Sophie’s World

On our way back north was my third World Heritage site, Kronborg Castle, Hamlet’s castle, in Elsinore. The town is actually called Helsingør in Danish, but Elsinore sounds so much more romantic, doesn’t it? Thanks to Willie S., no doubt, but also, just the sound of it: Elsinore!

Kronborg Castle is interesting enough in its own right, even without any references to Shakespeare. It’s from an era when Denmark was one of the great powers in Europe. Once a naval fortress guarding the entrance to the Baltic, then King Fredrik II had it converted into a fantastic renaissance palace, a summer house. Kronborg even sported northern Europe’s largest ball room as Queen Sophie loved to dance. Must have been a fun place to hang out in the 1500s.

We explore the royal apartments, surprisingly modestly decorated. Well, perhaps not so surprising. We are in Scandinavia after all, not France. Some saucy paintings decorate the otherwise stark castle walls:

Outside, moats and drawbridges. I half expected to see the dead Ophelia floating in the moat, over by the swans there, perhaps. Or even see Hamlet’s ghost, or that of his father, brutally murdered by his wife Gertrude and his scheming brother Claudius. Dramatic stuff. But they must all be away today. Neither ghosts nor Ken Branagh or Mel Gibson roam the grounds of this magnificent castle.

Talking about overrated (re last post), some think Stonehenge is. I don’t. Seeing the morning mist clear and the sun rise through the stones was magical. Walking within the stones at 5 a.m. - and touching them, was fantastic. The idea that they have stood here since times immemorial - what these stones must have witnessed. Atrocities in the name of religion, no doubt - but also love, hate, play, petty jealousies, generosity of spirit; through several millennia. Mindblowing!

I shan’t say more. Pictures speak louder:

Approaching…

…and leaving

Others were here before - Victorian graffiti, better quality of work then, wasn’t it?

As a result of more efficient border control, such as the Schengen Agreement, you can travel in much of Europe without a passport. Even when a passport is required, it merely warrants a cursory glance. While I applaud easy ... [Continue reading this entry]

Transdniestr is a different world; a living museum of times gone by. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Moldova seriously considered joining Romania, much to the Transdniestrians chagrin. Next door to Ukraine, Transdniestr has more in common with Ukraine ... [Continue reading this entry]

So here it is. At last. The no doubt much-anticipated part III of the Murder and Mayhem Series: Jack the Ripper. 121 years ago, Jack hung around Whitechapel, ridding the world of prostitutes. 5 murders have been attributed to him - grotesque ... [Continue reading this entry]

Leaving the bridges -  but not the river quite yet -  we come to Wapping (in present day Docklands), known for several centuries as Execution Dock. This is where pirates were strung up after sentencing by the Admiralty court. One who ... [Continue reading this entry]

For years, I've wanted to do one of those Jack the Ripper-walking tours and on my last visit to London, I managed to fit it in. It turned out to be more of a "700 years of London Criminal History"-walk, ... [Continue reading this entry]

On a late February Friday night, this is what I ‘m doing: Drinking milk shake. Now I’m sure I could have been doing much more interesting things. But the possibilities seem a bit, well, civilized and contemporary, compared ... [Continue reading this entry]