All Things Danish: Danish words and letter, Danish Drinks, and a Hans Andersen Museum in the USA

First, the obvious things to see in Denmark. 
1 The statue of the Little Mermaid from Hans Andersen's story. I was surprised it was so small.

2 The Tivoli Gardens. 

3 The museum of Hans Andersen. 

Hans Andersen statue. Not in Denmark but California, USA.
Picture from Wikipedia in article on Solvang, California.

My husband is writing a book about wine. He was recently looking at Danish vineyards and puzzling over the language. Luckily we have a long-standing friend who is from Denmark who was able to explain and solve the language mysteries.

Gården 
The Danish word garden has a tiny circle above the a. No need for you to be scared or confused. the word is pronounced as in English. It just tells you the a  is long, as in the English word garden, unlike the English word gad as in gad about, or had.

In the olden days and nowadays if you don't have access to the letter a with the circle above it, you can type the letter a twice, gaarden, just to show the a is an extended sound, not the clipped sound.

You can learn Danish for free on Duolingo. They remind us that Danish was the language of the Vikings. I can imagine a long argument about whether Danes were Vikings and whether Vikings were Danes, becuase when you look into history arguments about accuracy often arise, because borders where different in those days.

I have visited Denmark but don't have immediate plans to do. However, it is good to have one of life's little mysteries solved and feel more in control of the world.

When I next go to Denmark, I shall be one step ahead of learning the language compared to my last visit.

Danish Wine

Whilst in Denmark, try Danish wine.Tripadvisor lists 8 wineries among the top 30 attractions. It is not widely exported because the top quality, with the biggest budget, cannot currently compete with the major players such as more Southerly France and Germany and Italy and Spain. However, global warming is likely to increase the quantity and improve the quality. At least you can try

My wine expert mutters, "The Dnish wines were only certified by the EU in 2000. The soil is actually too fertile, so lots of fruit is grown. 

"Vines don't need much nutrition, and bury roots. In Denmark they don't bother irrigating. (Irrigated wines traditionally didn't make the best wine, however, most of the new world is irrigating. They don't have a choice.)

We looked up the prices of what was offered at a Danish wineyard shop .Danish kroners were 7 to the US dollar; 10 pounds for wine, 17.50 English pounds. for a flagon. For three flagons or flasks or bottles, the price comes down to fifteen pounds sterling each. You can do the check on the current day's exchange rates into your currency, at the place you are visiting, checking a restaurant menu, or bottles in a shop.

So, to sum up, it is hard to find Danish wine outside Denmark. We have asked a Danish-born friend to bring us back some Danish wine on his next visit home. Currently, most Danish wine is table wine. If you are going on holiday or business to Danmark and want a glass or bottle of local affordable wine, try the Danish wine. 

Solvang Danish Day, California, September 2019

If you can't yet get to Denmark, think about Solvang Danish Day in California in September 2019.

Solvang is Danish for sunny field.

Wikipedia handily says:

Museums[edit]

Solvang is home to two museums devoted to Danish culture and to one presenting vintage motorcycles:

• The Elverhøj Museum, housed in the former residence of artist Viggo Brandt-Erichsen, is devoted to preserving the Danish heritage of Solvang with its Danish-American pioneer spirit. The building which was completed in 1950 is inspired by the 18th-century farmhouses of northern Jutland. After extensive renovation, the museum opened to the public in May 1988.^[46] The cottage in the garden houses a diorama of scale models depicting Solvang in the 1920s.^[47] From January to April 2011, the museum was hosting an exhibition entitled "Spirit of Solvang" consisting of a series of old black-and-white photographs of the village enhanced by local resident Paul Roark.^[48]
• The Hans Christian Andersen Museum, located above The Book Loft, is devoted to presenting the author's life and works. Displays include models of Andersen's childhood home and of "The Princess and the Pea". The museum also contains hundreds of volumes of Andersen's works, including many illustrated first editions.^[49]
• The Vintage Motorcycle Museum displays machines from the private collection of Virgil Elings, a veteran motorcross and road racer. While there is an emphasis on vintage racing bikes, the collection is quite broad and ranges from 1910 to the present.^[50]

Danish - English

butik - boutique

gaarden - garden

sol - sun 

Useful Websites
DANISH
https://www.duolingo.com/course/da/en/Learn-Danish
https://www.visitdenmark.com/
https://www.solvangdanishdays.org/

Trains go from Copenhagen to Malmo in Sweden. You could also put your car on a ferry to Sweden.

SWEDISH
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsburg,_California
https://www.duolingo.com/course/sv/en/Learn-Swedish

NORWEGIAN
https://www.duolingo.com/course/no-BO/en/Learn-Norwegian-Bokm%C3%A5l

Author Travel writer and photographer Angela Lansbury. Please share links to your favourite posts.