Helsingor and Swedish Sidetrip

Today was quite the travel day. I got out early since I had until noon before my Copenhagen card expired and I would be out of any free travel and discounts on certain services. I first stopped in Helsingor, Denmark to walk around and visit Kronborg Castle. The train ride was smooth and the countryside was lovely. We passed a soccer field that had tons of deer feeding. I've seen deer. I've seen them feeding. But I've never seen so many deer grazing together like that before.

I made it to Helsingor without incident and immediately purchased a ticket for the Scandlines ferry to Sweden. Using the Copenhagen card got me a 20 percent discount off the fare. I also managed to enter the Helsingor Bymuseet just a few minutes before my card turned into a pumpkin.

Helsingor was a quaint town and I had a lot of fun walking around. I fully enjoyed the Jule Market, which appeared to have more locals. Plus, the items for sale were less expensive than down in Copenhagen. My visit to Kronborg Castle was brief as I didn't feel like entering the castle. I did walk around the grounds though.

The ferry to Helsingborg was loaded with Swedes on their way back from Denmark where they go exclusively to buy alcohol. It takes about 20 minutes to cross the Oresund. Although there are major similarities between the two countries, there are marked differences as well. One should never assume that the two are the same. I made sure to keep any comparisons I had to myself.

I immediately found Harry's across from the train station. I was too early for the pub menu, but hungry enough for the buffet. I ordered the penne pasta with broccoli and ham in a thick cream sauce, and chose something called "Rhode Island dressing" for my salad. I grew up in New England and have never heard of anything called Rhode Island dressing. A Google search for it, came up mostly with Swedish sites. It tasted similar to Thousand Island or Russian dressing.

One of the differences between Denmark and Sweden is that in Denmark, it is not customary to tip the wait staff. In Sweden, you tip but there's really no set percentage. I asked the waitress about the tipping protocol and was ecstatic that she understood the culture of tipping in the United States, because she was able to reference it when explaining how much extra I should leave the other waitress for my meal.

With a satisfied belly, I was able to explore a little bit of the town. I snapped photos of Karnan Tower and Jacob Hansen's House. I found that Helsingborg didn't hold my interest so I continued on to Malmo. Since I spent much more time in Helsingor, Denmark than I thought I would, I didn't arrive in Malmo until the evening. It was dark outside and things began to close early so there wasn't much for me to do. I stayed a little over an hour before I headed back to Copenhagen, but not before stopping into a cafe for a snack and some people watching.

I dunno. I wasn't really *feeling* Sweden. It certainly was interesting and I'm grateful for the experience, but if I were ever to visit again, Stockholm would probably be my choice.