Easter holiday, part five

We had one more day to fill and could have spent it in a museums, at the zoo (which was right across the street from the hostel), or just going home early.  The unanimous decision was to visit an indoor water park near Legoland, with a stop at an historic site first (not unanimous, but still a decision).

UNESCO's World Heritage List, which includes the Serengeti National Park and Great Wall of China, designated the Jelling monuments as the first of three Danish sites (the others are Kronborg Castle and Roskilde Cathedral).  The Jelling monuments consist of two burial mounds, two rune stones, and a church.

the lack of contrast makes it hard to see, but image being able to the design and runic letters

Here is a somewhat brief summary of the site.  The small rune stone was erected about 950 by Gorm the Old in honor of his wife.  The larger stone, often called Denmark's baptismal certificate, was erected by Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth, and says, "King Harald made this memorial stone for Gorm, his father and for Thyra, his mother; that Harald who won the whole of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian."  Just as Harald Bluetooth united the Danes and Norwegians, the Bluetooth technology unites electronics.  Their logo uses the runic alphabet for the letters H and B.


The stones are set next to a church built in 1811 and on either side is an enormous burial mound.  The mounds were excavated, but no human remains were found.  About forty years ago the church was excavated and they found remains of three earlier churches and the remains of Gorm the Old.  It was determined that Harald Bluetooth exhumed his father and reburied him in the church.

Across the street was a visitor center and a beautiful stone, which had been carved using replicas of historic chiseling tools.


Then we were off to Lalandia!  We didn't realize it was a whole complex with bowling, miniature golf, an arcade, fitness center, indoor playground, restaurants, and tons of shops.  We stuck with our original plan and headed to the waterpark.


I don't have pictures, but I can tell you it was great!  There was a wave pool, an indoor-outdoor jacuzzi, a circular lazy river with inner tubes (where some people swam with the current without a tube), a basketball area, an island with slides and squirters, and huge slides to use with huge tubes.  The kids were both tall enough to do all the rides on their own, but we went with them a lot of the time.  David and I did take some time just to sit and revel in the fact that we had reached the parenting milestone of not having to watch our kids every second.


There were a few things that made it different from the park we had visited in Erie, PA.  Just inside the locker room there are shelves for your shoes, which people use.  There is a playpen on wheels so you don't have to worry about your kid crawling away while you get dressed.  There were more playpens to use (free of charge) once you were inside the park.  Signs were posted about taking a thorough shower without swimwear before entering the pool, and people did!  The wristband that was issued when we paid could be used to open and close a locker an unlimited number of times.


As with Legoland, it was assumed that you would use common sense.  There was no lifeguard at the top of the slide telling you when to take your turn, but a red light that turned green.  Everyone I saw used the lights properly and I didn't hear a single whistle or disciplinary measure taken by the roving lifeguards.  It made for a low-stress, enjoyable day.


We finished trip with some ice cream and an uneventful drive home.  As always, it was good to go and good to get back.