Christiansø & Bornholm, Denmark
Glittering silver seas, two tiny picturesque glacier sculpted granite islands dotted with brilliant yellow houses roofed by earthy red ceramic tiles! Christiansø and its near neighbor, Fredricksø seem like precious jewels dropped by nature into the middle of the dark green Baltic Sea.
Our day began with an early morning Zodiac cruise into the tiny channel that separates the two islands. Both Christainsø and Fredrisksø are covered with massive fortifications built in the late 17th Century by the Danish King, Christian V to protect trade routes. They were refortified by Napoleon over a hundred years later as a base from which to attack British shipping. The fortifications still form the basic outline of the islands loosely enclosing a sleepy village of about 130 inhabitants who smoke herring, grow magnificent flower and vegetable gardens surrounded by unlikely 5 foot high stone walls. A ferry also regularly brings day tourists from the neighboring island of Bornholm.
On Fredricksø, National Geographic Endeavour guest Marc Weinberg (K9PET) and his team of Ham Radio (amateur radio) operators David, Jim and Bill, set up their equipment and proceeded to connect to the rest of the world. They reported making 18 contacts in 11 different countries during their time on this beautiful little island. The contacts were made using CW (Morse Code) and SSB (voice). National Geographic Endeavour has been offering Ham Radio activities called Casual DX since 2003 when it was first organized by Marc and Lindblad Expeditions. Other trips have included the Arctic, Chile, Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. Equipment is permanently stored on board for this purpose.
In the afternoon, still under clear skies, we landed on the larger island of Bornholm where we visited one of the mysterious “round churches” built around 1150 AD. Small and with heavy walls, these two story round buildings were originally made with an unfinished third floor and no roof. Because of this, some scholars argue that the structures were not churches but defensive towers, or astronomical stations, or even granaries. There is no evidence yet for any of the theories.
As the light started to glow amber, we walked up to the Hammershus Castle located on the northerwestern tip of the island. It stands on the high granite hill overlooking the sea to one side and the green meadows and forests on the other. Several rings of defensive walls, a square pointed roof tower, and the central keep gave one a feeling of stepping back into some ethereal world inhabited by echoes of the past.
Our beautiful golden day ended with a delicious taste of locally smoked mackerel spiced up with a thimble of aquavite and a glass of locally brewed beer.
Glittering silver seas, two tiny picturesque glacier sculpted granite islands dotted with brilliant yellow houses roofed by earthy red ceramic tiles! Christiansø and its near neighbor, Fredricksø seem like precious jewels dropped by nature into the middle of the dark green Baltic Sea.
Our day began with an early morning Zodiac cruise into the tiny channel that separates the two islands. Both Christainsø and Fredrisksø are covered with massive fortifications built in the late 17th Century by the Danish King, Christian V to protect trade routes. They were refortified by Napoleon over a hundred years later as a base from which to attack British shipping. The fortifications still form the basic outline of the islands loosely enclosing a sleepy village of about 130 inhabitants who smoke herring, grow magnificent flower and vegetable gardens surrounded by unlikely 5 foot high stone walls. A ferry also regularly brings day tourists from the neighboring island of Bornholm.
On Fredricksø, National Geographic Endeavour guest Marc Weinberg (K9PET) and his team of Ham Radio (amateur radio) operators David, Jim and Bill, set up their equipment and proceeded to connect to the rest of the world. They reported making 18 contacts in 11 different countries during their time on this beautiful little island. The contacts were made using CW (Morse Code) and SSB (voice). National Geographic Endeavour has been offering Ham Radio activities called Casual DX since 2003 when it was first organized by Marc and Lindblad Expeditions. Other trips have included the Arctic, Chile, Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. Equipment is permanently stored on board for this purpose.
In the afternoon, still under clear skies, we landed on the larger island of Bornholm where we visited one of the mysterious “round churches” built around 1150 AD. Small and with heavy walls, these two story round buildings were originally made with an unfinished third floor and no roof. Because of this, some scholars argue that the structures were not churches but defensive towers, or astronomical stations, or even granaries. There is no evidence yet for any of the theories.
As the light started to glow amber, we walked up to the Hammershus Castle located on the northerwestern tip of the island. It stands on the high granite hill overlooking the sea to one side and the green meadows and forests on the other. Several rings of defensive walls, a square pointed roof tower, and the central keep gave one a feeling of stepping back into some ethereal world inhabited by echoes of the past.
Our beautiful golden day ended with a delicious taste of locally smoked mackerel spiced up with a thimble of aquavite and a glass of locally brewed beer.
