Six Months in Copenhagen

Despite its small size, Denmark has a long history and a surprisingly diverse geography. The country has inspired a number of great ideas, including the Viking's long boats, Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales and LEGOs - my favorite toy. It was a goal of mine from the start to really get to know the country, not just Copenhagen. Over the months, my wife and I took several weekend trips to see the country, looking for our own inspiration.

Just half an hour train ride from Copenhagen is Roskilde, the ancient capital from which the Vikings ruled their empire that stretched all the way to Ireland. Although it's still the second largest city on the island of Zealand (next to Copenhagen), the atmosphere is like that of a small-town. Most tourists come to visit the Viking ship museum near the harbor. It contains the wrecks of five Viking-era ships that were intentionally sunk around 1060 as a barrier to direct access into the harbor. The resulting display of ship shards is a little bit disappointing, but the curators have painstakingly reconstructed replicas that you can actually ride through the harbor.

If you really want ancient history, though, you need to head to the island of Møn. A national park on the east end of the island protects millennia-old chalk white cliffs. Visitors can descend hundreds of steps down a steep ravine to the best lookouts and the rocky beach. The opportunity to view the picturesque sight of the sheared chalk face against a blue sky and green sea backdrop is worth the long hike back up to your car.

It is said that Hans Christian Andersen often found inspiration on the island of Møn. Although he moved to Copenhagen in his early teens and eventually become one of the best traveled writers of his day, the H.C. Andersen museum is located in his childhood home in Odense, on the island of Fyn. Like most sizable Scandinavian cities, the city center's series of cozy (hyggelig) pedestrian shopping streets (strøget) seems unchanged since H.C. Andersen's time. A little outside the city, a museum-village gives visitors a real taste of the hardships faced by their ancestors in the early 1800s.

While H.C. Andersen might be the world's most famous Dane, LEGOS are surely their most famous export. Billund, located in the center of Jutland, is home to the LEGO world headquarters and the original LEGOLand - and that's about it. Americans hoping to find a park like Cedar Point or Six Flags will be disappointed by the modest park and its child-oriented rides. The main attractions for the adults are the hundreds of LEGO models, ranging from detailed cityscapes to giant LEGO dragons. Thrill seekers are rewarded with one ride that allows you to program your own violent and nauseating ride into a hydraulic arm.

After this series of Danish adventures, it really felt like we had been tossed around the country on some wild ride. I was impressed by the diversity in the activities and attractions we visited. It's easy to see how so many Danes, from the Vikings, to Hans Christian Andersen, to the creators of LEGOs have been inspired to create new and wonderful things.