We started off the day as shadows to our Danish students, following them around their classes and school itinerary. We sat in subjects like math, science, and biology, a typical day of an American student, nodding our heads to the, unintelligible to us, Danish dialect.
After lunch, we took a tour around the historic town of Haderslev, a cultural Mecca bouncing between Danish and German occupation until 1920 when the Haderslev people voted the region back into Danish control in the wake of WW1. Haderslev’s rich history includes the Domkirke Cathedral, founded in the 1100s. Having been rebuilt in the 1940s, its stunning interior featured beautiful stained glass windows, sculptures, a 5000 pipe organ arrangement, two bibles from the Kings of Denmark, Charles the 13th and 14th, and, most impressive, the central crucifix dating back to the 1300s.
Walking around Haderslev, we learned about the Great Duke Haans, who established schools and hospitals in the region, including the Haderslev Cathedral School, among others of which are still in operation, the latest dating back to the 1500s.
After the tour, we joined our Danish friends back at school for the Friday Café, a socializing event where the Danes were served an abundance of alcohol. It is important to note that neither us Americans nor our hosts participated in the drinking festivities, noting that there is no true drinking age in Denmark, a striking cultural difference from that of the United States. After the Café, the Americans went home with their Danish hosts, marking the end of a remarkable day.
