Back in Danmark, we went to the annual Vikingetræffet at the Moesgård Museum about ten kilometers south of Århus. The event is a recreation of a Viking meeting featuring a medieval market, crafts and, of course, warfare. Recreators come from the Scandinavian countries, Germany, England, the Baltic States to camp along the beach and the woods and to display Viking wares and, of course, create mayhem. The attempt to authenticate the more peaceful aspects of the Viking experience but, really, most people come to watch the battles that occur at 13:00 and 15:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Which they do with great verve and gusto.
The museum itself is just one of the hundreds of large and small excellent museums in the country. At the same time the Viking recreators had taken over the beach, the museum's exhibit halls were displaying archeological and historic artifacts relating the evolution of human settlement (in ecological context) in this part of the country. One exhibit focused on the development of runes (the old Norsk alphebet) and its relation to modern text messages like: "Halvard slept with Thorvald's daughter last night." I guess what goes around comes around.
