A Day on Ærø Island

  (A multi-part recap of my early June Scandinavia trip.)

The previous afternoon my friends and I had arrived on the charming, bucolic Danish island of Ærø and settled into the town of Ærøskøbing.  Rising the next morning, I was thrilled we had the entire day to explore this wonderful place.  

Morning light on the town square

After spending the past evening photographing this fairy-tale town, I couldn't wait to get back out amongst Ærøskøbing's colorful buildings.  At breakfast, I noticed the morning light was shining perfectly.  Rain was forecast to begin midday, so I wanted to take advantage of the good weather while it lasted.  Grabbing camera, I rallied my friends and headed down the main street to the town's harbor.  In my haste, I left Debbie back at the hotel.  (But don't worry, I'm a slow walker when in photography mode, so she caught up quickly)

Typical street scene

The town's main street had plenty of things to see.  More colorful doors, blooming flowers, a bicycle left outside, and the display windows of a few boutiques which had yet to open for the day.

Window shopping

In case folks are wondering, Ærø is pronounced "ay-roe."  And the town's name, Ærøskøbing, is pronounced "ay-roe-skob-ing."  I liked the Danish alphabet's unique letters, especially the combined a and e.  And I thought the slash through their o's was also cool.

A sleepy morning

Our morning meander took us through quiet, cobblestone streets and past more brightly colored buildings.

Morning photo walk

Inhabited since the 1680s, Ærøskøbing's roots lie with the sea.  In the past, home port to many wealthy windjammers, the buildings in the current town core date back to the 1800s.  Strict preservation laws have kept these buildings intact and prevented development of anything modern looking.

Pink house

Interesting doorway

Lots of roses on this street!

My friends and I eventually ended up at Ærøskøbing's harbor.  We gaped at the enormous ferry docked and unloading vehicles - the same one we'd ridden over on yesterday.

Ærøskøbing harbor

From the ferry dock, we strolled further towards the harbor and admired the many beautiful sailboats tied up here.

The island ferry

Approaching Ærø island from the ferry yesterday, I'd noticed a line of brightly colored tiny buildings stretched across a narrow spit.  From the boat harbor they were visible once again.  What interesting photo subjects!  I just had to go check them out.  So I suggested to my friends that we take a walk to the far beach.

Colorful line of beach houses

Although from the dock these little houses looked far away, it only took my friends and I about 15 minutes to reach them by foot.

I had to get a closer look

These tiny buildings were known as beach bungalows.  Each dwelling was privately owned on land rented from the town.  The tiny shacks had no running water and were not to be used for overnight lodging.  They acted simply as cozy places to escape any inclement weather, or to change clothes after a swim.

Each one was unique

Arriving at the beach, I got right to work with my camera, trying to capture these colorful bungalows.  There were about two dozen of them, all facing a rough, sandy beach.

This one had cute shutters

Many of the bungalows had small decks facing the water.  On a sunny day this would be a great place to sit and enjoy the scenery.

Many had front porches facing the beach

I'd heard that the Scandinavian people are hardy souls.  They love to swim and will do so throughout the seasons, even in the cold of winter.  That's probably one of the reasons these tiny beach shacks existed.

A lime green beach house

Wild roses were blooming everywhere and added a nice touch of color to an already lovely scene.

My friends checking out the beach

While I was busy taking pictures, my friends roamed the beach and peeped in the windows of a few bungalows.

Line of little bungalows

Some had chairs outside

Wild roses were blooming

Of course there must be a selfie!

A wonderful place to explore

The bungalows were so cute and made such great photo subjects, I didn't want to leave.  But my friends were ready to see more of the town, and really how many photos of these beach houses did I need?

One last look

Walking further down the trail that followed the ocean shoreline, we came upon a road that appeared to lead back into town.  We decided to see where it took us!

Beautiful farmland

My friends and I walked past a large, green pasture and another area that looked like it was a farm.

Every home had a lovely flower garden

We then arrived into the outskirts of Ærøskøbing again, and wandered past charming homes with beautiful flower gardens in their yards.

More bright flowers

In one of the yards, we watched in awe as a self-propelled mower cut the grass.  It looked like a Roomba but instead of vacuuming, it was mowing the lawn.  None of us had ever seen a mower like that, and we all had to take a picture (I'm sure the home owner was shaking his head after seeing a bunch of American woman taking photos of his lawn mower!)

 

A self-mowing lawn mower!

After following this local road, it morphed into a busier street.  Luckily, one of us spotted a quiet pedestrian path cutting between the buildings.

Walking a pedestrian path between buildings

The path took us back into Ærøskøbing's main business district.  Now mid-morning, the shops were all open.

A Disney themed door

One of the things I loved most about Ærøskøbing was all the uniquely decorated doors.  The main business street had some of the best ones.  I walked by one door that was done up in a Disney theme.

Doorstep honesty shop

Another doorstep displayed handcrafted items.  Prices were listed and buyers were to place the money in a marked container.

Fancy blue doors

One blue door was especially fancy, embellished with ornate, white accents.

Business district

Narrow cobblestone streets

Alicia found a wonderful bakery

We all caught a whiff something wonderful emanating from a nearby bakery.  Alicia went inside to investigate.

Look at those cinnamon buns!

The bakery sold the twisted cinnamon buns that we'd seen all over Scandinavia.  They looked so delicious Alicia bought us each one.

They tasted as good as they looked

My friends and I then hunted down a coffee shop for a hot drink to go with our goodies.

Coffee break

The buns were absolutely scrumptious and the coffee hot and flavorful.  We sat at the cafe's outside table watching the tourists pass by and enjoying the adorable town scenery.  Oh, it doesn't get any better than this!

Whimsical gift shop

After fortifying ourselves with sugar and caffeine, it was time to check out some of the cute souvenir shops.

Ceramic dogs in the windows

Walking by one particular shop I noticed two pairs of ceramic dogs in the window.  These particular figurines were part of local lore and similar dogs could be seen in windows all over town.  Last night we'd learned that in Victorian times, when Ærøskøbing was full of ships and seafaring men, sailor's wives would place these dogs in their windows.  If the dogs faced inward, the man of the house was at home, but if they faced outward it was a sign he was away, and the lady was available for (*ahem*) companionship.

Colorful street scene

More favorite doors

Beautiful old car

My favorite shop door was painted bright red and the business had a lovely restored old auto parked in front.

My favorite shop door

After our walkabout, my friends and I returned to the town square.  When we left things were quiet, but now a local craft fair had taken over and it was full of people.

Craft market in the town square

I discovered it was a combination craft fair and flea market.  Some booths sold secondhand items, while others displayed lovely handcrafted wares.

Checking out the wares

I ended up buying a cute tea towel with several beach bungalows stenciled around the edge.  A local souvenir to remember this morning's walk!

 

Entrance to the beer and whiskey patio

Although today was technically a free day, our tour did have an optional event scheduled.  At midday, our guide Nina offered a short bus trip around the island, followed by lunch.  Free lunch?  Kim, Debbie and I were all in.

Selfie with Lotti

So late that morning two of my friends and I boarded our bus.  Driver Roger took us outside of town, up a small hill and past an ancient-looking windmill.  It looked like a great photo subject, so I made a mental note to return to the windmill later that afternoon.

Bus tour of the island

Much of Ærø island's interior consisted of dairy and wheat farms.  Our bus passed a few large fields with the green tops of new wheat waving in the wind.  It was quite picturesque and I attempted to capture an image or two out the bus window.

Bregninge Church

After winding through a few scenic backroads, we came to a small white church.  This was Bregninge Church, built in the 1200s and converted from Catholicism during the Reformation.  

 

Kim and Jeff take a rest

Bregninge church had an impressively tall steeple that was covered in oak shingles.  It was surrounded by beautiful landscaping and many graves, also nicely landscaped.

Beautifully landscaped cemetery plots

Wide angle church view

After wandering around the outside for a few minutes, Nina gathered our group together for a quick peek of the church's inside.

Time to go inside

The church's interior walls near the altar were covered with frescos dating back from approximately 1510 to 1525.  These frescos depicted the story of Jesus' suffering and the life of John the Baptist.  Very impressive to see such old works of art in this humble country church on a small Danish island.

Church interior

The altarpiece was also quite impressive.  Made by the famous woodcarver Claus Berg, shortly before the Reformation, it was a true work of art.

What is everyone looking at?

It's this altarpiece

Another interesting fact I learned about Ærø island when doing research for my blog posts - apparently all 16 villages on this island were located in U-shaped valleys.  The depressed landscape and valley walls effectively hid the towns and their church steeples from view of the sea, thwarting pirate attacks.

 

Delicious open faced sandwiches for lunch

After our interesting tour of Bregninge Church, we reboarded the bus for a short drive to our lunch spot.  We stopped at a nearby restaurant whose staff warmly welcomed us as we walked inside.  It appeared the place was only open that day for our group, which made it even more special.

The gang at our table

And on the menu - genuine Danish smørrebrød or, as we English-speaking folks call them, open-faced sandwiches.  Each place at the table had a plate with three delicious looking sandwiches on it.  The first one had a piece of fried fish, the second some type of salty meat spread, and the third, potatoes with chips on top.  Underneath each of these fillings was a hearty slice of rye bread.

Lotti tries some akvavit

For beverages, not only did we have a choice of beer or wine, a server came by to fill our triangle-shaped glasses with a shot of the local akvavit - Danish schnapps.  Before we could taste the akvavit, the staff demonstrated a traditional Danish toast.  Then - Skål! (Cheers!)  The liquor was so tasty, when our waiter came by with the bottle a second time, I gladly accepted a refill (this would come back to haunt me later.)

My friends love Denmark!

Debbie, Kim and I shared a table with our bus driver, Roger and our guide Nina.  It was fun getting to know Roger a little bit better.  He was originally from one of the former Soviet republics, but now lived in Sweden.  Tour-mate Rodney was also at our table, but recovering from a cold, he thoughtfully sat at the far end.

Safety first!

I had a wonderful time at lunch, enjoying the tasty sandwiches and drinks, and gracious hospitality of the restaurant staff.  Two thumbs up!

We can see Germany from here

Then it was time to buckle ourselves back into our bus seats (all European buses have seatbelts - something we need to adopt in the US) for the final leg of our island tour.  Even Lotti got buckled in - safety first, you know!

Town church steeple

The final stop of the afternoon was at a viewpoint where on clear days you could see the far shores of Germany across the Baltic Sea.  About this time, the predicted rain had started to fall, so it was a very short stop for most of us.  The clouds and fog obscured any views we might've had of Denmark's neighboring country.

Having a big mug of the local brew

Back at our hotel near the town square Kim, Debbie and I reunited with Alicia who'd skipped the lunch tour in favor of walking up to the windmill (sending us a selfie when she arrived there.)  From John's talk last night, we were all interested in trying the local whiskey from his establishment, so my friends and I went over to check things out.

Now it's time for some whiskey tasting

After inquiring about the whiskey tasting, my friends and I were told there was already a group scheduled, and we'd have to check back later.  So to pass the time, we each drank a huge mug of beer (except Alicia, she had wine.) 

Bottoms up!

We kept asking to do a whiskey tasting, and each time got the brush off.  Finally after a few rejections, someone told us we could purchase our own samples from the bar.  So Debbie, Kim and I did just that and shared two glasses, one of each variety of whiskey.  

We're all getting the giggles

I don't know if it was the combination of all the alcohol Kim and I drank that day, or if we're just lightweights (both of us prefer beer and rarely drink hard liquor.)  But after sampling the whiskey both Kim and I became quite inebriated.  As a matter of fact, neither of us were feeling very steady on our feet.  We both wanted to go back to our hotel room for a bit, so I propped Kim up (and she did the same for me) and giggling, we shakily made our way out of the tasting room, clinging to each other.  We were making quite a spectacle of ourselves!  Passing by the town square, who should be sitting there but half our tour-mates.  And they got to witness Kim and I in one of our not-so-proud moments.  (Someone later nicknamed us the "whiskey girls."  Eeep!)

Let's walk to the windmill

After a bit of relaxing and detoxifying in our hotel room, Debbie texted asking if we wanted to walk over to the windmill.  Although still feeling the effects of the alcohol, Kim and I both thought we could probably move normally again.  Why not?

Neat blue door

It was about a mile of slightly uphill walking to reach the windmill.  Debbie, Kim and I meandered through some more colorful neighborhoods, stopping to admire the beautifully planted yards.  After climbing a short, steeper hill, the white blades of the windmill came into view.

Windmill on top of the hill

I didn't find much online about this old windmill overlooking Ærøskøbing.  It was of Dutch origin, constructed in 1848.  Upon inspection by my friends and I, it didn't seem to be used for anything, and instead appeared preserved as a historic relic of the past.

We made it!

No one was around, but the windmill's lower chamber door was open, so we all went inside.  There was a great view of the mechanisms that generated power from the windmill's whirling blades.  But I didn't see much other information posted.

Checking out the windmill's interior

It was fun to look at and photograph this unique bit of history.  And the exercise seemed to help sober Kim and I up a bit.

Very interesting place

View of Ærøskøbing

Nina had one more optional event planned for the evening - a group happy hour at a nearby bike shop.  After the afternoon's whiskey episode, I wanted nothing to do with consuming any more alcohol.  But my friends and I did want to socialize with our tour-mates.  They were all great people (despite nicknaming Kim and I the "whiskey girls.")

Group selfie with Nina

So the four of us attended happy hour, and had some great conversations with our tour-mates.  True to my word, instead of beer I nursed a can of lemonade.  Later I gathered the girls (and Lotti) for a group selfie with our amazing guide Nina.  Not only was she doing a great job with our tour, Nina was an all-around nice person.  (And she put up with us four giggly, chatty women!)  I even taught her my timer trick for taking selfies.

Gotta smell the roses!

When happy hour was finished, my friends and I couldn't help but stopping to smell the roses from a huge bush outside.

Evening walk on the waterfront

After all the eating (and drinking) I'd done today, I didn't think I'd be hungry for dinner.  But when my friends and I sat down in our hotel's restaurant, suddenly food sounded good.  So we all enjoyed full dinners.  Once finished I decided I needed a walk to shed a few of the calories I'd just consumed.

Cool reflections

Debbie and Kim decided to join me.  Our tour-mate Rodney had told Debbie he'd discovered a cute little pond not far from the harbor.  Debbie wanted to see if we could find it.  So off my friends and I went, down to the harbor once again.

Calm waters in the harbor

Off to one side of the harbor, we discovered a beautiful shoreline path.  A row of tall trees protected it from the wind.  Lovely views of the Baltic Sea peeped out between the tree trunks.

Kim found a friendly kitty

This was where all the big, beautiful homes were located.  Each was fronted by extravagant gardens - fancy trees, unique bushes, and several varieties of colorful flowers.  It was quite enjoyable, strolling along the gravel path, taking in all the bloom colors and charming sitting areas for the home's occupants.

The houses along the water had amazing gardens

Enjoy the following photos from my evening walk on Ærø island.

Another harbor view

Cute little firepit area

Walking the gravel lane

Another fantastic garden

Wild roses were blooming everywhere

What a nice evening!

Old firehouse now a private residence

My friends and I walked all the way to the path's ending, by a tall brick building that at one time housed the fire department, but was now a private residence.  We never did find the pond Rodney had told Debbie about.

Heading back

But we'd enjoyed a lovely walk.  As my friends and I headed back the way we came, we were greeted by a friendly black and white cat.  It reminded me so much of my daughter's kitty Richard, we started calling the cat by that same name.

Brilliant yellow leaves

Despite my not-so-great whiskey tasting experience, I'd had a wonderful day exploring this truly beautiful Danish island on the Baltic Sea.  Such a relaxing place, I wished we could spend more time here.

Such a beautiful place

But tomorrow it was time to bid Ærø a sad farewell, for our tour was moving on.  We were heading back to Sweden, bound for the coastal city of Varberg.  

Coming in the next episode of my Scandinavian adventures!