Saturday, July 12 was the International Summer University Program historic day trip. After meeting at the Dalgas Have campus at 8:30 AM, we departed around 9 for the Viking Ship Museum. The Vikings dominated from the 9th to 11th century and are a great part of Danish history. At the museum, visitors are able to learn more about the Vikings' way of life and view actual and replicated ships.
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| Several wrecks of Viking ships have been found and recovered! |
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| Another two wrecks on display in the museum. |
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| The Vikings' route. |
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| Showing some Chippewa love at the gift store. |
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| Many ships outside the museum. |
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| ..and again. Boats, boats, boats. |
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| Roskilde, Denmark, the town we were in. |
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| Made me think of some wood-working family members back home. |
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| Blacksmith demonstration outside of the museum. |
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| Standing in a (replication) Vikings' ship! As per usual, my hair would get in the way. |
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| After checking out the Viking ship wrecks and replicas and reading/watching a little of the history, we left the museum. We walked through a park and into more of the downtown area of Roskilde. |
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| Walking the streets in Roskilde. |
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| This is the church where we met our double-decker buses after exploring Roskilde and eating lunch. Notice the two child guards (standing in their red coats in front of the orange posts). |
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| Back on the bus we went! Check out those fields. I love how much of the Danish countryside I have been lucky enough to see. |
The other stop on our tour was the Cliffs of Møn (Danish: Møns Klint). Previously, I thought we would be hiking up cliffs, literally climbing up rocks to reach the top. However, upon arrival at Møns Klint, we learned that our hike would actually be approximately 492 steps down to a beach. Was it less exciting to be climbing stairs than paths on a cliff? Perhaps. Less of a workout? Probably not. The trip was quite the endeavor on the way upstairs, especially, but the incredible views of the chalky rocks and peaks next to the churning waters were definitely worth the effort.
Video panorama of my view at Møns Klint.
Listen to the murky water hitting the seaweed-filled shore. In the distance, one can see blue waters, varying from the muddy browns and brighter teals closer up.
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| Water trickling off the side of the cliff. |
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| With any luck, one might find a fossil here. One of our tour guides explained the science of the algae and chalk where fossils are sometimes uncovered. |
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| A view of Møns Klint. |
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| Going down to the beach, I was not expecting a treacherous return. However, these stairs felt brutal and never-ending on the way back up. |
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| This sign at the top of the stairs was all too needed at the end of the trek up. Not feeling my best while climbing seemingly countless stairs made for some heavy breathing and serious exercise. Thankfully, though, I wasn't the only person feeling out of shape! |
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| One of my favorite sites I have seen in Denmark. (Although, by the end of the summer, that list might be quite large!) |
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| All in all, I had an enjoyable day. I really appreciated the opportunity to explore more of Denmark with fellow ISUP students and bask in the beautiful scenery. |
