The Viking ships that the museum features were discovered at the bottom of the bay in the 1960s. They are all different types. The one on the right (sorry that you can't see the whole thing) is the longest, and it's a warship. It's estimated that it held approximately 80 rowers.
It's amazing to me that these ships survived at all, considering the fact that they're made of wood. It seems like they would have disintegrated underwater. But, fortunately, the Vikings made ships that lasted.
As well as the original Viking ships in the pictures above, the Viking Ship Museum also has many awesome replica ships. Apparently they are kept under tarps during the winter, but come spring the people at the museum take these replicas out on the water and, I'm assuming, go forth to terrorize the coastal villages of Europe.
This is the view from the museum. That's all ice, by the way. Good Viking weather. Apparently there's a fjord somewhere out there, but I'm not exactly sure where. I've never actually seen a fjord (apart from on maps) so I don't really know what I'm looking for. If you'll pardon the geeky literary reference, Slartibartfast would be ashamed of me.
The Viking Ship Museum is located in the town of Roskilde, which also contains Roskilde Cathedral. This is the cathedral which holds the bodies of most of the Danish monarchs. We were supposed to get a tour of the cathedral, but when we arrived in town we found that it had unexpectedly closed in order to have an extra church service, so we didn't get to go inside. That was really disappointing, but I did at least get some pictures of the outside.
We did get to see one dead royal guy's tomb, anyway. On the other side of this gate is the grave of the most recent Danish king (the current queen's father). He asked to be buried outside under the sky rather than in the cathedral.
And speaking of the Danish monarchy, I realize that I forgot to mention something that I did last week. During the study abroad program's orientation I got to see the changing of the guard. The Danish royal family lives in a palace complex in Copenhagen, guarded by a bunch of guys in uniforms and furry black hats. There is another palace elsewhere in the city, which also has guards. At noon every day the guards march through the city from one palace to the other and switch places, with much ceremony and saluting. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I really want one of those hats. Here are some pictures.
I wonder if part of their military training is learning to march around in those hats. It looks like they can't see a thing.
Another thing that I forgot to mention but that you might have noticed is that finally, this weekend, I saw the sun. It was actually out for quite a while on Saturday, while I was at Kronborg Castle. For now it seems to have gone back to hiding behind the clouds, but maybe... someday... I'll see it again.
So, I hear you guys have snow. Go sledding for me, okay? Because as you can probably tell, here in the frozen North we have no snow whatsoever.
That's all for now. Hej hej!
Darn. I want to go to the viking museum. How wonderful those boats look. Your photos are excellent. I don't know what a Fjord is either. Let me know when you find out! MOM
ReplyDeleteSee? You need to come back and visit. If you come in the spring maybe we can go out in a Viking boat.
ReplyDeleteHi, Emma:
ReplyDeleteSo great to read about some of your adventures and see your great pics -- your blog is nifty.
So did you hear any Hamlet echoing ghostlike across the moat while you were at Kronborg Slot?
You may decide to go back to Roskilde some time to visit the cathedral as they have some of the coolest names for their early royalty, like, King Harald Bluetooth (second king of Denmark and son of Gorm the Old).
Hope you and your apartment mates are settling in well and that your classes are interesting -- they all sound great.
Take care and hope you see more sun as the days get (a little) longer!
Best to you, Jennifer
Not too much sledding going on here just now as it has been FREEZING cold (but better today)--
Hej! I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I definitely want to try to go back to Roskilde and go into the cathedral. I was really disappointed that it was closed.
ReplyDeleteI saw blue sky today! Actual blue sky! It was very exciting. The weather does seem to be improving, at least for the moment. I hope it warms up for you guys too.
Hi Emma,
ReplyDeleteWell, finally the temperatures have improved a bit -- mid-thirties – almost warm enough for T-shirts….that is if you happen to be a Viking.
Speaking of Vikings, your photos of the Viking Museum were great. (How’s that for a segue?) There is so much history and fascinating culture to explore. And to be smack-dab in the middle of it…makes all the extra things you are doing even more engaging.
Your free time exploring and wandering must feel so worthwhile and enlightening. You know there is a saying in the hiking community that, “all who wander are not lost”. So wander to your heart’s content!
As soon as I saw the photos of the Viking ships, I remembered a movie I saw when I was a kid, “The Vikings”. It was 1958 and I was about 11 at the time (I know it’s hard to believe that I was actually 11.)
The movie was an action/adventure flick…“BR” (before ratings) that would probably receive an “R” rating today for the gory violence. Since we didn’t have movie ratings in those days, we just went to the movies and found out for ourselves….like most everything else we did growing up in the Jurassic Period.
I distinctly recall the recurring French horn fanfare that was supposed to replicate the historical signal horns of real Vikings (I’m not sure if there actually were Viking signal horns.) Nevertheless, the effect was very cool!
I will also never forget the Viking burial scene in the movie where a deceased Viking was placed in a wooden boat full of kindling and pushed adrift into the sea while Viking archers (on a cliff) shot flaming arrows into the boat to burn it. I wonder if that is really what happened?
You also mentioned that you are a bit unsure about Fjords and would like to know more. I happen to know a lot about them so I thought I would share my wealth of knowledge to give you some relevant background and history.
First of all, there are a lot of them here in the United States. They’ve been here for a long time and are actually easy to recognize and they share some common characteristics.
The Fjords first came to America in the early 1800’s. After emigrating from Denmark (probably on one of those big wooden row boats), the Fjords decided to drop the “j” in their name. They thought the name “Ford” would be easier for Americans to recognize. (Contrary to popular belief, the Fjords did not land at Plymouth Rock…that was a different family.)
Henry Ford became intrigued with his family history so he decided to travel to Denmark to find them. In particular, Henry was searching for a cousin, Bjorn Fjord and was fortunate enough to find Bjorn working in a bicycle shop in Copenhagen. Henry convinced Bjorn to return to America with him.
When Bjorn arrived in America, he not only dropped the “j” in his last name, but he also did the same with his first name. Hence, he became Born Ford. Henry Ford felt so good about his cousin’s willingness to accept America as his new home he started the Ford Motor Company and offered Born an executive position with the company.
Henry worked diligently to perfect the first automobile and did so in 1903 – the Model A. Born took charge of advertising and marketing and he named the very first promotional campaign after himself, “Born Ford…a better idea!”
BTW, the Fords did have another cousin, Edsel, but that story didn’t have such a happy ending so I’ll save it for another time.
Anyhow, the Ford Motor Company developed into the largest family-controlled company in the world. That why there are so many Fords here in America thanks to the vision of cousin Henry and Born Ford.
So there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about Fords, but were afraid to ask……especially me.
Anyhow, it is always great to talk with you, Emma. I hope your classes are going well and you’re limiting your salty licorice intake. And I hope this letter brings a smile to your face as you continue to pursue your great adventure.
Hej hej!
Pete
Gosh, Pete, you know everything! Thanks for that. I needed a laugh. I always look forward to hearing from you. I'm glad it's warming up a bit!
ReplyDelete