We have a saying in French, “Les jours se suivent, et ne se ressemblent pas.” Which doesn’t seem to be the case here… Days are going by, and although I know I will eventually wake up to a greyish sky and have to plan indoor activities, this morning the sun was still shining brightly!

Yay!

One great thing about Denmark, is that it is an incredibly small country, in size. And the network of trains and buses routes is so well developed, that you can basically wake up one morning, walk to the train station and  move to the other end of the country in very little time. Well, at least when you are used to Canada’s wideness!

So, this morning, after a tall glass of ginger-carrot juice and a warm shower, I headed to Hobro. Now, Hobro is just about 2h of train away from Silkeborg, and it had the advantage of making me spend a little bit of time in a town I had the chance to visit a couple of times in my past trips; Aarhus!

 

 

There was still a little bit of time before catching my next train, and I got myself a light snack to nibble on, while enjoying the always amazing view.

 

Have I mentionned rape fields before? Oh, I have? They’re still pretty!!

 

Another unexplainable love of mine… Tall windmills. 

 

Shortly after, we were stopping in Hobro. ”Why Hobro?” you might ask, since it is not a very big, nor very touristic destination. But just outside of town is an old Viking site I really wanted to visit… But we’ll get there.

 

Welcome to Hobro!

 

 

Google had told me it was an (about) 25 minutes of walking to get to Fyrkat’s Viking fortress ruins. I have a feeling Google thinks I am 6’8” and that speed-walking is a passion of mine. But I tend to stop every now and then to take pictures (or check if I am still following the right path).

 

Downtown Hobro

 

 

 

So after something more like 40 minutes of wandering, the first signs of the Viking site were in sight!!

 

Notice the nice Dannebrog flying proudly in the Spring wind! How welcoming….

 

Fyrkat’s Viking center is divided in two different sites. First, the reconstitution of a Viking property, and the actual ancient fortress ruins. I had to start with the village, and I made friends right away!

 

 

But not everybody was happy to see a crazy Canadian Girl touring around… And I soon had the visit of my hens’ less enthusiastic rooster!

 

 

The different buildings on the site, give a feeling of what a Viking’s village once looked like. I am guessing that during summertime, there is a lot more animation. But today, it was rather quiet, and I had pretty much the whole place to myself!

 

 

 

Model of the traditional Viking long houses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably some kind of Viking Scrabble, for the long winter nights.

 

 

The Fyrkat fortress site is about a kilometer from the Viking center. You can drive there, but I walked, as usual. And it was well worth the extra stroll, since the trail leading to Fyrkat runs along the water, and it seems like Hobro is where Denmark’s swans gather to mate. There were couples of the great white birds everywhere! I wish I had caught a good picture of them, but they were too far to do justice to the sight…

 

 

 

Entering Fyrkat’s site…

 

Long house reconstitution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My pictures are not as impressive as the aerial views you can find on Google, but the feeling of walking in the middle of the circular grass-covered fortifications was pretty amazing. I coud feel the history under my feet, and I spent a long time, just imagining how it was to live, back these days…

 

Borrowed from The Internets

 

 

I stopped at the gift shop on my way back, to pick a souvenir for Little Bro. Backpack traveling is a bit restraining when it comes to finding interesting things to bring back, but with a little imagination, there is always a way not to come back empty-handed. I’d post a picture of what I bought, but it would spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it?

 

Time to walk back to the train station…

 

A little refreshment for the road…

 

 

After the swans, I was greeted by a flock of crows, when I came back to the train station. The black birds are not an unusual sight, neither in Canada or in Denmark, but seeing so many of them nesting in the tall trees was impressive. And loud!

Dang loud…

 

 

Which made riding in the Stillezone all the more enjoyable!

Last stop, before returning to Silkeborg… I always have to raise my glass (or bottle) to some dear friends of mine, when I pass by Randers. The other travelers probably wondered what I was doing, but Mrs Completely and her Viking will understand!

 

Skål!! And here’s to another day of fun wanderings to come!