Travelfood

I have written about Denmark before, but at that time I focused mainly on Copenhagen and my childhood visit to Legoland. A lot of Denmark is situated on islands, but the mainland Jutland is nevertheless worth a trip of its own and we did that in summertime. As a Nordic citizen my first visits to Denmark were already in my early childhood and at that time you crossed the straits between the islands by ferry. That happened also when you tried to reach Central Europe by train, for example when travelling by Interrail as a young adult. Nowadays the ferries have been replaced by long bridges and it is indeed a pleasure to travel faster than before from Copenhagen through the island of Fyn to the second largest city Aarhus (formerly known as Århus). And that city is situated on the mainland, in Jutland. 

Through the train window you will certainly see vast fields of crops and dark leaf woods, but also the sea whilst you cross it on one of the long bridges. Since everything is quite flat, there are opportunities to cycle even long trips. We travelled by train all the way to Aalborg (formerly known as Ålborg). I think that Aalborg is not more than a smaller version of Aarhus with its harbor, churches and beautiful brick buildings. Aarhus has a more youthful atmosphere with its canals, universities and a broader scope of restaurants. Aarhus also has a very interesting sight, Den Gamle Bye, which is an outdoor museum with city views from different centuries. That might sound a bit old-fashioned, but the area is very beautifully displayed and impressive. 

Denmark is famous for its open, stuffed sandwiches (smörrebröd). There used to be smörrebröd stores everywhere, but nowadays they are scarce. We had the chance to taste fillings of for example roast pork, chicken salad, shrimp, liver paté and smoked salmon, but it is obvious that the taste differences originate from different mayonnaises. Restaurants serving Danish food offer sausages, herring, meatballs and patés, but I myself was most impressed by mörbradgryde, which is a sauce with pork, bacon and sausages. 

The Danes are so relaxed that they simply cannot say anything without a small smile. Even cycling seems so easy that anyone could sit on a bicycle seat no matter what your fitness level is. The Danes are happy to start a conversation either in Danish or English, but still without intruding. The relaxed style culminates while dining, since the offering is usually good meat, fat and sugar without any lecturing. And the heavy meal is washed down with beer rather than wine! 

Denmark, Europe, food, Jutland, travel, travel experiences