Dragor, Denmark - a fishing village

Our first stop was in Copenhagen. As we approached the harbor, I noticed these windmills and went out on the balcony to take a few pictures and watch the city come into view.

While it wasn't one of the reasons that inspired me to pick this trip, I was interested in seeing the city. Now, I have a new love! I signed up for a guided excursion of Copenhagen, and I had a moment of panic on the bus, when the guide began by greeting everyone in German. I thought I'd ended up on a German-speaking tour, which would make a long day. Fortunately, it was bi-lingual and Hans, our tour guide, switched back and forth.

We started by driving out of the city to the Danish fishing village of Dragor. It looks like a it could have come out of a fairy tale. Many of the houses had thatched roofs.

Hans told many stories. One, that he tried to tell very delicately as we walked among the houses, was about the meaning of seeing two dog statues in the window. If the dogs are facing out, it means the husband is at sea and the wife is looking for company. If the dog statues are looking in, he is home.

I also got to indulge my history nerd-ness, when he shared that some of the 7000 Danish Jews rescued from the Germans during WW2 escaped from the harbor in Dragor. Approximately 400 were captured. The evacuation was done in less than 40 hours.

We also got a peek at part of the Oresund bridge which connects Denmark to Sweden. This bridge goes to an artificial island, where it turns into a tunnel.

All too soon, it was time to board the bus and go back into Copenhagen.