Today’s the first of two days with Margot, Jan, and Els. I the greater area of Give. Having the car here means we can cover more ground and hit up more tourist spots in one day. It’s also Leen’s chance to show off our beloved Denmark to her sister and brother-in-law.
First, we’re hitting up Jelling. It’s a pretty big deal in Danish history, kinda like where Denmark as a country got its start. That’s all thanks to Gorm the Old, the first King of Denmark, and Harald Bluetooth, who was super smart politically and managed to unite Denmark and Norway under his rule, all while bringing Christianity into the country. That last part wasn’t as smooth as some people make it sound, though. Plus, the old Nordic religion, with Odin and all, actually lent a lot of stuff to the Christian import. Like, think about how days are named, and how a bunch of traditional Viking feasts got mixed into the Christian calendar.
There’s a big, really cool museum in Jelling that tells you all about this part of history in much more detail. Plus, outside, there’s tons to see, like two huge burial mounds and two rune stones that basically mark the beginning of Harald Bluetooth’s reign and the birth of Denmark.
There is even a reconstruction of the pallisades with white concrete pillars, to get an idea of the size of his castle.
The small church between the two mounds supposedly has Harald’s bones. There’s a lot of uncertainty here, but hey that’s archeology.
The museum was super interesting and totally worth the 16 euro entrance fee.
After learning all about Bluetooth, we headed to Vejle for some lunch. Margot wanted some rødspætte (plaice) with fries, so we picked a place called Fisk & Frokost (fish and lunch). It was super yummy and very Danish.
After lunch, we took a short walk through the city.
We also wanted to see the Vejle fjord, so we drove to a nearby beach.
Then it was slowly time to head back to our place in Give. Leftover spaghetti and sandwiches for dinner, and an evening fart walk (I didn’t know that was a thing, but apparently it’s good for your bowels).
After this, it was time to wind down, and one by one everyone went to bed.
So much cozy and warm vibes today!
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