In Search of Vikings and a Fruit Danish

Crossing into Denmark one of the first stops was in the quaint village of Mogeltonder, whose tiny thatched-roof cottages made us feel we had just entered a storybook.

Attending the Nightwatchman’s tour in Ribe continued the adventure.

Throughout Denmark the churches were mainly white and smaller than those seen in other parts of Europe but surrounded by the most beautifully attended cemeteries we have seen.

We camped near the ‘Men at Sea‘ sculptures while visiting the nearby Fano island.

This abandoned lighthouse in NW Denmark was slowly being consumed by the sand dunes, a fate that had already met it’s 2 smaller accompanying buildings.  It is thought it will actually fall off the cliff into the sea before this happens though.

Skagen is the most northern tip of mainland western Europe and marks where the North Sea meets the Baltic Sea.  I am pointing to the spot where tourists go to have a foot in each sea but on this day the weather had other ideas.

If ever you find yourself in Randers a stop at the 3 domed Tropical Zoo is a must.  Each dome represents a different tropical region ie: Asia, South America & Africa.  There are some outside exhibits such as the cheetahs seen feeding here but it is inside the domes that the exhibits really shine.

There are even aquariums and various large tanks hidden amongst the excellent jungle foilage.

Came across this cheeky little monkey while crossing a rope bridge in the Africa dome.

In Odense I sat a moment with a boyhood hero of mine.

Funan and Zealand are the 2 larger islands of Denmark that are joined to Jutland, the large mainland of Denmark, by bridges that are engineering marvels and the one joining Copenhagen to Malmo in Sweden is even more spectacular.

As you should know by now you cannot go anywhere in Europe without being impressed by a big schloss.  This one in Frederiksborg was not only impressive outside but the interiors and grounds were awesome as well.

The interiors we saw here were as opulent, if not smaller, than Versailles.

In addition to the castle, the grounds contained many buildings housing a variety of exhibits from vintage cars and motorbikes to vintage toys and aeroplanes.

Kronborg Castle from the outside lacks the visual impact of other Danish castles but the fact it is better known as Elsinore, the setting for Hamlet, keeps it on the tourist route.

Denmark was a joy to travel through over the last few weeks with biscuit tin villages and windswept landscapes and by comparison Sweden is quite rural and low key with highlights thus far being the Ales Stenar (Sweden’s’ Stonehenge seen at the top of this post), the Kosta Boda glass blowing district and Glimmingehus a fortified manor house.

However I have high expectations for Stockholm and Uppsala coming up next