Jaunt to Jutland: Odense

It's time to go home. So we drove from Jutland, crossed a few bridges, and headed toward Copenhagen. Our last stop for the day was Odense, a city located on the island of Fyn, in between Jutland and Zealand. We stopped in Odense for lunch and coffee, but we also spent a little bit of time walking and exploring the city centre.

Jaunt to Jutland: Koldinghus

After 9 days, it was time to leave. So on Sunday morning, we checked out of our bed and breakfast in Ribe and drove again. The destination this time is Copenhagen Airport, but we have a full day to do so. Given that we were in Jutland, we needed to cross the whole country more or less, and since we had the whole day as our flight back home wasn't until the evening, we opted to pass by a few areas. Our first stop (and last stop in Jutland) was the town of Kolding, in order to check out the 13th century castle of Koldinghus.

Jaunt to Jutland: Rømø

One of the places we checked out in our idyllic road trip was the island of Rømø. This is a Danish island in the Wadden Sea, close to the German border.

Jaunt to Jutland: Møgeltønder and Tønder

After checking out Ribe, we took the car again and explored. This time, we headed further south, close to the German border. There's definitely plenty of German cars on the road, and judging by the license plates, our Danish rental car was definitely the minority.

Jaunt to Jutland: Ribe

After spending some time in Jelling, we continued the drive and headed to Ribe. This town would be our final stop, where we would spend two nights. Ribe also happens to be the oldest town in Denmark, as it was established in the 8th century during the Germanic Iron Age.

Jaunt to Jutland: Jelling

After spending three nights in Aarhus, it was time to move again. So we packed our bags and drove, and this time, we were heading to Ribe. However, on the way, we opted to stop by the village of Jelling and spend the day. This village is considered to be the spiritual heart of Denmark, where the Jelling stones are found. These massive carved runestones are dating from the 10th century, and are essentially considered to be Denmark's birth certificate.

Jaunt to Jutland: ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum

We spent a total of three nights in Aarhus, and since there was enough to see in the city, we spent one of those days just exploring the city. One of the things we did was check out the fancy art museum in town, the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. This museum was actually established in 1859, and is one of the oldest art museums in Denmark. It is also the second most-visited museum in the country.

Jaunt to Jutland: Den Gamle By

One of the most enjoyable things we have seen and done in our trip to Denmark was to visit Den Gamle By, or The Old Town, in Aarhus. Den Gamle By is an open-air town museum, opened originally in 1914. It is essentially an old town, as its name suggests, consisting of more than 70 historical buildings that were collected from various parts of the country. Visitors can not only explore the town, but also the buildings, since most of the buildings are open and act as exhibition spaces. Hence, by visiting each of the buildings, you learn something about Danish life and culture from the past.

Jaunt to Jutland: Silkeborg and Himmelbjerget

One of the day trips we did while staying in Aarhus was to Silkeborg and Himmelbjerget. Silkeborg is right in the middle of the Jutland Peninsula, and is a small town that has quite an interesting treasure.

Jaunt to Jutland: Aarhus

We were staying in Aarhus for three nights. Somehow we preferred the centre of this city more than that of Aalborg. The restaurant scene for example is great, with plenty of choices and cuisines to choose from. It's just very enjoyable to stroll around the centre during the evening, with everything lit up and bright, so you can definitely feel that the city is alive.

Jaunt to Jutland: Randers

After spending three nights in Aalborg, it was time to move on and head south. Our next stop was Aarhus, where we were to stay for three nights. However, we opted to stop in Randers, which was on the way. The idea was to get lunch here, as well as to check out the town for a little bit.

Jaunt to Jutland: Lindholm Høje

On Tuesday, it was time to move on and leave Aalborg. We were driving southwards heading to Aarhus, but before leaving the city, we stopped by Lindholm Høje, a major Viking burial site and former settlement just north of Aalborg.

Jaunt to Jutland: Thy National Park

After checking out Bulbjerg, we continued and followed the road going west, as we wanted to explore the Thy National Park. This is a long stretch of land, facing the sea, and with plenty of little things to explore here and there. Our first stop was Hanstholm, which is the location of a bunker and war museum.

Jaunt to Jutland: Bulbjerg

Monday, October 1 involved plenty of driving, this time on the western part of Jutland, driving through rural areas and back roads. I don't think we even used a highway on this day. And as usual, natural features are our targets, and so we began by first heading to Bulbjerg, a limestone cliff in northern Jutland, facing the Skagerrak. Another interesting feature of this cliff is that it is the only rock formation in Jutland, the only bird cliff in the Danish mainland, and the only breeding place for the black-legged kittiwake in the Danish mainland. And yes, it does feel like the end of the world, with not a lot of people visiting this place.

Jaunt to Jutland: Aalborg

We didn't just use Aalborg as a base for three nights. We also explored it. So on our second day, we took time in the afternoon to actually explore the city centre on foot.

Jaunt to Jutland: Fyrkat and Hobro

On our second day, the first thing we did was go back to Aalborg Airport. We received news that our missing luggage has finally arrived in Aalborg (it was left in Amsterdam the day before) on the last flight the night before, and was ready to be delivered today. However, to make things faster, we called the airport saying that we preferred to pick it up in person. Thankfully, that was possible, so after breakfast, we headed to the airport to pick our luggage up. And after being reunited with our luggage, we set off, this time to the town of Hobro, where the Viking ring castle Fyrkat is located.

Jaunt to Jutland: Sæby

In this trip, we visited several small towns across Denmark. Sæby is the first such town we visited: it was on the way back from Skagen to Aalborg, and we decided to take the scenic route and drive off the highway. So we passed by this cute small town near the water, just south of Frederikshavn.

Jaunt to Jutland: Skagen and Råbjerg Mile

Well, this trip started with a hiccup. Our luggage didn't make it to Aalborg. We were standing by the luggage conveyor belt, when we both received a text message from KLM saying that our bag was delayed. So we walked out of the secure area and went to Customer Service and filed a lost luggage report. After finishing that, we picked up our rental car, and since we didn't have a bag, we figured there was no urgency to head to our B&B. So we drove northward instead, to the end of Denmark. Our destination was the town of Skagen.

Jaunt to Jutland

In the middle of autumn, a few months ago, in September and October, I went to Denmark for a week-long road-trip. Given that my experience about Denmark was mostly in Copenhagen and the surrounding areas, my spouse and I have decided to check out Jutland, or the Danish mainland. Well, I take that back, I was the one who actually decided it, but he played along and we eventually bought tickets.

Cavorting with the Companion, Vol. 2: The Royal Kitchen in Christiansborg Palace

The last thing we saw (that I have photos of, at least) before heading back to Berlin was the Royal Kitchen. This is the kitchen in Christiansborg Palace. This is an interesting palace, because all three branches of power have offices here: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial powers all use this building somewhat. Nevertheless, we weren't interested in politics when we visited, rather, we were interested in the kitchen, which is open to the public.