Exploring Helsingborg and Helsingør

I started off my day journeying to Helsingborg! Depending on the train you catch the trip can last 30-40 minutes. Helsingborg is a beautiful, small city with hidden gems - first stop:

Fredriksdals Museet & Trädgårdar

Address: Gisela Trapps väg 1, 254 37 Helsingborg
Opening Hours:

• Monday - Sunday @ 10:00 - 16:00 

This place is pretty much an open-air museum with a botanical garden. The displays include live-animals whom you can look at (and in my case, chat to as you walk around) as well as old farmhouses.

I have to say I think this was my favourite part of the day - the sun was shining, the air was crisp and fresh, and more than that - I got to spend time with animals! You can't touch them or enter into their space in the barns/fields but I think there's something special about being in the presence of nonhuman others. Although I'm not 100% sure whether these animals are farmed or exploited, it was enjoyable before I found a creepy preserved specimen of a bird on their "nature" pathways. 

The photograph below is what they called the "bug house" - providing "accommodation" for wanted bug life to diversity the botanic garden ecosystem. 

Kärnan Tower

• Address: Slottshagsgatan, 250 07 Helsingborg
• Opening Hours: From March - November, Monday - Sunday @ 11:00 - 18:00 

Lunch @ Restaurang Chay 

Lunch Special: SEK99 inclusive of a drink, your choice of Coke, Sprite or Fanta

Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Restaurang Chay was disappointing: there is no English menu and the staff were abrupt and unhelpful with making the effort of making me feel welcome. Although there was a linguistic barrier, staff can speak English well - but I felt hurried to finish my meal. Flavour-wise the food was decent, although I wish there were more "toppings" (mostly it was grated carrots, cucumber and capsicum). 

I was really looking forward to vegan Asian food, and I had read excellent reviews on the place but perhaps this time my expectations were too high. I found SEK99 to be overpriced for what I ordered. The Lunch Special changes each day and on Thursday there was a choice of 3 dishes. 

I did plan to visit both: 

Sankta Maria Kyrka

• Address: Mariagatan 8B, 252 23 Helsingborg

St Mary's Parish

• Address: Södra Storgatan 22, 252 23 Helsingborg

BUT Sankta Maria Kyrka was closed for reconstruction and St Mary's Parish was still closed (opened at 12:00) when I arrived. I thought I'd be able to make it back at the end of the day but didn't get round to it! 

Anyway, on to the ferry onboard to Helsingør!

Kronborg (The model for Elsinore Castle in Shakespeare's Hamlet) 
Opening Hours: (January - March)

• Tuesday - Sunday @ 11:00 - 16:00 
• Monday closed 

Ticket Prices (January - May 2019) DKK85 = SEK120

The King's Apartments (reconstruction)

The Castle runs free tours in English for people interested: I attending the tour running from 13:30 - 14:30. Meet outside the Chapel - lookout for the guide dressed in black with "Kronborg" on the back!

Reconstructions of the King and Queen's royal attire

Tapestries (an underrated artform!)

To the dungeons (the nether regions of the Castle)

Holger the Dane Statue: he'll wake up to protect the nation when needed!

Ending this post with this photograph because why not? Classic Denmark!