A Walk Through Aalborg, Denmark

On the final day of our cruise, we were in the Danish city of Aalborg. We had chosen a morning walking tour as we would still have to pack in the afternoon and had an 8:00 a.m. transfer to the airport for our 12:15 flight home.

We met up with our tour guide, Nicholas, in front of the ship, which was docked right in front of the old town. Nicholas later told us that this was the exact place that Queen Margarethe's royal yacht docks when she visits Aalborg. The city is actually in a long river known as the Limfjord, which cuts deep into Jutland, that part of Denmark that sticks up above Germany.

We began our tour at Aalborghus Castle, which was built in the mid-1500s by King Christian III. There is an exhibition in the dungeons, but otherwise the interior of the castle is not accessible to the public. According to Nicholas, the ghost of a woman who was locked in the dungeon for a number of years before being executed still roams the castle. I wonder if anyone who works in the administrative offices has ever seen her?

After leaving the castle, we stopped for a quick look at some street art. But this isn't graffiti, it is real art that has been painted in a number of places around town to bring art to the people, instead of them having to pay to see it in a museum. This was an interesting piece, commenting on pollution and saving the environment.

We then made our way into one of the small older streets just off the shopping area. People still live in these small houses. They certainly are close to everything.

The Budolfi Kirke, a restored Gothic cathedral, stands in the middle of town. Only a very small portion of the population of Denmark is religious, so Nicholas said he was surprised to find that we would not be able to go inside because there was a wedding that day.

From there we visited the courtyard of the former Monastery of the Holy Ghost. It was established by the daughter of a wealthy merchant who had left her a piece of land in the city. She wanted to do good, so she created the monastery to also serve as a shelter and care facility. It still is one now, as it has been converted to a retirement home, which apparently has quite a long waiting list.

After that, we had only a short walk to the brewhouse where we would be able to try a locally brewed beer and some Danish herring. This was at Sogaards Bryghus. We - and that includes non-beer drinker me - had our choice from over a dozen beers that this brewhouse, Twoface Brewing, made, along with some of their own akvavit, or schnaps, and a typical Danish lunch of herring on wholegain rye bread. We thought everything was very tasty. 

Nicholas explaining what we would be
having for our beer and herring tasting

One of the coasters from Twoface Brewing

Yes, I did have a Weissbier and a glass
of Akvavit

Our herring tasting was almost big enough to
be lunch

We continued our walk along what seems to be the 'party street' of downtown Aalborg, Jumfru Ane Gade. This was one bar/restaurant after another, and is apparently hopping on Friday and Saturday nights.

The tour was over at about 12:30, and we thought we'd go back to the brewhouse for lunch, but by then the outside tables were full and it looked like the inside wasn't much better. Too bad; it would have been great to try some of their other dishes.

We went back to the ship and got the packing done early, so we would be able to enjoy the last evening on board.

The ship from the Nyhavn square

The square from the ship

                                              

One thing that Seabourn always does at the end of each cruise is a deck party where as many of the crew as can be spared at that time come out to be recognized by the guests. This one started out with the Barricade Boys singing a couple of songs, and then everyone paraded out and each department got a big round of applause.

                                                                                               

The entertainment staff

As many as I could fit in. Cruise Director Loula and
her assistant Melissa are in front of the pool at the bottom

Once again, a great cruise, and the excellent weather, that we weren't expecting, made it that much better. We were really impressed with the ship, and hope to sail on her again in warm weather to be able to take advantage of those outside spaces in comfort. There was nothing we could say we didn't like - all of the food options were great, and the portion sizes (except for that double cut steak!) were just right. The staff was always friendly yet still professional, and we met some really nice people on board as well. We don't have anything planned for Seabourn yet, but we will definitely be back.