Who we are
Holder Danske - the ultimate garantor of the State of Denmark
The Gallery of Guides
Welcome to Parnassos’ gallery of personal guides. Here you can read about who is behind our guests’ upcoming cultural experiences.
Erik Bach Christophersen, founder of Parnassos.dk, was born in Helsingør, Hamlet’s town, under Holger Danske’s supervision most undoubtedly.
He has lived most of his adult life in London, his career in the English publishing industry.
There will be some of you reading these words who will remember the Piccadilly Book Club. A book club aimed at Danes and Swedes respectively, which he managed from London.
He has been the editor of the Financial Times Book Club, as well as editor at Gyldendal, the preeminent and largest Danish publishing house. He has worked for the internet bookstore Saxo.com, the Danish equivalent of Amazon, including as director of Saxo S.A.R.L in Luxembourg.
You can read the following portrait in this article from the Danish online media Point of View ↗ (From the summer of 2020 – when we all thought that the Corona crises was behind us – and before Russia would actually attack its neighbor. In Danish only, sorry!).
We organize eight annual cultural events. Erik will be ‘on site’ of all of them.
The main guide for our trip to Vienna, October 2023
Gerti Schmidt
Gerti Schmidt is the CEO of the official Austrian tourist organization and director for 35 groups each of them involved in all thing’s tourism.
There isn’t one alley or mew that she doesn’t know about, not any palace that doesn’t roll the red carpet out for her.
Parnassos.dk arranges one trip annually to the Austrian Capital, the first was presented in September 2022, the next scheduled for October 2023.
With Gerti in charge we ensure that we always make a mix of unique experiences with a touch of extravaganza here and there when appropriate.
The main guides for our trip to Cairo, November 2023
Claes Raben
Claes Raben is from Odense in Denmark – Hans Christian Andersen’s town – has lived in Cairo since the early 1990s. He is married to an Egyptian woman and has one of the most extensive networks imaginable in Egypt’s capital. He was a good friend of my late brother, Bent Bach Christophersen, who lived in Cairo for the last three decades of his life.
With Claes, we have almost unlimited access to the city’s activities. He has lived in elegant Garden City and now lives in elegant El Dokki.
Claes will be with us most days and will make sure everything runs smoothly. Or… as frictionless as possible. Cairo is not a quiet residential street.
Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen is Denmark’s leading Islam expert and professor at the University of Copenhagen. He has lived several times in Cairo since the 1980s.
He will be with us all seven days and will give us a thorough review of all layers of Arab culture – as well as all districts of Egypt’s capital.
Han vil være sammen med os alle syv dage og vil give os en grundig gennemgang af alle lag af den arabiske kultur – samt alle distrikter af Egyptens hovedstad.
Du kan læse om rejsen her.
The main guides for our trip to Rome, February 2024
Poul Arnedal & Søren Rud
The gentlemen, Poul Arnedal ↗ og Søren Rud ↗are journalists with very long careers behind them. The former is a portrait editor at POV and a writer, the latter is also a photographer and founder of Life Exhibitions.
And the latter has recently written a large article for the Danish newspaper Politiken dealing with… Rome of course! With the main emphasis on the surroundings around the Spanish Steps. You can read the article here. (Once again, sorry it is in Danish). And both are travel guides with a focus on Rome and London.
When we are together in Rome we drink Grappa, in London it is Gin & Tonic. Each drink has its own geography.
The undersigned has known Poul and Søren for almost three decades. They are at home in the Roman squares and streets (and taverns!). They know everything and everyone.
We have long thought about arranging a trip to Rome where, to use an English expression, ‘will blow the socks off’ our guests. And yes, there is a Scandinavian feel to most of our trips, but they will all be executed in English. You will not be excluded and it will be lovely to have you with us, wherever you are from.
You can read about our trip to Rome here, which will take place on the days 16th – 20th February 2024.
