1. Denmark is a small Scandinavian country in northern Europe. Surprisingly, this fact is lost on many people. More than one person asked me: "Is that in North Dakota?" (I assume they were mistaking Denmark for Bismark...you know, because Bismark and Denmark do sound similar).
2. And by small, I mean Denmark is small. There is approximately 100 miles separating the west coast from the east coast, and 240 miles from the northern tip to the southern border.
3. Denmark has a population of just under 5.5 million people.
4. Denmark has a socialist government, in that education (all the way through the university level) and medical care are free. The downside of this is that taxes are high. The Danish government took about 40% of my pay in taxes. But I didn't care. I wasn't there to make tons of money, I was there to
5. Owning a car in Denmark is extremely expensive. Not only is the retail price of the car expensive, but the Danish government adds a 180% registration tax and 25% Value Added Tax on top of that. Thus many people use public transporation and simply ride their bikes. I was very fortunate that Peter had a car.
6. Unlike in the US where you are lucky to work and get any paid vacation, in Denmark you get six (count them, SIX) weeks of paid vacation. New parents get an even better deal. Women get 6 months of 100% paid maternity leave. And they have the option of taking more. At the end of the woman's paid maternity leave, the father can then take 6 months of paid maternity leave. I was not able to take advantage of this, as my work visa was about to expire and Denmark has pretty much stopped issuing visas of any sort to non-EU citizens.
7. Major exports are pigs and semen. Don't ask.
The town I lived in, Allborg, is the fourth largest city in Denmark. Below is a map of a few places of interest:
And now for the tour:
This is the Lindholm Høje (Lindholm Hills), a large and very old Viking burial ground. It dates back to around 700 A.D. The rocks you see are the grave markers.
Danes in general do not find Viking graveyards very exciting because they are all over the country. To them it is just an empty grassfield with rocks. But for me, it was totally cool.
Next is the shopping district in the center of Aalborg. I spent a lot of time and money on this street. It was always an enjoyable shopping experience because it was pedestrian only. And as you can see in the picture, the stores placed all their sale items on the sidewalk. And then there were several cafe's to stop in for a cup of tea or coffee.
And unlike American with our "Open 24 hours" stores, the stores in Denmark close between 4-5pm Monday-Friday, earlier on Saturdays and are closed all together on Sundays.
These statues were dubbed "The Naked People" by my American coworkers who would visit on business trips. Not quite sure what their significance is, but they are naked and yes, anatomically correct.
This is just a little alley off of the main shopping street. Very cute little homes. Nice and cozy.
And if you are wondering, yes there are fast-food joints in Denmark. There was Burger King, McDonalds and Pizza Hut within walking distance from my apartment, but I hardly ever ate there. Eating out is expensive in Denmark to begin with, and so when Peter and I did go out to eat, we went to traditional Danish restaurants.
Since health care is managed by the government, you are assigned a doctor by the local government. If you want to change doctors, you have to pay a fee. The doctor I was assigned when moving to Denmark has his office in this house. Pretty cool, eh?
Another shot of the shopping street, and you can see Budolfi Church, which dates back to the 12th Century.
This was my apartment building in Aalborg, which was in the center of town, right off the pedestrian streets. It was a great little apartment.
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