Roskilde and Inconsiderate People

The second day trip that Jael and I did was to Roskilde.  Once we finally got there, (and once we figured out what direction to go) it was a really pretty town.  They had a trio of giant vases outside the train station.

The train state is a from 1947 but the train line from
Copenhagen to Roskilde has been running since 1847.

The Roskilde train station

Ha!  Jael is short and looking up at stuff again!

This is the city map.  They had them all over the place because the touristy part of the city is pretty spread out.

Convent garden gates

Some detailed medieval murals

The Roskilde Tourist Bureau.  Isn't it old and fancy looking

Roskilde Cathedral

The thing that we really, really wanted to see was the Roskilde Cathedral.  This is the place where almost all of the Danish monarchs are buried, including Margaret I.  It is a really famous cathedral, and very beautiful.  Unfortunately, when we arrived in the city, some guy had died and was having a funeral in the cathedral, which meant that it was closed to visitors.  I mean, it was probably unfortunate for that fellow as well, but it was really unfortunate for us.  I think they could have let us in: we would have been really quite and wouldn't have bothered people or talked loudly.  Fortunately for you, though, I found a video tour of the cathedral and you can see all of the really cool, really beautiful stuff that we missed.  If you click here, you can see the video.

A fancy hammered metal door on the cathedral.  

Since we couldn't go through the cathedral, we strolled through town on the way to the Viking Ship Museum and check out the town.  It was mighty pretty.

There was a really nice park.  They had some cute bouncy animals to ride on and Jael was going to get a picture on one of them on the way back but there were actual kids playing on them when we went back through, so that seemed a little too awkward.  It was really sunshiny and pretty (though still cold) and, with the pretty little canals running through were  awfully picturesque.  

Looking down the hill, over the Viking Ship Museum, and out to the Sound. 

Crocuses.  Did I mention that it was sunny and beautiful out?
This was in the "Byparken" or city park.

I just thought that the house looked cute and like it has eyebrows. The word means "everything desired" or something like that (according to Google Translate).  It makes one curious.  And suspicious.  On the right, is St. Josef's Catholic Church.  Below is the Roskilde Museum and a pretty yellow building.

We walked by a bakery called "Sophisticakes"!

They had a theme going in Roskilde

I took this picture just for Ben.  I do not know why an argyle ice cream cone in a kilt is advertising in-store member-card discounts but I thought that Ben would appreciate the apparent, if inexplicable,  Scottish influence

Hortus Botanicus

Carolus Clusius

The third thing I visited in Leiden was the Hortus Botanicus, the Botanical Garden which is a part of the University of Leiden.  It was founded in 1590 (before Jamestown!) by Carolus Clusius.  It is the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands.









The gardens are quite extensive.  I went through the hot houses (on the right of the map below) but I didn't walk through all the rest of the garden because I was running low on time and because it was 2:30 by the time I got out and I still hadn't had any lunch.

This is a map of the garden grounds.

The massive garden green house.

The greenhouse from inside the gardens.

Palm trees in boxes along the outside of the green house.

                               

Rice

This sign for the "Tropical Forest" section includes the
assurance that the air system was constantly treated
for Legionnaire's Disease.

I think that this is a lime tree.  Notice the fruits at all
different stages of development. 

The only carnivorous plants which I actually saw were
these pitcher plants.
The sign on the left says "Warning!" or "Look Out!"
Carnivors.

People were throwing money onto the giant lily-pads.

The rose garden with a sundial.  The rosehips were massive.  They looked like small apples.  I didn't know they got that big.

They have an apiary in the summer.

Bridge over the canal that runs through the garden.

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Herb garden and part of the
University of Leiden.

Massive Aloe Veras.