Frederiksborg Castle, Louisiana Museum and Special Friends

Tuesday, September 20 

This morning, we took a regional train to Hillerod, about 40 miles north of Copenhagen to visit Frederiksborg Castle, which now houses the Museum of National History.  With its manicured formal gardens and situation in the middle of a small lake, the massive castle has something of the feel of a French chateau.  The royal family has not resided there in three centuries and its ornate chapel is no longer the coronation venue, though it is still used as a parish church. The rest of the castle is chock full of artwork and furnishings that the eras presided over by all those Christians and Frederiks mentioned in previous posts.  We followed an audio guide that was mercifully selective (or we’d be there until Christmas!) and enjoyed wandering from room to room on our own.  

The morning was beautiful and we were able to stroll around the lake for good views of the castle and gardens before heading to back to the train station to take a local train a bit farther north to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.  The museum’s extensive sculpture garden is beautifully landscaped and set on the Oresund Sound, with views of Sweden across the water.  The exhibits inside demanded a greater understanding (and appreciation) of modern art than we possess, but we did our best.

The real treat of the day was our rendezvous with the son of our dear childhood friend Gretchen.  Luc O’Connor, his beautiful wife Papatya and their two darling daughters, Sylvia and Ramona met us at the museum café and we had a wonderful dinner together.  We last saw Luc when he was about three years old; somehow, he doesn’t remember that! Nevertheless, we had a great time spilling the beans about some of the youthful escapades of his mother and her siblings.  Luc drove us back into Copenhagen and came in for a nightcap, so we could continue our conversation; in addition to dishing about family secrets, we were especially interested to hear Luc’s perspectives on the huge differences between Scandinavian and American social systems, political life, and general wellbeing. 

This was a memorable evening, and an unquestioned highlight of this trip!