Denmark - Week 3

Monday afternoon we stopped in Jelling to have a look at the Rune stones which were on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Wow what a place!! 

Hans, the director of the museum, told us it was the most important site in Denmark and even appears on their Danish Passports. He was very proud of the fact that it was all free. 

Google ‘visit Jelling’ for more info. 

After spending most of the afternoon there, we asked his advice on what else we should see and he pointed us to Fredericia. It was going to be the new capital of Denmark in the 1600s and was laid out in a grid system similar to the cities in America. Unfortunately the King, who ruled at the time, ran out of money, so it never happened. He even showed us where to stay the night along the harbour. Not much of a chill out day lol. Anyway, When we got there we could hear a marching band playing so had to investigate. They were waving the ‘Viking Sun’ off on its Cruise. Must admit, I don’t know about you but I’d rather be exploring on 4 wheels than by water!!

I can’t believe how amazing the weather is here in Denmark at the moment. It was a beautiful evening so we walked round the town (Fredericia).

When we were at Legoland a few days ago, Egeskov Castle was one of the buildings in mini land. It inspired us to go and find the real thing and we were so glad that we did. 

The castle has the biggest, most detailed dolls house we’ve ever seen. 

If that wasn’t enough, up in the loft was an unusual display of vintage toys. Outside, the gardens were full of topiary and beautiful trees and flowers. 

Then Andy spotted a tree top trail! ‘Let’s go up there’ he said. Flippin heck, it was a bit wobbly to say the least lol.

Someone has been a serious collector of ‘things’ over the years. There were buildings full of motorbikes hung up, fire engines, bicycles, cars all manner of things to look at.

We left the Danish Island of Funen and travelled by bridge to the the island of Zealand. What a bridge! 6790 metres long and travels over a little island in the middle complete with lighthouse. It’s a toll bridge and cost us £43 for a 7m van which I didn’t think was bad as a car costs £36. The toll booths are at the Zealand end and you have to follow the big yellow signs saying manual payment so they can see which class Motorhome you are. It was quick & easy and the lady knew exactly what size we were and spoke perfect English.

Our next destination was Roskilde to visit the Viking Ship Museum. You get a free guided tour as part of the entrance fee.The exhibition includes five unique Viking Ships, which were excavated in 1962 from Roskilde Fjord, near the village of Skuldelev. At the end of the Viking age - the late 11th century- a system of barriers was constructed to protect the royal seat and Cathedral in Roskilde. The five Skuldelev Ships come from a barrier about 20km north of Roskilde. The ships were sunk across a sailing channel and were part of an effective barrier.

They were building a replica ship using traditional Viking methods in the museums boatyard. The ones that had already been reconstructed were moored in the museum harbour and you could pay extra to take one out for a spin.

The sun came out again after tea so we went another walk around the harbour. It’s the second town we’ve been in in Denmark where there’s been a meeting of classic cars and their owners. This time the harbour was full of motorbikes too. I loved the strawberry hats on the trio of Danes and they didn’t mind posing for me either lol.

We didn’t fancy driving into Copenhagen and having the hassle of parking, so we went by train from Roskilde. The parking by the Viking Ship Museum was free all day and it only took 30mins and cost 150dkk each so we thought that would be the best idea. The lady in the tourist office said it was the cheapest way to travel. It’s called a tourist ticket and allows you access to trains, buses and water taxis all over the city for 24 hours. We only wanted to spend a day in Copenhagen as we’re not really a fan of big busy places so when we got there we opted for the City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off bus. It’s just up the road from the train station and took us to all the usual places.

Laundry day - Danish Style!! One up man ship on the German Laundromat!! You pay for it in the same way by putting coins in the machine on the wall and pressing the button that corresponds to the number on the washer. (We had to go to an ATM in the shopping area first and then change the notes into coins at the supermarket.)

It spins your washing first to weigh it and then dispenses laundry detergent automatically into the machine. OMG how cool is that!!