Day 7: All Day to Explore Æro Island
- The Day Distilled: A soft focus morning in a fairy tale village, then a sunny afternoon of windswept fields, ancient barrows, cobblestone beaches and rainbow huts.
- Women of the Day: Susanna and her daughters renovated, and now run, one of the B&Bs our group stayed in—an old house originally built for a sea captain’s daughter. She told us how important Rick Steves groups were for their success.
- Ship’s Log: Ærøskøbing’s original wealth came from its residents’ maritime skills (in both trade and smuggling). Now it is a popular spot for vacationing Danes and Germans arriving on ferries, party yachts, and private sailboats.
Door to door in Ærøskøbing
Today was so relaxing! We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then explored Ærøskøbing using the self-guided walk described in Rick Steves’ book as a starting point. Some members of our group rented bicycles and followed the book's 15-mile "Ærø Island Bike Ride" route, and they brought back beautiful photos.
The houses (and oh my gosh the doors!) were so quaint and colorful, especially in the soft morning fog, that we probably wandered down every little cobblestone street and gravel path in the village. Check out the gallery below for a collection of door photos. If there isn't a "Doors of Ærøskøbing" calendar out already, someone ought to make one! |
A whirlwind tour of Ærø island
In late morning, Ylva led us all down the hill to the bus and Pinge drove us around the island. After making a stop for lunch and a windy walk at the 16th century Søbygaard manor house, we hopped on and off the bus for visits to the 12th century Bregninge church, a 6,000-year-old Neolithic barrow tomb in a lush green field, and a windblown scramble down to a rocky beach to see the flint deposits that made this part of the world a center of Stone Age tool-making.
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Keep on traveling...to the beach
Mom and I spent the bright afternoon walking out to Ærøskøbing’s colorful beach huts and admiring rock roses and other flowers along the sandy path. On our way back to the village, we visited the little grocery store by the docks to buy supplies for a cozy in-room picnic.
For more photos from Ærø island, check out the slideshow below. |
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