On Day 2 of the roadtrip, we braced ourselves for a long drive from Aalborg, Denmark to Knetzgau, Germany. On the way, we took a sidetrip to the Danish town of Aabenraa (meaning “open beach”). We enjoyed strolling on its cobbled streets and appreciating its colorful old buildings, and learning about its interesting history.

Here’s our entire route for the trip, c/o Google Maps:

Carl and I had an okay sleep at Aalborg City Rooms ApS. Thankfully, nothing bad happened to the car while it was parked on a public roadside a few blocks away. I left the accomodation with this review: “Nice apartment, good for a night’s sleep, with big bed and comfy sheets. Public parking on the streets. The floor was squeaky.”

As mentioned from the previous post, we had to find a dental clinic which could fix my dental crown asap. It happened to me before, in Denmark as well, so I wasn’t new to the situation. I called a few private clinics, but none of them had a vacant slot very early on the same day. One of the them said I could come at 9:30 am, but that there might be some waiting time. Well, I had no choice. So, even if we wanted to leave Denmark and head for Germany early, we had to take things slow.

When travel mishap happens, you just have to wake up early and make it right. The quick 15-minute procedure cost a lot of money, well, I live in Norway so that is also not something new. Thanks to Nord Smil Aalborg dental clinic for saving the day!

We left Aalborg at around 10am. The drive south was smooth, and we were blessed with a sunny weather. We had a quick stretching stopover in Århus. Denmark was still.. very flat.

At 1 pm, we reached the quaint Danish town of Aabenraa. It gave an impression of a laidback rural village. Aabenraa means “open beach” and has gotten its name due to its close proximity to a fjord mouthing towards the Little Belt, a small strait between the Danish islands of Jutland and Fyn. Well, we didn’t get close to the sea, but we did happen to enjoy a noontime stroll in its cobbled streets. It was a spontaneous stopover. I needed some stamps to send postcards to my pals.

We parked by the old train station, and walked towards the grocery store, hoping to get a hold of stamps. It was quite a walk.

It’s always pleasant to get to know new places, and we like quaint villages, towns or cities. Aabenraa, for example, dates back to the 12th century. According to Wikipedia, it was recognized as a merchant town in 1240, and received a charter in 1335. It also became known for its fishing industry, hops production and shipbuilding.

Aabenraa is only a 10-15 minute drive away from the German border. My husband likes driving the Autobahn. We tried to avoid the big cities because of the traffic. Nevertheless, we still experience some jams in and out of the Hamburg area. On the next stopover, we enjoyed some sausage snack. We already availed of the environmental sticker last year, so we didn’t have to do it this time. Apparently, it doesn’t expire, for as long as you’re using the same car plate number.

The rest of the drive went smoothly. Of course, I had to buy some KFC fried chicken in Guxhagen. We ate a lot of unhealthy stuff during the day – but then again, we were on vacation. And there’s no KFC in Norway!

And before we knew it, it was dark. Traveling in summer is nice because you get longer days. In September, the days are getting shorter. BUT less crowd and maybe cheaper prices in certain areas.

Disclaimer: it was Carl’s idea to drive all day. He likes driving, and he said that it was better to have more time in new places than Denmark and Germany, which we have already visited several times before. For me, I just enjoy the process. And I trust my husband that he would stop when he needed to. Which he often did. 🙂

We reached Knetzgau around 9:30 pm. We stayed in KNG Hotel by WMM Hotels for the night. It was a nice accommodation, and located in a quiet place. Review in the next entry. We were tired, and couldn’t wait to get a good rest.

So, this was Day 2. 🙂

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