Aarhus: the Danish concluding chapter

And so Easter Monday morning dawned and I left behind a sun-drenched weekend full of Vikings, fine wines and country walks. I was headed for for Aarhus which was wet and shut. It felt like the whole town was closed, except for the bars and coffee shops (expensive ones - £5 per coffee!) but once I boarded the right bus, on my 3rd attempt, things started to look up - I arrived at M and V's house.

In defence of couchsurfing

As I am sure you are all aware by now, I love couchsurfing. Most people are attracted to its being FREE but the benefits extend beyond the lack of a bill. I arrived at the house and immediately made two friends; we talked of  linguistics, education and culture in our 3 native lands as well as in Denmark, which was native to none of us. I had been yearning for company, and these guys were rapidly becoming my favourites.

Aarhus: Vikings and old stuff.

Aarhus is another of Bluetooth's towns with a rampart round it. I was up early to see the best of it, the rain had cleared and the shops opened. Unfortunately Aarhus' famous Viking exhibition was shut; but there is amazing Viking treasure if you know where to look. The free Vikingemuseet, Aarhus is hidden beneath a bank on the high street. Descending stairs so as to to be at 'Viking level', the museum catalogues Viking Aarhus and particularly the shops along the wharf that occupied that very space. Think reconstructed Viking houses, a clinker walkway and artefacts displayed in cases in the very space they were discovered. The exhibition is amazing quality for an unsupervised free museum in a bank basement!

 (Vikingemuseet, Aarhus. Image: author's own)

Aarhus Cathedral is breathtaking. Its a 13th century cathedral, said to be the longest and tallest in Denmark, and filled with gorgeous relics. The cathedral is covered in anchors, the symbol of St Clemens the patron saint, and these amazing comic strips. From a young age I was aware the illiteracy of the faithful led to a need for images in churches; but I always imagined these to be wall-murals rather than comic strips with speech bubbles as you see in the image below.

(Aarhus Cathedral comic strip. Image: author's own)

Aarhus: A harbour, palace, Bambi and sunset

Another benefit of couchsurfing is that where hosts are able they often become the most excellent tour guides. My host V was no exception. We met for lunch at Mikuna a new organic, vegan restaurant and I had sensational chilli. Hosts take you places you would never think to go without the knowledge of what is possible. V took me out south of Aarhus  to the harbour, Queen's Palace and an amazing deer park.

(Aarhus harbour. Photo: author's own)

(Chasing deer. Image: author's own)

 It was a sunny afternoon spent chasing deer and imagining I owned a yacht with the great pleasure of company; nothing beats having a companion, not least to take photos of you on your travels! Thoroughly bonded through our shared sunny afternoon we returned to the flat via a sushi bar which did tasty take away. Anxious to make the most of the trip I took up V's offer to visit the seaside after dinner. Although the sun had near enough set by the time we arrived, the beach was still wired with atmosphere. The roar of the sea, the shoreline peeling back to reveal endless sea, jetties ending in ocean, with no boats visible - the seashore at Akrogen seemed a fitting end to my Viking adventure.

(Akrogen Beach. Image: author's own)