I waited for 56 years to meet him . . . Bog Bodies of the Jutland Peninsula

 

You have this photo of Gabby and I eating a lovely meal (still at the bread and Olive Oil stage) at Pate Pate restaurant on the last night (back in Copenhagen).  Just in case you don't want to see Bog Body photos which start 9 or 10 photos down.  Here is our hotel too - very modern and swish.

It was round like these other buildings.  We were on the 8th floor.

In Silkeborg, we had to walk into the town to reach the Museum - poor Gabby hauling the heavy suitcase.  These houses were typical of the older style of property and many houses had the steep pitched rooves.

We crossed a bridge over this lake and saw a sign for (what was left I assume) of Silkeborg castle.

What they think Tollund Man looked like in life.  

The contents of his last meal.

These figures were also put in the bog at Bakkegarten near Krageland.  Similar abstract figures have also been found in bogs in the Netherlands and Germany, and were possible markers for a safe route through the wetlands.

Elling Woman, who was found not that far away some 12 years earlier.

Rendswuhrenmanden Man 220 - 320 AD.

Damendorf Man, or at least his skin.  290 - 360 AD.

Sometimes only skulls were found.  The acidic bog turns the hair red.

Various hair styles.

He just looked like he was asleep . . .

It was well worth the wait to meet him.  I have 8% Danish blood (Gabby too) from my mum's side of the DNA.  I was glad to pay my respects.

Exploring

 

We had to take the boat trip around the waterways of Copenhagen and it was a good way of seeing the city and finding out a bit about it. Old and new architecture nestled together.  We had a good guide.

I think this was an old warehouse, now waterside apartments.

I'm not sure how the honeycomb windows building works or indeed, what it is.

This area is where homeless people set up home - there's an area of Bristol I believe, where the same thing has happened. The house was unusual and looked to be missing a storey.  Modern building behind...

The iconic Little Mermaid of Hans Christian Anderson's imagination. Smaller than expected.

There were lots of houseboats on the river.

Then yesterday it was on to our Airbnb in Silkeborg. We discovered at the train station that there had been a total outage on the train lines throughout the country the previous day. People working in Copenhagen just couldn't get home!  There were lots of cancellations and overcrowding on the trains where people were still trying to get from A to B. Our train wasn't affected. The electrified line took us to where we changed then we travelled on to Silkeborg on a "dirty diesel" - ever since reading the Thomas the Tank Engine books to Danny, that's what they've been in my mind :). 

Some train views. Around Copenhagen it was very flat and the soil light in colour. As we went Northwards, the land became hillier and the soil darker. Hardly any sign of livestock though.

We had a lovely apartment for our Airbnb accommodation and shopped at a localish supermarket for a pizza and some wine. Nice to relax in a more homely setting. 

National Museum of Denmark

 O.M.G!!! A mind blowing day for me yesterday, when I got to finally see items that I had only seen as book illustrations. I would have been happy to set up home in the Prehistory rooms . Do many wonderful things from fabulous worked flints that must have taken many many hours to perfect. Amber necklaces from amber found on the Baltic coast. Wonderful little animals carved from chunks of golden and cherry amber. The replicas of the wonderful golden horns which were found in the 1600s and melted down!!! Sacrilege. Fortunately someone drew all the symbols on them and so they have been forever lost.

Then, this...

The stunning Bronze Age Sun Chariot.

One of the copies of Runestones from Gotland.

A bevy of Carnyx, rescued from Bogs. Blown in battle.

Amber...

The star of the show - the wonderful stunning Gundestrop Cauldron. I stood by this for quite a while, just committing it to memory. I can remember Dr Jennifer Foster lecturing about this and being so envious the shd had been to see it.

Pottery with eyes, which reminded me of the chalk shapes with eyes found on Salisbury Plain.

Today we travel on to Silkeborg and the Museum with the bog bodies...