Susannah was invited to give a talk today to a research group at Aalborg University during the middle of the day, so our activities were arranged around this fixed point. She went for an early morning run along the waterfront in Aarhus, before meeting everyone else for breakfast with a view on the 10th floor of the hotel. Following this we visited several sights in the area: first, we took a walk in the park surrounding one of the houses owned by the royal family (since they are not currently in residence, the public is allowed to enjoy the grounds). Not far away is an interesting circular boardwalk that projects out from the beach — one can stroll around it as far as desired. Finally, we visited a park where semi-wild deer live within a large enclosure. Since they are very accustomed to human visitors, they don’t mind having people get close to them.
Convenient harbor-side signageBack side of the royal residence. (Not shown: the robotic electric lawnmower traversing a random path across the lawn)Front side of the royal residenceThe infinity boardwalk – one can walk on it foreverThe sprawling grounds of the deer reserveInnovation building at Aalborg University. Susannah’s talk went well!
Picking Susannah up after her talk, we all proceeded to the sommerhus (summer house) that we’ve rented for the next few days in Hals along the Kattegat. It is located in a birch forest mixed with scrub pine, and has a comfortable, airy design. A short walk takes you to a beach with grassy dunes and fine white sand. We can feel the relaxation setting in!
We had a relaxed morning in our little “Peace and Love” urban camper van. It came equipped with a phonograph in a little case and some vinyl records from the 60’s, so we had breakfast while listening to the beautiful voice of Miriam Makeba. We still had plenty of time to pack up and make our way to the station for our train to Denmark.
Alas, friends, travel does not always go smoothly as planned. Do you notice the slight curve in the tracks in the photo above? It didn’t seem important to us at the time. We were waiting near where our previous train had dropped us off, and there were others waiting also on the benches around us. The train seemed to be a little bit late, but we’re told that’s not unusual for Germany these days… Yet why was it no longer showing up on the information boards? Nothing ever passed by us on the track, so as best we can tell our train slipped into the station from the north, left again in the same direction, and was too short for us to see around the bend of the track. Another lesson in travel for us! Fortunately the trains in Europe run frequently, and we were able to take another one that left an hour later. With mostly blue skies, we had lovely views of the German and Danish countryside along the way.
Arrived in Aarhus, Denmark!View from our hotel balcony Susannah matches the artwork!
We are here to visit Susannah’s good friend Christina and her husband Thomas. They live on Zealand outside of Copenhagen, but came to meet us in Aarhus. We’ll join them for a few days in a vacation summer cottage in the northern part of Jutland. We had a little time to wander the streets of Aarhus before heading to dinner.
For this evening, Christina had planned a special dinner at a restaurant called Det Glade Vanvid (The Happy Madness). It’s the sort of place you need to make reservations months in advance, so she booked it for us as soon as our travel plans were firmed up. They serve fancy “New Nordic” cuisine, exquisite creations of foam and culinary magic. Yet they keep prices affordable by serving all guests the same menu in a single sitting. The meal was incredible, and our table was right by the window with a clear view of the water.
Rosemary bread with parsley aioliShrimp and tomato foam on a wheatberry bedCod with rhubarb sauce, mussel foam, celeriac pouch, and a tuile on topRoast pork in truffle sauce, potato souffle in pea sauce, and pickled daikon with blueberry aspicA different wine came recommended with each courseDessert was peach mousse with mango-lemon ice creamOur view of the harborWith coffee they also served tiny cakes in little glass jars
Howes' Doings 