Our last full day of the tour boasted a morning journey to Roskilde, a 13th-century city and final resting place of multiple Danish monarchs.

We stopped for a half-hour at the cathedral and I skipped over cobblestones shimmering with morning rain as the sun emerged from behind the clouds. I enjoyed a walk in a flower-lined courtyard with a new friend and took a breath of quiet before we boarded the bus to find excavated Viking ships and ongoing replicas at the Viking Ship Museum.

We strolled along the marina to the sounds of axes and breathed in the scent of oak and spruce as artisans revived ancient shipbuilding skills. I leaned into my explorer roots and imagined myself a seafaring voyager — if they’d had a sword available for the costume ensemble, I’d likely be pursuing my Danish residency.

The afternoon had no scheduled activities, so Julie and I strolled along the Strøget for final souvenir purchases, dodging wind gusts and raindrops as well as tourists. Then it was time to take my hunks for a picnic in Ørstedsparken. 😉

I avoided the palace square after yesterday’s wilting experience at the hand of a Danish guard waving me away from a doorway while shouting, “Hey!”. I apologized to a half dozen people for my trespasses; probably didn’t make a difference since the apologies were all to Americans on the tour with me.

The final to-do of our tour was to find a bookstore for my bibliophile sister. I never dreamed I’d roam a foreign city looking for the bøger, nor that I’d be successful in picking one out. 🤷‍♀️ With Julie’s backpack one Hans Christian Andersen compilation heavier, we walked along narrow side streets hemmed in by colorful, shoulder to shoulder buildings on our way back to the Rosenborg Palace gardens. Pushed off of one bench by the raindrops, we pressed on and found a hedged-in garden overseen by a friendly bronze rendering of Mr. Andersen himself. Julie shared her dark chocolate bar and I gave my best vocal performance of “The Ugly Duckling” while the author’s likeness looked on.

Back at the hotel, we had an early dinner and a quick walk to the Circle K to spend the last of our Danish currency. Bedtime at 7:00p to be ready for our 3 am departure!