大象传媒

Michael Portillo鈥檚 Scandinavian rail adventure reaches Denmark鈥檚 second city, Aarhus, an architectural playground with dazzling contemporary buildings set alongside historic half-timbered houses. At the striking mid-century city hall, he learns about its design and one of its architects, Arne Jacobsen.

At Jelling, Michael reads the runes to discover the birthplace of Denmark. Once a royal Viking burial site, Jelling has two 10th-century runic stones. Michael connects with King Harald Bluetooth to learn how Norse paganism gave way to Christianity.

Michael crosses the Old Little Belt Bridge from Jutland to Middelfart on the island of Funen, once a whaling centre and now home to a large population of the smallest whales, porpoises. At Odense, he is transported back to the time of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen at a living history village, where he struggles to walk in clogs and learns to make bread.