By noon I hopped off the train and set my feet on northern Danish soil. Aarhus is one of the larger cities in Denmark and on it's only mainland. I found the hostel easily, but had to wait until 4pm to check in, so out I trotted again to explore. For the second time I had to withdraw money that was not Euros. I still find the Swiss Franc the most beautiful, but Kroners aren't bad.
Aarhus is a very personable city with a lot of pleasant streets and strips of park. I arrived on Sunday, so it was quiet, but people still wandered as I did. I took a bus out of town to a Prehistoric Museum. The museum had a large exhibit and a long movie about Afghanistan that was interesting (and wanted to point out how we've hurt a vibrant culture). But the point of the museum was better. At the end of the ice, copper, and iron ages you get to see a 2000 year old man, complete with red hair, preserved all this time from being buried in a peat bog. He looked like a blackened mummy. Outside the museum I looked at some reproductions of viking houses, then realized I'd left my bag inside. And they'd just locked up! AND, they needed a code to turn off the security, so I was told to come back the next morning. UGH! I didn't get to walk the "Prehistoric Path" that takes you past ancient camp sites, but the owners actually did show up and retrieved my bag for me.
So the day after being stupid, I spent the morning back in Aarhus looking at the Gamle By, an old town reproduction. It was fantastic if you like learning about towns before industrialisation (which I do). I got to peek into dozens of buildings like a cartwright, blacksmith, apothecary, tailor, etc. They even offered a little horse carriage ride along the cobbled streets. I chose instead to sit on a park bench awhile and feed some geese. One of them bit me (mumble). But the weather was still gorgeous. In fact, upon walking through a park later, I smelled musty leaves and crisp air, the first signs of Autumn.