Christians Ø and Bornholm, Denmark
“Herring must swim in the stomach with Danish beer and aquavit.”
— Hans Vindahl, our guide in Bornholm
After calm sailing all night with westerly winds at our stern, we were very lucky this morning to make a landing at Christians Ø, named after one of the many King Christians of Denmark. The bastions are still lined with front-loading cannons. Seventeen-fifties barracks colored with the traditional yellow pigment and red tile roofs form two quaint streets. I had first come to this magical small island in 1988, while photographing a story for National Geographic about The Baltic Sea. I was then busy darting around the stormy seas looking for Russian submarines with the Danish Navy. During those days fishing for herring was still possible. Today the fishing industry is nearly extinct because of EU regulations and overfishing. Today the year round population is approximately 96 people. You have to admire the small, well-kept gardens full of beautiful flowers and occasional mulberry trees with ripe sweet berries. I saw a woman hanging laundry outside in the sun and also had a chance to try the local blackberries and honeysuckle. The island still has a fairyland feel, and you really know you are in the middle of the Baltic Sea with the stiff breeze, warm sun, and puffy clouds. Today, over 80,000 visitors come to these small islands each year. We were happy to be there before others arrived from Bornholm.
After lunch we headed west for the island of Bornholm, famous for its Round Churches and Hammerhus Castle, the largest fortress in Scandinavia, built in the 13th century. The ruins perched dramatically over the seas. Between the Danes and the Swedes, it has changed hands many times, and it was eventually destroyed in the later part of the 18th century. We walked through what still remained with our local guide and heard about the role it played in Baltic’s history. After a nice hike up the hill in the glorious sunshine, we boarded the bus and headed for the famous Round Church at Østerlars. There was no service, so today we were able to walk through and admire the frescos. Again, classic Danish weather was in store, the kind that permitted one to reach up and touch the clouds.
Another group went on a long hike through the forest from the castle ruin down to Allinge. Along the way they stopped and saw on the granite some recently discovered pictographs illustrating a ship, possibly as old as 3,000 years.
Finally we headed back to the small fishing village, Allinge, and stopped by one of the best smoked mackerel houses, “Allinge Rogeri.” There we were treated to local smoked mackerel, Danish beer and aquavit. Who could wish for more?
