To Aarhus, Denmark
After everyone was on board and settled, safety drills were carried out; we sailed from Copenhagen at 5:00 pm to our first port of call, Aarhus, located on the east coast of Jutland Peninsula, the second-largest city in Denmark. After cruising all night, we arrived at Aarhus at 7;00am on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Many Ship-Sponsored Shore Excursions were in the offing, along with the option for Independent Shore Excursions. For more details and to book, passengers were advised to visit the Shore Excursion Deck, Deck 10, or they could use the complimentary ‘Navigator’ site on their mobile devices. Daily cruise planner, “When and Where,” delivered to the Staterooms every night, had a detailed schedule of the activities planned on board for all the passengers.
I was up early and went to the verandah to watch the ship navigate into the port of Aarhus. We didn’t plan any excursions in Aarhus; therefore, we chose to take it easy, getting ready for breakfast. A broad range of dining venues was available on the ship ranging from a casual bite by the poolside, a relaxed atmosphere of the Lido on Deck 9, or a formal affair in the classic main dining room on Deck 2. We decided on the dining room. I ordered Kongee, Chinese rice porridge, followed by my second typical breakfast of English Muffins, butter, and jam with coffee. Jaffer also enjoyed his sumptuous breakfast. We had as much fresh coffee as we wanted, with our breakfast giving us a great start.
After breakfast, we went down to the gangway to exit the ship and explore Aarhus independently. Almost across from where our ship docked was Dokk1 or Dokken (as the locals called it), a building with the best library and culture center in Aarhus. We only saw it from outside. There wasn’t enough time to do everything.
Our cruise ship docked close to the city center, and the main attractions were within walking distance. It was a beautiful day for walking. Found Nordea Bank to change dollars for Danish krone. It took a lot of walking before we found the Bank giving us a chance to go around the city.
When we got back, the area where the ship was docked had a lot of activity with lots of different stalls selling local produce and souvenirs. We were introduced to traditional Danish bread, which was delicious and seemed like a cross between Pumpernickel and 7 seeds and grain bread. I loved it so much that it became my go-to bread while on the cruise.
Nordea Bank, Aarhus 
Street in Aarhus 
Cathedral, Aarhus
While we were walking around the harbor area, we found an interesting sculpture group titled “the Coffee Board.” It was not a guided tour which meant there was no guide to tell us the history and significance of the sight right there on the spot. But casually talking to people, we discovered that it was a memorial to honor the dockworkers of Aarhus. The idea of creating a sculpture occurred to a former dock worker, Palle Joergensen (image below shows him with his lunch box with traditional bread and cheese, and a bottle of beer, while he was peeling an apple), with the help of his co-workers put the idea into motion. Workers’ enthusiasm about the idea attracted the attention of the dock workers’ union.
The Workers’ Union got involved and developed it further by putting all the energy into finding funds for its creation. Their enormous effort resulted in one of Denmark’s Art Foundation, “the Sallings Foundation’s,” decision to be the sole donor of 405,000 euros needed to complete the project. The sculptor Galschiot was commissioned for the project. Galschiot, a sculptor of unquestionable repute, created a sculpture group depicting dock workers’ typical working environment giving everyone an insight into the hardship they endured for centuries. A worthy tribute to their years of hard work of hauling goods and loading ships.
As we were walking back, someone pointed out the Royal Yacht docked right across from our ship. The queen of Denmark, Margrethe 11, was in residence at her summer palace in Aarhus.
The local people I talked to were very open and friendly and gave us a great deal of information which checked out for its veracity. We were happy with the experience and went back to the ship on time for All Aboard, 2:00pm. Our next port of call was Tallinn, Estonia, where we were not due until 7:00am on Thursday, 27th June, after being at sea all day and night of Wednesday, 26th June 2019.
