Jutland was nice, but made me realize just how small this little country is. Aarhus, the second largest city, has a total of TWO ice cream places, only one of which was open on Saturday afternoon. It reminded me a lot of Dumfries, Scotland. Cute, but barely a city. There is a lot of history there though, and they are slowly uncovering these amazing frescoes on the walls of the church.
Aarhus is also home to Den Gamle By, which is a Plymouth Plantation-esque open air museum of old buildings from Aarhus. There are many old buildings still to be found in the center of the city as well.From Aarhus we traveled to Aalborg, which felt bigger during my brief nighttime experience, I think because the buildings aren't as old, but it is not even the third biggest city in Denmark. We stayed at a hostel a little outside the city, along the river. It was very pretty. There is this one block of condensed nightlife in Aalborg, that we stopped by. The prices were about half what they are in Copenhagen. It is very lively, but we did not stay out too late and sadly did not make any friends.
After visiting a grammar school (Grades 1-9) outside of Aalborg, we drove north, stopping at Frederickshavn Naval Base. I found the visit interesting only because onboard the naval vessel they are as concerned about fire safety as we are on Star (but so much more prepared) and they create all their own drinking water using an RO. The highlights of the trip came as we approached the northern tip of Denmark. We found ourselves transported to the middle of the desert, or so it seemed.
After climbing to the top of this gigantic dune and sharing an absolutely foul shot of Gammel Dansk, we headed to the ocean for a brief yet surprisingly delightful swim.
From the beach we went to the town of Skagen, where we were staying the night. Skagen is like the Martha's Vineyard of Denmark, and by mid-September, it's practically a ghost town. There is absolutely nothing to do at night. As it caters to primarily to wealthy Copenhageners, prices are also high. However, it does have a nice art museum and just north of town is Grenen, where the seas meet.
Here you can see the northernmost tip of Denmark.
From there you can look south--all of Jutland is before you.
This is the farthest north I have ever been--notice the waves coming in from opposite directions.
All in all it was a very good tour. The stops lacked cohesion, but were interesting and enjoyable. The leaders and group members were great, and I won a ticket to Tivoli. I learned a bit about the relationship/differences between Copenhageners and Jutlanders, and got a greater perspective on Denmark outside of Copenhagen. Rural Denmark lacks the beauty of steep Norweigan fjords and stuff, but it has its own beauty, especially that dune, and was worthwhile to visit.
Even Copenhagen, like Skagen, is starting to get quiet, now that tourist season is over. We walked by the canals this afternoon, and saw that the tourboats were practically empty even though the weather was beautiful. It's nice, not to be surrounded by throngs of tourists, but it's also kind of sad that more people aren't experiencing this remarkable city.
As for my own city, I saw the trailer for the World Trade Center movie today. Before I knew what movie it was there were scenes of New York, and that made me happy/homesick. But then I realized what it was and that made me tense and upset. That movie should not have been made and I cannot understand why anyone would see it. Not in New York, not elsewhere in America, not in Denmark. Next time I see something that reminds me of home, I want it to be happy.
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