Skagen (said more like skein) is an attractive small seaside town at the tip of Denmark. It attracted a school of artists in the past, it now attracts a lot of visitors including ships like ours and cars which make for traffic jams. Our tour headed south first for a Danish pastry at a place which had an Ent (well it looked more like a wooden troll) in a pretty stream by a bridge. And then on to Voldemort Castle sorry Voergaard Castle. Pretty setting for a stately home filled with French memorabilia of Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. The last owner had a lot of paintings furniture for the antique fans to drool over, an involved history. The place paints a bad picture of a previous owner called Ingeborg Skeel - her crime was being a single woman in an age which didn't appreciate single women. So she has been transmogrified into a witch who drowned architects and cut peasants' fingers off. (Voergaard Castle had signs for no photographs inside but that didn't stop some in our tour group filming away because they felt justified - the human race is very good at self-justification.) As we rushed back to the ship the coach took in the Buried Church - a very visited spot. Most of the Church was removed to use as building materials when the sand dunes covered it, and the way the remaining Church tower is presented is not as picturesque as it could be. It looks rather ordinary. Now if the sand had piled up against it...

We went to see the impressive Frederiksborg Castle in Hellirød which had to be rebuilt after a monarch set it alight because his mistress felt cold. An important place for Denmark and its nobility - the large chapel had plaques for people honoured by Denmark. The gardens made me think of Wonderland in Once Upon A Time. We also saw the outside of Kronborg Castle which became Elsinore for Shakespeare's "Hamlet" despite the historical Hamlet living centuries earlier. The Shakespeare 'connection' is well emphasized. The area is adjusting to life after heavy industry. We also had a quick visit to try and see the Little Mermaid despite a lot of competing tourists. Happily she was her normal colour after various acts of recent vandalisation.

We didn't do an excursion in the Faroe Islands, just wandered ashore and admired a petrol station bakers and fish hanging up to dry. Some people who did a coach ride said there was good scenery. The Boudicca was moored right by the Braemar in Runavik. In the afternoon quiz we got our best ever score (15) thanks to sitting with another lady. Patriotic show entitled "Britain Rocks" in the evening included some flag waving, James Bond theme songs, Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia. Not allowed it's said to just carry our own luggage off which we've found useful on the P&O cruises. Also a little worried that we're on a low deck and may have to wait a while as the upper decks get to leave first when we get back to Southampton.

Last but one stop on the Monday was Ruegen Island in Germany - was looking forward to seeing an Oceanarium but not enough other cruisers wanted to so that got cancelled. Instead we had a disappointing tour. We passed by the Prora Colossus which would have been interesting to stop at (this is a vast holiday complex Hitler built but never used, the longest building in the world.) Last stop Aarhus. We went with Dad to see the Frigate Jutland in Ebeltoft but sadly Dad couldn't manage the steps up to get into the boat itself. The trip which took in a neolithic stone circle got back late to the ship which a number of the tours did. One rationally knows the ship won't leave without you, but I always worry until I'm back on board!

Next stop was Stockholm where we saw the recovered 300-year old "Vasa" ship which sank on its maiden voyage. The king of the time commanded more guns, so they added an extra gun deck making the ship top-heavy, usual management story. We also went on a tour of old Stockholm, quite crowded. The guide spoke about the troubled history of Sweden, and took us to the square where the Danish King beheaded scores of Swedish aristocrats.

We arrived late in Copenhagen on the Monday due to a power outage on board ship just before we went through the Kiel Canal. This was the only real hiccup on the cruise. So instead of the planned excursion we got a tour of the Copenhagen waterways (very like Amsterdam), a view of the backside of the Little Mermaid, and 2 hours in the Tivoli Gardens. Gardens implied to me something in the garden line to look at. We only found crowds of people, eateries, amusement rides, and flies. Oh by the entrance there was a shop where you could make a teddy bear to your own specifications.

Good friends I knew from Waterbeach moved to live in Denmark. That was enough of a reason for me to go and see Denmark for myself! It was an early start 4AM-ish to get down to Stansted. Happily the Ryanair flight was half full or less perhaps and I had a window seat in an otherwise empty row of three to myself. The rugby scrum didn't really materialise! So in this instance no reserved seat numbers didn't really matter. Iain met me at Aarhus airport and took me back quite a long way to Ferslev, said 'Verslev', where the Brodies have a splendid bungalow, spacious airy lounge! Denmark is a relaxed place, the bungalow had no boiler, village shared hot water coolant from local power plant, meters measure heat drop per house. Brodies had unusual spoons with S Bend in them which could be rested on neck of jamjar. They took me to Lindholm Høje (said hoi) which is an old Viking burial ground covered for centuries in sand. Despite drizzle we had barbecued meat then played Carcassone an interesting board game which I was rubbish at. Went up to Skagen, pronounce 'Skayan', Danish like English slur words elide letters et cetera but first went to Råjberg Mile which is the giant evil Sand dune crossing the north of Denmark at 15m a year. Insects worrisome here, only place. Bizarre, a huge mountain of sand just wiping all in his path. Skagen is a spit growing into the sea where the Baltic and North Sea roughly meet. Petrol stations are unmanned, a lot operates on trust here, you park your car and leave dial saying when you parked. Ate at Jensens Bofhof (literally Beef house) where a waitress brought food on a rack of plates, good idea. Donald Duck in Danish is Anders And, and is spirit for confusion. Bethel Kirken in the morning, set in an immigrant area of Aarlborg. Collecting bags like toasters, good number of older teenagers, good young praise group who sang some hymns in English. Guy ate a burger and drank some Coke as he did his take on the passage where Jesus says what goes into a man does not make him unclean. In this way like the brethren where anyone might get the chance to say something, not a bad idea. The Danish church has a set of headphones so you can listen to the service in English, not bad though poor translator got lost once or twice and translated timid as fearsome. A girl named Nana got baptised. Yvonne cooked some danish pastries, Danes call them Vienna pastries. We went for a walk and got lost in Ryberg forest, very long. Back at base camp played Aerndo a good gambling game and more Carcassone. I like lightning storms and there was a marvellous one the night before I left. I got up and saw the neighbours also watching out, Lennie poor dog was totally freaked out!