Aarhus

The grocer's shop at 'Den Gamle By'. The man is real.

I’d forgotten what a splendid place Denmark is. The people are friendly, their skin looks unbelievably healthy and there’s a general air of tranquillity which is very much to my taste.

I’ve slept very well in my giant bed, eased into slumber by the waves crashing against the nearby shore. But, yet again, I have a tiny duvet which, reception tells me, is the norm in Denmark.

I’ve got an Aarhus Card (www.visitaarhus.com) which allows me unlimited use of the local buses. The yellow ones, not the blue ones, as I found to my cost last night.

The very friendly receptionist at the Hotel Helnan Marselis has kindly printed out bus timetables for the connections I need to make to get to one of Denmark’s most splendid attractions, ‘Den Gamle By’, which translates as ‘The Old Town’.

Founded in 1909, there are now some 75 historic buildings, brought from all over Denmark.

But it’s not just the splendid buildings. A great deal of care has been taken to make each property a living museum with people acting out roles as shopkeepers, bakers, stable lads and much more.

I first visited the museum more than forty years ago and I’m delighted to discover that they haven’t rested on their laurels. There is now the old town, locked in 1864, a new town, which looks at life in 1927 and, currently under construction, the 1974 town. Funding permitting, that will be complete in 2014.

Over a third of a million people visit in a year, with the busiest time being in the Christmas period, when the town takes on a very special atmosphere indeed.

I love the latest developments and I am hugely impressed with the whole place, especially the 1683 Mintmaster’s Mansion, lovingly reconstructed by Den Gamle By’s skilled craftsmen after the building lay in storage in Copenhagen for several decades.

There’s so much to see that I hope to fit in a return visit.

I ask my lovely guide about Danes and their duvets. She confirms that the single duvet is the norm but, having just spent two years in Boston, confesses that she’s brought back a big one for her marital bed!

Aarhus is bathed in autumn sunshine, which makes the buildings look their best. The nine-storey ARoS art gallery is one of the largest in Europe. I admire the work being done for its’ latest attraction, a 150 metre walkway being built on the roof. The five-metre tall sculpture ‘Boy’, by Australian artist Ron Mueck, is just one of many exhibits in this 17,700 square metres of art, dating from 1770 to the present day.

I’m glad that I’ve added an extra day in Aarhus. There really is a lot to see and do.

A typical street scene in 'Den Gamle By'

Danes love their bikes!

Lovely colours and shapes in an Aarhus supermarket

Ron Mueck's 5-metre tall sculpture 'Boy'