Aalborg and Lindholm Høje

After a good few days, it was time to say goodbye to Randers. I headed north on a train to Aalborg for a day’s sightseeing before heading back to England on flight with Norwegian (from Aalborg to London Gatwick). It was a fairly murky day weatherwise, so I think I was even luckier to get such a beautiful day yesterday for the open day and photo-charter.

Jens Bangs Stenhus

I had an interesting walk around Aalborg following a walking route from the tourist office leaflet ‘Good Old Aalborg’ which was an enjoyable way to explore the city and had its moments of fun as I tried to match up what I could see in front of me with the map in the leaflet. There had been some kind of carnival the night before and the streets were still awash with a sea of rubbish – everything from bottles to abandoned prams! I was rather taken with a crocodile sculpture which had been customised by the revellers…

Warsteiner - the beer of choice for crocodiles!

After a morning spent wandering (and sheltering from the occasional burst of rain) I took the train from Aalborg across the river to Lindholm. The walk from the station to Lindholm Høje was pleasant enough but the moment I reached the trees at the edge of the viking burial ground I was completely creeped out by hundred of crows squawking and filling the air with their black mass. It momentarily felt as though they were the guardians of the territory and I was intruding!

The burial ground was a fascinating place with plenty of information boards to explain the history of the ground, which contains over 700 graves. The associated museum helped put this into context with further explanations about viking settlement in the area. Well worth a visit.

The burial ground at Lindholm Høje

Once I completed my visit I took a different route out of the site, heading out on a footpath towards Aalborg airport. It was largely ok but did involve walking along a few roads without footpaths for one stretch. Once I’d made it to the airport I found a bench in the sun and settled down for a good read before getting on my flight home.