Dates: 07-10 September 2018.

I’d been to Denmark before, to Copenhagen, so when the Danish FA decided to host our UEFA Nations League match in Aarhus (formerly Århus prior to 2010, fact fans) it presented an opportunity to take a short city break.

On the evening of thrashing Ireland 4-1 we celebrated with a few beers and a pizza before Hayley, Ian and myself jumped in a taxi to board the silly o’clock bus from Sophia Gardens to London Waterloo, and from there on to Luton airport.

On arrival we were met with a sunny, crisp day and a city that was in the grips of The Aarhus Festival, a festival involving contemporary music, jazz, street art, and even “a powerful interpretation of the classical haunted house, taking you on a guided tour of our modern culture of fear.” Which we skipped…

The city has a port and consequently a canal that runs through it with bars and restaurants either side. A charming place to spend time:

The rain hit us in the evening, but we cosied-up under heated parasols and listened to some local artists on a stage overhanging the canal:

Day two we hooked-up with a free walking tour and took in the history and sites. It seems Denmark prides itself on not producing electricity from nuclear…however, our guide confirmed that it does purchase such produced electricity from neighbours Germany.

Nice try Denmark:

In the afternoon we took in some Palestinian beer (not recommended), some Gambian folk music (ambivalent) and some street art (very cool):

The evening’s entertainment was fantastic. A local band performing well known hits with some serious enthusiasm. The lead singer even went crowd surfing at one point! Their rendition of Fatboy Slim’s “Funk Soul Brother” will live long in the memory.

The day of the game brought drab weather but we took a look around the dock area where Alun momentarily got stranded in the centre of the fountain puzzle.

A moody shot of a statue overlooking the port:

The game itself was a bit of a disappointment. Denmark were too streetwise and we never really got going. All to the backdrop of the Danish players having gone on strike during the previous week (over image rights) and thus missing the friendly with Slovakia. Chants of “you’re only here for the money” provided the only real entertainment.

Ceres Park was nice though:

One last moment of comedy occurred in the hotel bar whilst having one last beer. A sheepish looking native approached a group of us in the lounge and asked if any of us could spare a condom. I’d seen him walk in with a pretty young lady moments earlier, and having been in a similar position a few times in the past, I couldn’t see the guy go short, and thus retrieved a condom from my room. Not long after (not long enough in my humble opinion) he walked past again, this time to a smattering of applause…

The trip ended with a flurry of sort-of-meeting some sort-of-famous people. Danny Gabbidon and John Hartson were at Aarhus airport, and so too were Ethan Ampadu’s parents. Which was nice.

Aarhus is a lovely town, even without the plethora of festival activates – an enjoyable trip.