- Travel on the Rail -

Part 9

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Kalmar Slott

I went out of the hotel after breakfast. It rains today. Crossing the train track, soon I could find Karmal Slott (castel) in the fog. I heard the reason it projected in the sea was that it had been a stronghold to watch the narrow strait between the opposite Oland island. It is a park around the castle. An old man with a dog passed by me. I like such atmosphere.

Passing under the wall, going into the court, and as seeing the steps made by stone in the castel, I was talked by a man. He seems to be saying to follow him. I hoped he would give me a tour of the castle, but he took me to the chapel in it. Oh, yes, it is Sunday today. He must be a priest. I understood he was suggesting me to pray here together. It did not seem to start soon and only a few people were sitting here after that man looking like a priest went down the stairs. I, staying here, was watching the rococo (I did not know but I heard) chapel, but I left there without joining the service because I had to catch the next train. Any other places of the castle were closed on Sunday, so I went back to the hotel through the park.

My first train today left Kalmar at 11:11. After going 27km to the west for 24 minutes, I got it off at Nybro station that a staff of the hotel told me. There is a glass factory "Pukeberg" near here. A station employee told me that it would take 20 minutes from the station on foot, so I started walking in the rain. Going through the forest, I could find the factory actually, but it is closed on Sunday, today... Oh, but the glass store that the factory's directly selling their products is open just in front of the factroy!

A saleslady looking bored was in the store. I began looking at lots of glass products on the shelfs. After a while, taking a bowl of them to her, I said,
"Can I have this?"
Then, as looking at it on her hands, she said it was faulty. Surely, several small babbles are in it. But why do they put such goods in the store as they cannot sell to customers? Finally, I had to take as many as three items to her to get her permission to buy.

I left Nybro at 13:35. Changing at Alvesta to Intercity leaving at 15:00, I arrived at Malmo at 16:52. I had to look for a hotel to stay tonight, but after all, had no choise but to go to the YH in the suburbs by bus.

I had supper in the pizza restaurant near the YH. I miss the guys having eaten pizza in Copenhagen together. Of course, that man as well.

Malmo is located at the border where the opposite coast is Copenhagen in Denmark. Watching Malmo castle closed on Monday at the outside, I went to Inrehamnen wharf in front of the station. From here, a hydrofoil boat departs every 30 minutes or an hour to Copenhagen.

As trying to buy a ticket to Copenhagen, the woman at the window is saying something to me. I asked her to repeat many times because I could not hear her speaking, so she gave up telling me something and sold me a ticket. It cost 65 SEK (about 1,300 yen). Seeing it, I understood that she must have been telling me about their round-trip discount. It will take only 45 minutes for the sailing, but it is an undeniable international route. An attendant is selling tax-free goods.

Den Lille Havfrue

Soon we arrived in Copenhagen. It is really Copenhagen where I have not been for 16 days! It was rainy and cold at that time. Today, it is not so cold but cloudy.

I am going to hang around here for 3 days until my leaving here for Japan. At first, I went to the statue of Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) in the city. H. C. Andersens was from Denmark. This statue was made for "Little Mermaid" written by him. But when I saw it, I was disappointed because it was not so good, only standing (sitting?) at the edge of the port.

I went to Amalienborg Slot on the time that is the palace for the royal family. At 12 o'clock, the ceremony for the guards' turning will start at the square in front of it. After waiting for a while, they are coming. The guards that paraded through the town are coming into here with a brass band's playing. The ceremony followed it strictly. The voice is echoing through the square. And then, the brass band plays again for finishing.

Kronborg Slot

In front of Helsingor station

I met a Japanese here, who said he was a bank clerk and traveling around Europe half on business and half on vacation. He stays only at a first-class hotel, and here, he is staying at Sheraton. But I thought his room was not so good as he showed me it.

He proposed to go to Kronborg Slot together. I agreed. This castle said the original of "Hamlet" is in Helsingor, 50 minutes from Copenhagen by train. But arriving there, we got it was closed today. I am unlucky with castles.

On the return to Copenhagen, I noticed this train was so interesting. It was only with passenger cars pulled by an electric locomotive, but the locomotive was not re-connected from the head to the tail of the train at the terminal for turn. The reason is that the back passenger car has a controller as well. I see.

I went back to Hotel Dania that I would stay for a few days in Copenhagen, and then, went out again to see him because he would buy me dinner. We went into "SUZURAN" that was a Japanese foods restaurant near the shopping street "Stroget". The inside of it is so strange as Japanese and Western styles do not harmonize each other at all. Sorry but I do not like it. The foods are not so bad in taste, but..., how much the volume is! I ordered Katsu-don (breaded pork cutlet with scrambled eggs on rice in the bowl) and he ordered Tonkatsu dinner set (breaded pork cutlet, rice, and miso-soup), but both were too much for us to eat all. It must be miracle that I did not have stomachache after that.

To be continued

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