Tag: Denmark
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Museums, Cathedrals, and Ice Bars
With just one full day left in Iceland, we decided not to spend it driving and simply discover what the capital city, Reykjavik, had to offer. It’s easy to rise early in the morning as it’s daylight 24 hours a day here at this time of year. Jason got up a couple of times in the night to get photos of how light it was late into the night. The Hallgrimskirkja is a tall cathedral at the end of one of the main streets of Reykjavik. We entered the main church and were struck by what we saw. Instead of…
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Coffee, Vikings, and Hidden Giants
Coffee is usually our first stop if breakfast isn’t included at our hotel. Today was one of those days. At a lovely little shop on the corner of a street in Roskilde, Denmark, we savoured the aroma of freshly baked Danish pastries and the rich, earthy scent of coffee before our short drive to a Viking Museum. We were the only people in the parking lot when we had been there earlier and found it closed for another hour. Upon arriving back, the lot was filling up quickly, and we parked our tiny car in one of the many stalls offered. The…
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Expect the Unexpected
We planned a full day today, so we were off to central Copenhagen again for a trip to the famous Tivoli Gardens. Of course, first, there was the ever-present challenge of finding parking. Jason spotted an underground parkade, so we chose it. We drove through a garage door while a second one blocked us from going further. It was like we were inside a glass cube. He suddenly realized we were in some kind of automated parking room. “What have we done?” he laughed as he followed the instructions. “Exit your vehicle and take everything you need.” Ok. “Follow the arrow…
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A Quiet Stay and a Bustling City
Before heading to Copenhagen, we started the morning with a quick stop in Odense, the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen. We had a look at his childhood home and visited a museum that documented his life. It could have been more interesting. Still, it offered some insights and a few moments of fun, like a display of ‘The Princess and the Pea’ fairy tale and an unusual interactive exhibit of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ that shows you in a mirror in fancy clothes while the tailors/con men attempt to convince you how wonderful you look in them. Copenhagen began with…
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The Wonders of Egeskov Castle
When Jason suggested we visit a castle he had found online, I agreed it looked pretty interesting. The decision to go there led to one of my favourite days. The Egeskov Castle, built in the 1400s, was not just a castle but a journey through time. From its humble beginnings as an unfortified village manor, it was transformed into a highly fortified stronghold in 1554. Today, it stands as one of the best-preserved moated Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. As we stepped onto the grounds, the castle beckoned from a distance, and we strolled through the meticulously maintained gardens on…
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Our LEGO Adventure in Billund
Our last two days have been filled with everything LEGO. We had a short drive from our hotel to our first stop, LEGOLAND Billund Resort, in the small town of Billund. LEGOLAND Billund Resort is the original LEGOLAND park, opened in 1968. Over 50 million people have visited the park since its opening. First, though, we had to stop for pictures of the vast swaths of lupins—beautiful flowers that so colourfully decorated the ditches along the road. I have only ever seen purple ones, but there is every shade of purple plus yellow, white, and pink here. Stunning! After parking…
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Caves, Jazz, and City Lights
It’s our first full day in Denmark. It’s hard to believe we only have two more weeks on this fantastic adventure. The sunshine surrounds us as we begin our first day of sightseeing. Caves were on our agenda today, so after a quick city tour, we headed to Mønsted Kalkgruber—the world’s most enormous lime pits. Mønsted Kalkgruber is a marvel. It’s a labyrinth of 60 km of tunnels, 4 km open to the public. These tunnels, all hand-dug, are a testament to human ingenuity. Some tunnels open to caverns as massive as castles, while others are so tiny that you’d…
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Crossing from Norway to Denmark
We started with another pleasant surprise on our final morning in Norway. Our hotel didn’t include breakfast, so we drove downtown to find a bite to eat. After walking around for a bit, we heard someone singing in the distance. We followed the delightful voice we heard and came to a large blocked area, preventing people from seeing inside. We walked around it a bit and found a clearing where we could spot a lady singing on a stage with a group of backup singers behind her. A poster nearby advertised a concert later that evening featuring Helene Bøksle, a…
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Family History and Norwegian Hospitality
Our ‘breakfast’ this morning was a bagged sandwich, a store-bought lefsa, and an orange juice. Not quite what we had in mind, so we set off in search of something more satisfying. We stumbled upon a charming little bakery and indulged in a sweet roll and a steaming cup of coffee, a perfect start to our day. Then, it was a long drive, starting with rolling hills, farms, and large green fields—nothing like what we had seen in Norway up to now. There was more traffic than we had seen, so the drive was slow, but once we started to…
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Twenty-two hotels!
I think we’re pretty much all set for the trip! Got every hotel booked (yes, twenty-two of them!), covering four countries. We’ll only stay a night in most places, but a few spots we’ll stay two or three nights. It was a bit of a puzzle sorting out locations and timing, but I think we nailed it. Unlike my last month-long trip which was completely planned for me, this one’s all on us to plan. Flexibility is going to be key; there are so many things that could throw off our schedule (weather, road conditions, ferry schedules, etc.). Good thing…