When my 1979 tour of European and British industry sites ended in London, I took a vacation and first traveled to Denmark with John and Bob Tenold to visit friends of theirs, Heidi and Magnus. I forget their last name. Magnus was an executive at SAS Airlines that John had met through Rotary. John and Bob stayed with them at their home in Copenhagen and I stayed in a small hotel near Tivoli Gardens. 

My first interesting experience happened when I checked into the hotel. When the clerk looked at my reservation he noticed I was staying as a single. He looked at me and asked if that was correct. I said it was. He then said he would register me as a single but when I came back that evening with a lady, he would change it to a double since no one in Denmark sleeps alone. I assured him I would be alone, but he just smiled.

That afternoon and evening I wandered around the old part of Copenhagen. What a wonderful city. It was full of all sorts of small specialty shops. Bakery, cheese, cured and fresh meats, seafood, clothes, antiques, and whatever a person would want or need. There was even a shop that specialized in antique armor and weapons. I guess that was where a person went to dress up and play medieval war or decorate a castle.

After dark I went to Tivoli Gardens and joined the large crowd wandering around and stopping at several outdoor entertainment venues. I stayed quite a while watching Victor Borge even though I couldn’t understand a word he said. He was still funny and the large crowd really enjoyed the show.

That night, much to the clerk’s dismay, I slept alone. The next day I walked back through the old town to a very small jeweler’s shop I had seen. The craftsman/owner/artist was busy at work at his bench and we had a nice conversation. He showed me several rings that were in my price range and I purchased a silver spiral that I gave to my daughter Kirsten. 

That afternoon I took a taxi to Heidi and Magnus’s home. After lunch, John, Bob, and Magnus went someplace and Heidi said she was taking me on a walking tour of Copenhagen. She was a lovely, petite woman, about mid-sixties I would guess. She was very talkative and pointed out all the interesting and historic parts of central Copenhagen. 

We went to the harbor and I got to see Hans Christian Anderson’s little mermaid sitting on a rock just off shore. After that she directed us to a tall, maybe 36-inch diameter stone column. On the top was a stature of a man playing a horn. She said that every time a virgin walked past he would blow his horn, but to that day no one had ever heard a sound. She got a big kick out of telling me that legend. 

One again I slept alone.

The next morning the group picked me up and we drove to their summer home in Hundested, Denmark. We got there just in time for lunch and Heidi had brought a picnic lunch. Over lunch I guess Magnus decided to have some fun at our expense. He passed out small glasses and brought out a bottle of Akvavit. He proceeded to pour a round. He said “Schol” and we had to take it in one shot. A few minutes later he poured another round, said “Schol,” and down it went. After the fourth round I was feeling the effects and after the fifth I had all I could take. As soon as lunch was over, Bob and I took a nap. I don’t know what everyone else did.

A couple hours later I got up and pulled myself together. Bob was still sleeping and everyone else was nowhere to be seen, so I went for a short walk. On my way back to the house, I was stopped by an elderly neighbor who asked me where I was from and where I was going next. I told him Finland to meet some of my relatives. He looked at me rather concerned and told me I had better be careful because Finish people carried big knives. I laughed but I think he was serious.

When I arrived back at the home, everyone was up and around. By then it must have been about 5 PM but since we were so far north and it was June, it would be light until well after midnight. So, Magnus decided to show us around this part of Denmark. He drove us to a beautiful wide beach and we went for a walk in the sand. Walking back to the car, an attractive young woman swam ashore stark naked, walked right past us to an open shower, and washed the sea water off. Looking around, I realized we were the only ones wearing clothes on that beach. Again, Magnus was having fun with us.

That night, Magnus turned on the television and we watched the Danish National Ballet dance in the nude.

The next morning, I left for Helsinki, Finland.

This is what I remember after 47 years. I had written a sort of trip diary at the time but I can’t locate it now. I’m sure it’s in one of my binders or in a file or box or maybe in my computer.

Ken Kaiyala
8-9-2026