Copenhagen
I met Blanca for a cappuccino this morning, just like old times. We were fellow pilgrims in Japan in 2019 and we walked together from Temple 65 to Temple 88 over some of the wildest terrain on Shikoku. Unlike me, Blanca has been very productive since then. She completed her masters, embarked on her career, married and now has two children here in Copenhagen. Despite all that, it didn’t feel like a week had passed since Shikoku and after the cappuccino we were ready to go off in search of Temple 89. Except there was a little feeding to do and a nappy to change. After that, we had a nice walk around the neighborhood and then, like all young mums, Blanca was off to a birthday party.
We were so fortunate, when you think about it, to complete that pilgrimage on the eve of the Covid pandemic. It was some years before Japan reopened its borders.
I spent the rest of the day at the Carlsberg brewery. When I previously did the tour in 1972, it was free and you got a complimentary glass of beer at the end. During the tour you watched the beer brewing and then being bottled and there were a few displays about the company. Sadly, the brewery has long gone and much of the site has been developed into housing. But the original buildings are protected and form a museum. The tour now costs 215 DKK but you still get the complimentary beer.
The important part of the Carlsberg story is that its founder, JC Jacobsen 1847, was a paternalistic employer like many others in that era, particularly protecting and developing female staff. The business was named after his one child, Carl and the location of the brewery on a hill (bjerg). It was Carl, much to his father’s displeasure, who researched and developed brewing techniques and replaced the traditional white ale with the Bavarian style of beer that we know today.
The other important fact is that JC created the Carlsberg Foundation which now owns 30% of the business and controls 74% of the votes, so it’s never going to get taken over by Asahi. It’s a major philanthropic institution sponsoring science, research and the arts.
So now I’m all set to continue my walk. It’s off towards Lübeck in the morning.
Pilgrimage 
So nice to see your happy, smiling face Tim! You haven’t changed a bit since you saw me off in London to take the first steps of my Via Francigena, also in 2019. And like you, I’m eternally grateful I did it when I did. 🙏🤗
What is the Carlsberg association with elephants? 🤔
I remember it well. We never know what’s coming next so you have to do what you can, when you can. As for the elephants, Carl Jacobsen was inspired by the Bernini elephant in Rome and put them into the main gate to represent strength and faithfulness. No one in Denmark had actually seen an elephant at that time so they used rough sketches to build them. As a result those elephants are not quite right (trunks far too long, too many toes etc). Later they launched the Elephant beer with the two elephants on the label. It sold well except in India where two elephants were considered bad luck. So they added a third in the middle which was thought to be good luck and sales took off
Only about 200k to go then?
The route to Lübeck is 360km but I’m not sure if the route will be the route. It depends upon accommodation availability which doesn’t look too promising in a few places
I mentioned your TV consultation to my cousin in the industry who works for Carnival Films. For the record, she said it is a very poor company who cannot even acknowledge contributors with at least a credit.
I’m just now catching up with your blog Tim and it’s good to see you back on the Way.
Hi Torin, I did get a cup of coffee but on subsequent visits I switched to water! Anyway, I’m hopeful for a BAFTA