Sweden

Since Denmark is so close to Sweden, we figured, what the heck, let's take a quick trip over to the land that gave us ABBA.  So we packed up the car and drove to the coastal town of Helsingør, Denmark.  A lot of our drive was along the waterfront, and we saw so many adorable houses along the way.

We took the ferry to Sweden, and even though it was barely a 20 minute trip to Helsingborg, it felt like we were on a luxury cruise ship!  They had duty free shops and several bars and restaurants.  I suppose 20 minutes is a good amount of time to get tanked, stuff yourself with lingonberry jelly and load up on tax-free cigarettes, right?

The ferry terminal:

Views from the ferry:

Arriving:

When we exited the ferry, we were immediately offered free cans of Coke Zero.  Um, yes, please.  So not only did this country contribute awesome songs like "The Final Countdown," but they also give out free soda upon entering?  I'm pretty convinced Sweden might be paradise.  If they had a Taco Bell on every corner, I would apply for a work visa tomorrow.

We poked around town a bit, enjoyed our Cokes and took some pictures.

Then we headed to the Kärnan medieval tower.  

Repping Michigan State (AKA showing off the shirt I got for $2.00). 

 Some views from the top:

After tiring ourselves out from climbing several flights of stairs at the tower (and sitting on our thrones and pretending we were royalty; hey, ruling people is hard work!), we decided to locate some food.  Luckily, there was a vegetarian restaurant right by the ferry terminal.

 I have no idea what this is (we just asked them to give us the vegan special), but it was delicious! 

When we returned to Denmark, we walked to the Kronborg Castle.  Not only is this castle designated as a World Heritage Site, but it's also featured in Shakespeare's Hamlet (known in the play as Elsinore).

 On our way back to Copenhagen, we decided to stop in this quaint town with an old gun factory and saw mill.  I don't remember the name of the town, and both the factory and mill were closed since it was so late, but I did get a chance to take some pictures.  

 We even got to see where the Danish Queen lives:

It was a busy, but great day indeed.  Sadly, while we were there, I didn't hear "The Final Countdown" or ABBA.  Guess that just means I'll have to blast some when I get home.