On Friday morning, I took a 30 minute train ride to Roskilde to visit my aunt's best friend Bunny. Bunny and I had never met prior to this day but Judy sent me a picture of her so that I would be able to recognize her. I hopped off the train and easily spotted Bunny, dressed in a Chinese coat, waiting at the station. We walked through the city center on the pedestrian street with many shops, restaurants, and cafes. Many of the stores had 'UDSALG' (sale) signs and had reasonable prices (75 krone ~ $13 USD). I bought a black top from
Vera Moda-- I have Danish clothing now-- woohoo! While shopping, Bunny ran into one of her daughter's friends and I was able to practice my Danish with her. She said (and multiple other Danes have said) that my Danish is good!! Jeg kan tale med lidt dansk! My favorite store we went to was
Søstre Grene, a 10 krone variety store. The dollar stores here have well-designed, cute products unlike the dollar stores in America which mostly carry generic junk.
After walking through the city center, Bunny and I made our way to the fjord (inlet) for lunch and to check out the Viking Museum. The homes are charming and many have mirrors protruding from the outside so that residents can see who is coming down up and down the street. Bunny and I went to a hotdog stand and I got a dansk hotdog. Pølsevogn (sausage wagons) are very popular in Denmark. The classic Danish hotdog is long, thin, and covered in remoulade, ketchup, mustard, fresh onions, fried onion, and pickles. After our lunch, we walked over to the water to see some replica Vikin. The boats are all hand-made using the same techniques as the Vikings. Near the Viking Museum is
Roskilde Gasværk, an old gas works building that was converted to an art gallery/workshop. Bunny watched a glassworker was craft a vase while I wandered around the gallery. The pieces were interesting.
 |
| art? |
Following our tour of Roskilde, we walked back to the city center to meet Bunny's partner, Bjarne. Bjarne is a big Danish teddy bear, we went to
Køge, a small seaport 30 minutes south of Roskilde. Køge is a charming town of about 35,000 people. Shops line the cobblestone streets and create an intimate atmosphere. My local guides took me to a rustic underground tavern on a side street. Many locals were gathered sharing post-work drinks and kicking off the weekend. Bunny and I split a chocolate beer and Bjarne, our faithful driver, had a coffee. The chocolate beer had the perfect balance of hoppy and chocolate flavor.
 |
| Me, Bunny, and Bjarne |
 |
Chocolate beer from Bornholm - yumm
|
After our excursion to Køge, we made our way back to Roskilde for dinner. The first restaurant we stopped at was a Kina Buffet on the waterfront. Unfortunately it was very crowded so we went to another restaurant, unfortunately not on the water front but still good. Following dinner, we returned to Roskilde for night church at the cathedral. Night service only occurs every fortnight so I was lucky that I came on that Friday! Night service is an informal gathering that people can attend to here a sermon, choir, or just walk around the church. Roskilde Cathedral is an important landmark because it it is the burial site of all the Danish royalty. We walked around the church and Bunny, my very knowledgeable guide, filled me in on the history tidbits of the church. Although it was still light outside at 10pm, it was time to call it a day. I am very glad that I was able to spend time with my family friends Bunny and Bjarne because they were great knowledgeable company.
 |
| Roskilde Cathedral |
 |
| Roskilde Cathedral |
 |
| The clouds here are prettier/fluffier than those in the states |
No comments:
Post a Comment