Friday, 25 July 2014

Off to Roskilde for Viking Ships (made in Ireland)

one of the 5 Viking boats found in the waters off Roskilde
Approximately a thousand years ago some Viking decided to overload 5 of their old ships with stones and deliberately sink them to block a shipping channel. This was part of the defence system for the port of Roskilde. The remains of these boats form the main impressive exhibit in the Viking ship museum. We were surprised to discover that the Vikings built the largest of the 5 boats in Dublin. It’s an interesting place with exhibits of ropemaking, blacksmithing, jewellery making and rides on replica Viking ships.
viking cargo ship

probably one for a royal person

Roskilde was once the capital of Denmark hence the very large brick built church stuffed with royal memorials and works of art. It felt, to us, more like a gigantic mausoleum than a cathedral. Despite the extravagant carvings, paintings and the organ music etc the church was devoid of atmosphere – it felt dead. Interestingly there is a large standing stone in front of the building so it must have been a sacred site well before it was a cathedral. There are also a couple of healing springs nearby.
cathedral with standing stone

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