I’ll let the photo do the talking, but for context, the man in the clown’s costume was taking a break between performances at the open-air theatre in Tivoli in the centre of Copenhagen.

I stood with him for a photo my wife took, and we linked arms shoulder to shoulder and he was a pleasure to stand with together.

Later, we saw him on the stage, and he was the link character in the the commedia dell’arte traditional pantomime, where he plays Pierrot, known for his costume of loose, oversized white blouse, large front buttons, and baggy white trousers. And of course, those big red lips.

What To See In Tivoli Gardens

As well as the open-air theatre, there are stomach-churning rides, and food. Tamara and I had a coffee, and we didn’t go on any of the rides, but we did go to the aquarium. Tivoli has a wonderful aquarium. It’s really good.

It was funny seeing the guard marching through the town, and difficult to take seriously. But there is a military barracks right next to the Rosenberg Slot in the King’s Garden, and those are real rifles the guardsmen are carrying.

But what could the country do if it were invaded? That was the question that was asked when the Germans invaded in April 1940. At first there was an accommodation, as it was called. And after all, the two races were similar and no need to make a big thing of the occupation.

But that balance didn’t hold and eventually the sabotage and the attacks broke whatever the accommodation was supposed to mean.

The Museum of Danish Resistance

The Museum of Danish Resistance (Frihedsmuseet) in Copenhagen is built mostly underground. It tells the history Denmark’s German occupation and underground resistance from 1940 to 1945. And it tells it through the eyes of a handful Danes. One is an out-and-out nazi who joins the Waffen SS. Others are in the resistance. Some die, some survive, and the little country shows its common vision by how it responds to the occupation.

The Jews Of Denmark

Early in the occupation, the Danish government and King Christian X resisted Nazi pressure, refusing to force Jews to wear yellow stars, and refusing discriminatory laws against Jewish citizens and Jewish-owned properties and homes.

In October 1943, after three years of the accommodation, the Germans made their move to round up the Jews of Denmark.

A German diplomat secretly tipped off Danish politicians and the Danes swung into action. Ordinary Danes collectively hid and smuggled 7,500 Jews, more than 95% of Denmark’s Jewish population to safety in neutral Sweden.