Our second day trip was out to Roskilde. (Our timing on those was due to wanting to stay in Copenhagen on the day of the Hans Zimmer concert, and the fact that our friend K came in from London for the days around that to see us and come to the concert. We may have spaced things out differently if it had just been the two of us the entire time.)
Our first stop was the Viking Ship Museum. This was built to house six ships that were excavated from the harbor. They had been sunk there to defend against an attack about a thousand years ago. Definitely wait for one of the tours if you go – you will get more out the experience with the tour guide.
You might noticed the wooden braces built into the sea wall in the museum. They add that in the winter as protection against storms. They are going to be moving the museum to higher ground. It’s not safe to leave it where it is today.
One true bummer of our trip timing is that we missed the opportunity to go out in one of the replica ships. They have a boat yard where they’ve been building full replicas of the sunk ships, and using them to do experimental archaeology to answer questions about Viking life. We could still walk around the boatyard, and see the replicas in their winter berths, but it would have been very cool to go out on the water in one.
I really enjoyed the spring weather while were there. The above pictures are from the park between the Viking Museum and Roskilde Cathedral. The winter aconite was every where, and the snow drops have naturalized into many of the parks we saw.
Our other stop in Roskilde was the Cathedral, which is the resting place of many of Denmark’s kings and queens. (Former Queen Margrethe’s funeral monument is already set up there, covered until she actually passes away. That has to be a trip, knowing that your funeral monument already awaits you.)
The church dates back 800 years, so like any older church, there are lots of fun details to find. The side chapels of the various monarchs are fascinating. You can also get up into the gallery, which is the first time I remember seeing that without having to book a special tour.
This was a great day trip – two really special places to visit, and adding in a replica ship ride in the harbor would have rounded out the day perfectly.