Roskilde – Viking Ship Museum

We left Copenhagen, by bus, on the morning of our 6th day – bound for Æro Island via Roskilde. Roskilde is home to the Viking Ship Museum. Five different-sized Viking ships are on display, representing types used for fishing, trading, defense, and warfare. They were excavated and pieced together in the 1960s. These ships had been filled with stones and sunk in the channel during the 11th century to help build a protective barrier that made the channel navigable only by locals in the know. The museum includes detailed information on Viking maritime culture and shipbuilding expertise and also includes a fine gift shop. Viking roleplaying was a fun, photoshoot opportunity for our fellow travelers.

Outside the museum, visitors are introduced to historic methods and tools of Viking shipbuilding. Workers split white oak timber to create strong slabs that can be bent and formed into sea-worthy replicas of traditional sailing ships. The resulting planks show the beautiful figure of the wood. Known in the woodworking trade as quarter sawn oak, this material in the U.S. is highly prized for fine furniture building. Gary builds craftsman style furniture and exclaimed, "To see quarter sawn oak in such plentiful supply, made my mouth water!"

Labyrinth symbols and games have been part of Scandinavian history. We tried our own version, chasing each other round and round!

Roskilde Cathedral

Tomb of Margrethe I

Some of the 39 Royal Tombs

The 12th-century cathedral in Roskilde houses the tombs of 39 Danish kings and queens, including the tomb of Queen Margrethe I (1353-1412). Using both diplomacy and war, Margrethe pursued dynastic policies that led to the Kalmar Union (1397) – uniting Denmark, Norway, and Sweden until 1523 and Denmark and Norway until 1814.

Leaving Roskilde, we boarded our bus and traveled west over the Storebælt Bridge – an impressive bridge (over 11 miles long) that links the eastern and western parts of Denmark. Then our bus drove onto the Æro ferry and off we sailed for a "holiday" on the small, southern Danish island of Æro. On the scenic ferry ride, we saw small towns and homes along the waterfront.

Æro Island – a Mini Vacation!

Midsummer Bonfire on Æro Island

Day 7 – Æro

Two days on a peaceful island...time to experience Danish hygge! We slowed down (at least those of us who didn't rent bikes!), took evening walks on the beach, learned a bit of history, and rambled the scenic countryside. We met some of the locals who told us about the island's international wedding business, beer and whiskey making enterprises, and other efforts by the islanders to reinvent themselves and attract visitors. After some beer tasting, we settled into our lovely B & B. Who wouldn't want to visit Æro? It truly was a perfect holiday location!

On our first evening, we were treated to a traditional Christmas dinner at Restaurant Mumm – dining on roast pork, potatoes, pickled cucumbers, red cabbage, and a fresh berry "soup" for dessert.

It was Midsummer on the Danish calendar, traditionally celebrated with bonfires on the beach. Some of us went for an after-dinner walk – finding the bonfire just in time for a beautiful, smoky sunset.