There's something rotten at Kronborg Slot

My host parents took me to my first Danish Castle!!! It was built during the Renaissance (1420) in Helsingør, Denmark and renovated by King Frederick II in the 1500s. It is perched at the smallest passage between Denmark and Sweden and when the Danes owned both sides of the pass it was the perfect location to collect tolls from passers by. This castle is most famous as the castle Elsinore in the play Hamlet! Sadly I found out that Hamlet was a completely fictional character.

This was the bridge over the moat

The lovely cannons as the first defense!

The first view of the beautiful spires. This castle is under pretty serious renovation.

I loved the Baroque style on the roofs.

This is a miniature representation of the whole castle grounds.

This day was absolutely FREEZING! So I captured the ice frozen on the walls.

 This is a panorama of the inner courtyard. The perspective is a little off but imagine it as a square with the big beautiful spire right in front

These two photos are under the castle (Peter, my host dad walked into bottom photo) where the soldiers ate, trained, and slept. I was extra excited for the tour we went on because I'd never seen this part of a castle before. It was small, damp, and cold, but centuries old. You really can't get much better.

This is Ogier the Dane, a kind of Danish King Arthur. Besides looking totally viking and awesome it is said that he is buried under this castle and when Denmark is truly in trouble he will live again! 

This photos are of the chapel on the castle grounds. There was a huge fire in the castle at some point in the past but this church was saved. It was amazing. The carvings on the outside of all the pews were different and there is even a pew for the King and Queen should they ever come to this chapel. It is mostly a museum but it can be opened for weddings, events, and the like.

The cannons above are ceremoniously fired (I don't remember for which major event though) and the swan is the national bird of Denmark and this was my first glimpse. They must have been really cold though!