Scandinavia, Our First Visit

When we first arrived in Copenhagen, we drove here and there to see the city. We then found a parking place in front of the Tivoli Gardens, a very unusual place. An amusement park right in the heart of Copenhagen with restaurants, “carney games,” amusement park rides, small-time gambling games.

We walked around the town, shopping and looking along the “walking streets.” The McDonald’s and Burger King restaurants convinced us we were in a civilized city. That evening we again spent time at Tivoli Gardens. A delightful place, outdoor dinner, pleasant weather, full moon and all.

One evening the girls’ High School band in Helsingor, Denmark, marched through the shopping district. They were very good, and had visited the US and Disneyland the previous year. My love of band music (and girls) easily persuaded me to walk all over Helsingor listening to the band.

The next day we crossed the Øresund by ferry, and arrived in Helsingborg, Sweden. A woman saw the USA sticker on the bumper and came over to talk with us. She had lived in the US for 12 years, and liked it very much. After her husband died, she was in need of medical care so moved back to Sweden for that, but she wished she was still in New Jersey.

In Sweden, drivers are required to drive with their headlights on, always. When we look in the rear view mirror, it appears we are leading a funeral procession.

During our couple of days in Stockholm we walked throughout the downtown area, including several islands and the palace, drove past an amusement park, went to the top of the TV tower, then had dinner at the Sheraton Hotel. Stockholm is built on an enormous rock. At many places there are huge boulders sticking out of the ground, and the subway tunnel is often just natural rock.

Their National election was to be held soon, and there were election rallies at street corners in the downtown district. We got off the subway at Stockholm University and talked to some students about their political ideas.

A man who was getting his doctorate in economics at Stockholm University, repeated time after time, “Do you know how lucky you are to be living in America?” Yes, we truly do.