To Summer Houses in the North

Friday, July 15, 2016--Copenhagen to Tisvildeleje

Many people in Copenhagen have summer houses on the northern part of the island.  It's a way to get out of the congestion of the city and to enjoy the countryside.  At one time, these were simple cottages.  But now, many of them are as nice and as large as a personal home.  They all have hot and cold running water, they all have lots of glass to overlook the green areas, they all have a large lawn that is "fenced" by high growth to maintain privacy, and many even have satellite and Internet connections.  One of the most popular areas for summer houses is Tisvildeleje--the area around a nice, old coastal community.  There are long stretches of beaches and the town is an atmospheric one.

I took the train up in the afternoon.  The regular S-trains in the city run a little over halfway to the town of Hilleroed which is an old castle town--home of Frederiksborg Castle where Arne and I used to come occasionally on weekends to picnic in the gardens and wander around both the gardens and the town.  From there, I changed to a cute "local" train with just two cars that goes through the woods stopping at small villages and even in the middle of the countryside. 

Torben and Erik's summerhouse is in an area called Holloese within walking distance of the town of Tisvildeleje.  The train station is just a platform with a bench.  People dismount and walk to their houses with some being picked up in automobiles.  I arrived earlier than expected and walked to their place since I knew the way.

Torben, who had been sick since Monday night's party, was feeling better and was preparing food for another dinner party.  This time, there were only 7 of us--a VERY SMALL dinner party for him to have.  It meant that everyone could visit easily and follow all conversations that were taking place.  Ulf and Alan were the only ones here I had not yet seen, so it was nice to visit with them.

We had margaritas and peanuts before dinner.  Then we had salmon filets with boiled new potatoes and a puree of peas.  For dessert, we had a sauce made from fresh blackberries with dips of two kinds of ice cream.

Rather than return to Copenhagen, I spent the night at the summer house, because we all have invitations to another party tomorrow afternoon.