Porcupines and salt mines

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I am now 2 weeks behind with my blogging, so it is almost impossible to catch up. We have had a lot of great times with so many different family members who all have gone out of their way to show us around this pretty little country and chatting with family is a higher priority than writing a blog so I'll keep it brief and let the pictures tell the story.

Two weeks ago we stayedwith Ellen and husband Emil at a holiday house near the coast at a place called Oster Hurup (sort of, the o is supposed to have a line through it). The Danes have 3 extra letters in their alphabet which my tablet doesn't have, so the names of the places get a bit mangled. (My dad once told me that no matter where you stand in Denmark, you will never be more than 50km from the sea - I wonder if that's true?) The holiday house was huge, but it was needed to sleep 15 when the family came for Ellen's birthday the previous weekend. We discovered on this part of the journey that my cousin Uffe is a walking encyclopaedia and knows so much about everything. He was an excellent guide. We took a trip to Rold Skov (Rold forest), and Rebuild Bakker where we saw a big ancient burial mound dating from the iron age. There are many of them scattered all over the countryside, in the farmer's fields. From there we drove alongside the Mariager Fjord and visited the salt Centre at Mariager. This was a fascinating insight into the history of salt mining which included a virtual tour through a mine.

We also visited the town of Viborg over 1000 years old. We were lucky enough to join a walking group and listen to the english speaking guide talk about the history of Viborg. Turns out the group she was showing around was an Australian choir called "The Spooky Men" who were visiting Viborg to perform that night. Part of the walking tour took us to a tiny little church set in the basement of an old monastery, with barely room for a dozen people. The guide asked her group if they would be prepared to sing in this little space, which they did and I can tell you it was a moving experience, with the beautiful acoustics and clear a capella voices.

Ellen and Emil live out in the countryside in Bjerringbro on a lovely property surrounded by farmer's fields and we were lucky to see some of the local wildlife including the cutest little porcupines. Two were found in the garden, too young to survive alone, so they were transported to a lady in town who cares for wildlife and eventually returns them to the wild if possible.

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Photos

Porcupine in Ellen's garden
Cuteness factor of 1000 !

Mushrooms -edible?
It's mushroom season and there are many different types. Luckily cousin Uffe is an expert so the ones we ate for lunch were good.