Town in Kullaberg

Today our port was Helsingborg, Sweden, a coastal city that is only about 2 miles across the Oresund waterway from Denmark. At previous points in history this part of Sweden has been a part of Denmark and it has been a permanent official settlement since 1085. Most of the city is modern but there is a medieval tower called Karnan that the sole remains of a Danish fortress from the 1300s. It originally was part of a larger fortress complex on both sides of the waterway that controlled movement through it. One of the Swedish kings ordered most of the fortress destroyed, leaving only the tower remaining to serve as a landmark for shipping.

Karnan

Helsingborg

We only spent a little while in Helsingborg itself, instead going on a drive up the coastal peninsula to an area called Kullaberg. This area is a nature preserve with a variety of birds and other critters. There’s also a lighthouse from 1898, which we visited. (Not a particularly picturesque one, though.) Apparently there are prehistoric stone circles in the area as well. The area was quite pretty. All along the way there were areas of forests with ferns interspersed with grasslands and the shoreline. We went through a few small towns along the way. We were taken to a garden teahouse where we were given local pastries before we were taken back to Helsingborg. We also stopped by the Brunnby Church which is a small, medieval 12th century Lutheran church that has 15th century frescos. There also is a Renaissance pulpit that is dated 1623 and a Madonna from the mid 15th century. Quite a bit for a small-town church.

Windmill

Countryside

Countryside

Another windmill

Cliffs

Overlooking a town

Teahouse

Teahouse

Brunnby Church

Brunnby Church

Frescos

Frescos

Madonna

Pulpit

Swedish Flag

Before we left, I took pictures from our balcony across to Denmark…2 miles. I didn’t bring my telephoto lens with me this trip, but fortunately it was clear today. Across the water was Kronborg Castle. This was the basis for Shakespeare’s Elsinore in Hamlet. The castle dates back to the 1420s.

Kronborg Castle

The ship set sail mid-afternoon. I went to a wine tasting, Paul took a nap, and we later re-watched Black Panther on the huge screen by the pool.