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Night location: Copenhagen
Today was a transit day from Amsterdam to Copenhagen. We left our apartment and caught the tram then train to the airport. All went well and after checking in we proceeded through security. The Dutch have certainly mastered airport security. We scanned our boarding passes to enter the screening area and then were ushered to our individual stations where trays were automatically fed to us from under the bench. After going through and being frisked, the trays appeared and were automatically directed into one of two collection zones.
We arrived in Denmark to another clear blue skied day. So far we have been impressed with the efficiency of this country and have made our way on public transport easily. After dropping our bags at the hotel we caught a regional train to a small Danish town called Roskilde to visit the Viking Boat Museum.
Following the signs, we made our way through the sleepy town of Roskilde, to the cathedral where the Danish royal family are buried. The building is UNESCO World Heritage listed due to its architectural influence in Denmark. From here we walked through a quaint park towards the fjord and the Viking boats.
The Vikings were powerful between the 8th-11th centuries. They raided areas as far south as North Africa and controlled the British Isles for thirty years. The museum housed 5 Viking ships that were deliberately sunk as a blockade in the fjord to prevent a Norwegian attack. Discovered in the late 1950s the boats were painstakingly excavated and preserved by soaking the timbers in a wax-like chemical that replaced the water in the wood. The pieces were slowly put back together and are particularly interesting because they represent a range of Viking era boats including warships, trading boats and a fishing boat.
David embraced the Viking culture and donned the traditional dress to pose in some replica long boats. Soon after we returned to Copenhagen to check into the hotel.
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