Scandinavia And Historic Shores

Denmark’s capital is arguably one of the world’s best-loved cities, and certainly the liveliest of all the Scandinavian capitals. It is a gracious and comfortable place, with a decidedly friendly, hospitable and fun-loving atmosphere. If there is such a thing as a cozy city, Copenhagen is it. From the lingering memory of the tales of Hans Christian Andersen to the colored lights of Tivoli Gardens, there is a delightful ambience that surrounds the visitor everywhere. Tidy, narrow streets are lined with tempting restaurants and cafes, and the pedestrian-only Stroget abounds with stylish shops. The spirited Copenhageners are imaginative and unconventional and exude a “do-what-you-want” philosophy that embraces and respects almost all aspects of life. Every friendly Dane you meet further illustrates the city’s motto “Wonderful, wonderful, Copenhagen.”

This delightful hilly town, boasting medieval houses and ruined fortifications, is Gotland’s capital city. Due to its gentle climate an abundance of roses bloom here, even as late as November, marking Visby as ‘The City of Roses. In its heyday, Visby was one of the richest trading centers in northern Europe. Remains of the medieval city walls are considered to be among the best-preserved in Europe. Additional points of interest include the cathedral, one of the town’s 17 medieval churches still in use today; the Old Apothecary, a late-medieval four-story merchant’s house; and the Fornsal Museum with an interesting exhibit of medieval artwork, hordes of silver form Viking times, and impressive picture stones that predate the Viking rune stones. Sweden’s main holiday island offers wide sandy beaches, wild cliff formations, and verdant sheepfarming country and glades in which 35 different varieties of wild orchids thrive, attracting botanists from around the world. There are also a hundred more churches dating from Gotland’s great commercial era scattered across the island which are still in use today.

Ystad is a town in Skåne county on Sweden’s southern coast. Its medieval town center features cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses. It’s also home to Klostret i Ystad, a centuries-old Franciscan monastery and museum. Close by, St. Mary’s Church has a silver collection and is known for its night watchman’s horn signal. The town is the setting of author Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander crime series.

At the tip of the flat, sandy Jutland peninsula, Skagen is Denmark’s northernmost town and a popular holiday destination for Danes. It was long Denmark’s most important fishing port, but its popularity as a recreation area began at the end of the 19th Century when Queen Alexandrine, the wife of King Christian X, fell in love with the rustic character of the place and built the summer residence Klitgaarden. The royal couple invited other Scandinavian and European royalty to share holidays with them and Skagen’s reputation grew. At the same time, the Skagensbanen railway made travel to Jutland easier. Impressionist artists were attracted by the exotic sand- and seascapes and the vivid light reflected from the sea, and a school of Skagen Painters thrived in the first quarter of the 20th century. Arts and crafts still remain an important local tradition, and the town has many shops and galleries offering handmade goods to visitors. There is a venerable lighthouse near the peninsula’s tip, where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet, but due to their differing densities, their margins can clearly be seen. A St. Lawrence’s Church was built in Skagen in the 14th century, but it was eventually inundated by drifting sand dunes. The Skagen Church of today was built in 1841.

Historically, Lysekil was mainly known as a bathing location in Sweden in the 19th century, due to its popular bathing house dating from 1847. Once again, Lysekil is a popular summer resort located in Swedens Bohuslän province and one of the sunniest places on the Scandinavian peninsula. Because of its favorable weather and picturesque archipelago dotted with small islands and protected fjord-like water ways it attracts many yachts and sun worshipers from the North who annually flock to their summer cottages in this area. Along with fishing, which is featured in its coat of arms, tourism has become important to Lysekils economy.

Located in the Flemish province of West Flanders, the city of Oostende, the largest population center on the Belgian coast, is protected from the North Sea by a network of dikes. Originally a small fishing village when it was chartered as a city in the 13th century, Oostende has been plagued throughout its history by a constant onslaught by invaders from the sea. Two of Belgian’s kings, Leopold I and Leopold II, later decided to spend their summers in Oostende, which raised the town’s prestige and transformed it into a fashionable 19th-century resort. Following the most recent period of destruction during aerial bombardments of WWII, modern Oostende has grown into a transportation hub and resort town, famous for its sea-side esplanade, pier, and fine-sand beaches. Oostende affords convenient access to the historic Belgian towns of Bruges and Ghent.

Dunkirk is France’s third-largest port. Located on the low-lying area of French Flanders near the Belgian border. It is perhaps most famous as the site of the “Dunkirk Miracle” evacuation of nearly 400,000 troops from under the guns of the German forces during WWII in May of 1940. By order of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and fleet of over 900 ships and boats was dispatched across the English Channel and retrieved the British and French troops trapped there to safety in England. Less well-known, the free-standing Dunkirk Belfry played an important role as one pole of a scientific measurement at the end of the 18th century that resulted in the creation of the standard meter length measure. Nearby Lille, France possesses one of the most gracious city centers in Europe, the Grand Place, graced with beautiful and elaborate civic buildings and churches. In 2020, the handsome university city will be named France’s first World Design Capital.

London is one of the great entertainment, financial and fashion centers of the world. It dates back to ancient times when the Romans made it a hub of their road system and built the first London Bridge. There are actually two separate cities – the City of London and the City of Westminster – and they function side by side. The City of London is mostly a place of business and finance, while Westminster (the West End) is the locale of the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, as well as theaters, clubs, parks and myriad shops. *Please note that embarkation and/or disembarkation in London, United Kingdom requires the use of a tender.