Frederiskborg Castle, Hillerod

After Easter Sunday, we spent Easter Monday going to Frederiskborg Castle in Hillerod, a 35min train ride from Copenhagen. It is one of the largest and most famous castle in Denmark, but frankly, after 3 days of castles and museum, I was getting castle-fatigue. And all my photos are starting to look alike. I guess when I look back at the photos many moons from today, they would invoke some recollection of the grandiose, opulence and history of the places.

This one was quite worth the trip though. There was also an elaborate baroque garden on the castle ground. We had a simple but nice picnic in the garden by the waters. Egg salad mix to go with rye bread, and oranges. Then we walked around the larger garden surrounding the castle. It was always nice to be in nature, all the greens, the vast lands, and serenity. There was a tree that had branches curved and pointing towards the ground, like an umbrella. There was a little girl climbing on the tree, and so we joined in the fun. To our credit (and the tree), the branches were very sturdy and did not even sway under our weight.

Later in the afternoon, SG and I ventured to another 'blotch of green' on the map. Between the two girls, we figured out the limited maps we had (since all the tourist info services were closed for Easter). Part of the fun was in exploring and not quite knowing what might pop up.

We made an impromptu decision to take the train one stop away to check out Lake Esrum, one of the largest lakes in Denmark. We had no maps. The royal summer palace was also situated near the lake, so we simply followed the road signs to the location. The palace was closed, but the surrounding gardens still opened to the public. Good thing for long days where the sun only set around 830pm. So we had time to wander around the garden.

A fashionably dressed female runner sprinted past us, up a slope. A black puppy followed excitedly. Wow, she was quite fast, and had a good figure. An elderly couple strolling nearby excitedly told us that she was the royal princess! Ahh.... the serendipity of travel. One never knew what we would get. :)

We returned to Copenhagen around 8pm. There was still time to squeeze in a run. I managed about 50min-1hr around the lakes. But bummer... I missed the restaurant opening hours and had to forego my dining vouchers. Oh well, happy for the run though.