May 29 . Hillerød & Helsingør

It’s a Party Today

I took a train to Hillerød on Friday and what I found was rather unexpected. Yes, the same cobblestone streets and a busy downtown marketplace, but here in Hillerød every teenager in the entire town was running around in costumes, dancing, drinking, and spraying each other with shaving cream. Not only was it a gorgeous day and a holiday weekend – but it was the last day of school for the year. They were bizerk! I took a quiet stroll around Frederiksborg castle, snapped a few pictures (Photo, Right), and sat in awe of its beauty for awhile.

I wasn’t really in a party mood and the techno music was echoing off the lakes surrounding the castle, so I decided to head back to Helsingør. I couldn’t escape the party, though. When I got back, I went to the amazing cheese store for a cheap lunch of bread and cheese (Photo, Right) and then decided to slip into a pub located on the town’s main square. The beers were relatively cheap for Denmark ($4) so I ordered a Tuborg (also a local brew). The locals couldn’t help but notice my accent and after a few rounds of being accused as English, they finally realized I was American. It was quite a novelty to them all and they bought me round after round all night. They joked around while the main square outside was getting set up for abig party.

The music started early and lasted long into the night. The high schoolers who had just graduated sang American and Danish pop songs on a big stage set up in the square. It was hilarious. There was an announcer and the square was filled with hundreds of people, all ages, and all of them were drinking. This party was rockin'.

I chatted with a Master Baker (Photo, Right) who has been working hard and proudly at the local bakery in this town for 10 years. Danes seem pretty happy with their lot in life, generally, and as the case with Shano, he really saw no reason to alter his line of work. Also, as with most of the service industry in Denmark, he gets paid very well. After dancing on the cobblestone into the night, drinking with people who were calling me the “American Ambassador!,” I hurt my ankle/foot and headed in for the night. Apparently, in Denmark if you visit a pharmacy "after hours" they charge you an extra fee for their services. I needed an ankle wrap and had difficulty walking for the next few days.

I’ve found, it’s really easy to meet people here and everyone is soooo nice.