More Aarhus, open air museum

The next morning I walk down to Den Gamle By, an open air museum. I am really digging these open air museums lately. I love popping into a historic town and seeing how people lived. It’s voyarism at its best.

They must have built this entrance later because it seems they actually have us start now in present day instead of old times. I can tell later there was another entrance in the back of the complex. So basically I start in present day times, exploring stores and apartments set up on how people in Denmark live today. The apartments they show are pretty large. I move onto the 1950-1970’s stores and apartments. Finally its the early 1900’s and 1800’s.

I slowly glide through businesses and apartments from 1974 (the year I was born!). Again it is fun walking through apartments, one of a hippie commune, and wondering how life was like. There is an apartment that is set up like it houses Turkish immigrants and I learn how much labor had to be imported because they could not find native residents who could fill the employment needs.

At some point I end up in a museum, it is easy to get carried away here.

1800’s

I know I have missed something so I head back to see the 1970s gynecological office. Seems a little out of a horror movie. But things have surely gotten better, Right?

After Den Gamble By I travel over to Dokk1 which is basically a library. There is a very interesting art work here by the car park which is a city upside down. The car park itself is pretty cool. People park their car into available docks or elevators and I am assuming the car gets taken below. They then retrieve it later.

I later walk along the harbor a bit and then past a historic theater near my hotel.

I head to dinner, during this time I notice a bunch of white captain hats. A quick google tells me that those wearing them are recent graduates from high school and it is a Denmark tradition. Watching the graduates party seems to be a regular thing during the rest of my time in Denmark.

The next day I let myself rest a bit only leaving briefly to get coffee, where I get temporarily trapped by the rain. I am woken up by fireworks at 11:30 PM and loud birds in the early morning, a pattern that repeats the next night. Why I decided to not wear ear plugs when sleeping with an open window is beyond me. I eventually get my motivation and walk towards the water to explore one of the newer neighborhoods. I had originally planned to bike there as one blogger suggested but it isn’t a far walk. Sometimes I prefer walking so I can catch things along the way. Today is summer solstice so I’ll have plenty of sun to explore today.

Watching bike commuters while I’m trapped by rain.

I make it out to a Danish brunch and I’m a fan. The menu lists a bunch of choices and you can choose from a list of items to make your own breakfast combination.

I walk by rows and rows of boats. It is windy but the rain has stopped and the sun is out, I wonder why people are not out today. I know it is a week day but I always had the impression that Northern Europeans disappear from the office when they begin to see sunny days. I round the corner and see some sailboats. It seems like they are practicing tacking (I believe that is the word for turning around a water craft with a sail a term I only know because I had an ex determined to teach me how to wind surf).

I admire all the architecture. With all the windows I am able to slightly see into some apartments. I am very jealous of this lifestyle. Due to me not working and blowing all my money on travel I doubt I’ll be able to afford this lifestyle during my lifetime.

I walk past a row of wooden loft like houses. I can see completely inside and there are no curtains in sight (again with the large windows). It appears they can be rented out for stays. They are the definition of hygge. I have already decided that if I ever own a home again at least one room will be inspired by this.

I walk to another pier that seems to be the place for water sports. There is an area for swimming and a place to practice wake boarding. I watch for a while.

I had decided to head back toward the Latin quarter when I spot a dome in the distance on another pier. There are square foot gardens, wildflower patches and a cafe. The cafe seems to be occupied by a private meeting so I wander around for a bit instead.

It is here I decide to finally rent the bike, although my ride back is pretty short. I guess I could have taken it out for longer but it seems that it is going to rain again.

After a break in my room I head to a nice cafe. I am not impressed with my meal but the atmosphere is nice. I even get chilly and need to use my jacket. I have a cocktail at a local bar and then head to 7-eleven to get a water and some snacks. While in line a very intoxicated high school grad caresses my arm. He isn’t trying to be a jerk, he is just very drunk and friendly, even telling the older lady in line next to me that she is beautiful. It is a very weird interaction. I witness broken beer bottles and cups of half empty alcohol randomly placed around town. I am sure it is not always like this, is it?

Tomorrow I’m off to Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town.

Arrived in Aarhus, Denmark

I am in what is called Denmark’s second city Aarhus. Located on the Jutland Peninsula, I stop here a couple days to enjoy its canal, cafes, old streets and art.

I take the mid-day train from Aalborg to Aarhus. It is a very easy process where I don’t even have to reserve in advance. I arrive at the station a little early to buy my ticket. My train is waiting when I arrive so I am able to pick out a comfortable seat. I mostly have the row to myself the entire journey. Seats can be reserved for the trip but it doesn’t seem that’s what people normally do. After about an hour and a half I arrive in Aarhus. It is around a ten minute walk to my hotel. The city doesn’t seem too big. I might rent a bike for a bit but will visit most of the city by foot.

After I drop my bags I follow the path along the canal to the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, a modern art museum. One of the big draws of the museum is the rainbow skywalk above that is indeed cool.

The largest exhibit is on Erró a mixed media artist of the 1900’s. His paintings and collages, etc reflect many things going on at the time in wars and pop culture. There is especially a concentration on superhero art, specifically mixing different characters together and creating new story lines. He is weird and I like it.

The next set of art is really interesting because it inserts a subject in a totally unrelated scene. There are a series of paintings of astronauts with historical artwork subjects inserted.

There is a floor of other traditional paintings but none of them caught my eye to point them out in particular – some of the landscape photos are nice though.

Next I go to the really weird installation art, another favorite of mine. There is a movie about migrants crossing the border of Mexico that is particularly powerful.

Finally I end up in a light exhibit that reminds me of the Meow Wolf art chain in the USA. Some of it is interactive.

After my visit to the museum I walk around town and get a snack. In the process there is some sculptures around. I find the two different Arnold Schwarzenegger characters embracing an interesting piece to look at.

Later I arrive at my hotel that is like a glamorized hostel (with single rooms). I have a double bed but it is bare bones: no AC (typically not needed), a window that barely opens for circulation, a shower that floods the entire bathroom floors….basically no frills here.

Tomorrow I’ll visit another open air museum.

Denmark, land of Danes

I’ve left Norway after a nice long visit. There is still so much to see there but my bank account can’t handle an extended visit in that country. Now I head to Denmark which is almost as pricey.

My plan for Denmark is to start north and then eventually end up in Copenhagen. My itinerary started busy with many city changes but I do eliminate at least one overnight location because I very much need to start scheduling more downtime. After my friend who never sleeps left me in Norway I joke that I took at least four naps the next day (two of them were on flights but I never nap like that back home). Not getting a full night sleep for multiple days hits me hard….but I did have fun.

Now I’m in Aalborg, a quiet town in northern Denmark. Right before I get off the airport bus I slam my leg into something. I am always smashing into things but this pain is so bad it debilitates me for a second, luckily the driver doesn’t take off right away because it takes me a second to get my composure and bags. As I hop off the bus a bike almost runs into me. Apparently part of the sidewalk is a bike lane. I am loving the bike friendliness but I just am not prepared. I drop my bags and take a couple more seconds to breathe through the pain. This is going to be a huge bruise later (note: the bruise resulting from this injury stays with me months later – no exaggeration).

I find my hotel on this unseasonably HOT day and there is no AC but they do include a fan in the room. Bonus points for them. I have no real plans within the town only a day trip tomorrow but the front desk is very helpful with suggestions.

After my bag drop at hotel I go out to explore and eat lunch. All the places I had picked to eat at are either empty or not open yet. I settle on a place that has smørrebrød, a thick heavy dark bread topped with any number of ingredients. I order the eel because someone says eel is good in some online review. There is bread, some sort of aioli, cold eel and topped with tomatoes, chives and dill. It is good but I find myself eyeing my neighbors plates instead. Smørrebrød is popular throughout Denmark so I am sure I’ll try it again.

I walk down to the water to admire the action down there. It is Saturday and beautiful and many are out enjoying it. A DJ plays techno music in a park while people sip on beers they can purchase from a trailer.

Also nearby is a very large USA coast guard ship. It is available for touring but I have missed the visting hours. After chatting with my cousin he tells me that it was docked in London years ago and he learned it used to be a German ship that USA acquired in WW2.

I walk down the party street Jomfru Ane Gade. I am not in the mood for partying but I do come across this interesting tapas chain on the corner of the street. My smorrebrod from earlier didn’t quite fill me up so I head in for a snack and a drink. The food isn’t too exciting but I am able to get some vegetable tapas to fill my veggie quota for the day (although the asparagus is swimming in bacon, not quite as healthy).

The next morning after breakfast I take the train to Skagen. Google somehow had the times wrong and I had to wait an additional half hour – perhaps I was looking at Saturday times and today is Sunday. Anyway the train runs every hour most days and is about a slow 2 hour ride to Skagen. It is slow because there are a few stops where it just sits and waits for about ten minutes. Without those waits I believe the route could be faster.

After I get off the train I head first to a bakery. I walk down a shopping street and am tempted by all the adorable sundresses on the racks outside. At the bakery I try a very large danish (but it is technically a half serving). I can tell you what we get in the USA should be embarrassed be called a danish. It is nothing like what I’ve been getting in the Nordic countries.

I head over to the bike rental place closer to the water. I realize later there is one right outside the train station but because I didn’t walk by it I never realized it was there until I caught the afternoon train back. The bikes are rented for the day which is fine because I have no idea how long I will need the bike anyway. I head in the direction of Grenen. I stop to admire the ocean views along the way.

When I get to the parking lot for Grenen there is a large area for parking bikes. Luckily these bikes have locks built in. I make sure the bike is locked and take the key with me.

It is a 3km walk to and back to the tip of the beach that contains the point where the two oceans collide into each other: North Sea and Baltic Sea. You walk past old German bunkers used by the nazi’s in WWII when they occupied Denmark. I then walk along the beach where dozens of jellyfish are pushed onto shore by the waves. I try to avoid them but do end up stepping on one when I am on my phone and not paying attention. Luckily there are no stingers involved since I am barefoot and enjoying the cold water. We are told no swimming is allowed because of the strong currents but I do occasionally let the water cover my feet.

I get to the tip of the peninsula where the oceans meet. You can see the waves occasionally head toward each other. I think the effect is more pronounced at low tide but now it is closer to high tide. There is a crowd at the tip as well as unclothed children running around. It is my understanding that Denmark is pretty liberal with its stance on nudity but I am struggling to get pictures without these kids in it. Thankfully they soon get clothed and leave.

I enjoy the view for a bit and then walk back to my bike. Except for the high tide I timed my visit correctly because it seems like it is going to start to rain soon. I get on the bike and head back to Skagen. I ride around a bit and get a seafood lunch. I order a plate of peel and eat shrimp and Norwegian lobsters (similar to langostinos).

It does start to rain a bit while I eat but I decided to ride around town a bit anyway. I return the bike and head to the train station to take the 2 hour ride back. When I arrive in Aalborg I take a quick stop at the singing trees. There is a park behind the train station that has boxes in front of rows of trees. Each box represents a musical artist that has visited the city. You can push a button and listen to samples of their music. It is a very unique art installation. The park seems safe enough but toward the edge of this exhibit there are some people sitting at a picnic table acting erratically (drugs maybe). Every place I’ve been in my recent travels has been very safe but I also have good instinct so I get far away from the group…..no need to chase trouble.

I fortunately bought snacks this time and decided I wasn’t hungry enough to go eat dinner somewhere tonight. This might be a good time to catch up on some much needed rest again.

Tomorrow I head to another city in Denmark.

Oslo Norway

This morning we have a quick flight back to Oslo where we finish up the trip. For our next accommodation I have booked a two bedroom apartment in the nice Frogner area of town. We visit the rental office to drop off our bags because we are too early to check in. From here we take the bus to the Norsk Folkemuseum. Did I mention we are here in a heat wave? The highs are in the low 80°F (average 70°) but the sun is very intense since we are located much closer to the sun at summertime. It gets quite warm when you are not in the shade. Most places have no air conditioning so it is getting warm indoors during the day. From what we have been told its unseasonably hot right now. Even Bergen is more hot and sunny than usual. We caught no rain at all there.

D has another friend in Oslo so we meet her at the Norsk Folkemuseum, an open air museum that shows life in Norway during different historical periods. I knew nothing about this museum until my friend A suggested it. We spend a few hours here going from exhibit to exhibit. D has time to catch up with her friend she hadn’t seen in many years so this is an especially good time for her. We even see the church that inspired the Norway church at Epcot.

We walk to catch the ferry to town after the folk museum. We joke that we end up on the popeye tug boat route instead of the large fancy ferry we see in other routes.

We have one more dinner together and decide to head back to our very nice apartment to unwind for the evening, plus my friends need to pack for tomorrow. Both are flying home tomorrow (T is staying local because she lives in Oslo). A was supposed to spend one more night in town with me but is flying standby and the flights only look good for her tomorrow in order to return home on a timely basis.

The next morning I walk them down to the train and say my goodbyes. I don’t mind traveling alone but I really do appreciate having the company.

I think this is it for travel companions for me during this bout of travel. I might meet up with other people briefly but no one else has signed on to do multi-day travel with me. It’s understandable; I know it is a privilege and not easy to do what I do. All the things aligned in a sense (good and bad) for me to be able to adopt this travel lifestyle, at least temporarily.

After I leave my friends I go see the statue of Freya, the poor unfortunate walrus that was killed because she was a nuisance in Oslo by boarding boats and chasing tourists that get too close to her. She was euthanized because humans couldn’t handle her.

After my visit to Freya I plan to visit a sculpture garden a couple miles away. Tired of walking I decide to utilize the Lime bikes nearby (bike rental). I already have an account with Lime in the USA so it should be easy enough for me to rent. I have a short discussion with a local who is irritated that he can’t park his car because lime bikes are in the way. I tell him I am not parking them as I am trying to rent one myself. He thinks they are a nuisance but I think they are great for tourists like me. It is a short ride to the sculpture garden; it is slightly a pain to park the bike because it will not release the bike from you if you are not located in a legal parking area (strange how I was able to rent the bike from a seemingly illegal area). Eventually I find a suitable place to park and walk the rest of the way. My bike ride is mostly uneventful with the only conflicts being locals trying to pass me up and almost causing an accident in the process.

The sculpture park is small with only a couple statues one being provocative. The park is located outside the modern art museum that is currently closed because they are switching out the exhibits.

My plan for the rest of the day is to make a sandwich and have a picnic in a nearby park. I get some groceries and return to the apartment but it is another hot day and I am not sure I am up for another day in the sun. Temperatures are normally much more mild this time of year. It is just my luck that I am here the hottest time of the year.

Since I am switching countries tomorrow I decide my time is better served following up on upcoming travel arrangements. I still have over a month left of travel and not all of it has been finalized yet. Being used to staying up late with my friend I do not get to bed until after 11:00 PM. The windows are open to keep me cool and I still hear partying outside. The next morning the party is still going outside. Even after I clear out of the rental there are people in the streets in their night clothes who obviously not been home yet.

The train ride to the airport is easy and quick but the Oslo airport is the busiest airport I’ve checked into since I’ve been flying in Norway. Today there are travelers who don’t understand Norway’s self-service check in and it slows things down considerably. Luckily I am very early so I don’t sweat the extra wait time.

Now I am at the gate trying to stay awake until I board my plane. Looking forward to a nap on the way to Denmark.

Exploring Bergen

Today is our full day in Bergen. Even though I have stayed out late I still wake up early as always. I catch the included breakfast at the hotel as we wait for our companions to wake up. Today people want to sleep in; I wish I could sleep in. We finally all meet up and I get a second breakfast where I enjoy some Norwegian pastries in the historic Bryggen area of Bergen. The pastries are amazing.

We start our sightseeing with a visit to another Stave church, this one moved from Sogn. Fantoft Stave Church was dissembled and moved to its current place. A fire destroyed it in 1992 but it is now rebuilt as it would have been. We had a challenge finding it since all our maps seemed to be sending us in different directions but we eventually get there.

We head back into town and have a goodbye drink with our friend T who has to head back to Oslo this afternoon. She is a new friend to me but I am very grateful that I got to meet her this trip. Hopefully we have time to meet up when we return to Oslo.

Those of us left get an early dinner then head to the Fløibanen, the funicular that will take us up the hill overlooking Bergen. We enjoy the views at top and listen to the music from the concert going on in the fortress below.

Loving these old phone booths turned into free library

We also have fun looking at all the trolls in the park at the top.

We are ambitious and decide to walk back down. Someone tells us it takes 45 minutes but I am pretty sure it is more like 1.5 hours for us. It is a beautiful walk down. Between the lush greens we also periodically hear the music below as we get closer to town. My friends don’t quite trust my navigation skills when I direct them back toward Bryggen, the historic area, but we make it there alive.

Two of us marvel the quiet wooden alleys of Bryggen. Some of it is destroyed, some of it is being restored but most of it exists in a form to give you a feel of how things were in this historic part of town. I love it.

We meet our other friend in a bar in Bryggen that has a singer playing cover songs, We hear many USA hits along with Norwegian and even Swedish songs. I desperately want to go to bed but I try to muster enough energy to stay out with my friend who has endless energy for a bit longer. Eventually it is time for me to leave too.

Tomorrow we head back to Oslo to finish up our travels together.