A Summer as a Viking in Denmark

My family and I stumbled out of our car and staggered into the house. We had finally arrived at out first vacation home! It was located at a town called Faxe, which is about an hour's drive from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. We were all tired and jet-lagged. My dad was especially tired from driving us in our rented Ford Focus to our destination. The wooden house was big and relatively new and proved to be a congenial place to stay. Strange, unidentifiable trees surrounded it. There was a swing behind our house, which I would play with everyday after dinner. We lived in a friendly neighborhood, and this place gave me a nice first impression for Denmark. The soft beds in the house were a treat to all our tired bodies.

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After consulting the local tourism bureau at Faxe, it recommended we visit a nearby limestone quarry. We were told there were fascinating lakes there and fossils embedded in the limestone and we could excavate and keep any fossils we discovered. When I jumped off the car to survey what was ahead of us, I was in awe. In front of me was the bluest natural lake I've seen in my life. The alluring waters were shockingly blue. The quarry was one of the most dazzling sceneries in the world, I thought. The grounds nearest to the water were semi-solid limestone and were soft and very sticky. My shoes almost got stuck in the limestones at one point. The weather was cool and it was very windy in the quarry. We agreed to keep our visit short, fearing we would freeze to death in the cold, cruel, Scandinavian weather, but we couldn't help but take two hours to stroll around the magnificent quarry.

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We visited Mons Island and went to the famous chalk cliffs at Mons Klint. We hiked up a short hill trail and arrived at the scenic spot. The skies of Denmark were cloudless, so the trees there provided a comfortable shade from the bright burning sun.  I picked up small pieces of the powdery chalk and they crumbled easily in my hand. It was an interesting sight for me, because I always imagined chalk as the white sticks that teachers use to write on chalkboards. I'd never seen such a gigantic piece of natural chalk before. There is a tragic side to my experience at Mons Klint. An information bulletin board explained to me that after some time, the chalk cliffs would be eroded away by seawater. It was sad to know this natural wonder would be gone someday.

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The trip to the Knuthenborg Safari Park at Lolland Island was a unique experience. I was quite surprised to discover a Safari Park advertisement in a local magazine. I thought to myself, " How could African animals live in such a chilly place?" I persuaded my family to go there and check it out. It was fun. When we first arrived, I ran into the huge playground there. We messed in the playground for a while. It was a bit childish but incredibly fun at the same time.

We drove along the Safari pathway and were able to have close encounters with lots of exotic animals including giraffes, lamas, tigers, and camels. I actually had a chance to feel the hairy  camel's warm fur. The park was a home to so many animals and so many diverse in species. There were several occasions when our car was stuck because of the herds of animals swarming around us. I had a chance to take many close-up pictures of various speciess. But when we left the park in the afternoon, the unanswered question still lingered in my mind. What happens to the African animals during a freezing Scandinavian winter?

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I hopped off the car and into the streets of Copenhagen, the largest city and the capital of Denmark. Copenhagen was very different from Hong Kong. Copenhagen was a lot more spacious and less crowded. The total population of Copenhagen is 95,029, compared to Hong Kong's population of 7,008,900 people. The air quality was a lot better. The little pollution created by Copenhagen's small population is blown away from the city by the fierce winds from the North Sea. It was hard to find a building higher than fifteen stories. The buildings there were short and wide. Many were obviously built a long time ago, but were well maintained and still proudly displayed the beautiful culture and heritage  of the Danes. We strolled along the streets of Copenhagen, enjoying every single moment.

We went to the National Museum and spent the entire morning there. I was deeply interested in almost everything in the museum. I was especially interested in Denmark's history of how it developed from a primitive Viking society to a relatively rich and advanced country. My family had to drag me around wherever they went, lest I spent the rest of the holiday in the museum looking at everything with great detail.

The last destination of our tour of Copenhagen was the famous Little Mermaid statue. The Little Mermaid is from Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale. The Danish writer's story was further promoted by Disney's cartoon version of the story. The simple statue seemed small and insignificant when I looked at it with my own eyes, but it was the symbol of Copenhagen. 

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The sound of crashing waves thundered all around me. We walked precariously on the breakwater and out further from the beach, praying that the monstrous waves wouldn't reach up and grab us with their  deadly grip. We were at the North Sea, notorious for its wild waves. The air smelled salty from the evaporating seawater. Occasionally, some seawater would splash up and I would  taste the salty sprinkles. The view from the edge of the breakwater of the North Sea was grand and majestic. The waves battered mercilessly against the beach. As I stood watching the scene, I suddenly realized how powerful nature was and the weakness of human beings.

 

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Denmark is one of the world's most charming countries on earth. Denmark is blessed with natural wonders and gorgeous  scenery. Its forests are teeming with life and its waters are clear and clean. There are lovely wide wheat fields scattered around Denmark everywhere. Although the Danes live side by side with nature, they are very advanced as well. There are big shopping malls and office buildings in big cities. The houses there are colorful and adorable. Denmark is the perfect mix between nature and city living. As a tourist, Denmark gave me a welcoming and friendly impression and left me with some unforgettable and sweet memories. Living as a Viking certainly isn't as bad as it sounds.