June 16 – Explore Roskilde | The Escapades of Pookie and Allan

Accommodations: Scandic palace hotel

After breakfast we traveled by train and bus to Roskilde, the one-time capital city of Denmark.

We visited the Roskilde Cathedral, the first Gothic-style cathedral to be built of brick. More than 40 kings and queens have been buried in the cathedral over the past 1,000 years, which is the most royal cathedral burials in the world. Roskilde Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

The cathedral is beautiful, with unique royal chapels along the sides of the main cathedral, each containing the remains of royal families. Each chapel is unique and each reflect the changing architecture across 800 years, from the Viking kings, to Gothic architecture, across the Reformation, and up until the finished funeral monument for Denmark’s current queen, Queen Margrethe 2.

We had lunch in a quaint restaurant and the food and wine – outstanding!

We then visited the Roskilde’s Viking Ship Museum, dedicated to studying and preserving the boat-building and seafaring techniques of Denmark’s ancient and medieval people.

Around the year 1070, five Viking ships were deliberately sunk in Roskilde fjord, in order to block the most important fairway and to protect Roskilde from an enemy attack from the sea. The five ships were found and excavated in 1962 and are on display at the museum.

We took the bus and train back to our hotel and then went to the Farewell Dinner, as tomorrow we all leave for home. It was a wonderful adventure and we loved seeing the gorgeous scenery, eating the food, and marveling at the sites. Till next time…Ha det.