Day 4 - Highlights from Helsingborg & Helsingor
Today we have a Guest blogger………..
TG Ted decided that he would like to be a king for the day and set off on the ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingor. He had only been in Sweden very briefly before he went to Denmark, where he hoped that he would find nothing rotten. He was not worried about getting wet feet on the ferry or if it rained as he had been told that the inventor of rubber galoshes came from Helsingborg.
Helsingor had been a little fishing town which was now a much busier as a ferry port and well known as a centre for visitors. Ted enjoyed looking at the market and saw some flowers which he thought looked like artichokes but was told were proteus flowers on sale. He learnt that they are more usually found in South Africa. Very close by the market was a small Verdigris covered copper statuette of a skull on top of a pile of copper books which gave a hint as to why there were British visitors to the town and those from round the world who had literary interests. A wall mural showing a playwright busy with a quill pen was also a clue. It was not much ado about nothing.
Going past the national boat museum, Ted found himself near to earthen ramparts and crossed a bridge over a moat to reach a castle which was a lot younger than he had expected to find. Alas, poor Ted. It was no longer a stone fortification, but a turreted palace built when the original had burnt down in the 1600s.
He climbed the stairs to admire the chambers which had once been occupied by an English Princess who became one of the Queen Matildas, he was not quite sure of which one, but who had subsequently met a grisly death after engaging in unseemly conduct with a doctor.
The beds were short and looked just his size, He found out that the king and queen had not been short, but slept propped up on pillows as it was though dangerous to lie down and sleep. He rather fancied sitting on a canopied throne in the ballroom which was the longest of its kind in Europe but didn’t dare go under the red roped which surrounded them.
Ted was hoping that one of the other TG members had found a yarn shop in Helsingborg with a fine ply to make him a ruff and hurried back to find out. He was disappointed that they hadn’t but pleased to hear that Penny had tracked down a shop selling yarn and that others had enjoyed visiting the town hall to admire the stained glass windows and some intrepid members had climbed the steps to the top of the tower overlooking the straits that Ted had crossed.
Ted rested in his cabin as the others went for another tasty evening meal. He felt that a little omelette with ham, or as he described it, as ham-let would be most appropriate for his tea. The members were treated to an alternative entertainment for the evening, a comedian with many other talents who had Penny joining in, to the delight of the Trustees who were sitting near to her.
As the wind had become stronger, the ship was sheltering in the dock overnight before sailing to the next port of call. Ted couldn’t wait to go to see the wonderful, wonderful friendly old town of the sea on Thursday.
Those that did not travel to Helsingor enjoyed a day in the friendly town of Helsingborg. We were greeted by costumed children who gave each arrival a rose, and English Speaking staff handed out maps, walk details and personal recommendations.
Until tomorrow in Copenhagen……
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