After many tours of fjords during this cruise, I chose a tour of castles on June 7, 2023. During the night, our ship sailed across the North Sea from the south tip of Norway to the north tip of Denmark. We docked at Arhus, the second largest city in Denmark. After the mountains of Norway, Denmark is disorientingly flat.
Our first castle was Rosenholm, surrounded by a moat. It dated back to the Middle Ages and was the home of the noble Rosencrantz family.
The Rosencrantz family had a bit part in Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet." Two pompous noblemen, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, unsuccessfully try to advise Hamlet.
The furniture was elegant and our guide gave us an art history tour, contrasting the heavier Baroque furnishings in one room with the lighter Rococo style in another room.
The classic paintings on the walls were of aristocrats who had lived in the house.
Some of the treasures were unique. This heavily decorated closet was covered in embossed leather.
The large library had first editions of books by Martin Luther.
The second castle we visited was the Gammel Estrup Manor. While the Rosenholm Castle is owned by the state, the Gammel Estrup Manor is still owned by a private family.
We toured the antique kitchen in the basement of the manor, and then ate cake that had been cooked in a kitchen nearby.
The manor had its own chapel.
It included a pew decorated in a traditional Danish style.
The Manor dincluded artifacts like this dress, worn by one of the owners.
As with the Rosenholm Castle, one of the treasures of the castle is a large library. During the Renaissance and 16th and 17th centuries, a large library was a sign of wealth, regardless of whether anyone tried to read the books!
Danish royalty and aristocracy were regularly entertained at the Manor. One frequent guest was Karen Blixen, a socialite who spent many years living in Kenya. The movie, "Out of Africa," starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, was based on Karen Blixen's life.
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