I slept a little better last night although my body is still totally confused. Another fabulous breakfast buffet (really, one of my favourite things so far!) before heading out to try and get to Roskilde and the Viking Ship Museum. I have to catch the train and I find trains confusing. Maybe it's because I've never lived in a place where they played a significant part of daily life. Give me a subway any day. The Metro near my hotel will take me to the Norreport station and I think I should be able to get the Roskilde train from there, but there isn't anyone to ask. I even had trouble getting my ticket for the Metro. One of the challenging things about Denmark is that, although most everyone speaks English and there are significant amounts of English signage, there are still gaps. Once I get to Norreport, I can't seem to figure out how to get some help! Sheesh. Finally a lady stops and asks if I need help. I have no idea why she is asking (aside from the fact that I look completely baffled) but she and her friend direct me to the ticket kiosk where there are people I can speak to. I get myself a round trip and instructions and start heading to the tracks when I learn the reason for the two ladies' kindness-they offer me a Watchtower to read on the train!
Today is some kind of holiday so when I get to the Roskilde station and again ask someone about a bus to the museum, I learn that the buses are only running infrequently. Oy. Good thing I'm not in a hurry, although it is cold and the bus terminal is not sheltered. They are hardy people these Danes, not sure what they do in winter. The Viking museum has reconstructed 5 ships that were discovered in Roskilde harbour which appear to have been sunk on purpose in order to provide a barricade from invaders. Vikings were mainly from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The ships include a war ship and trading ship and are pretty skeletal, however they are housed in a modernist building with a glass wall overlooking the fjord. On a cloudy day like today, it's quite a dramatic backdrop. A couple of years ago, a group of people reconstructed one of the ships (the war ship) and sailed it from Roskilde all the way to Ireland. Looks like a challenging adventure, because there is no shelter on the boat. There are sails as well as oars to cover all possible weather situations. The museum also has demonstrations of Viking era skills like smithing, bow and arrow making, weaving, etc. The bow and arrow guy set up a small target and was shooting his arrows at it. They do in fact make the 'fffttht' sound that you hear in the movies. Lunch was an unexceptional affair in the little cafe but after lunch the jet lag really hit me and I figured that one of the benefits of traveling on your own is to decide to take a nap in the afternoon.
After a nice nap, I figured I should get out there and get some food but I really didn't want to spend a lot of money again. I strolled down the Stroget, figuring that's the best way to find cheap eats. At the first little square along the street, I popped into Cafe Norden, where you order at the counter and they bring you your selection to your table. I decided to try their smorrebord plate, three open faced sandwich options, shrimp with egg, chicken and bacon, pork. They are served on some hearty breads with tomatoes, and strawberries. The sandwiches are challenging for me because they all come with mayonnaise-y sauces. The ingredients underneath are quite good quality though and the tomato and strawberries are refreshing. The price here is definitely more friendly.
On the way back, I walked down the other side of Nyhavn so I get a nice view of the busy cafe side. The streets along the way back to the hotel have restaurants (including a Nepalese place), shops and galleries making for an interesting selection of windows.
Tomorrow, I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to head to the Central Train Station for help! Apparently the train ticket covers buses, metro as well as the trains, but there is a zone system to navigate and ticket stamping to be done. It's just a little too much for someone used to hopping in a car!
No comments:
Post a Comment