JULY 2019 : DENMARK : DAY 7 : A walk around Mons Klint ( White Cliffs)

Delicious breakfast at our B&B, including blue cheese, meats and warm rye bread. As well as yoghurts and cereals.

One of the historical sites on Møn is the Elmelunde church directly across from our B&B.

There is a Bronze Age burial mound in the grounds, several thousands of years old

The Biblical frescoes from the thirteenth century and some Viking script

Today a group of seven of us met and walked through the various walking routes around Mons Klint (White Cliffs) and the beautiful wildflower reserves. There are several walks all clearly marked and accessible for all walkers

The cliff walk gave spectacular views of the chalk cliffs, 128 metres high. It was formed by glaciers upward thrusting the cliffs during the ice age. There is much erosion and much of the path along the edge is cordonned off. There are warning signs about falling rocks. People can climb down a steep stairway to access the beach.

We walked about 10 kms, investigating various paths

A few of us visited the GeoCentre, which was a fascinating series of activities to explain the cliff’s history, showing the upward thrusting of the cliffs, the nature in the park and the dinosaur fossils found in the area.

Some large fungi and fabulous butterflies. The centre one is a Peacock Butterfly, black on the outside but like a Monet painting when it opens its wings.

Wildflowers are protected and cover the fields. We said goodbye (or ‘hi hi’) to Lis and Karsten, who spent 2 days with us.

Elmelunde is a small community with no retail outlets so Britt booked us a table at a traditional Danish restaurant 1 1/2 kms away. It was an easy stroll along the highway to Kai Kok Restaurant. It was busy with lots of family groups. The hostess was a large lady with a lot of energy and enthusiasm for old-style dishes and for the full house. We asked for her speciality which was pork, Flaeskesteg. When it arrived it was salted pork roasted to a crisp - like eating a large bowl of crackling. I was a little worried I might crack a tooth. She was extremely jolly and delighted that we appreciated her cooking. We were afraid not to.

M&M

JULY 2019 : DENMARK : DAY 6 : Nyord - Elmelunde

Day 2 on our walk on the island of Møn. These circular sculptures are the symbol of the walk and are placed at each section. There was one at the Møn museum, Nyord Harbour and one at our pension tonight.

A very simple breakfast watching the life on the water

 Large brown pigeons, amongst the myriad of swallows. The old pilot station. Farmers were put on a roster to help guide boats through the shallow waters to Stege a hundred years ago. We set off with Lis and Karsten towards the bridge and cross back to Møn proper after our night on the smaller island of Nyord.

Lots of butterflies and bumble bees amongst the wildflowers. This shelter was originally used as a storage shed for the farm  machinery for all the village. Now cut out windows provide a hide to look at marsh birds.

Holiday craft. An echo sculpture. Shady walking.

Exquisite wildflowers 

Our lunch stop was at the beach at Ulvshale, where we swam. The water a pleasant 20oC.

A hot afternoon and road walking with no shade. Not a good combination. Fortunately our Danish friends drove by and we accepted a ride for the last few kilometres. There were two lily ponds in a village we passed through, which were originally holding ponds for the fire brigade.

Our pension/hostel is a large impressive building, previously a nursing home. It is run by a Danish lady, Britt, who has lived in Australia. Although being fully booked, she has managed to accommodate us for two nights as I botched (yet another) booking! If only I could speak and read Danish. It is across the road from the famous Kalkmalerier church, which is a significant landmark on this flat island.

 

Peter booked a table in a hotel in Liselund, about 20 minutes from our hostel. It was previously a castle.

A set menu. A very special place.

Sunset around 10pm

M&M

JULY 2019 : DENMARK : DAY 5 : Stege - Nyord : 15 kms : 4 hours

Breakfast at Stege Bakery

Around Stege as we walked to breakfast

We set off from the Møn Museum at the old gate and along a well marked path

We walked along some forest tracks and along wheat and sugar beet fields

We saw some lovely farmhouses and summer houses along the coast. Pleasant walking except for the voracious mosquitoes, well known in this area.

We crossed the bridge to the small island of Nyord with marshland, some cattle and walking tracks 

Our accommodation for the night is a cottage or hytte with a view near the small harbour. Our shower and toilet are down the hill in the port precinct.

Nyord is a tiny village with a church, general store and one restaurant. It has a little harbour for yachts and a swimming area. Many of the houses are thatched and all have exquisite gardens. Nearly every house has a little ‘garage sale’ stall with second hand gear and home made produce. Everything is an honour system. So you either pop money in a box or use the Danish mobile pay, using the special number provided. This honour system is everywhere.

What a surprise when we ran into some of the Danish Rambler group we had met on our Italian pilgrim walk last year. Hans had given them all our itinerary and different members will join us during the week. Peter, Lis and Karsten came to our cottage for a drink. Danes love getting together and eating outside with family and friends and call it ‘ hoogily’ or a cosy gathering. We have seen families on picnics with a vase of flowers on the table. At night we were able to get a late booking at the restaurant and had a delicious meal together.

Day 1. Beautiful weather and great hospitality.

M&M

JULY 2019 : DENMARK : DAY 4 : Copenhagen to Stege on the island of Møn : 2 1/2 hours by car

Early breakfast

Mark with our luggage - my bags growing at an alarming rate

Hans, our Danish friend, collected us about 10 and drove us south. We took a picturesque backroad lined with trees, with barley and wheat fields. Thatched cottages. A castle - donated to create a community for aged care. Creative house boats and our entry into Stege across a wide spanning bridge.

Our accommodation, Motel Stege, right in the centre of town. When I booked last December we were babysitting in Perth, the owner, Britt, was holidaying in Cervantes, a few hours north of Perth. Such a coincidence.

Stege has a long history. A castle built in the 1300s with ramparts, a moat, a drawbridge and city gates. The castle was destroyed in the 1500s in one of the Danish/Swedish wars. A town of significance with an impressive town square, grand houses and an ancient chestnut tree. Stege was a trading port and had a significant fabric dyeing industry in its early history.

Modern Stege. Large country houses and gardens, attractive buildings and parks, activity on the water, zany art and bird life. Until recently it had a large sugar producing plant processing sugar beet but now sugar cane products are preferred.

We booked at a restaurant for dinner, Slagter, Stig and Co. We were not prepared for the convoluted process. First you selected your meat, from a huge deli display (all priced per kilo). Then you served yourself from the buffet and your meat was delivered when cooked. You were given an electronic key for drinks. The choice was red and white wine and about 4 beers - all on tap. And then by some remarkable miracle the bill was calculated. Very crowded and chaotic at times but it was a delicious outcome.

It’s holiday time and the weather has been warm. There is a lot of activity in these normally quiet villages. We look forward to discovering more about the island. We are expecting a flat walk with moderate distances and some interesting accommodation.

M&M

JULY 2019 : DENMARK : DAY 3 : Copenhagen

We set off at 9.30 down the pedestrian walkway

Parks with hammocks - something for everyone!

Lego store with permanent security guards at the entry monitoring numbers of visitors. A very popular tourist spot.

Guiness Book of Records Museum is also very popular.

An excellent boat cruise of the harbour. All the more sweet as we beat the crowds, lining up for metres on our return.

The picturesque Nyhavn

Classically designed buildings along the shore

View of the Marble Church

We visited it later in the day. Tastefully decorated in Lutheran’s understated style

Fabulous houseboats

Recycling plant. All rubbish is burnt, which creates electricity. The slope will be opened in October as an artificial ski slope which will also generate electricity.

The Little Mermaid

Travelling down the canal in Christiania

Careful navigating through old bridges

Back to Nyhavn and we walked around the harbour path

Tiny vans used for coffee and food outlets

Harbour swimming area

Danish Museum of Art and Design. Fascinating. They had an interesting exhibition on the Bauhaus collaborative design philosophy

It’s all about the chairs..

 

This afternoon we had booked into a food tour. First on the menu was the Danish hotdog.

Next a brewery with light and dark beers to sample

Next an open sandwich on rye bread and another beer to enjoy in a beautiful beer garden

Finally the modern food market. Fish cakes with a Danish curry mayonnaise and chocolates to finish

A hot afternoon and the crowds were out in the cafes and bars, and cooling down by the fountains

The Tivoli Gardens is the oldest fun park in the world, opened in the 1830s. It was the inspiration for Disneyland.  It is very popular with locals and tourists alike. It is only two streets from our hostel in the centre of Copenhagen.

Our guide today recommended eating at the Tivoli Food Hall, where you can get a glimpse of the park. We were able to see an edited performance of the Nutcracker Suite and sense the atmosphere. The rides were in a more distant part of the precinct.

It was lovely sitting outside. A German couple, here on a Jehovah Witness conference, sat at our table and we had an interesting chat with them.

We head south tomorrow. Fingers crossed for more fine weather.

M&M