Denmark - A cold start
| Country | Regions | Month | Stay duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Aarhus, Copenhagen | January 2019 | 4 days |
To kick-off the challenge I opted with visiting a nearby country to my country of residency (UK), thus Denmark.
My knowledge of Danish culture was poor at best. I knew it would be a ‘Vikings’ inherited sort of land/place and was aware of Copenhagen famous canals. I was oblivious to the ‘rivalry’ between Danish and Swedish people and how, like London, Copenhagen had 2 great fires that destroyed a great deal of the city structures and inner contents. In general I was not sure what to expect, other than the freezing wind and a likelihood of snowing.
I chose to stay based in Aarhus, a city west of Copenhagen that prove to be a charming and comfortable location, and took a day trip to Copenhagen from Aarhus, in somewhat harsh conditions.
Aarhus
Aarhus breathes and exhales culture and art, had it not been distinguished with the ‘City of European Culture’ award in 2017. Its cultural centre, Dokk1 is a beautiful structure that faces the harbour and is well worth a visit, internally and externally.
Aarhus harbour smoking man portrait.
( for landscape panoramic perception of the harbour click here )
My favourite part of Aarhus was the street art and all the decorative ornaments on the buildings. These were enticing and vibrant each time I would stumble upon one “around the corner”.
On my final day in the city, after a long stroll, I stepped into a bar and the 2019 edition of the ‘World Handball Championship’ final was on. The previous day I had met someone who was travelling around some European cities to see the championship matches and they were on their way to see the final in Herning, Denmark. The Danish beat Norway in the finals. To the bar attendants enjoyment, the owner offered a round of drinks on the house, including the non-Danish such as myself.
Copenhagen
For my one day trip to Copenhagen, I took the very first ferry leaving Aarhus, there was a small blizzard that morning which made travelling a bit difficult. Roughly, this is the route I took.
The weather in Copenhagen was cold and snowy, yet it did not deter me from joining a morning walking tour around the city. As usually the case, the tour proved quite entertaining and educational.
An interesting (WW1 related) story was told by the walking tour guide demonstrating the Swiss defiance in face off uneven odds. The story was abbreviated then, but I managed to track the original source:
After a series of reforms, by 1912 the Swiss Army included 281,000 men and could call on an additional 200,000 auxiliary troops…Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany visited Switzerland that year. As the Kaiser observed Swiss army maneuvers, Swiss President Ludwig Forrer told his guest that “we have the resolute intention of protecting our independence against any attack on this [land], our dearest possession, and of upholding our neutrality against anyone who fails to respect it.” In a conversation depicted on a contemporary post-card, the Kaiser queried what the quarter of a million Swiss Army would do if faced with an invasion of half a million Germans. A Swiss militiaman replied, “Shoot twice.” Source: Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality In World War II , by Stephen P. Halbrook
I suppose the point of the story was to highlight the type of neutrality that both Denmark and Switzerland abided by during WW2.
Copenhagen and its lovely avenues, beautiful palaces and statues; along with the colorful houses around the canals make for a lovely walk around the entirety of the city and its districts.
For my afternoon schedule I chose to explore ‘Christianshavn’ district where I also rejoiced on some much needed warm coffee and hot food.
