Around Læsø

Well, with so many nice things to share out this way, it's about time to wrap up the blog posts from our August trip to Denmark! With that in mind, I'll try to give you a quick tour of some other favorite spots on the island of Læsø. Having spent such a nice chunk of time there (~8-9 days!), it was easy to see many of the great spots on the ~45 square mile island. Starting nearest to Charlotte's family summerhouse is Vesterø Havn. It's where the ferries arrive from the mainland, and also home to the well-sheltered harbor where many sailors dock.
  




The harbor is also flanked by a small town with many useful stores. These include a bike-rental company and two noteworthy ice-cream shops. There's also a small grocery store that carries many interesting items.
 


Midway across the island (and almost exactly three miles from Charlotte's summerhouse) is the small town of Byrum. Among other things, Byrum has the big grocery store of the island, two banks that don't cash travelers checks (oy!), a beautiful church, and a tall tower that provides a great view of that section of the island.



Byrum was also the go-to destination for my slightly longer jogging days (jogging at sea level on a flat-as-a-pancake island is awesome)!


Further on down, Østerby Havn is the final of the island's main towns, and home to its second large harbor. This is where the island's fishing fleet and processing plant are housed. Læsø apparently catches and transports most of the langoustines ("Norway lobsters") enjoyed throughout Europe, so this is a good place, and the harbor has lots of fishing boats to watch!

The town itself also has a few restaurants that cook up some of that delicious seafood. We also explored a contemporary art gallery, and found good free-WiFi that let us Skype with Andreas and make it a true family vacation!

So, the towns are unquestionably great. However, some of the real gems on the island lie in between. Almost all are easily reached either on foot, by bike, or by bus. However, I also lucked out and discovered that my mother-in-law had rented an electric car for an extra-full day of exploring. All in all, we covered a lot of ground, and got lots of great exercise. Among the many destinations, some of my favorite were a glass studio...

...a pottery studio...

...a newly-opened brewery just down the road from the summer house (not complaining!)...

...and the famous Læsø saltworks, which makes beautiful sea salt from the very saline water found in parts of the island.

Scattered throughout the island, there's also a handful of houses that still have roofs made of seaweed, as was once the norm on the island. The Danish government is spending millions of dollars to preserve these remaining homes, and they're a pretty darn fascinating part of Læsø history.

Really, though, the highlight of the island is its abundant natural beauty. No matter where you look or go, the scenery combines with the incredible light to create the sort of vistas that I'm still daydreaming about months after returning to Laramie. It's quite a spot!

And, of course, the chance to see family, meet some dear family friends, and explore and relax in great company was extremely special. I can't imagine a better second trip to Læsø-now it's time to look forward to a third!

On to Læsø!

Well, after an absolutely awesome time in Copenhagen, it was time to bid adieu to the land of bikes, comfy beds, and place names that have Danish characters in them that slow down my typing on an American keyboard.

 

In its place we were off to the island where Charlotte's family keeps a summer house. It too has tons of bikes, very comfy beds, and its name has two Danish characters in it, so this post won't be any faster to type. On to Læsø! First, we had to get there, and so we headed to Copenhagen's awesome central rail station, loaded up on pastries, and got on a very comfortable Intercity train.




Unfortunately, as our train neared the midpoint of its journey, there was a tragic accident on the tracks just minutes ahead of our train. While we weren't personally affected at all, it caused a very significant delay for our train. However, by using a slightly chaotic bus system to bypass the accident, another train to complete the journey, and a taxi van hired to drive the last leg of the trip for us at ~100mph, DSB (the rail company) was still able to get me and Charlotte to the Læsø ferry on time! Pretty amazing, considering the circumstances.



The island of Læsø is not connected to land by any road or bridge, and so even though it's a relatively small island, it's serviced by two large dedicated ferries. They schlep tourists over during the summer, and maintain a lifeline to the mainland for the 2,000 or so year-round residents. While aboard, there are many amenities, including a playroom for children, rest and dining areas, a cafeteria, and many decks with great views! You couldn't imagine a nicer place to get intensely, intensely seasick (but that's a story for our return trip...).







Læsø lies in the Kattegat Sea (really a bay in the North Sea), and while it feels like a whole different world, it's only about 20km (12.5 miles) from the mainland. The ferry makes the trip in about 90 minutes, and so it wasn't long before we began to catch glimpses of Læsø on the horizon. Soon after, we saw Charlotte's mom waiting to greet us, and before we knew it, we were back at the bus stop where you can still see us on Google Street View!




Charlotte's grandparents bought and restored the family summerhouse on Læsø over a number of decades, and it is now shared equally by Charlotte's mom (Kirsten) and her uncle (Lars). I can't even tell you what a magical place it is, or how peaceful and relaxing it is to spend a chunk of time there. For Charlotte, who spent time there most every summer of her childhood, the house and Læsø are full of memories and favorite places. For me, it's quickly becoming a very favorite place, too!



The inside is very cozy, and we spent many evenings relaxing by the woodstove, or curled up reading in the upstairs loft that Charlotte and I shared.



Speaking of curling up, tomorrow's a school day, so I'll need to end this post here! When we meet up next, though, I'll show you some of the highlights of Læsø-it's a pretty neat place!