All we've been told so far (by Danes, mostly) was that we truly needed to explore other parts of Denmark- particularly the coast. So, that's what we did this past weekend. Bornholm is an island in the Baltic Sea in the eastern part of Denmark. Many Danes will leave Copenhagen to take a holiday here to enjoy the beaches, cycling paths, rock climbing, and overall beauty of the island. Main industries include glass making, fishing, and dairy farming. At one point, Sweden ruled the island, but eventually it made its way back into the hands of Denmark. To get to Bornholm, you can take a bus from Copenhagen to Sweden. Once there, you then get on a ferry and travel back to Denmark and arrive on the island. The entire trip takes 3 hours. We stayed at a really nice guest house in the town of Allinge called Klostergården, which is one of the oldest guesthouses in Bornholm. Many of the photos you'll see in this post were taken on a bike ride through the island, which was a great way to experience the area. That said, Bornholm is one of the only "hilly" areas of Denmark and it was a very tough ride! We rode for around 15 miles, which isn't very much. But with the intensity of the hills, it felt like much more than that. We didn't have time to see the entire island, obviously, in one weekend. In fact, we were told you need over a week to see some of the greatest sights. So, we are planning on returning when my parents come to visit in September. It was a beautiful area and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Denmark! Enjoy the pictures!
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| Here comes the Bornholm Express ferry! |
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| View from the top of the ferry. Despite how warm this looks, it was extremely windy! |
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| Courtyard view from our room |
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| No explanation needed. And no, we didn't buy this. I'm sure it's destined to be a classic film, though. |
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| Allinge Church- one of many famous churches on the island |
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| The bike ride begins...stop #1 |
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| There are many little cafes along the bike route. We stopped here for a coffee. |
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| Arriving in the town of Gudhjem |
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| Although you can't tell from this picture, we were at a huge food festival. The main attraction this past weekend was a food competition among talented Danish chefs, which was also on TV. |
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| And then there was this old-fashioned ice cream shop... |
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| ...which apparently is known for the "Gudhjem Special"! |
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| Not the Gudhjem Special, but a delicious indulgence was in order. Can't you tell how much I'm enjoying this?! |
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| The competition...live and in person! |
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| Continuing the bike ride. Isolation in the country. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. |
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| I mean, how amazing is this? |
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| This too. |
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The Stavehøl Vandfaldet- the highest waterfall in Denmark- at only 4 meters!
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| Østerlars Church- the largest and (assumed to be) oldest church on the island. |
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| The stairway up! Creepy, eh? |
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| View from the top |
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| The roof |
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| We decided to partake in a game of minigolf (Danish style!) when we got back to Allinge. |
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| And I saw Mario...he's gone grey. And apparently lost some weight, too. |
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| Hanging with a new friend at Hammershus |
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Hammershus- a famous medieval fortress. I'm too lazy to explain it in detail, so here's this bit from Wiki:
Hammershus is Northern Europe's largest medieval fortification, situated 74 metres (243 ft) above sea level on Hammeren, the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Erected in the 13th century, it was long believed that the castle was built as a private residence for the archbishop of Lund.
However, new evidence found at the ruins of the castle suggests it was
constructed in the beginning of the century as a royal residence for Valdemar II of Denmark and a base for the Danish crusades, according to Kjeld Borch Westh, superintendent of the National Museum of Denmark. |
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| View from the hillside of Hammershus. You can see a sheep in the background to the right. All of the sheep roam free around the grounds. |
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| We walked back to Allinge through amazing farmland and found this happening. Can I be a National Geographic photographer or what? ...... Hey! Who said "or what"?? |
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| Hard to see with the size of this shot, but off to the right you can see someone rock climbing. Look to the far right. |
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| One more indulgence for the road. I love (but won't buy) Pop Tarts. I loved them growing up and would request them for part of a "last meal". So, this is an authentic Danish Hindbær (raspberry) bar, which I had read was the equivalent of a Pop Tart. While it didn't necessarily taste like the sugar-filled cheap toaster "pastries" I remember, we still devoured this deliciousness. |
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| Back on the ferry! |
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| And again...windy! |
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| Back in Copenhagen. Even statues drink here! |
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| Hanging out our window to watch the annual "Sea Witch Burning", an event celebrating the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. |
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| She's up in flames! Look at that crowd. And the Carlsberg beer we enjoyed during the event :-) |
