Copenhagen Denmark

Monday 22^nd & Tuesday 23^rd August – Denmark Wonderful Copenhagen (Kobenhavn)

We have an uneventful flight to Copenhagen and take a bus to our downtown hotel, a miniature room and bath, but very central. After a quick sleep we are picked up by our host Christian Hansen and make our way to Roskilde the site of the excavation of 8th Century Viking sailing ships. We are reinforced by a smorreboard (an open face sandwich made famous by the Danes) and a wheat lager. The Vikings had barbaric customs, like having a slave girl linked to the death ceremonies of a chief – she would be gang raped, decapitated and buried with the chief (and we thought suttee was outrageous). We then visit Roskilde cathedral (11C) the burial site of royalty, with a brick façade (no stonework, so different from the other European cathedrals).

Denmark has a population of 5 ½ million, and slaughter 22 million pigs (rearing 11 million for 6 months), so you can surmise that their bacon and ham are exported throughout the world. Christian tells me that a recent survey found them to be the happiest country in Europe (the world) and even thought they are taxed up to 70%, their benefits are incredible – university study is free, unemployment coverage is 4 years (they are thinking of reducing it to two) and of course medical is free and social security is handsome. But it is very expensive and an average family needs $ 100,000 to live comfortably. My question is what do the Danes do to maintain this standard of living and I never got that question satisfactorily answered. I wondered about this in Finland too.

We see other city sites – the #1 tourist attraction, the lovely Copenhagen mermaid (even though she is rather small); the Amelia Borg castle royal residence; the stock exchange with its spire of intricate dragon like tails; Parliament house and an imposing town hall.. This is a sophisticated city with elegant buildings decorated with beautiful stonework figures and arabesques. We finish the evening off in Tivoli gardens, a fun fare park with much to eat and drink.

We are up early next morning and out to Elsinore and the 16^th C Kronberg castle of Hamlet fame (just to remind you that Hamlet was fiction and yet the castle's huge popularity is because Shakespeare associated the castle with him). The castle is authentic enough, controlling the straits of Denmark. The church is very impressive with a beautiful alabaster and marble alter. In the castle basement we see ‘Holger Danske’ (Ogier the Dane) a sleeping giant who will only awaken when Denmark is to be destroyed. On to the magnificent Fredericksborg Castle of Christian IV (1588 to 1648), with very ostentatious interior décor, and lots of gold in the church and the palace rooms. The church has a hundreds of coat of arms of every historical person, including Eisenhower and Churchill. Later in the evening we visit the 16C Marble Church and an 11C Our Saviors church with a distinct twisted spire. Denmark is Lutheran and Presbyterian, but has retained the saints and the Virgin Mary from pre reformation days

I make a presentation to the local chapter associated with operations and APICS on Supply Chain competitiveness. I enjoy meeting the professionals of a country and finding out how they run their businesses and their knowledge of manufacturing.

I am very impressed with the Danish culture - polite and gentle, but quietly confident . Hundreds ride on bicycles and they are very environment conscious (using a bicycle is a common form of transport in all the Baltic cities). I hope they will be able to retain their lifestyle in the coming decades of intense foreign competitiveness

Wednesday 24^th Embarkation on Norwegian Sun for a 9 day Baltic cruise

The check in is remarkably efficient and smooth and within a half hour we are having a buffet lunch. We sail at 5.00 pm and I see the city lights, before settling down to a sumptuous meal of lobster tails and Heineken beer (we are now on a 9 day eating orgy!). It is a large ship with 2000 passengers and at least 1000 crew. I meet the chief chef, a Goan, and he promises to make us a special Xacuti meal. We end a long day with an incredible performance of a juggler – his ability to keep large numbers of pins, rings, and tennis racquets in the air while adopting numerous gymnastic postures is just mind boggling.