, they were discovered and sent to a concentration camp

 One of the many 18th century built homes that have been lovingly restored in old town Gilleleje

Around Holloselund

The sun came out from behind the clouds today, but it was still windy and the temperature was only around 4c.  After breakfast we got on our power walking gear and headed to the forest, about a five minute drive from where we are staying, as the trails help protect us from the chilly wind.  That was pretty much it for our outdoor activities for the day.  Tomorrow we will head to Gilleleje a fishing village about 20 minutes from here to pick up some fish for our Christmas Eve dinner.

Our view of the North Sea from the top of the stairs that take us down to the beach

A side view of the property as it slopes down towards the sea.  The stairs are in the middle  

We stopped a friendly Dane who took this picture of us in the middle of the forest

 

A lovely old farmhouse and barn at the edge of the forest.  Thatched roofs are very common here 

 

Stopped another friendly Dane who spent several years in Canada to take this picture of us after we finished our walk.  At the edge of the forest is a long stretch of sand dunes that meets the North Sea

 

Spring into Winter

When we left Cape Town at 10:00pm it was sunny, warm (27c) and heading into summer.  When we arrived in Copenhagen at 3:30pm it was overcast, cold (3.5c) and winter had arrived.  We picked up our rental car and headed to our good friend Josh's cottage in a tiny village called Holloselund that overlooks the North Sea.  Thankfully, its only about an hours drive from Copenhagen Airport and we managed to arrive while there was still some light in the sky.  We unpacked, headed to the local grocery store to pick up some essentials, showered and had a very nice dinner before collapsing into bed after 18 hours of traveling.  The next day Rita and I cleaned the place up, as it had not been used for some time, to get it ready for her parents arrival later in the afternoon.  As you can imagine, it was an emotional welcome as they had not seen each other for several months.  We had another very nice dinner over a lot of conversation, most of it in German.  The following morning we headed for Helsinge, a larger town about 10 minutes drive from our cottage to pick up some serious groceries, wine, a Christmas tree and decorations. Tomorrow we will start to settle into our Denmark routine.

Our little cottage overlooking the North Seas as seen from the stairs that take you down to the sea

Rita putting together her Dad's favorite dish, chicken provencal, to celebrate their arrival in Denmark

 Franz, Rita and Evelyn toasting their reunion (Prost, Prost, Kameraden) before tucking into dinner

 Picking out our Christmas tree at the Juletrae Marked (Christmas Tree Market)

 

Almost finished decorating the Jule Trae (Christmas Tree) 

Out of Africa

 

Rita and I came to South Africa to experience its unique wildlife in their natural habitat, to explore the rich diversity of its natural beauty and taste the bounty of its oceans and vineyards.  We did not leave disappointed.  An African Safari was high on both our bucket lists and our week at Zulu Nyala definitely exceeded our expectations.  What really surprised us was how wonderfully friendly the locals were towards us and the pride they have in their country. Also, the diversity of the South African landscapes is truly amazing and for Rita and I totally unexpected.  But the big shocker was the value for money you received when comparing it to Canadian prices.  Once you get here your Canadian dollars go a long, long way.  Finally, this unique and varied country truly delivers on its promise to welcome and amaze you.  If South Africa is not on your bucket list, it has to be added.

See you next in Denmark. 

Last Day in South Africa

We don't fly out of Cape Town until 10:00pm so we have one more full day here before departing to Denmark. It was another warm and sunny day with strong wind gusts.  After our power walk and breakfast we went to take one last stroll along the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton.  We also wanted to take another trip up to Table Mountain to see what the views were like during the day as we had gone up late in the afternoon to experience the sunset and the night lights of the city.  The last three days the cable car had been closed due to high winds so we were hoping they would die down on our last day.  Unfortunately, that was not the case as the winds were strong enough to keep the cable car closed again. Onto plan B.  One of the places we had not visited was the promenade and lighthouse at Green Point so we got into our car and spent a couple of hours exploring the area.  It was time to go and pack the last of our bags and meet the house agent to hand over the keys.  Our luggage was a lot heavier than when we arrived as we were packing 3 bottles of French Champagne and a bottle of South African brandy to consume in Denmark.  The Champagne was such a good deal ($30.00 a bottle) that we had to buy it here.  We also had a case of South African wine that we were bringing home with us to Vancouver.  As we were passing through London, all the alcohol had to be part of our checked in luggage.  Rita did an excellent job of safely packing the Champagne and brandy while I filled a specifically made Styrofoam wine box with our South African wines.  Everything went as planned and we dropped of the rental car, checked our luggage all the way through to Copenhagen and made our way safely through security and onto the plane for our 11.5 hour flight to London.

On our last night in Cape Town we had a beautiful full moon.  The view from our balcony of Lions Head Mountain in moonlight was beautiful

View of Clifton Beach looking back from the water with beach homes, Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles covered in clouds

  Taking a stroll along the waters edge of Clifton Beach

The Atlantic seaboard of Cape Town has a spectacular beachfront promenade that follows the curves of the coastline for 7km (3.5mi).  The area is densely populated with high rise apartments along the promenade route.  Lions Head Mountain is in the background

Built in 1824, this still functioning Lighthouse at Green Point is the oldest in South Africa.  It sits on parkland between the beachfront promenade and a main roadway.  The locals affectionately call it the "Moaning Minnie" for its low-pitched fog horn     

Table Mountain

If you can only do one thing when you go to Cape Town it has to be the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain.  Table Mountain is the flat top mountain that dominates the landscape, climate and development of the city and provides Cape Town with a 6,000 hectare (14,820 acre) wilderness at its center.  You can climb the mountain in about 3 hours or, like us, take a 4 minute cable car ride to the top.  The first cable car was completed in 1929 and since then over 20 million people have been transported to the top.  The current cable car system is the third update since the original and has a floor that rotates 360 degrees allowing all passengers to have full views of Cape Town and the mountains.  Once at the top you can take several trails to explore the 3km (2mi) long but very narrow table top plateau and enjoy the captivating views at 1,086m (3,562ft) above sea level.  However, Table Top Mountain is not always open as heavy rains, high winds or the flat top of the mountain is draped in clouds called the "table cloth" closes the cable car and trails.  This often happens, so if the day offers little wind and no clouds, you take the opportunity to make the trip to the top of the mountain.

 One of two, 65 passenger cable cars that take you up and down Table Mountain in 4 minutes

Looking down at Lions Head Mountain and part of Cape Town.  Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison, is the small Island out in the ocean. 

 Walking on one of the rocky trails on Table Mountains plateau and waiting for the sun to set

 At one of the lookout points just before sunset

 

View of Lions Head Mountain and the cable car as dusk settles in and the lights start to twinkle

 

Table Bay and Cape Town at dusk 

   

View of Cape Town and Table Bay at night as we descend down Table Mountain

    

Hout Bay

After our drive through Chapman's Peak we decided to check out the quaint coastal town of Hout Bay.  It's a very picturesque town about 20 minutes drive from Camps Bay and is close to the  entrance point for Chapman's Peak drive.  The name Hout Bay means Wood Bay in English and was named by the first Governor of Cape Town who found most of the wood required to build the early Cape settlement in this area.  Unfortunately, not much of the forest remains today but It developed into one of the busiest harbors in the Western Cape with well-established tuna, snoek (mackerel type fish) and crayfish fisheries.  We wandered around the harbor and soaked up the atmosphere as it was a holiday here (Reconciliation Day) the place was jumping with locals and tourists alike.

An abandoned public building is slowly becoming engulfed by a large sand dune.  The sea is on the other side of the dune.  Hout Bay is surrounded by mountains and a large inlet which makes it a beautiful place to visit but it also means it gets a lot of windy days, like it was today.  You can see the sand being whipped by the wind near the top of the roof

Mariners Wharf at the entrance to Hout Bay Harbor has several shops, bars, seafood restaurants and a fish and shellfish market that allows fisherman and tourists to intermingle in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere

   

A group of musicians at Mariners Wharf pounding out some wonderful rhythmic music on drums and several xylophones completely made out of wood

  The pristine waters of Hout Bay Harbor with its fleet of fishing boats waiting to go out at sunrise  

Champmans Peak Drive Redeux

Chapman's Peak Drive runs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek and was started in 1915 and completed seven years later in 1922.  It's a spectacular 10km(6.25miles) drive that was considered, at the time, to be a major feat of engineering.  The drive is not always open as it closes due to hazardous weather conditions (heavy rains or winds) or rock fall situations.  This was our fourth attempt at driving this route.  The first two times the road was closed due to high winds.  The third time we went, it was a beautiful sunny day with no wind and the road was open.  It's a toll road and you pay 36 Rand ($3.60) each way.  We took some wonderful shots but when we got home I realized that I had left my camera's memory card in the laptop and so had no images from the day!!!  Yes, I felt like a complete idiot.  However, a couple of days later we had another chance to check out the drive and although it was a windy day, it was not bad enough to close the road.  So, off we went to replicate what we had done a couple of days earlier.  It was still a lot of fun as the road is very narrow with lots of twists and turns as it hugs the near-vertical face of Chapman's Mountain. 

The start of Chapman's Peak Drive begins along the lovely Hout Bay beach

 

 A spectacular view of Hout Bay Inlet and the surrounding mountains from one of the pullouts

 Enjoying the magnificent views at the Chapman's Peak summit lookout

 

The cut of the 2-lane road as it winds it's way around Chapman Mountain 

At the end of Chapman's Peak drive you turn a corner and see the wonderful white, sandy Noordhoek Beach stretch out in front of you.  A breathtaking way to end the drive.  We stopped to take in the views and then got back in the car to head back the way we came very happy that I had my memory card in the camera this time!!!