Day 42 - Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - Aalborg Denmark

By Ellen Outten

 


We docked in Aalborg Denmark at 10 am this morning having taken all evening to sail from Oslo Norway here.  A new country for me!

Sights as we docked this morning 
Views as we walked around town 

A giant sandbox in a square free for all the kids to play in 
Denmark is a country of bicycles.  Look out! 

The outside of the Palace.  More pictures later.
Our ship across the street from the palace 

Wayne and I had a tour that didn't leave until 2:15 pm so we decided to leave the ship on our own at 10:30; walk around town and have lunch before the afternoon walking tour.  

Our ship docked right at in the center of town and it was an easy walk to look around. After wandering for about an hour, we found a restaurant specializing in Smorrbord ( open face sandwiches) that Denmark is famous for. Wayne was set on having one of these sandwiches as he loved it the last time he was in Denmark.

We were sent to a restaurant called Hos Henius. They are famous for these Smorrbord. We were lucky as the restaurant was fully booked but they squeezed us in. I had a very good Danish beer and a chicken salad Smorrbord. Wayne had an egg and shrimp with caviar.  



My chicken salad Smorrbord 

Wayne's egg and shrimp with caviar Smorrbord 

Wayne went back to the ship and I did some more walking and shopping and finally returned to the ship at 1:30.  15 minutes of rest and I was off on my walking tour.  Wayne passed on the walking tour a and it's a good thing he did.  He stayed on board and relaxed.  My tour was 2 1/2 hours of walking around the old city with our guide.  

Pictures from my walking tour of the old city of Aalborg Denmark 

The old custom house across the street from our ship


We visited the Palace which doesn't look anything like a palace and the dungeons.  
 The palace is a half-timbered castle built by King Christian III from 1539 to around 1555 initially as a fortification.
The inside of the palace and the courtyard 


Dungeons, totally dark, no light at all.  Some were locked in there for 3 years or more 

Wall art. A plastic bottle. Can you see the whale, the coke bottle stopper, sunglasses...in the bottle?  A statement on ecology.

The old town hall

It used to be a pharmacy. Swans represent the symbol for a pharmacy here in Denmark.

Someone was making fun of town council.  This gargoyle is sticking out his tongue.

Our guide was wonderful and filled us with a great deal of information about the city.

Fun facts

1. The castle is still in use, partially as Family Court....where you might go for divorce proceedings.  It's right next to the old dungeon!  

2.  Fully 50% of all Danish marriages end in divorce.

3. Denmark is rated an one of the happiest countries in Europe.  Hmmm!

4. If you earn $75,000 or less, you pay a flat 40% taxes.  Over $75,000, you pay 60%.

5. All medical benefits are covered fully.  All education is fully paid, including college

6. If you get confirmed in the state church (Lutheran) 1% of your income is paid to support the church (mandatory)...but you are not required to join the church. Over 90% of the country does.

This building, originally the Post office has niches where pigeons were kept to deliver messages. Holes were boarded up in the 70's.



An old monastery, below. The alley bedside it, above.  Now it's apartments.

The state religion, Lutheran and it's church, the Bulldog church.  Gothic cathedral with a 208-ft. spire,.



Aalborg believees in retail space on the 1st floor and apartments or condos above.

An obelisk next to the church, dead center of Aalborg Denmark 

These are just some of the beautiful cobblestone streets we wandered through.








The plaque on the front door of the house left STS all the owners from 1787 until today.





We walked to a Viking market for a shot of Mead ( fermented honey) and a brief talk about the Vikings who discovered this country.

We walked and walked and she talked about the city and the country. It was a wonderful day and I am exhausted...12,690 steps today.  

Tomorrow, Copenhagen Denmark and a bus tour. Yeah!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 24, 2024 at 12:53 PM

    Great pics& commentary.I’m learning so much thanks to you!
    That’s a lot of steps!no wonder Wayne passed on this tour. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

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