Denmark Day!

Em and I decided that we needed a day out of the house.. and out of Hässleholm.. so we jumped on a train to Helsingborg and then jumped on a little big boat and headed over to the land of Danes!

 

First stop.. was Kronborg Castle! 

 

 

The weather was freezing.. but we got inside just in time to take advantage of being indoors with a tour.. an English one thankfully! We walked around listening to the stories from the guide, telling us all sorts of tidbits.. one that amused me so was the story of the cutlery. He showed us a mock set table.. and one thing that was missing was the cutlery! Why was this you ask? Well.. he went onto tell us that cutlery back in the day was considered a very very very personal item.. much like a toothbrush. People would carry their own cutlery around with them. However, they didn't use it like you and I would use cutlery.. it was only used to grab the food.. as in.. you would shove your fork into a big hunk of something.. then use your knife to slice off a hunk of something.. then you would use your hands to remove said hunk of something and proceed to stuff your face by eating with your hands. Nuts. What was even more nuts was the fact that after each course.. the table cloth was replaced.. why you ask? Well.. because these people used the table cloths as communal napkins.. coz as you can imagine your hands would be very dirty and greasy from all that eating with hands.. one does need to be able to wipe and wipe and wipe. I am not sure I would like to witness such things.

Moving onto the ballroom.. we were then told about how there were no loo's.. the men had it easy by just being able to nick off down a few steps to the outside to relieve themselves.. while the women.. in their big many layered dresses would just nick off into little areas by the windows.. and relieve themselves. They never actually left the room. It all sounds really disgusting if you ask me.. but it gets better! They would also eat in this room.. where people who were invited were served more food than they could possibly eat.. so to be able to get through it all, once you were full.. you would call for a servant to come and bring you a large silver bowl and a goose feather.. the goose feather was then used to put down your throat.. so that you could throw up everything you just ate.. so that you could then continue to eat the supplied food.. you know so nothing would be wasted. And you have to remember.. I am now talking about the very elite of people. I for one.. would not like to go to one of these parties.

All in all the tour was very interesting and I did quite enjoy it. Once it was over we headed down to the Casemates for a little look around.. it was cold down there too so I had to put on my jacket.. and you could see ones breath! So I was being all creepy.. and Em did not appreciate it one little bit! I'm 32.. I should act like a growned up right? Naaaaa!

Our bellehs were starting to growl.. so we headed off to have a selection of Smørrebrød.. and of course a beer, we were in Daneland afterall! Although, Em only had Coke.. and true to Daneland standards.. it cost more to simply have softdrink instead of beer! They do love their beer over there!

We wandered around a little.. and soon enough it was time to catch the boat back over and get back to our little man.. he would be o so lonely! We left with our prized Boysenbær jam! Yes! We found some boysenberry jam again in Daneland! It's been in hiding the last few times we have been over..  but this time we found it.. and a couple of varieties of it.. we got the normal one and one other one to try! We are well stocked on the boysenberry jam front! Choice as bro!