Dear Jasper and Kestrel,
Except for Copenhagen, cities in Denmark are pretty small compared to those in the United Sates. Aarhus, just north of Horsens, (the little heart on this map) has a population of 295,000 and is the second biggest city in the country. But since it is also on the other side of the country from the capital, Aarhus also functions as a sort of regional federal office.
We saw this clearly at Dokk1, a combination civic building and library on the old harbor in Aarhus.
It has dozens of offices where folks go for citizenship, immigration, and other business with the government, which saves folks a several-hour long trip across to Copenhagen. And, since this sort of procedure can take a long time, there was a delightful cafe with lunches, fruit, drinks, and sweet treats.
Out on the wide, sunny terraces, creative play areas kept young ones from getting restless and provided me with one of my favorite soundtracks: the laughter of happy children.
The Library was not a silence-shrouded collection of books, but a lively, light-filled collection that shares space with Lego trays, art supply bins, and broad areas for playing “Book Ping Pong” and “Book Dominos”. All this works because of the Danish sensibility of group responsibility and looking out for others.
Nothing was being broken just to break it. No one was yelling just to be loud. This place belongs to everyone, so no one wants to spoil it. It was civilized and delightful.
We walked and looked until we were worn out, and then headed home.
Tomorrow is another day with more adventures!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 