Thursday, October 5: Århus, Denmark

Last evening was filled with entertainment. We decided to take in a show as it was the last for the dance troupe (at least for this leg of the cruise). After the show, as we were walking by the BBKing music club, we decided to listen to Isiah and his musicians. A great, joyful show! 

The Rotterdam sailed from the Baltic Sea, down the Århus River and into the port, tied up and ready for onshore excursions to begin around 10am. While waiting for our tour, we stood looking at the Old Town from our veranda.

There was no mistaking the Århus Cathedral as it was the tallest building in the old town, with its spire reaching over 310 feet. It certainly appeared to be within walking distance from the port so we knew we would be getting our steps in!

This 3.5 hour walking tour was one of the most fascinating excursion to date. We were actually walking in the steps of the Vikings in one of their earliest settlements from the 700s. Our guide, Joanna, led us from the port and stopped in front of a bronze sculpture of several dock workers, laboring under heavy sacks and performing other tasks.

This sculpture was commissioned by Queen Margaret II, an artist herself, to commemorate the people making the city prosper and the importance of this harbor.

Our guide, Joanna, led us to the Doxx 1 building, just across from the Rotterdam.

This building houses the largest library in Europe, two event halls, offices, a café, a film studio and underground parking. We stood under an enormous art installation in the center of the garage and then watched as a car drove in to an elevator and disappeared underground after the driver keyed in a code. A very efficient way to store a vehicle!

We headed to the Old Town and learned more about Vikings and their impact, even today.

First of all, they never referred to themselves as “Vikings” as this was a term from Old Norse meaning to pillage (or something like that). In Århus, strategically located on the Jutland peninsula, these Norsemen settled here and were overall peace-loving farmers and craftsmen, interested in increasing trade and receiving goods from trading vessels. Of course, there were Germanic tribe invasions and disgruntled groups but in 958, King Harald I or Harald Bluetooth, unified the countries currently known as Norway and Denmark, and ruled until 985. He was the first Christian King which was most likely a “might just as well join the club” move as this decreased the need to “conquer the pagans”. It was a peaceful transition to Christendom but as we would later see, the Norsemen kept much of their gods as symbols in the church. Even today, “Bluetooth”, in our cellphones, use the runic description of Harald Bluetooth’s name as it’s symbol.

Check it out! Days of the week? Thors-day (Thursday); Freya-day (Friday). They’re with us always!

Continuing our walk and avoiding bicycles, we crossed a road and entered the Old Town. As we crossed, we noticed the pedestrian green “go” figure was actually a Viking holding an axe! The red “stop” figure had the Viking holding up his axe and shield. Amusing!

We passed the impressive Royal Custom House built in 1897 and entered the Bishops Square (aka: Large Square) that has served as the center of religious ceremonies, both pagan and Christian, for a thousand years.

The massive Århus Cathedral anchored one side of the square. It is Denmark’s longest and tallest church, starting from a humble stone church in 1190 and continued to grow until the 15th century.

The centerpiece of the cathedral is the altar, carved by Bernt Notke, a well known sculptor from Lübeck, and covered in 24k gold. It was installed in the cathedral in 1479, before the Reformation.

There are frescos from the 15th and16th centuries that have been preserved as well as a 17th century ship model hanging from the ceiling. 

Walking further into the Old Town, we passed a hotel where past and present notable celebrities have stayed, including Hans Christen Anderson. The Latin Quarter is the oldest section of Århus, with a few streets with buildings from the 16th century. There was a move in the 1970s to preserve homes and commercial buildings from this era, for which we are thankful for, as we strolled into a tiny alley and into a courtyard.

The front of buildings hide the fact that they are half timbered. The interior courtyards tell a different story as the half timbered homes retain their charm. Cobblestone streets and colorful homes made this a picture perfect location.

Leaving the Latin Quarter, Joanna brought us to The Church of Our Lady with an interesting history.

The building is comprised of 3 churches: The Abbey Church, the Crypt Church and the currently named, Church of Our Lady. The Dominican friars were here from 1239 to 1530, living by a set of regulations and strict discipline. An example of one of the rules of conduct: “Chapter 16: In the monastery, in the cells, in the refectory and chapel there shall be silence…However if anyone purposely breaks the silence or permits others to speak during the meal, he shall only drink water..And shall receive a blow to his back.” Harsh!

We entered the small, one room Abby Church by a door that was used to enter the Dominican monastery, to admire the murals, then stepped out into the former cloister, a grassy courtyard, before entering the large Church of Our Lady.

After the Reformation, most of the artwork was painted over and statutes removed. However, during renovation a few of the frescos were uncovered and on display along with paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The altar was amazing as well, wood carved and gilded with overwhelming scenery.

From there we descended a narrow staircase into the Crypt Church with its arched ceilings and simple altar. The show piece is a reproduction of the Åby Crucifix, the original is in the Danish National Museum.

It is unique in that it portrays Christ as a king, dressed in a Nordic manner, with hairstyle and beard characteristic of the Viking Age. It is thought that the crucifix was created around 1050.

Returning to the main church then out the door, walking to Møllestien St., a picturesque cobblestone street with buildings from the 16th century. This area used to be near a water mill as the Århus River is nearby.

We walked down the street, admiring the houses and headed to the Mølleparken to view the wind sculpture “Snake” by Alexandria Robbins. It is fascinating to watch this huge stainless steel sculpture gracefully “slither” through the air.

Behind the sculpture is the Århus River and the modern city. We crossed from the past into the present, walking to the ARoS Århus museum with its glorious rainbow walkway sitting atop the building like a halo. Although we did not tour the museum, we did make a short trip inside to learn more about art in Denmark.

Joanna surprised us by taking us to a location not on our itinerary. The Salling SKYWALK viewing platform was a treat. We entered the Salling Department Store off a busy pedestrian street and rode about 5 escalators up and then climbed two more flights to the top of the building.

Fortunately, it was a gloriously beautiful day giving us a clear view of old and new Århus. It was difficult to leave but we had a ship to catch so back we went to the port, stopping to browse the local crafts, making a small purchase of a woolen bowl.

We loved Århus! Walking around the contained Old Town and realizing what more we could see made us consider perhaps a return trip, on our own, someday in the future. Back to reality and another sea day until we arrive in Amsterdam on Saturday, October 7. We did receive a wonderful surprise on our 10/6 sea day—we became 5-star Mariners!