Born in England but gave up offshore job and associated snowboarding/travelling lifestyle to live wi...
Born in England but gave up offshore job and associated snowboarding/travelling lifestyle to live with my danish girlfriend and 2 year old daughter in Denmark. Life is good.
Member since:05.07.2005
Reviews:38
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I am english but have moved to Aarhus, where the following info is based on my own observations and people who have come to visit either myself or my expat friends.
Aarhus is located on mainland Denmark (Jutland) just under the bit that looks like a nose (yes, denmark looks a bit like a face). Aarhus has an international airport in the same way that Bristol does - it isnt big or clever, and it's located a long way from town. There is, however, a transfer bus that takes you from the airport to the railway station downtown. The bus leaves about 15 minutes after the arrival of all flights, and will usually wait if the flight is delayed. It costs abot 80kr from memory. If you want to
organise transport either to or from Copenhagen when you are here, the rail service is dsb (dsb.dk, I think) It costs around 1000kr for a return, but you do get to go over the monster suspension bridge - a "golden gate" type.
Climate is Cold in winter (capital C not a typo), and similar to the south coast of england in summer. Last winter there was enough snow on the ground to go sledging every day for over 2 weeks in Jan/Feb, and temperatures regularly reach -5. Don't expect to be going skiing though, the highest part of mainland Denmark, the "sky mountain," is lower than the top of the suspension bridge connecting Jutland to the island with Copenhagen on! Denmarks scenery is on a par with that of Holland. The weather in summer is fine, there are good cafe's in town and beaches accessible by bus where you can enjoy the sun.
On the natural resources front, there is a forested area running along the coast to the south of Aarhus which is a good place for walking or just sitting on the beach. Ask about Moesgaard, which is a Museum/activity centre for kids located 10 minutes walk from a sandy beach. This can be reached by bus from the city centre. There are also beaches at Den Permanent (Risskov) and The Marselis Hotel.
Aarhus' strong point in my opinion is it's city centre. This showcases danish culture - clean, uncrowded, violence free (compared to England), scandinavian styles in the shops, danish pastries to eat, expensive everything (especially pubs). Its a great place to wander round - cobbled streets, small shops, cafe's. Aarhus has a strong cafe culture, centred on the Aa boulevard, which is a street running alongside a river midtown. The cafe's are open in the day for coffe, beer, or food, and stay open until at least 2am, some remaining open until 5 or 6. It is possible to drink round the clock in Aarhus, if you are out for the night Train Nightclub is a popular venue.
Culturally there is not a great deal to pick up on. Aros is Arhus' brand new centrepiece, a good quality art museum. Then there is "den gammel by" - "the old town" which is an area of Aarhus that has been preserved from the middle ages, featuring people wearing traditional clothes doing traditional jobs. This is highly rated in the town itself, but my own (and my friends) opinions are that it is pants. I don't think there are many of this type of attraction in Denmark so its still novel, but compared to England where the concept is commonplace it is not a stand-out attraction. The cathedral downtown is more interesting for my money - just because it's so huge. Arhus has a great football stadium, with a great atmosphere (ask for tickets near the supporters club) but unfortunately a woeful team playing in it, (AGF) even by danish superliga standards.
Festivals. There is a good music festival the first week in sept (26-08 to 04-09 this year) where all the pubs have bands and there are people playing music in the streets. If you had to come one week of the year, this would be a good one.
Lastly, the people. All danes under the age of 30 speak fluent english. If a dane tells you their english isn't very good it means they dont understand all the cockney rhyming slang. They are, by and large, educated, polite, culturally similar to the english, and very proud to be danish. One final thing - the danes spent a large amount of their history raping and pillaging, and there is considerable circumstantial evidence to indicate they brought a lot of the better looking women they found back with them.... !
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That account couldn't be closer to the truth!! Im English living in Aarhus (possibly indefinately) and I absolutely love it! The most friendly nation Ive ever been to and you dont have the worry of being mugged/blown up in a terrorist explostion/hit with a parking/speeding fine everywhere you go. You also dont get those horrible little oiks that hang round shopping centres, like we do in the UK. The youths in Aarhus are well educated, friendly people who prefer to spend their time socialising in cafes - rather than all getting drunk in bars. Finally, Jimh1 was right about the vikings leaving only beautiful women behind!! - they are stunning! I should know... thats why I live there. You will LOVE it here.
tomdougal1980 19.09.2006 13:58
That account couldn't be closer to the truth!! Im English living in Aarhus (possibly indefinately) and I absolutely love it! The most friendly nation Ive ever been to and you dont have the worry of being mugged/blown up in a terrorist explostion/hit with a parking/speeding fine everywhere you go. You also dont get those horrible little oiks that hang round shopping centres, like we do in the UK. The youths in Aarhus are well educated, friendly people who prefer to spend their time socialising in cafes - rather than all getting drunk in bars. Finally, Jimh1 was right about the vikings leaving only beautiful women behind!! - they are stunning! I should know... thats why I live there. You will LOVE it here.
groinstraddle 10.07.2005 00:53
What a relaxed, clean and friendly review. It wasn't cold or expensive either! Good work! Chears eers!
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Advantages: Not as expensive as expected, friendly people, easy to get around, great beer! Disadvantages: More expensive than the UK, gets ignored when thinking about a short break
moose 18.05.2001 (31.07.2002)
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Review of General: Denmark
Advantages: You're in Denmark - can't be a greater advantage! It's clean, no queues and very pleasant travelling experience Disadvantages: Food and Shops are more expensive than the High Street
northern_lights 23.05.2003 (24.05.2003)
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Review of Billund Airport
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Jul 6th, 2005
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