DOES JACKSON LIKE SHRIMP? HE DOES -- WHOA! I'M RICK STEVES,
BACK WITH MORE OF "THE BEST OF EUROPE." THIS TIME,
WE'RE DOWN IN THE BEACH, GOT A GOOD, COLD BEER,
AND THE SHRIMP'S ON THE BARBIE. IT MUST BE
"THE BEST OF DENMARK." THANKS FOR JOINING US. HE LIKES THAT. DENMARK IS SMALL, FLAT,
AND REALLY WELL-ORGANIZED. WHILE THE CAPITAL CITY,
COPENHAGEN, IS A THRIVING METROPOLIS
AND THE COUNTRY DOES HAVE A VIGOROUS ECONOMY,
GET OUT INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE, AND WHAT THE TRAVELER FINDS
IS CLOSER TO CUTE. WE'LL IMAGINE SAILING
WITH THE VIKINGS, MARVEL AT THE ULTIMATE
LEGO CREATIONS, VISIT WITH ONE
REALLY OLD BOG MAN AND THEN ONE REALLY BIG BOY, DROP IN ON A ROYAL PALACE, PICNIC ON A DANISH BEACH, AND EXPLORE A REMOTE ISLAND
BY BIKE. AND IT'S ALL LINKED BY
AN AWE-INSPIRING NETWORK OF ROADS AND BRIDGES. IN THE NORTH OF EUROPE,
DENMARK ANCHORS SCANDINAVIA TO THE CONTINENT. IT'S MADE MOSTLY OF JUTLAND,
WHICH JUTS UP FROM GERMANY, AND TWO MAJOR ISLANDS. JUST OUTSIDE OF COPENHAGEN,
WE'LL TOUR FREDERIKSBORG CASTLE. THEN WE'LL VISIT ROSKILDE,
ODENSE, ARHUS, AND THE ISLE OF AERO. WHILE JUST A SMALL COUNTRY TODAY
OF ROUGHLY FIVE MILLION PEOPLE, IN THE 16th CENTURY,
THE DANISH EMPIRE INCLUDED ALL OF SCANDINAVIA
AND EVEN STRETCHED INTO GERMANY. IT HAD A FEARSOME MILITARY
AND DEMANDED RESPECT FROM ITS NEIGHBORS. AND, IN A SMALL TOWN
NORTH OF COPENHAGEN, AS IF FLOATING ON A LAKE, IS A REMINDER
OF ALL THAT POWER -- THE STUNNING
FREDERIKSBORG CASTLE. MANY CONSIDER THIS
THE GRANDEST CASTLE IN SCANDINAVIA,
THE DANISH VERSAILLES. BUILT IN THE EARLY 1600s,
FREDERIKSBORG IS THE CASTLE OF DENMARK'S GREATEST KING,
CHRISTIAN IV. THIS WAS ONE OF THE KING'S
FAVORITE RESIDENCES, WITH A SUITABLY REGAL ENTRY RINGED BY A MOAT DESIGNED
MORE FOR SWANS THAN DEFENSE. THE KING IMPORTED
DUTCH RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTS TO CREATE HIS OWN CHRISTIAN IV STYLE,
WHICH, BY THE WAY, YOU SEE IN FANCY BUILDINGS
ALL OVER COPENHAGEN. THE ROYAL APARTMENTS
EXUDE ROYAL OPULENCE. FOR OVER A CENTURY,
THE PALACE HAS BEEN A MUSEUM OFFERING A STROLL
THROUGH THE STORY OF DENMARK FROM 1500 UNTIL TODAY. IT SERVES AS DENMARK'S
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY. IN THE AUDIENCE ROOM,
THE KING WOULD RECEIVE IMPORTANT VISITORS. PAINTINGS OF DENMARK'S
MILITARY VICTORIES OVER NEIGHBORING SWEDEN
LINE THE WALLS, REMINDING VISITING VIPs
OF DENMARK'S POWER. AND THE GREAT HALL
WAS KNOWN AS THE DANCING HALL
IN CHRISTIAN IV's DAY. WITH THE ORCHESTRA PLAYING FROM
THEIR PERCH ABOVE, THIS IS WHERE HE'D THROW
HIS LAVISH PARTIES. GAZING OUT THE WINDOWS,
GUESTS WOULD MARVEL AT THE KING'S BAROQUE GARDEN. SCULPTED ROYAL GARDENS,
LIKE THE PALACES, WERE USED AS PROPAGANDA --
THE KING RULES EVERYTHING IN HIS REALM, EVEN NATURE. CHRISTIAN IV WANTED THE GRANDEST
ROYAL CHAPEL IN EUROPE. WHILE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN
A LUTHERAN CHURCH, HERE, THE UNCHARACTERISTICALLY
ORNATE DECOR CELEBRATES THE POWER
OF THE EARTHLY KING. THE SYMBOLISM PREACHES
A ROYAL THEOLOGY -- GOD BLESSED THE DANES
WITH A GREAT KING WHO THEY SHOULD OBEY. THIS FINE INLAID WOODWORK
DATES FROM 1620. TWO CENTURIES OF DANISH ROYALTY
WERE CROWNED IN THIS CHURCH. EMBLEMS CELEBRATE SUBJUGATED
REALMS OF THE DANISH KING. THIS ONE REPRESENTS NORWAY,
WHICH WAS LONG A PART OF THE DANISH EMPIRE. IN KING CHRISTIAN'S DAY,
EUROPE WAS EXTREMELY FRAGMENTED. TODAY, EUROPE'S EVOLVING INTO
A SINGLE FREE TRADE ZONE OF OVER 400 MILLION PEOPLE,
AND, LIKE THE UNITED STATES INVESTED IN ITS
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM TO GREASE COMMERCE,
EUROPE'S INVESTING IN HUGE BRIDGES AND TUNNELS
SO ITS CARS, TRUCKS, AND BULLET TRAINS NO LONGER
NEED TO LOAD ONTO FERRIES, AS WAS THE TIME-CONSUMING NORM
UNTIL JUST RECENTLY. THE ORESUND BRIDGE CONNECTS
DENMARK AND SWEDEN. THIS TEN-MILE-LONG LINK
SERVES BOTH TRAINS AND CARS. IT CONSISTS OF
A TUNNEL BENEATH THE SEA, AN ARTIFICIAL ISLAND,
AND A FIVE-MILE-LONG BRIDGE. A HIGH-TECH CONTROL ROOM
OVERSEES THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC
ACROSS A BORDER TRAVELLERS HARDLY NOTICE. BY MAKING THE SWEDISH CITY
OF MALMO JUST A QUICK COMMUTE FROM COPENHAGEN,
THIS BRIDGE CREATED EUROPE'S MOST DYNAMIC
NEW METROPOLITAN AREA -- THE LARGEST IN
ALL OF SCANDINAVIA. WHILE THE BRIDGE LEADS TO
SWEDEN, WE'VE PULLED A U-EY AND ARE HEADING WEST
TO ROSKILDE, DENMARK'S HISTORIC CAPITAL. DENMARK'S ROOTS,
BOTH VIKING AND ROYAL, ARE ON DISPLAY
IN ROSKILDE. 800 YEARS AGO,
THIS WAS THE SEAT OF DENMARK'S ROYALTY, ITS CENTER OF POWER. TODAY, AFTER FIRES
AND RECENT DEVELOPMENT, THE TOWN'S MOSTLY MODERN. THE PLACE THAT
INTRODUCED CHRISTIANITY TO DENMARK BACK IN 980 IS MOST FAMOUS TODAY
FOR HOSTING NORTHERN EUROPE'S BIGGEST ROCK FESTIVAL
EACH JULY. ROSKILDE'S CENTERPIECE
IS ITS IMPOSING 12th-CENTURY CATHEDRAL. IT'S A STATELY OLD CHURCH
WITH FINE WOOD CARVINGS AND A GREAT
16th CENTURY ORGAN. SOME PAINTINGS SURVIVE
FROM BEFORE THE REFORMATION. THE CATHEDRAL
IS THE RESTING PLACE OF 39 DANISH KINGS AND QUEENS. SIDE CHAPELS ARE FILLED
WITH ORNATE ROYAL TOMBS. AFTER THE REFORMATION
GUTTED THE CHURCH OF ITS SAINTS AND MARYS,
MORE SPACE AROUND THE HIGH ALTAR WAS FREED UP
FOR MORE ROYAL TOMBS. THESE DATE FROM
THE 16th CENTURY. THE OLDEST TOMB, FROM 1397,
IS QUEEN MARGRETHE I. THROUGH STRONG LEADERSHIP
AND CLEVER NEGOTIATING, SHE UNITED
THE THREE NORDIC KINGDOMS. FOR 500 YEARS,
ST. GEORGE HAS MARKED THE HOUR BY KILLING THE DRAGON, REMINDING THE PEOPLE
HOW THE CHURCH IS THEIR BASTION AGAINST
THE EVIL OF THE WORLD. [ BELL RINGS ] A SHORT WALK TAKES US
TO ROSKILDE'S WATERFRONT. THE WORD VIK MEANS
"SHALLOW INLET," SO VIKINGS ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVED ALONG THOSE INLETS. ROSKILDE, STRATEGICALLY LOCATED
ALONG ONE SUCH INLET, IS HOME TO DENMARK'S
VIKING SHIP MUSEUM. THIS MUSEUM IS A HANDS-ON CENTER
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO EXPERIENCE
DENMARK'S SEAFARING HERITAGE. TRADITIONAL BOAT-BUILDING
TECHNIQUES ARE DEMONSTRATED AND THE MUSEUM'S
ARCHEOLOGICAL WORKSHOP EMPLOYS THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY
IN CONSERVING AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING
REMNANTS THAT SURVIVED FROM THOSE FABLED
10th-CENTURY MASTERS OF THE SEA. THE MAIN HALL DISPLAYS
FIVE DIFFERENT VIKING SHIPS. THESE SHIPS WERE
DELIBERATELY SUNK 1,000 YEARS AGO
TO BLOCK THE HARBOR ENTRANCE TO THE STRATEGIC
AND RICH CITY OF ROSKILDE. IN 1962, THEY WERE RAISED
FROM THEIR SALTY GRAVE. THIS WAS A 10th-CENTURY
OCEAN-GOING FREIGHTER. A SHIP LIKE THIS LIKELY CARRIED
VIKING IMMIGRANTS WITH THEIR FAMILIES
AND THE ENTIRE FARM TO ICELAND, AND, LATER ON,
TO THE NEW WORLD. LEIF ERIKSON MADE IT
ALL THE WAY TO AMERICA 1,000 YEARS AGO
IN A LITTLE SHIP LIKE THIS. WARSHIPS WERE
SKINNIER AND FASTER. THIS ONE WAS POWERED
BY 26 OARSMEN. FEARSOME BOATS LIKE THIS
TERRORIZED MUCH OF EUROPE BACK WHEN PEOPLE DREADED
THOSE RAMPAGING NORSEMEN. AND, LIKE SO MANY SITES
IN DENMARK, THERE'S FUN FOR THE KIDS. THIS HANDS-ON CORNER
BRINGS OUT THE VIKING IN YOUNG DANES. HEADING FURTHER WEST, WE CROSS ANOTHER
SPECTACULAR BRIDGE, BENEFITING, AGAIN,
FROM DENMARK'S INVESTMENT IN A SERIES OF BRIDGES
AND HIGHWAYS THAT LACES
THIS NATIONS'S ISLANDS TOGETHER. SOMEHOW, DENMARK,
WITH LIMITED NATURAL RESOURCES AND A SMALL POPULATION BASE, HAS ARRANGED ITS PRIORITIES
AND FOUND THE FUNDS TO BUILD ITS
IMPRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE. ODENSE,
DENMARK'S THIRD-LARGEST CITY WITH NEARLY 200,000 PEOPLE,
IS BIG AND INDUSTRIAL. THE CITY, LIKE ALMOST
EVERY TOWN IN DENMARK, HAS A TRAFFIC-FREE
SHOPPING STREET THAT GIVES IT
A STROLLING CHARM. WHILE ODENSE'S
RELATIVELY NONDESCRIPT, THE REASON TOURISTS STOP IN
IS TO VISIT THE HOME OF ITS FAMOUS SON,
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. TODAY, HIS HUMBLE BIRTH HOUSE
STANDS ON A COBBLED LANE. IT'S LITERALLY
THE CORNER OF A MUSEUM PACKED WITH MEMENTOS
FROM THE WRITER'S LIFE. THE EXHIBIT ENTERTAINS
AND INSPIRES A STEADY STREAM
OF CHILDREN AND TOURISTS. YOU'LL SEE A DISPLAY ON
THE AGE IN WHICH ANDERSEN LIVED, 1805 TO 1875, AND LETTERS FROM
HIS LIFE AND TIMES. A LIBRARY SHOWS
ANDERSEN'S BOOKS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD. HIS TALES WERE TRANSLATED
INTO NEARLY 150 LANGUAGES. AND HEADSETS PLAY
A SELECTION OF FAIRY TALES. SKETCHES FROM
HIS EXTENSIVE TRAVELS WERE SOUVENIRS OF
EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY
HELP INSPIRE HIS FAMOUS TALES. CHILDREN LOVED THE WAY
HE'D FASHION A PAPER CUTOUT AS HE TOLD A STORY,
REVEALING HIS CREATION WITH THE FINALE OF HIS TALE. YOUNG ANDERSEN FANS
GATHER DAILY THROUGH THE SUMMER IN THE MUSEUM GARDEN'S
FAIRY TALE THEATER. WIDE-EYED AND ENTHRALLED,
THEY'RE ENTERTAINED BY OLD H.C. HIMSELF... [ CHICKENS CLUCKING ] AND A CAST OF CHARACTERS RIGHT OUT OF HIS
FAVORITE FAIRY TALES. IT ALL CULMINATES, HOPEFULLY,
IN A HAPPY ENDING. [ SINGING IN DANISH ] ♪♪ [ APPLAUSE ] JUTLAND, THAT PART OF DENMARK
THAT JUTS UP FROM GERMANY, IS A GENTLE LAND
OF ROLLING HILLS, THATCHED VILLAGES,
AND BUCOLIC FARMS. THIS IS ALSO
THE LAND OF LEGO. LEGOLAND IS SCANDINAVIA'S
TOP KIDS' SITE. IF YOU HAVE A CHILD
OR STILL ARE ONE AT HEART, IT'S A FUN STOP. THIS HUGE PARK
IS A FANCIFUL WORLD CREATED WITH THE HELP
OF 58 MILLION LEGO BRICKS. [ WHISTLE BLOWS ] THEY SAY IF YOU STRETCHED
ALL THESE LEGO BLOCKS OUT, THEY'D REACH FROM HERE
ALL THE WAY TO ITALY. IN THE DYNAMIC MINI WORLD, CHILDREN GET
THEIR FIRST GRAND TOUR, CHECKING OUT FAMOUS SCANDINAVIAN
CITYSCAPES BEFORE TRAVELING FURTHER AFIELD
THROUGH EUROPE AND ON TO AMERICA. FOR ME, THE HIGHLIGHT
IS SIMPLY TO SEE DANES AT PLAY IN THEIR
RESERVED YET FUN-LOVING WAY. EACH YEAR, LEGOLAND OPENS UP
NEW RIDES AND PLAY ZONES AND MORE DANISH FAMILIES
MAKE THIS A FUN DAY OUT. NEARBY IS ARHUS. DENMARK'S SECOND-LARGEST CITY,
WITH A POPULATION OF 400,000, IS JUTLAND'S CAPITAL
AND CULTURAL HUB. ITS VIKING FOUNDERS
SETTLED HERE IN THE LATE 700s WHERE THE RIVER HITS THE SEA. TODAY, ARHUS BUSTLES WITH
A LIVELY PORT, AN IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY,
BUSY PEDESTRIAN BOULEVARD, AND AN OLD QUARTER FILLED WITH
PEOPLE LIVING VERY WELL. ARHUS UNCOVERED ITS RIVER, WHICH UNTIL JUST A FEW YEARS AGO
HAD BEEN PAVED OVER AND BUSY WITH CARS. TODAY, THIS SCENE IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE
OF HOW TOWNS ALL OVER EUROPE ARE RESPECTING BOTH
THEIR HERITAGE AND THEIR PEOPLE'S NEEDS. THE RIVER'S LINED
WITH TRENDY EATERIES, AND IT'S A HIT WITH LOCALS
AND VISITORS BOTH YOUNG AND OLD. ANOTHER NEW DIMENSION
TO THE TOWN IS ITS STRIKING MODERN ART GALLERY,
THE ARoS MUSEUM. THE BUILDING ITSELF CREATES
A STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT. GALLERIES ARE A WELL-DESCRIBED DELIGHT TO EXPLORE
AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING. THIS CIRCA-1970 WALL OF JARS
CONTAINS A SLAUGHTERED HORSE. IT'S CALLED "THE SACRIFICE." WHEN PEOPLE WERE APPALLED
AT THE NEEDLESS KILLING, THE ARTIST ASKED,
"BUT WHAT ABOUT VIETNAM?" AND YOU'LL MEET
ONE VERY BIG BOY. THE AUSTRALIAN ARTIST RON MUECK
CREATED THIS TOWERING SUPER-REALISTIC FIGURE
AND CALLED IT, SIMPLY, "BOY." FOR SOMETHING MORE TRADITIONAL,
WE'RE VISITING THE CITY'S OLD TOWN
OPEN-AIR FOLK MUSEUM. WITH 75 HISTORIC BUILDINGS
CAREFULLY MOVED HERE FROM THROUGHOUT DENMARK, IT GIVES A LOOK
AT DANISH URBAN LIFE IN CENTURIES PAST. ON THIS MERCHANT'S MANSION,
THE CARVED RELIEF DATES FROM 1571. COSTUMED ACTORS
WANDER THE COBBLED LANES AS IF LIVING IN
THE 19th CENTURY. THIS COUPLE'S SELLING EVERYTHING
FOR A TRIP TO AMERICA. THEIR SKILLET HAS TO GO,
AS EGGS IN AMERICA ARE JUST WAY TOO BIG. THIS IS TOO SMALL. WHY?
WE HAVE HEARD THAT THEY HAVE BIG EGGS IN AMERICA. [ LAUGHS ] YOU CAN APPEASE
YOUR SWEET TOOTH IN AN OLD-FASHIONED WAY. AND HERE IN THE BAKERY,
YOU'LL SEE TASTY DANISH TREATS
ARE NOTHING NEW. A CITY BUS RUNS
THROUGH A FOREST OUT TO THE TOWN'S
PREHISTORY MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM HAS THREE PARTS -- STONE AGE, IRON AGE,
AND THE VIKING AGE. THE IRON AGE RANGED FROM
500 B.C. TO 800 A.D. THIS COLLECTION
FEATURES A TROVE OF IRON WEAPONS AND JEWELRY
FROM AROUND 200 A.D. AS PEOPLE THEN BELIEVED
THAT GODS LIVED IN THE BOGS, THAT'S WHERE THEIR SACRIFICIAL
OFFERINGS WERE TOSSED. AFTER DEFEATING YOUR ENEMY,
LOGICALLY, YOU'D TOSS THEIR WEAPONS
TO THE BOG GODS. THE MUSEUM'S CLAIM TO FAME
IS THE GRAUBALLE MAN, THE WORLD'S BEST-PRESERVED
BOG CORPSE. LIKE THE WEAPONS,
HE WAS SACRIFICED AND TOSSED INTO THE BOG. BECAUSE OF
THE OXYGEN-FREE ENVIRONMENT, THIS 2,300-YEAR-OLD BOG MAN LOOKS LIKE A FELLOW
HALF HIS AGE. ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
HE LOOKED LIKE THIS IN HAPPIER TIMES. HE SPRAWLS OUT
IN HIS GLASS TOMB AS IF TO WELCOME VISITORS
OLD AND YOUNG TO MARVEL AT HIS SKIN,
NAILS, HAIR, AND EVEN THE SLIT IN HIS THROAT
HE WAS GIVEN BACK IN 300 B.C. AT HIS SACRIFICIAL BANQUET. FROM ARHUS,
A THREE-HOUR TRAIN RIDE THROUGH THE PASTORAL COUNTRYSIDE
DEAD-ENDS IN THE TOWN OF SVENDBORG,
WHERE OUR FERRY AWAITS, READY TO SAIL
TO THE ISLE OF AERO. THE FERRY LOADS AND DEPARTS
LIKE CLOCKWORK, TYPICAL OF DANISH EFFICIENCY, AND THE BOAT CRUISES THROUGH
SOME DELIGHTFUL ISLAND SCENERY. AS WE APPROACH
THE ISLAND OF AERO, THE CHARMING TOWN OF AEROSKOBING
COMES INTO VIEW. THIS IS THE BEST-PRESERVED
18th-CENTURY TOWN ANYWHERE IN DENMARK. THE GOVERNMENT,
RECOGNIZING ITS VALUE, PROHIBITS ANY
MODERN BUILDING HERE. THOSE WHO VISIT FIND THEMSELVES
DROPPING RIGHT INTO THE 1700s WHEN AEROSKOBING WAS THE WEALTHY
HOME PORT OF 100 WINDJAMMERS, THOSE MIGHTIEST SAILING VESSELS
OF THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL AGE. THE MANY DANES AND GERMANS WHO
COME HERE FOR THE TRANQUILITY CALL THIS THE FAIRY TALE TOWN. CHARACTERISTIC HOUSES
LEAN ON EACH OTHER LIKE DRUNK SLEEPING SAILORS. APPRECIATE
THE FINELY CARVED OLD DOORS. YOU WON'T FIND
ANY TWO THE SAME. HYGGELIG, THAT QUINTESSENTIAL
DANISH WORD FOR "COZY," DESCRIBES AEROSKOBING WELL. THE HARBOR'S
A HIVE OF RELAXATION. THE SURVIVING WINDJAMMERS ARE
NOW CHARTERED BY VACATIONERS, AND THE MARINA NOW CATERS
TO HOLIDAY YACHTS. A BIG PART OF THE ISLAND'S
TOURISM IS FROM BOATERS. PENSION VESTERGADE,
LOVINGLY RUN BY SUSANNA GREVE, IS MY HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME
IN AEROSKOBING. THIS SALTY, SAGGING,
AND VENERABLE EIGHT-ROOM PLACE
WAS BUILT IN 1748 FOR A SEA CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER. FROM THE ELEGANT SITTING ROOM TO THE CREAKY ATTIC, THE PLACE IS FILLED
WITH CHARACTER. SUSANNA'S GENEROUS BREAKFAST IS SERVED IN
A CHARMING DINING ROOM. BEDROOMS COME WITH
SLANTED FLOORS AND FINE VIEWS. AEROSKOBING IS SIMPLY
A PLEASANT PLACE TO WANDER, AND SUSANNA'S JOINING ME. THIS IS A DELIGHTFUL WALK.
IF I LIVED HERE, I THINK I'D WALK HERE
EVERY EVENING. YES, I DO. I DO AND LOVE IT,
AND IT REMINDS ME HOW MUCH THE ISLAND
HAS CHANGED. THESE HOUSES USED TO BELONG
TO POOR FISHERMEN AND TO POOR SAILORS, AND THEY USED TO
HAVE THEIR BOATS HERE THAT THEY COULD DRAG UP
TO THE HOUSES, AND NOW THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE
AND RATHER NICE HOUSES. YOU STILL HAVE
THE CHARACTER.
YES. I LOVE THAT.
AND I LOVE THE WAY
THE ROOFS ALL LEAN. AND THE GARDENS ARE JUST
LOVINGLY TENDED. YES. RIGHT ON THE HARBOR FRONT, THE AEROSKOBING FISH HOUSE
SMOKES ITS OWN CATCH. RACKS OF SMOKED MACKEREL,
SALMON, AND OTHER FISH ARE SOLD OUT DAILY
AS LOCALS AND TOURISTS CLAMOR FOR A TASTY MEAL. WITH A VIEW OF THE HARBOR,
IT'S JUST RIGHT FOR A BUDGET SEAFOOD LUNCH. FOR ME, THE BEST WAY
TO EXPLORE AERO IS ON TWO WHEELS. I'M MEETING FRIEND
AND LOCAL GUIDE JAN PETERSON
FOR AN ISLAND BIKE RIDE. BIKE RENTAL'S EASY --
NO DEPOSITS, NO LOCKS. THIS IS AERO. I'VE RECOMMENDED
THIS LEISURELY RIDE FOR YEARS IN MY GUIDEBOOK
TO SHOW OFF THE BEST OF THIS ISLAND'S CHARMS. THE ISLAND IS 22 MILES LONG,
HAS 7,000 RESIDENTS, SEVEN PASTORS, NO CROSSWALKS,
AND THREE POLICEMEN. HISTORICALLY,
AERO HAS DEPENDED ON SHIPPING AND FARMING,
MOSTLY DAIRY AND WHEAT. U-SHAPED FARMS
ARE TYPICAL THROUGHOUT DENMARK. THE THREE SIDES
BLOCK THE WIND WHILE STORING COWS,
HAY, AND PEOPLE. IT'S THE KIND OF PLACE
WHERE LOCAL PRODUCE, WHATEVER'S IN SEASON,
SITS ON THE ROADSIDE FOR SALE ON THE HONOR SYSTEM. WE'RE NOW RIDING
BELOW SEA LEVEL. THE SEA'S ABOUT THIS HIGH
AND JUST BEHIND THIS DIKE THAT WAS BUILT AROUND
150 YEARS AGO TO KEEP THE SEA OUT TO CLAIM THIS WASTELAND
THAT WAS HERE -- ALL THIS WAS RECLAIMED,
THEN? YES, IT IS, AND IS TODAY
USED FOR GRAZING FOR COWS. Steves: MOST OF AERO'S VILLAGES
ARE FURTHER INLAND, NOT VISIBLE FROM THE SEA. CHURCH SPIRES WERE STUNTED,
DESIGNED NOT TO BE VIEWABLE FROM
MARAUDING PIRATE SHIPS. THIS CHURCH,
WITH A WHITEWASHED EXTERIOR, DATES FROM THE 12th CENTURY. ITS LONG NAVE
LEADS TO THE ALTAR. WITH GOLD LEAF ON CARVED OAK,
IT'S FROM 1528, JUST BEFORE THE REFORMATION
CAME TO DENMARK. IT'S A REMARKABLE CHURCH. IT'S A SPECIAL THING,
THESE REVERSIBLE PEWS. YOU HAD THE SERVICE UP HERE, BUT WHEN THE SERMON WAS GOING,
HAD TO FLIP OVER -- OKAY,
SO WE WATCHED THE SERVICE, AND THEN WHEN IT'S TIME
FOR THE SERMON, YOU'D LOOK AT THE PULPIT. TO THE PULPIT THAT IS IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE CHURCH. Steves:
IN THE BACK OF THE NAVE, A LIST OF PASTORS
GOES BACK TO 1505, ALL THEOLOGICALLY RELATED
TO MARTIN LUTHER. HE'S PAINTED WITH
HIS HAND ON THE BIBLE AS IF ON A THEOLOGICAL RUDDER,
STEERING THE CHURCH ON A TRUE COURSE. THE CURRENT PASTOR, JANET,
IS THE FIRST WOMAN ON THE LIST
IN OVER 500 YEARS. AERO, LIKE DENMARK IN GENERAL,
IS EMBRACING CLEAN ENERGY. HOME TO COMMUNALLY OWNED, STATE-SUBSIDIZED WINDMILLS
AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANTS,
IT'S WELL ON THE WAY TO ITS GOAL OF ENERGY
SELF-SUFFICIENCY. THIS FIELD OF SOLAR PANELS
SAVES 1,500 HOMES A THIRD ON THEIR HEATING COSTS. A SHORT WALK FROM THE ROAD
TAKES US TO A FASCINATING PREHISTORIC SITE. 6,000 YEARS AGO,
THIS WAS AN EARLY NEOLITHIC BURIAL PLACE. THOUGH AERO ONCE HAD
MORE THAN 200 OF THESE PREHISTORIC TOMBS,
ONLY 13 SURVIVE. THE VIKINGS ALSO APPRECIATED
THE HOLINESS OF THIS SITE. THIS IS SUCH
AN EVOCATIVE SPOT. YEAH, IMAGINE
1,000 YEARS AGO, THE VIKING CHIEF WOULD
GATHER THE COMMUNITY HERE TO BURY A PERSON HERE. THEY BUILT A SHIP
AND BURNED IT. THEY HAVE FOUND PIECES
OF BURNED WOOD IN THE UNDERGROUND HERE. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY
THE SHAPE OF A VIKING SHIP. THIS IS THE SHAPE
OF A VIKING SHIP. THEY HAD THE STERN UP THERE,
AND EVEN LONGER AGO THEY CAME HERE TO USE THIS
AS A HOLY SPOT. AND THIS STONE BURIAL CHAMBER
IS ACTUALLY MUCH OLDER. IT'S 5,000,
6,000 YEARS OLD. AS OLD AS THE PHARAOHS.
YES. THE VIKINGS RECOGNIZED THIS
AS A HOLY GROUND, AND, LATER ON,
PUT THEIR HOLY SPOT HERE. SO, GOT A LITTLE HILL HERE. A LITTLE HILL. WE'RE GOING TO
THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE ISLAND,
CALLED SYNNESHØJ. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? "SEEMS HIGH." HOW HIGH IS IT? 6,750 CENTIMETERS. 6,700 CENTIMETERS. THAT'S ABOUT 2,700 INCHES. YEAH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. JAN, WE'VE SUMMITED AERO. SEEMS HIGH. YEAH,
BUT WORTH THE VIEW. IT SURE IS. Steves: JUST A SHORT STROLL
FROM AEROSKOBING, A NARROW SPIT IS LINED
WITH COZY BEACH HUTS AND FAMILIES SAVORING
A BALMY JULY EVENING. DENMARK EMBRACES THE NOTION
THAT SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, AND HERE, THE CONCEPT
OF SUSTAINABILITY IS NOTHING NEW. THESE TINY BEACH ESCAPES
ARE PRIVATELY OWNED ON LAND RENTED FROM THE TOWN. EACH IS DIFFERENT, BUT ALL ARE WEATHERED
BY MERRY MEMORIES OF LOCALS ENJOYING THEMSELVES,
DANISH-STYLE. TO CAP OUR VISIT, TONIGHT,
WE'RE JOINED BY THE MAYOR AND HIS FRIENDS FOR
A PICNIC DINNER ON THE BEACH. A FORMER MUSIC TEACHER,
HE'S LEADING US IN AN APPROPRIATE SONG
FOR AERO -- "THE SHIP WENT DOWN,
BUT THE SAILORS SURVIVED, "MAKING IT BACK TO THEIR BELOVED HOMES
AND FAMILIES." [ SINGING IN DANISH ] [ LAUGHTER ] THANKS FOR JOINING US. WITH EACH VISIT,
I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE MANY CHARMS OF THIS LOW-KEY
YET SELF-ASSURED LAND. I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR LOOK
AT "THE BEST OF DENMARK." I'M RICK STEVES. UNTIL NEXT TIME,
KEEP ON TRAVELING.
