DENMARK
Did you know?.... that Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe!
Did you know?....that the Dannebrog, the Danish flag is the oldest national flag in the world. Legend says that it happened to fall from the sky during a battle, which led the Danish king to victory. Its central design was later adopted by other Nordic countries.
Did you know?....that a survey in October 2006 by researchers at the University of Leicester has rated Denmark as the HAPPIEST nation in the world (Several times in the last few decades, it has been crowned the happiest nation)
The Global Peace Index, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, has ranked Denmark as the third most PEACEFUL country in the world (The first and second being Norway and New Zealand respectively)
The Transparency International Organisation, in 2006, has ranked Denmark as the fourth LEAST CORRUPT country in the world (the first position is shared by 3 countries - Finland, Iceland, New Zealand)
Aarhus I - my first visit to Denmark (March 2005)
Aarhus II - the city and botanical garden in winter (Dec 2005 - Jan 2006)
Aarhus III - the forest and Marselis havn in winter (March 2006)
Aarhus IV - university park, botanical garden, Mindeparken in bright spring & summer and parties! (March - June 2006)
Aarhus V - colourful autumn and Diwali celebrations (Oct - Nov 2006)
Aarhus VI - Christmas and New year, University park and Risskov forest in winter (Dec 2006 - Jan 2007)
Aarhus VII - University park and Risskov forest in winter, WHITEOUT in Aarhus and when the snow melts, pink sunset and moon shots (Feb - March 2007)
Aarhus VIII - University park, Langelandsgade, Botanical garden, etc in spring (April - May 2007)
Aarhus IX - Aarhus, Egaa Marina, Celebrating the longest day, Tall Ships' Race Festival (May - July 2007)
Aarhus X - Aarhus in Autumn (Sept - Oct 2007)
Aarhus XI - Aarhus in Autumn, Diwali and Christmas parties (Nov - Dec 2007)
Playing in the snow
Copenhagen & Aarhus (with Salil, et al in summer)
Copenhagen (in winter)
As there is no direct bus from Aarhus to Mariager, we had to change the bus at Randers. And we had a gap of about 2 hours in between the buses. So we took a walk around in Randers. The most interesting part of Randers is its central area, where there is a cluster of old brick and timbered buildings and church.
Mariager (meaning Maria´s field) is one of the smallest municipal charter towns in Denmark, established in the 15th century. It´s a beautiful living town with paving stones and timber frame houses reminding the past. We enjoyed walking through the cobbled streets and beautiful houses around. The main attraction of the town is the fjord and the 18th century Abbey church. The Mariager fjord extends between Hobro and Mariager. We took the triangle tour from Mariager. We took the Vintage train (19th century) from Mariager to Handest. The train goes along the fjord for some distance and then passes through several beautiful fields on the way to Handest. From Handest, we took a bus to Hobro harbour and from Hobro, a boat back to Mariager, sailing in the Mariager fjord. Since we did not have enough time in Hobro, we walked around for only few minutes and returned to the harbour. We planned to visit Hobro during our next visit. The scenery around the fjord is beautiful, with hills and small houses close to the harbour. But this fjord wasn’t as grand as the Norwegian fjords, because the hills here are too small!
Hobro's biggest asset is the FYRKAT, a recently discovered 10th century Viking ring fortress.
Fyrkat was found to be a military stronghold with about 800 Vikings living in the fort. The site is thought to have been abandoned when it was destroyed by fire. Although no structures still stand in the ramparts, the stone foundation blocks show the outlines of four symmetrical buildings.
Complementing the Fyrkat, is the Viking center, with a number of Viking houses, museum and small farms. Note that the houses have convex walls!
The Fyrkat and the Viking center are about 4 - 5 km from the Hobro station. Though the Viking era is of great historical importance to Denmark and other Nordic countries, there is no bus service to the Fyrkat or the Viking center. One has to take a taxi or go walking! Not a tourist friendly place at all L
Ebeltoft is one of the most worth-seeing towns of Denmark with its half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, white sandy beaches and the classic wooden warship. The old small-town atmosphere reflects a piece of Denmark’s history through some centuries. Ebeltoft is just one and half hour bus ride from Aarhus.
Skagen is the northern most region of Denmark…… Literally the end of Denmark. Have a look at the map to see what I mean! In the late 19th century artists flocked to this place infatuated with the radiant light’s impact on the rugged, yet beautiful landscape. Now it is the tourists like me who flock over there J
Rabjerg Mile: It is Denmark’s largest expanse of drifting sand dunes with height of about 40m. It shifts 15m per year towards the Skagerrak sea on the west. The dunes were formed on the west coast during the great sand drift of the 16th century.
Have a 360 degree view of the sand dune in this video clip here. E¶
Tilsandede Kirke: It means the buried church. Erected during the mid-14th century and the biggest church in the region then, was victim of the sand drift in the 16th century. By the end of 18th century the church goers had to dig their way into the church. In 1795 the church was closed. The main part of the church was torn down but the lofty tower still stands. This is what you will see in the photographs.
Grenen: Grenen is the northern-most tip of Denmark, about 3 km from Skagen town. This is the farthest you can get in Denmark. At the tip one can really see the waters from the two seas Skagerrak (part of North sea) and Kattegat (part of Baltic sea) clashing into each other! The wind is ferocious here. Skagen’s light comes into its own here, as the earth, water and sky combine to enrich the senses…….
Watch the waves from the two seas mixing here. ¶¶Nowhere else will you see the waves coming from opposite directions!
Gammel Skagen: The old town of Skagen with its yellow houses is renowned for its gorgeous sunsets.
Though it was cloudy on the day we visited, you can still see some stunning light effects in some of the photographs of Skagen region.
Esbjerg is Denmark's youngest city and largest port. It is also the hub of Denmark's North sea oil activities and it presents a sight of industrial plants. Of tourist interests are the Water Tower from where one can have an overview of the city & harbour, the city square, a few beautiful churches and most importantly, "Mennesket ved Havet" i.e. Man meets the Sea.
Mennesket ved Havet comprises four white tall human figures sculpted along the beach to commemorate the city's centennial, which can be seen from a distance of several kilometres in the sea.
Fanoe is a small island on the west coast, about 15 minutes boat ride from Esbjerg. It features heath land and wind swept sand dunes.
The island trip – Skive, Mors and Fur
Mors is a large island in the Limfjorden in Denmark. It is called the “island beyond the sea” or island within land. A look at the map below tells why is it so. The island is away from the main sea; but the seawater cuts through inland forming a fjord – the Limfjord. The main city on the island is called NykÆbing. The Salling Sund bridge in the south and the Vilsund bridge in the north connect Mors with the mainland of Denmark. Geologically Mors is in a class of its own. Here one can explore the story of the creation of our ”world” 60 million years ago and of the enormous forces of nature which formed the island as we know it today. Mors and its neighbouring island of Fur, are known for deposits of diatomite, locally known as 'moler' (mo-clay). Northern Mors offers a particular and attractive landscape with traces of the violent forces of nature visible in the extraordinary moler white clay cliffs. (We indeed experienced such strong winds that made standing / walking steadily impossible!). Fossil hunt is a popular activity on the Fur island, and the fossils one can find in the moler are more than 55 million years old. Skive fjord is a branch of the Limfjord which happens to be on the way to Mors.
Scandinavian zoo – Kolind
Special attraction - Polar bears
To watch video clips of Brown bears and Polar bears click here ¶
Helsingør is a city on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The name is derived from 'Hals' meaning "neck", and here "narrow strait", i.e. the narrow strait (Øresund) between Helsingør in Denmark and Helsingborg in Sweden. (above map)
The Kronborg Castle is situated near the town of Helsingør (immortalised as Elsinore in Shakespeare's Hamlet) at the very tip of Zealand. One can see Sweden (Helsingborg) just across the strait !
