DENMARK - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 97

DENMARK
Danes are a fun-loving people, and their sparkling humor is unsurpassed. For ex-
ample, the late Victor Borge, one of Denmark's leading exponents of such jocularity,
explained that his ultra-expensive concert grand piano was “every bit as good as
a Rolls-Royce, except,” quipped Victor, “it has smaller wheels.” This is typical Dan-
ish humor, and this fairy-tale land of Denmark abounds in it. No doubt you will find
the Danes to be the most happy and humorous of all Europeans. Why are they that
way? One of our Danish friends explains it in this manner: “For centuries, we Danes
were the most feared of the Vikings, destroying and plundering at will. Now, we've
got that all out of our system and have nothing left to do except to be happy!” This
happy attitude seems to exist throughout the country.
Legend has it that the ancient Vikings, fierce as they were, never missed the
chance to throw a party, and apparently their descendants are just as enthusiastic
when it comes to having a good time. In summer there are festivals throughout
Denmark where eating, drinking, singing, and dancing are the orders of the day. In
winter the Danes go inside for their celebrations, where eating, drinking, singing,
and dancing are the orders of the day. Oddly enough, this never seems to be mono-
tonous to the Danes—or their visitors. With the completion of the Øresund Fixed
Link—the bridge linking Copenhagen, Denmark, with Malmö, Sweden—it is even
more convenient to visit both countries.
For more information about Denmark, contact the Danish and Swedish Tourist
Board in North America:
New York: Grand Central Station; New York, NY 10163-4649;
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; www.goscandinavia.com or
www.visitdenmark.com ; E-mail: [e-mail]
Banking
Currency: Danish Kroner (DKK)
Exchange rate at press time: DKK 5.71 = U.S. $1.00
Hours: 0930/1000-1600; 1730 on Thursday; closed Saturday and Sunday