Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark

Roskilde is not only known for Viking Ship Museum but it is popular because one of Denmark’s most important building is located here. Roskilde Cathedral is the first gothic cathedral in Scandinavia. For more than 800 years, it is part of Denmark history for being one of the earliest major ecclesiastical building that is made of brick. At that time, the art of brick making had just been introduced in the country.

Read: Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde Denmark 

The cathedral was built in 1170 and the construction lasted for more than 100 years. It reflects the evolution of Northern European church architecture and it is a mixture of new, old and very old. You can see the changing styles in the chapels, porches, towers, and spires. Most importantly, this cathedral is filled with the treasures of Danish kings and queens. There are 39 Danish kings and queens that are buried in the chapels and sarcophagi. Roskilde Cathedral is also part of UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995.

Don’t forget to include this in your itinerary if ever you are going to Roskilde, Denmark. It is walking distance from Roskilde Train Station. In fact, you will pass this cathedral on your way to the Viking Ship Museum. So after visiting the Viking Ship Museum, we went straight to the Roskilde Cathedral. It is FREE with Copenhagen Card.

Trivia: When we reached the Roskilde Cathedral, we thought it was closed so we just took a picture outside the church then we walked again. Good thing that I saw someone went out at the side door so I was able to see the Entrance Door.

The door is called The King's Door, this is used as an entrance only for royal guests and exit after wedding, confirmation, and funeral. The door has a golden appearance but is made of bronze that has been polished and patinated.

Visiting churches is not exciting if you have kids in tow because most of the time they won’t appreciate it but I’m thankful that the cathedral has a treasure hunt game for kids. So my son joined the “Find the Gold in Roskilde Cathedral” game. He needs to find 10 old treasures and find the code word. He got a postcard prize after completing the treasure hunt in certain minutes. I’m not sure if it is 15 minutes but it is like an amazing race inside the church.

I also learned a lot from his treasure hunt game because there are trivia inside the booklet. There are a lot of treasures but let me share some of it. Here are the 10 Golden Treasures that you can find inside the Roskilde Cathedral.

1. St. Andrew’s Chapel - It is not very old- only 8 years old but there are may golden pieces. The picture is made of 56,000 small squares.

2. Christian 9 (IX) - travel 100 years back in the time of Christian IX. He is the great-great-grandfather of the current Queen Margrethe 2. The coffin is called sarcophagus and it has two golden crowns, a sword and a scepter on top. The three women around the sarcophagus show love, grief and memory.

3. Christian 7 (VII) - was buried in a black coffin in a fine room together with the other kings and queens. He lived 250 years ago. On the coffin is an hourglass to show that time is running. The figure holding the coffin is called Sphinx.

4. Knight Hahn’s Suit of Armour - The suit of armor is 340 years old. On it are the flowers that are gilded, which means that they are made of silver and covered with gold. This is the knight Joachim Hahn’s funeral armor; it was only used for his funeral and has never been used in battle.

5. Christian 4 (IV) - was king over 400 years ago and was at war with the Swedes several times. Once a cannonball hit his ship and he lost the sight on one eye. Christian IV built many buildings including The Round Tower in Copenhagen.

6. The Pulpit - Christian IV ordered a pulpit for the Cathedral. The pulpit is 400 years old and it is made of stone, wood, and plaster, and covered with gold. Here the priest preaches or talks about the Bible.

7. Altarpiece- was made in Belgium almost 500 years ago. The pictures tell the stories of Jesus’ life and death.

8. The Old Clock - with Saint George and the dragon is over 500 years old! Every hour Saint George kills the dragon and the dragon wails.

9. The Sword - on the wall in the Chapel of Magi hangs a sword. This belonged to Christian I, who died 650 years ago. It is said that he was a giant king. His height marked with C! on Column of Kings in the middle of the chapel.

10. Margrete I - about 700 years ago, Margrete I was the queen of both Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Her funeral lasted for 3 days.

Note: Closed during the church ceremony

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen Denmark 

Roskilde Cathedral 
Domkirkepladsen 3 
4000 Roskilde

Confirmation in Norway

I was surprised when I learned that Norway doesn’t celebrate Mother’s Day in the month of May, they celebrate it every second Sunday of February. I don’t know why but I guess, it is because they have so many holidays during the month of May such as Labor Day, 17th of May, Pentecost and of course there is also Confirmation.

Read: 17th of May Celebration in Norway

Confirmation is a significant event in Norway, it marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. During 1736 to 1912, it is in Norway’s law to have Confirmation in order to gain the “rights of adulthood”. Without it, you cannot enter the military service, you cannot marry, you cannot be a godparent, or even testify in court. But now, this Christian ceremony has become a symbol since not all Norwegians are religious so they have their own ways to celebrate it.

So if your child will hit 15 years old, you will be busy preparing for their Confirmation. It is not just a simple preparation because you need one year to prepare for this starting with your registration at the church, reserving a venue, booking a catering, and preparing for Norwegian traditional costume which is called “Bunad”.

It is a special occasion and a very intimate event so you will feel honor if you got invited. Most of the guests are families and close friends. A decade ago, my sister had her Confirmation but unfortunately, we were not able to attend it. So I was glad that I was able to experience a Confirmation event during our summer vacation in Norway, not just one but two Confirmation.

I did not celebrate Mother’s Day in Norway but I attended a Confirmation. We did not attend the church ceremony because I told my mom that we would not understand the mass so we just went to the reception. It was a formal event too, I’ve seen other people wearing their bunad and suit.

Confirmation in Norway is a simple event, hindi siya katulad ng debut sa Pilipinas na maraming program. They only have welcome remarks, speech from parents, special video or presentation and you will eat dinner and cakes. When I say cakes, I mean a lot of cakes and I was not able to taste everything. It was a feast in the eye and taste buds so you have to forget your diet.

When it comes to gifts, they give money or jewelry and I was also surprised because, after dinner, they are opening the cards and listing the amount of money that they have received. So nakakahiya din pala pag maliit lang binigay mo, makikita ng ibang guests kasi nasa gift table lang siya. Hehehe!

Anyway, sharing some photos when I attended a girl and boy Norwegian Confirmation.

Girl Confirmation

Check more photos here

Boy Confirmation

Check more photos here

Donate a Book; Share the Joy of Reading

Donate a Book is one of the projects of #SMShareMovement and I think it’s been years already that I’ve been seeing this every Back to School season but I’ve never donated my son’s books. I always keep my son’s school books for future use. And if I feel that he no longer needs it, I will give it to family or friends.

But I think they never used my son’s books din kasi nakita ko na nakatambak din siya and nabaha na nga lang so I stopped giving my son’s books so from Grade 1 to Grade 4, nakatambak siya sa house. When I went to SM, I saw “Donate a Book” project again but since I was busy for my back to school preparation, hindi ko siya naasikaso.

Then last weekend, I saw one FB post, she donated 57 books and got 57 coupons so it means, one coupon per book. And because of that, I decided to give it a try so we went to SM Sta Rosa to donate my son’s books. I only bring Grade 1 books para hindi naman mabigat dalhin. Good thing I did that because we still looked for the staff pa kasi wala tao sa booth. So imagine kung ilang books ang dala ko habang naghahanap ng staff, ang bigat lang.

I thought I will get one coupon per book but I was wrong. The staff informed me na kapag may sulat na daw yung book, per bundle daw. So 5 books = 1 coupon so in the end, I only got two P50 Off Coupon. Imagine I spent P7000+ for this set of books and P100 na lang value niya after gamitin. But of course, it is better than nothing. Wala naman ko nakuha sa Nursery to Kinder books na pinamigay ko din. Hehehe! At least may pakunswelo si SM sa pagdonate mo, nakatulong ka sa ibang bata and nabawasan ka ng tambak sa bahay mo.

But keep in mind that there are terms and conditions in using the coupon. P50 Off Coupon with a minimum of P500 single-receipt purchase of regular-priced items from the SM Store’s Stationery Department Store.

1. Can only be redeemed on regular priced SM Stationery items from the SM store. May 20, 2019 - July 07, 2020.
2. Offer is not in conjunction with other ongoing promos or discounts.
3. Only one dicount coupon may be used per transaction.
4. Folded, crumpled or stapled savings coupons may still be accepted by the SM Store given that bar codes are not encroached and security features are still intact.
5. Must be surrendered to the cashier upon redemption.

I already used my one coupon and I still have one coupon pa, next time na lang pag worth P500 na yung bibilhin ko. Next year, I will donate our Grade 2 school books naman.

Dinner at Wow Samgyup Unlimited Korean Grill

Blame it to Korean Drama series, you can now see unlimited Korean Grill restaurants almost everywhere. Filipinos love to eat especially if the rate is budget-friendly. Just this month, I finally tried Wow Samgyup Unlimited Korean Grill and I’m happy that we have another option for Korean BBQ.

Read: All 4 U Unlimited Korean Restaurant
Su Won Garden Korean Restaurant
Siram Gyupsal Unlimited Korean BBQ House 

My mommy friend suggested it for our get together. We’ve been planning this before I went to Norway pero hindi kami makumpleto-kumpleto so finally, naging complete na rin. And because mahina naman ko kumain especially sa dinner, I suggested na early dinner na lang kami so we were there as early as 5PM, pinapasok naman kami.

Lunch - 11:30AM to 5PM
Dinner - 5:30PM to 11:30PM

The rate varies depending on the time and unli meals that you will choose. You can choose Unli A (Pork) and Unli B (Pork and Beef). Drinks are not yet included so you have to pay if you want soju, softdrink, beer, ice tea or fruit shake.

UNLI A 

Weekday Lunch P399
Weekday Dinner 449
Weekend & Holiday Lunch P449
Weekend & Holiday Dinner P499

UNLI B 

Weekday Lunch P449
Weekday Dinner 499
Weekend & Holiday Lunch P499
Weekend & Holiday Dinner P549

Rates for Kids 

FREE - 1-4 yrs old
Half of the regular rate - 5-10 yrs old
11 years old and above - regular rate

The place looks clean, round table lahat and for the chairs, just like in South Korea you can put your bag inside the chair, just don’t forget lang to get your stuff after you eat. We chose Unli B so for our first order, we tried everything on the list.

UNLI A 

Kibon Samgyup
Yangyeom Samgyup
Dae Pae Samgyup
Maewoon Samgyup (Spicy)

UNLI B

Kibon Samgyup
Yangyeom Samgyup
Dae Pae Samgyup
Maewoon Samgyup (Spicy)
Woo Samgyup
Yangyeom Woo Samgyup
Bulgogi

The staff served all the meat, pero parang 6 plates of meat lang nandun. I can’t remember if meron bang not available on the day that we ate. The she advised us to get our appetizer at the buffet table. Oh, that is something new to me, sa mga natry ko na narestaurant, they will serve all the appetizers, soup, sauces and rice then you can ask for refill. But here, everything is self-service when it comes to other foods.

They have a lot of food in their buffet table so parang dito pa lang mabubusog ka na. Imagine, may fried chicken and meat balls. When it comes to rice, may steamed rice and fried rice pa. I like the idea of this because you can just choose the food that you want to eat, hindi yung mapipilitan ka na ubusin para hindi masayang.

We are just a group of 5 so medyo busog na kami sa first serving of meat pa lang but we still order Woo Samgyup, Yangyeom Woo Samgyup and Bulgogi para matagal-tagal pa kwentuhan namin.

Watch the video here. 

Reminders 

1. Minimum of 2 pax to avail the unlimited promo
2. One table should avail of the same unlimited set (Unli A or Unli B)
3. Strictly no leftovers (uncooked, cooked food) Leftover charge: P200 per plate.
4. No takeout
5. No outside food & drinks.
6. No service charge.
7. Lifting of the exhaust tube is prohibited to maintain its good ventilation.

Wow Samgyup Unlimited Korean Grill
Carmona, Cavite

The Viking Ship Museum in Denmark

Vikings are part of Northern Europe history, it became a symbol of the Scandinavian countries. There are Viking Ship Museums in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway so when we are planning for our Scandinavian Trip, I don’t know if I will visit all the Viking Museums or I will just choose one. Since Denmark is our first leg of our trip, I included this on my itinerary.

Viking Ship Museum is located outside Copenhagen so you need to ride the train and bus in order to reach the museum. For our second day in Copenhagen, we woke up early and left the hotel before 9AM. From Copenhagen Central Station we took a train to Roskilde Station, travel time is more or less 30 minutes. From Roskilde Station, you can ride Bus 203 or walk. Since we did not see any bus, we decided to walk than waste our time waiting for the bus. It was a long 2 kilometers walk with a kid in tow, we reached the Viking Ship Museum before it opened.

On your way to the Viking Ship Hall, you will already see the Boatyard, Museum Harbour and Labyrinth or Trojaborg. So while waiting for the Museum, my son tried this Trojaborg. According to the signboard, “In Scandinavia, Trojaborg is often associated with the superstitions of sailors and fishermen. It could help to contain ominous winds or act as a trap for the fairy folk, who persecuted people and brought bad luck. Today, it is used as a form of meditation which gives focus and inner peace.”

Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde was built in 1969, it focuses on the Viking’s Maritime craftmanship, boat collection, and of course, it showcases the five original Viking ships that were excavated in 1962. These Skundelev ships were deliberately sunk in Roskilde Fjord, it served as a protective barrier from their enemy. The five ships range from cargo to warships and they are witnessed to war, trade and sea voyagers during 1070.

Viking Ship Museum is FREE if you have the Copenhagen Card. Just show your pass and the staff will give you a bracelet. We watched the 14 minutes introduction film at their cinema, just ask the staff for the schedule if you prefer a specific language. Available languages are Danish, English, French, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and German.

The Viking Ships 

Then we started exploring the Museum Exhibits, we saw the different type of Skuldelev Ships. Imagine these ships were sunk and now you can still see some parts that have survived throughout these years.

Skuldelev 1 - Ottar - The Ocean-Going Trader

It is the large ocean-going cargo ship from Sognefjord in Western Norway. It sailed over the North Sea, Baltic Sea and North Atlantic.

Skuldelev 2 - Havhingsten fra Glendalough - The Great Longship 

It is a war machine that is built to carry 65-70 warriors manning the oars at high speed. The ship moves even without the wind.

Skuldelev 3 - Roar Edge - The Coastal Trader 

A small, elegant, and sturdy trading ship that was built for transporting goods in Danish Coastal waters and Baltic Sea.

Skuldelev 5 - Helge Ask - The Small Longship 

It is one of the smallest longships in war fleet and ideal for sailing in Danish coastal water and Baltic Sea.

Skuldelev 6 - Kraka Fyr and Skjoldungen - The Fishing Vessel 

It is a fishing boat and transport boat that was built in the Sognefjord in Western Norway.

Climb Aboard and Dress Like a Viking 

At the end of the exhibitions, there is Climb Aboard where you can see, hear, feel and sense how Vikings sail across the open sea. There are two ships complete with equipment and trading goods which guest can explore. To complete the experience, you can also wear a costume and take a picture with the Viking Ships. It is just hard to take photos because there are also other guests.

Special Exhibitions and Museum Shop 

There is also a special exhibition which showcases the history of Skuldelev Ships, how they preserve and reconstruct it. Before going out, you can also buy souvenirs at their souvenir shops, you can buy books, jewelry, decoration, and textile.

The Viking Ship Hall is not that big, you only need at least an hour to explore it. I chose the Viking Ship Museum in Denmark because I thought that we could ride the Nordic boat and sail out on Roskilde Fjord but unfortunately, it is only open from May 1 to September 30. During high season and holidays, they also offer some activities and workshops such as woodcutting and willow weaving.

Anyway, we’re still happy to see the Viking Ship Museum. From here, you can also visit The Roskilde Cathedral which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Watch the video here 

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen Denmark
Roskilde Cathedral

Viking Ship Museum Admission Fee 

DKK150 Adult
FREE Child (0-17 yrs old)
FREE - Copenhagen Card

Opening Hours

01.01 - 30.04 10AM to 4PM
01.05 - 21:10 - 10AM to 5PM
22.10 - 30.12 - 10AM to 4PM
Closed on December 24, 25 and 31.
Winter and Easter Holidays 10AM to 5PM
Boat Trips -01.05 - 30.09

Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde Denmark
Vindeboder 12, 4000, Roskilde
Train: Roskilde
Bus: 203 (From Roskilde Station)

Birthday Celebration at Buffet 101 International Cuisine

June is my husband’s birth month and as usual, he always prefers a simple celebration. I suggested a staycation or beach outing habang bakasyon pa kami but he doesn’t like it. So to celebrate his milestones, we ate at Buffet 101 International Cuisine. I think this restaurant has been around for almost a decade, my husband has tried this restaurant for the nth time already but my son and I just recently tried it.

Buffet 101 International Cuisine just opened a branch in Alabang Town Center last June 2018 so it is additional buffet restaurant for those who live in Southern Luzon. We did not make any reservation so we went to Alabang Town Center as early as possible, only to find out na 11AM pa pala bukas ng Mall. By the time that we reach the restaurant pang #8 na kami sa reservation and 11:30AM pa daw ang start.

Read: List of Buffet Restaurant in the Philippines

Buffet 101 restaurant still looks new, I like the well-lit interiors of the restaurant. They have tables for couples, family, and big group and you have enough space to move around. They serve a lot of foods naman, they have Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and Filipino Cuisine. The rate includes unlimited foods and drinks already.

They have a Birthday Treat Promo but I was sad when I found out that their promo is 3+1, we’re just a family of three so even if it was my hubby’s birthday hindi kami pasok dun. In other buffet restaurant kasi, if you will eat on the day of your birthday kahit +1 adult lang, FREE na yung birthday celebrant. And I also learned that my son is over 4’5ft na pala so adult rate na rin siya. Waah! How I wish, by age yung rate nila and hindi by height.

But since it was my husband’s birthday, deadma na muna sa rate. We’re here to celebrate and enjoy the food. Just like other buffet restaurants, they have something for birthday celebrant too, so they greeted my husband and gave him a complimentary cake. Natawa ko sa free cake kasi isang kagat lang yata yun. But anyway, it is the thought that counts.

I checked all the food stations and I always look for ebi tempura pero lagi missing yung plate dun sa Japanese Station. Hehehe! My favorite part of the station is the Seafood Section where you can choose and they will grill it. I ordered squid, salmon belly and mussels. I want scallops sana pero wala sa choices.

My husband loves the cold food section naman, he likes the shrimps and seaweeds. My son only ate siomai, pizza, sausage, crepe and ice cream. And because of this, mapapaisip na ko kung magbubuffet pa ba kami kasi ang hina kumain ng anak ko. Anyway, we still have a great time at Buffet 101, and the service is good.

Watch the video here 

Buffet 101 International Cuisine Rate

Monday to Saturday (Public Holiday not Included) 

Lunch P738
Dinner P938

Sunday and Holiday 

Lunch and Dinner P938

Senior Citizen 70 yrs old and above 50%
Children below 3’5ft FREE
Children below 4’5ft P499
Leftover Price PP1350

Birthday Treat 3+1 Promo 

1. Birthday celebrant can avail of the Birthday Promo for 1 whole month as long as it is within his/her birthday.
2. Birthday celebrant may eat for FREE buffet at any Buffet 101 branch.
3. To avail of the birthday promo the celebrant must be accompanied by a minimum of 3 full paying adult rates without any discounts/s.
4. The celebrant must fill out the information sheet.
5. The celebrant must bring an Original and Valid Government ID with the birth date imprinted on it, both local and foreign ID.
6. Promo can’t be used in conjunction with any in-house existing promotion and to mandated 20% off for Senior Citizens.