I`ve been in love with the girl for nearly 35 years; it`s time my wife, Carol, met her.
The girl is the Little Mermaid, symbol of Copenhagen. The bronze figure of the Hans Christian Andersen character once lost her head–to vandals, not over me–and it had to be recast from the original Edvard Eriksen mold. She also was splattered with paint by some misguided protester of something over which she had no control. Since then she has perched on a rock in Copenhagen Harbor, ever vigilant.
My wife and I would see her as part of a money-doesn`t-matter trip to Scandinavia, land of my foremother. (My maternal grandmother came to America from Finland, technically not part of Scandinavia but popularly thought of as such.)
As an Illinois Lotto winner I would return to Scandinavia in a bit different style than in my student days as a hitchhiker with a backpack. But one thing would remain the same: Someone else would drive. Having a car and guide-driver makes everything more pleasant and convenient, don`t you know?
Now, in regards to getting there. We`d go first class, of course, via Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), nonstop Chicago-Copenhagen. (SAS throws in a limo reception for business and first class travelers, so we wouldn`t need our driver during our first Copenhagen overnight.)
We`d stay in a front suite at the Angleterre on King`s Square. After a good night`s sleep, we`d scout the shopping on the Stroget (walking street)
and maybe get some sweaters if our early June arrival is cooler than expected. Then we`d take an afternoon flight to Helsinki. Arriving there sans jetlag, we`d have our Finnish driver give us a Helsinki once-over on the way to our hotel, the Kalastajatorppa (Fisherman`s Cottage).
Our Gulf of Finland view suite would be ready, of course, and fresh flowers would fill vases in the living room, bedroom and bath. (To avoid repeating myself, all suites on this trip would have fresh flowers daily and the best bathroom facilities available.)
Following recommendations of Nino de Prado of the Finnish Tourist Board, we would avail ourselves of the June fur sales. (For purposes of this report, we will not count purchases in figuring the cost of this four-week trip. But they will be important, as you will see from the accompanying ”cost” box. Suffice to say here that even when money doesn`t matter, bargains are appreciated.)
One grubby activity we`d undertake is a flight to Lapland to see the midnight sun and the reindeer herds. Warned not to eat before the trip
(”because you`ll fill up on flies there”), we will do a fast round trip and be back early the next day to enjoy an in-suite sauna in Porvoo, a lake resort east of Helsinki.
After five days sightseeing and visiting relatives in Finland, we`d take a large cabin on the overnight ferry (year-around cruise ship) to Stockholm, where we`d be met dockside by a car and driver. He (or possibly she) would give us a round-about sightseeing run to the Strand, recommended by Nils Flo of SAS, where our harborview turret suite would be ready.
Our four-night Stockholm booking would be open-end; our departure would depend on the weather and how much fun we were having.
At least one lunch would be on the deck of the Af Chapman, the sailing ship still used as a 160-bed youth hostel. I will be trying to recapture a bit of lost youth when I lived on board.
Our time in Stockholm would be spent walking, eating, shopping. We`d also make excursions into the lovely countryside, where we`d picnic, weather permitting.
We would be driven from Stockholm to Oslo. En route we`d go northwest through the lovely province of Dalarna and arrange to stay in Mora the nights of June 22 and 23 for Midsummer, an exciting, pagan worship of the longest day of the year.
Arriving in Oslo late on June 24, we would be taken above the charming harbor capital to the Homenkollen luxury hotel by the Olympic ski jump. Our fjordview suite would be stocked with wild strawberries and thick cream and champagne on ice, which would be consumed as we watched the late twilight over Oslo. For dinner that arrival night we`d stay in our suite and order more champagne, caviar for me and chilled poached salmon for Carol.
Three days would be enough in Oslo, although again we`d have open reservations on our suite. Perhaps we`d move down from the hills and stay at the Grand Hotel for our sightseeing in Oslo, particularly the Viking Museum and Kon Tiki and the Norwegian Folkmuseum and its circa 1250 stave church. After paying pay homage to the Vigeland statuary in Frogner Park, we`d leave Oslo in a first-class compartment on the train to Bergen.
In Bergen we would stay at the Norge for a night or two while we waited for our ship to come in. That is, we would gamble on the weather and take the best available ship north to the fjords. After a brief look at the spectacular scenery from shipboard, we`d helicopter back to Oslo and take the overnight party ferryboat from Oslo to Copenhagen, with a cabin away from the revelers. Ah, to be back in Copenhagen! Favorite city of my early manhood. Tivoli, that unique citycenter park for children of all ages, is so much more than the movies have captured. Tivoli restaurants such as the Belle Terrace and Divan 2 offer rich pastries, great people watching, openface sandwiches of baby shrimp, smoked eel, caviar, salmon. Also fabulous local unpasturized beer to wash it all down, with aquavit as a nightcap.
The warmer air of late June might resolve the 35-year ongoing debate over whether the world`s most beautiful women are in Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo or Copenhagen. (”Hey!” reminds my wife. ”The men aren`t so bad, either.”)
Just kidding, dear readers. It`s a quadruple beautytie between the women of the Scandinavian capitals.
Copenhagen is a city to be walked, as are the other Scandinavian capitals. But we`d keep our guide-driver on call so we could visit the Little Mermaid at all hours, and make short trips like to Kronborg castle in Helsingor, familiar in English as Hamlet`s Elsinore.
Before reluctantly leaving Copenhagen, we`d confirm our 4th of July arrangements in Rebild National Park in northern Jutland. In 1987 Victor Borge would be the principal Danish-American guest speaker at the only major foreign celebration of U.S. Independence.
The drive to Denmark`s Jutland–the only part of Scandinavia attached to the continent of Europe–would take us through Odense, home of Hans Christian Andersen.
In Jutland we`d put a final touch to our travels: A reunion weekend with 1950s exchange student-fraternity brother Kurt and his wife Ellen. Joining us would be Steve Jacobson, my 1956 hitchhiking companion and best friend for more years than we care to count. Also on hand, would be his wife, Maryln, and Kurt and Ellen`s grown children, Jens and Anne.
After the 4th of July celebration and reunion, we`d linger in Copenhagen for a few days before bidding the Jacobsons farewell–they always exit Europe via Paris, the city in which Steve proposed marriage.
Our own departure would be nonstop SAS Copenhagen-Chicago. On the way to the airport, we would have our driver detour for one final visit to the Little Mermaid. We`d be back.
SCANDINAVIA TAB: $25,000
There`s another good thing about being a lottery millionaire traveling in Scandinavia: If you buy enough, the $25,000 trip described here can be free!
Here`s the way it works, according to my accountant, who is paid to worry about such things. Scandinavian products have value added taxes (VAT)–
refundable to nonresidents–that range from 11 to 19 percent. Travelers need only show a passport at ”tax free” shops to get refund forms, which are redeemable at airports, border stations and on international ferries and even from some hotels.
On goods and vehicles being shipped (such as many that we would buy) the VAT is subtracted from the purchase price.
It would be possible, therefore, for us to buy a pair of Volvos, a sports car for one of us and a sedan for the other (guess which); a full-length sable, a white fox jacket and some fun furs; fine crystal, silver and jewelry. Our total VAT refunds would exceed the cost of our lavish trip.
Believe that would happen, and I`ve got a lottery ticket for you.
