Day 2 Aarhus - the excellent Moesgaard museum

02 November
Day 2 Aarhus

I met the guys for breakfast before we separated and did our own thing.  Was a nice traditional Danish smorgasbord breakfast.  Cheese, cold cuts, liver pate, fresh fruit, eggs and bread.  They also had these thin wafers of dark chocolate which are supposed to go on a piece of bread as a topping.  Sweet things go on white bread and savoury things go on rye bread apparently.

Today's plan was to hit up the Moesgaard Museum.  It was on my list and I wasn't sure I really wanted to do it but on Julian's recommendation I did.  Julian put me on a bus going the wrong way to start with - dick.

But once I got there - wow - what a great museum!

First of all the building the museum sits in is absolutely awesome.  They have turned the building into a hill.  It looks like it's been built into the side of a hill but I assume the hill came second.  It looks great though and provides a view of the ocean and surrounding countryside from on top.

The museum itself is really good as well.  It's generally a museum about archeological finds and the ethnography of the region.  They've done a great job of the exhibits using a great mix of technology traditional exhibits, lighting and use of space.  There are some great interactive exhibits and they used a lot of video to dispense information rather than making you read endless text.  There were even some animated short films as part of the museum which were quite interesting to watch and showed the info in a different way.

There was an interesting exhibit about the different way some cultures honour the dead.  They had the Day of the Dead from Mexico of course but also modern traditions from Australian Aborigines, tribes from Papua New Guinea and a few others.

Finally there was a great film exhibit talking about different aspects of the human experience.  They had short films showing a live birth, a cremation in India, religious worship in Brazil and a few others including using some VR goggles for a 3D experience with those particular films.  Really good exhibit.

After I was done with the museum proper I walked around the grounds of the museum and university in the area.  In a muddy field they had a few examples of some burial mounds from the region which honestly was pretty boring.  My poor new shoes didn't fare well in that field.

I'd ended up spending the whole day out here at the museum which is quite unusual for me.  It was no British Museum in terms of the collection but it was a much more engaging experience for me.

On the way back to the hotel I also ended up going to a lookout point on top of Salling's Department store in the city which gave some nice views of Aarhus.  Salling's has a pretty big bakery section as well so I got myself a treat which turned out to be pretty shit.

Kicked back at the hotel for a little while then went out for a walk to find some dinner.  I ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant on the edge of the city centre and had a pretty good spicy seafood soup.  Stopped in for a beer at a bar down the road but they were doing a Christmas beer tap takeover and it was just soooo busy I only stayed for one.

Day 1 Aarhus - a bus ride and an Australian ingress player

01 November
Day 1 Aarhus

Checked out of the hostel really early to catch a BUS to Aarhus.  I haven't really done the bus thing at all because trains are just so damned comfortable but I figured I'd give it a crack.  There's this bus company called Flix bus that goes all around Europe for what seem like really cheap prices.  This trip was 4 hours and it cost $30 which seems like a bargain.  The train was double that price and only about 45 minutes shorter in terms of time.

The bus was actually pretty comfortable as well.  Power adapters, comfortable seats and a toilet built for tiny tiny people.

The bus ride was uneventful. Passed through a few towns but mostly stuck to the highway.  The scenery was very pleasant but not spectacular.  No snow here yet ... just lots and lots of green green grass.

Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark with a staggering population of 360,000 people or so.  It was named the 2017 European Capital of Culture so it'd better live up to the hype!  I'm mostly here because Julian and John highly recommend the town (not surprising given they lived here as exchange students) and it's easy to get to from Copenhagen.  Since I have about a month to kill Denmark is as good a place to spent some time as anywhere else.

Make my way to my hotel and I'm able to check in a few hours early.  Hooray for low season!  I'm staying at the CabINN hotel chain for the next couple of nights.  Similar to the airline cabin one I stayed in in Tokyo this one is based off a ship's cabin.  2 bunks and a small bathroom in a very small room.  It's fine though.  Clean, good condition, comfortable bed, hot water and the luxury of a private room.  Happy.

And because Julian is useless I had to book rooms there for him and John also.  Apparently their bookings had failed for some reason.

Then I went out and did my usual wander around town to try and get a good look at the place.  And of course I had to buy some new shoes because I was walking around in my thongs!  I got a few odd looks but the weather was fine - not sure what the problem was.

I got a pair of shoes on the main shopping drag for much more than I wanted to pay but they were the cheapest I could find.  An hour later obviously I came across a store selling what I wanted for 1/3 of the price.  Too late by then though.

This is a beautiful town.  There's a nice canal running through the middle of town which John later tells me used to be covered by a road.  There were too many accidents on the road or something so they dug it up and turn it into a waterway and centrepiece of the city.

This place sort of reminds me of Adelaide (Aarhus) compared to Melbourne (Copenhagen).  Copenhagen is obviously the older sibling but Aarhus has developed into a cool younger version of the same thing.  I reckon this would be a great place to live.

So I wander around, play some ingress, and eventually end up back at the hotel with a couple of beers from a local brewery in tow.  A barley wine and a dubbel - both really tasty.  I'm liking the prevalence of the Belgian styles of beer since I'm in Europe.  You see them in Australia but nowhere near as many.

Sitting in my hotel room drinking my beers when I remember that I'm allowed to drink outside in public in this country!  I was about to get my shoes on and go sit in the square outside and Julian and John rock up.  As much as I enjoy being alone most of the time it's nice to see a familiar face!

They have beer in tow so we have a drink then head out for the evening.  John's looking very dapper in slacks, a collared shirt and a vest.  He'd just given a guest lecture at the Aarhus University on something Australia is doing in the law enforcement field that could be applied in Denmark.  I don't remember exactly what it was but it sounded interesting.

They are taking me out to a classic Danish restaurant in town.  We have to wait an hour for a table so we head down to the local pool hall and have a couple of games.  I'm terrible at pool and it's been months since I played so I successfully get smashed each time.

Dinner was really delicious.  I put myself in their hands and let them order the appropriate food.  Entree was a selection of herring with various accompaniments on breads.  Delicious.  I've been loving the herring I've had while I've been in this part of the world.

Looking at the menu my main was fried pork with white potatoes and parsley sauce.  I don't know if it has a traditional Danish name but it was delicious.

We also had shots of some disgusting spirit which was not good.  I was a bit of a dick and poured it in their beers which I regret but we got over it.  I was pretty tanked at that point after all the beer I drank earlier but that's no excuse for being an ass.  It's pathological I think.  At some point I just unconsciously end up being a dick (and often - consciously :).  Ah well.

Stuffed full of food we head off towards Cafe Jorden where the boys used to spend a lot of time.  Of course there was an Australian behind the bar.  Can't escape us!  The owner wasn't there but the owner's daughter was and they convinced her to write a welcome back message on the blackboard so the guys can pose for a photo.

It was quite late enough by then and I didn't want to drink anymore so back to the hotel for some sleep.  Was a fun night and nice to see a bit of the town through the eyes of these guys who have spent a lot of time here.

I can see why they like it.

Day 2 Copenhagen

31 October
Day 2 Copenhagen

After a restless night's sleep on the creaky swaying bunk beds I did breakfast then headed towards the free town of Christiana.  Basically a hippy commune that in some way seems to be separate from the laws governing the rest of Copenhagen.  I gather this is mainly to do with drugs.

It was a pretty interesting place to walk around but I arrived a bit early I think to really see it going.  I suppose it's not surprising that a group of hippies like to sleep in while I, disciplined of mind and body, like to get up early.

There were a couple of shops open and there were a few people up and about. A couple of them definitely looked a bit strung out.  And there was already someone buying some weed from a local vendor.  I'll have to come back later in the day before I leave Denmark and check it out when there's a bit more life about the place.

I headed back towards the city centre where I was going to do another walking tour of the city.  I'm starting to get a bit addicted to these things.  It is really quite enjoyable to have some context to my random wanderings.

Stopped in at a nice little coffee shop on the way and sat by a canal to drink my coffee.

The tour started next to one of the city halls in Copenhagen.  I forget which number this was but there are quite a few that kept having to be rebuilt because they kept burning down.  This one is pretty nice.  It's not the most beautiful building I've seen but it's quite pleasant and has some nice sculptures and murals floating around.  It also has this pretty cool clock ... Jens Olsen's World Clock.  It's an astronomical clock that shows various things like lunar and solar eclipses, positions of stellar bodies as well as the time (duh!  It's a clock!).  Interestingly it also has a gear that only completes a rotation once every 25753 years.  This has something to do with the time it takes for the earth's axes to get back to the same position After they wobble about a bit.  Google it.

A few people in the way so I didn't get any pictures of the clock so I ripped some from google images.

The tour started after that. It was a 3 hour walking tour of central Copenhagen I guess.  We had a Peruvian tour guide called Luis and he was really entertaining AND had good information.  This one was much more interesting than the one in Stockholm.  Copenhagen burns down ... a lot.

By the end of the tour my right foot was really sore (bruised) and the sole of my right shoe had given out.  I've been wearing these almost every day for the last 6 months and the tread was gone in some parts anyway so I'm pretty happy with the wear I got out of them.  Unfortunately I now have to go and buy a new pair of waterproof boots and break them in before I get to Svalbard and Iceland.  Blisters ahoy!  Good thing Denmark is pretty mild at the moment.  It's actually really comfortable outside wearing thongs.

Given my foot was so sore I didn't do anything for the rest of the day really.  I just hung around at the hostel, did some laundry and booked some flights for later in the year (to Svalbard, Iceland and Seattle).

I've been umming and awwing about Iceland because it can be dangerous to drive there in winter but I've decided to just go for it.  Got to learn to drive in the ice and snow sometime in my life and where better than the Arctic.  I'm sure it'll be fine.

I did go out for dinner to a Korean restaurant next door to the hostel which was pretty good.

I take off tomorrow to Aarhus to meet up with Julian and his friend John.  I kind of expected to be here a bit longer but I will spend another couple of days in Copenhagen before I leave Denmark so I'll have time to explore more of the city.

Day 1 Copenhagen - on a train and a wander around the city

30 October
Day 1 Copenhagen

Up early to get a train to Copenhagen!  It's amazing the times some people check into hotels.  I went to bed at about 11.30pm and when I got up there were 2 extra people in the room.  And one of them left while I was dozing before actually getting up.

Another border crossing another lack of checking papers.  It's going to be weird when someone actually does care enough to check my passport again.  Oddly when you go Denmark->Sweden they check your passport but not the other way around.  Anyone know why?

The train was pretty comfortable though it was absolutely freezing to start.  Also delayed 10 minutes!  Much better than the one from Russia to Estonia but again the Japanese trains win.

The ride between Stockholm and Copenhagen is absolutely beautiful.  Beautiful forests, lakes / tributaries and gorgeous Swedish towns.  Plus the pretty cool bridge that crosses the straight between the 2 countries.  A really great ride and I'm glad I chose that instead of flying.  Probably only an hour longer once you take into account travel time to an airport and security and whatnot.

I arrived in Copenhagen around 3.30pm and my hostel is not far from the station at all.  The hostel has been voted top hotel in Denmark a couple of times apparently and I can mostly see why.  They are trying to operate a reception-less system by having check-in and everything automated before you arrive or done by computer terminals once you get there.

That system doesn't cater for people being people and so what you've got is a system where probably 95% of people check in without help but there's another 5% that require a staff member to help and so the demand on staff is always huge.  Because of course because they are trying to go reception-less they are understaffed.  Now I checked in without needing a staff member but housekeeping had not given me any bedding so I had to go down and stand in the line to get sheets and whatnot (which I had to ask for again later because they were so busy they forgot).

It gets dark pretty early here at this time of year!  I think it was full dark before 5pm and it's only going to get earlier.  Actually that was one of the cool things at the Nordic Museum in Stockholm.  They had a pretty cool model of the Earth, Sun and Moon rotations which showed exactly how much sunlight they get in the arctic circle throughout the year.

So I did my usual wander around the city and tried not to get killed by cyclists.  These buggers on their bikes go pretty fast around the city and be damned if anyone gets in their way.  I am guilty of walking in the bike lane at times and getting some dirty looks from a few cyclists.  I probably deserved it.

This is a beautiful city and it seems to have a really relaxed vibe.  I like it already!

So I basically walked around for a few hours.  I stumbled across a city library and walked into that.  Was a pretty cool building.  Since Amy is a librarian I'm starting to walk into libraries whenever I see them to send her some pictures.  Libraries are often really cool and impressive buildings so I don't often regret my decision to walk in them.

There are also a heap of really cool looking bars and restaurants all around the place.

I ducked into a market at some point to get a few snacks and breakfast things but ended up getting enough food for dinner as well. I had intended to eat out but I didn't.

I did however go check out a pretty cool little craft beer bar not far from the hostel.  They had a really nice selection of beers so I nursed a couple of quiet ones, listened to the rock music they had going and people watched for a while.  I seem to have lucked out a bit with the weather as well.  It's not as cold as Helsinki and Stockholm were.

Back to the hostel and I chilled out downstairs in the common room for a while.  This place is pretty huge.  They've got 5 floors with maybe 30 rooms on each floor and a bar / restaurant on the ground floor.  Given that the common room was pretty full but it mostly seemed like groups of friends or family staying together.  I didn't see many solo travellers.

One Latin American guy was going around the common room trying to get any group of girls he found to go out clubbing with him and his friends which was kind of amusing.  He wasn't having a lot of luck.

The beds in this dorm aren't great.  The mattress is comfortable enough but they are metal framed beds that are pretty flimsy.  Whenever one of the 2 people on the bunk move the whole thing sways and every movement gives a squeaking noise.  My earplugs have been invaluable!