Day 6: Life on Aeroskobing Island

There's something about waking to the stillness of the rain. It has a calming effect. Looking down from our window this morning a family scurried by with umbrellas while their young children splashed happily in the puddles in their colorful galoshes. You might think we'd be disappointed it was raining, but actually it was rather pleasant.

Breakfast was in a candlelit room overlooking the garden.  It was so peaceful compared to the plentiful yet chaotic hustle and bustle in the breakfast room at the Copenhagen Strand. Susanna kindly placed a plate of meat, cheese, tomatoes, grapes, and blueberries on our table, pointed to some freshly baked rolls, and told us to feel free to make a picnic lunch with some plastic bags provided.  Relaxing in the library after breakfast, the stillness was only broken by the swinging pendulum of an old grandfather clock.

Although we didn't have a Plan A, Susanna suggested Plan B: a trip on the island's free bus to a small town on the other side of the island known as Marstal and just as the bus arrived, surprisingly the  sun came out. The ride there was beautiful past fields of wheat so tall, you could only see the heads of cyclists across the fields.



In the town, the Marstal Maritime Museum is very comprehensive. We saw a chronology of paintings and ship models that take you through Danish history. The museum was cleverly designed to include the inside of sailors homes, and even had a  simulation of the inside of a ship with engine noise and motion. In one room, a local artist displayed a series of maritime maps from all over the world with painted watercolor scenes on them to match the location of the map. They were beautiful.



In Aeroskobing and in Marstal we noticed numerous windows with a pair of porcelain Brittany Spaniels looking out. Susanna explained that during the island's trading era, they were brought back from England. If you see them looking out, the sailor is not at home, and when he finally arrives, the dogs are turned looking in. We bought an imitation set at the museum.



We had a picnic dinner down at the harbor. Along the way we discovered a hideaway for ducks with miniature Danish houses. All of the ducks swam eagerly over for handouts.





In the evening we hiked to the bathing huts at Vesterstrand in what is known locally as the sunset stroll. They are tiny colorful wooden huts along the water's edge built in the 1920's, only big enough inside for a picnic. Some have tiny shutters with wooden hearts carved in them and many have little decorations on the windowsills.  They are now considered cultural historical treasures. 



Sitting on the steps of one of the huts, I thought back to the day and was thankful it had actually turned out to be sunny.  There's something about the stillness of the rain in the morning, but there's nothing like the sunset on a warm summer's night.