Ålborg, Denmark – Friday, July 15
After two weeks in Norway, it is time to say goodbye, put away our Norwegian Krone, and get out our Danish Krona. We arrived in Ålborg at about noon, and got ready for our included tour, which was a walking tour of the island.
Sailing into Ålborg Harbor
Ship in the Harbor
As always, a bit of Wikipedia background. Ålborg is Denmark's fourth largest city. It is located at the narrowest point on the Limfiord, a shallow part of the sea with inlets both from the North Sea and Kattegat, making it an important harbor dating back to the Middle Ages. Architecturally, the city is known for its half-timbered mansions built by its prosperous merchants. Budolfi Church, now a cathedral, dates from the end of the 14th century, and Aalborghus Castle, a royal residence, was built in 1550.
Today, Ålborg is a city transitioning from a working-class industrial area to a knowledge-based community. A major exporter of grain, cement, and spirits, its thriving business interests include Siemens Wind Power, Aalborg Industries, and Aalborg Portland. These companies have become global producers of wind turbine rotors, marine boilers, and cement.
And, as usual, the Viking description of our included Walking Tour of Ålborg:
"Enjoy a taste of beautiful Ålborg, strolling its Old Town, savoring local delicacies and seeing Ålborghus Castle. Leaving your ship’s berth in the city center, walk along the renovated waterfront district, home to the Utzon Center. Pass through Utzon Park and visit Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady), which still houses one of the original church bells dating back to the 12th century. Visit the charming Old Town, the Gothic 14th-century Budolfi Church, and the lovely baroque-style City Hall. Take a stroll by one of Ålborg’s real treasures, Jens Bang’s stone house. Bang was famously snubbed by the town’s government, and his statuesque Renaissance home was never approved by the local gentry. The tour's highlight is the chance to experience our Viking market, where you can sample some of the local delicacies while exploring the grounds of Ålborghus Castle."
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| Viking Mars in Ålborg Harbor |
Jakkob was our guide. He readily informed us that we were on his first tour and then quipped, "But this is a good thing, I think. You know what they say ... you always remember your first!" He recently graduated from the University in Ålborg with a degree in tourism, so we were in good hands.
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| Jakkob, Our Guide in Ålborg |
We began our tour with a walk along Ålborg’s Limfjord waterfront, as Jakkob gave us a summary of his background and described the support the Danish government gives to students, including a monthly stipend of $1,000 for those who attend the university - this is in addition to free tuition and books. Shortly after we began our walk we were "accosted" by "Vikings" and invited into their "camp" where they gave us a sample of their mead and had us walk through the camp where we could purchase "trinkets." Personally I found this more than a little bit silly, but others seemed to enjoy it.
We walked past the Utzon Center, the last building designed by Jørn Utzon, the architect behind the Sydney Opera House. In collaboration with his son Kim, who provided the final construction drawings, he planned the center not as a museum but as a place where architecture students could meet and discuss their ideas for the future. Located on the Limfjord waterfront in the city where Utzon spent his childhood, the building was completed in 2008, when he died.
Jeff and I were drawn to a wooden sailing vessel that was undergoing some restoration along the harborfront.
We continued into town, taking in a few narrow cobblestone streets with lovely older homes. The Danes, like their Scandinavian neighbors, love flowers, and even along the streets with very little earth, flowers had been planted. When Jakkob was asked what the flowers were, he paused for a moment before telling us that he didn't know the name of one of them so he just called them "stalks and roses." I'll never look at a hollyhock again without thinking of Jakkob and his "stalks and roses."
We marveled at the intricate paint job on this beautiful door!
Our next stop was at Vor Frue Kirke (The Church of Our Lady). The church stands on the site of Vor Frue Kloster (the Abbey of Our Lady), an early Benedictine monastery established before 1140. The former monastic church survived as a parish church until 1876, when it was demolished. The present Vor Frue Kirke was built of red brick in a neo-romanticism style between 1877-1878 following drawings by architect Johannes Emil Gnudtzmann. Two bells in Vor Frue Kirke have been preserved from the earlier building. One was cast in the 12th century and is the oldest bell still in use in Denmark. The other from 1518 was recast in 1861 when it cracked, and again in 1919 when it cracked a second time.
Jakkob told us that many churches in Denmark and throughout Scandinavia display ships in their interiors as a means of honoring the strong tradition of the men who made their living on the sea, often risking their lives. Throughout this trip, one of several significant themes involves the dangers of the sea. Today, it remains a lucrative way of earning a living, but with significant risk to life and limb. Guide after guide has remarked, "I don't know of a single fisherman that still has all of his fingers."
There were two of these plaques listing every sognepræst (parish priest) of Vor Frue Kirke
We continued to make our way through the town, which was thronged with people - tourists like ourselves, along with people living and working in town. Shops were open and displaying their wares on the beautiful, balmy Friday morning.
Budolfi Cathedral
Although we could not go into Budolfi Domkirke (Budolfi Cathedral) because it is undergoing renovation, Jakkob did give us a bit of history of the cathedral. It was built in the last decades of the 14th century over and around the original Saint Budolfi Church, named after St Botolph, an Anglo-Saxon abbot and patron saint of farmers and sailors.
We spent a considerable amount of time at the Hospital of the Holy Ghost, located within the grounds that once housed Ålborg Kloster (Ålborg Monastery). The Hospital of the Holy Ghost was the hospital of Ålborg from 1431 to 1953 and is one of Denmark's best-preserved medieval establishments. The buildings are the oldest in north Jutland (the peninsula of Denmark), and the former hospital is also the oldest social institution in Denmark. The hospital was founded in 1431 by the wealthy Lady Maren Hemmingsdatter through the gift of a large house, adjoining land, and an endowment to the Order of the Holy Ghost for the purpose of caring for the sick, old, and poor. The house burned down in 1434, and the present buildings were built to replace it. Today, the property is a museum and conference center.
Adjacent to the Monastery was a large marketplace where many people had gathered to watch the Tour de France. Evidently, a Dane was wearing the yellow jersey, so there was a lot of pride.
Our last stop was Ålborghus Castle, a royal residence that was built in 1550. It is a half-timbered castle built by King Christian III from 1539 to around 1555 initially as a fortification.
Whale in a Bottle - Street Art in Ålborg
There was, of course, a delicious lunch at the Pool Grill, followed by some quiet time for napping, reading, or just plain watching people. And then there was another sumptuous meal in The Restaurant.
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