Having arrived in Roskilde just after 1pm it was time for lunch and I saw a kebab shop by the station for 20K ($4). Prices were cheaper outside Copenhagen and nowhere near Norway prices. Having energized I could continue exploring Roskilde.

The town is famous for an annual rock festival which is how I first heard the name. However a Danish friend in Toronto who had been giving me lots of advice had told me about the Cathedral with the royal tombs and I also wanted to visit the nearby Viking ship museum.

The attractions are clustered in the town centre. By the town hall was the city palace. It was closed for renovations but had a nice yellow exterior. Behind was the Cathedral, the towns main attraction.

Entrance was 60K ($12) and they give you a rather large book to explain all the tombs. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see.

I've never been to Westminster Abbey to see the British royal tombs as the tourist lines are always so long. However I had the Danish equivalent almost to myself for this less famous Monarchy whose tombs were in a smaller town, not in the capital.

It seems like in Norway the Monarchy is connected to the seat of the Church, not necessarily the capital city, as the Norwegian Crown Jewels had been in Trondheim Cathedral and not in Oslo.

The interior was a typical cathedral with a large grand alter and rows of wooden pews. However the sides were divided into many small rooms, chambers, and alcoves housing many of the royals.

Some of the chambers were almost palatial with their grandeur.

There were also some lower level tombs and a large collection at the front behind the altar. These were no simple stone caskets and had very detailed carvings of various figures perched and watching over the tombs.

It was also difficult to walk as many of the floor tiles were actually stone graves of various nobles and knights. Some were even of husband and wife buried together with their figures carved onto the gravestone.

There were more lower level chambers housing many more royals in elaborate gold caskets. It seemed to take away some of the prestige by allowing tourists to walk around taking pictures. What would the Royals think today of the tourists gawking at their resting places?!

Upstairs was a small church museum with some religious exhibits. The Cathedral is a very worthwhile day trip outside Copenhagen and you can easily spend an hour or two exploring all the areas.