Aalborg city centre at sunset, picture by me
We left Hamburg the next morning, drove North toward Flensburg and crossed the border in Danemark. We noted that in Danemark, unlike in most of Europe, there are almost no petrol stations bordering the highway. After driving many kilometers north we managed to find one at Ustrup and stopped for a short pause. After the terrible weather we had in Hamburg, it was sunny and pleasant again!
A few practical infos for travellers: Danemark doesn't use the euro but their Danish krona (about 7.4 krona to 1 euro when we were there). Diesel and gas are roughly the same price as in Germany. However if you don't have krona to pay, they are going to give you a very rough deal. The petrol station where we stopped was accepting euros at a rate of ... 5 krona for 1 euro, a shameless 33% fee! Also, if you want to try out typical Danish Food, I definitely do NOT recommend the "Bofsandwich med savs" they serve at this petrol station ... 😄
We arrived in Aalborg in the evening, left our stuff in the tiny, minuscule hotel rooms (about 10 sq meters each) and went for a walk along the fjord at sunset.
The epitome of "cool"
The bridge in the picture below links Aalborg with its "twin city" Norresundby, located across the fjord. Together, they constitute the 3rd "urban agglomeration" of the country, after Copenhagen and Aarhus. However, when leaving aside Norresundby, Aalborg itself is smaller than Odense.
I found no explanation as to why there was an old cannon there, but it probably reminded of the time when Aalborg was hosting a depot of the Hanseatic League.
The fjord is bordered by new buildings with a clean and pleasant architecture. Here we are near the Aalborg university
Whereas turning toward the city, we discover older buildings in typical "Hanseatic" architecture. I thought the mix of old and new was very harmonius and pleasant to the eye.
Lots of wind in Danemark, no wonder the world nb. 1 producer of wind turbines, Vestas, is Danish
When it got dark, we walked back toward the hotel which we had chosen for its central position... So central that we discovered our hotel was ... on the "hottest" street in the city! 😄 The "Jomfru Ane Gade" is a student's paradise, with pubs to drink and chat and private clubs for dancing and flirting. I strolled down the street in the evening, filming, if you want to have a glimpse (lots of beautiful young ladies and lads left and right)
Definitely not a street for a family with kids ...
The next day, we went for a tour of the northermost point in Danemark, Skagen