Where
the Skagerrak ('Skagen-reach') meets the Kattegat, an expanding sand
bar juts out into the sea, extending Denmark to the north and east.
This is the site of Skagen (skèy-un).
The quality of light and its remoteness led to this becoming a
popular area for artists and, after the railway arrived as late as
1890, for tourism. It is now very much a tourist town, with a museum
filled with the works of the Skagen Painters, a group that emulated
the French impressionists, centred around Anna and Michael Ancher,
and also, at the end of his life, Denmark's favourite writer, Holger
Drachmann. The houses of the artists and the poet are preserved here
as they were, as is the Brøndums
Hotel, the social heart of their little society.
We
stayed in a very modern house out by the dunes on the Skagerrak side.
We picked up the keys from the lovely people at the tourist office,
Toppen af Danmark, and drove out to the house. There it was, like
the pictures on the website, all black on the outside, all white and
light and warm on the inside with huge windows framing the setting
sun as we sat down to dinner. Peter and Mel joined us, having flown
in to Aalborg and driven up separately.
Over
the next few days we explored the town and its surroundings. We
walked along the beaches near the house, and the heathland further
down the coast, where there is a quirky little natural history
museum, run by an old couple, filled with stuffed animals and
archaeological remains from the area. We went to the lighthouse at
Grenen, from where you can walk out to the very tip where the waves
of the two seas clash together. Out here is where they celebrate
Midsummer's eve with a huge bonfire, and as all over Denmark, they
sing Midsommervisen, the
song written by Drachmann, who is buried right there out on the
dunes. It was surprisingly busy
on the Sunday we went, with people keen to stand right out on the
final few metres of land with the waves lapping their feet. In the
museum, among the many scenes of family life, is a huge painting of
one such occasion, with portraits of all the Skagen set standing
around the blaze, including the Anchers, and Drachmann himself
playing the part of the great literary figure, complete with cloak
and wide brimmed hat.
The
town itself is smart, with lots of expensive clothes and craft shops,
and a splendid brew house where we spent a couple of boozy afternoons
(because, inexplicably, it closes at 7pm): some very good beer and a
pleasant stagger home afterwards. On another day, we drove along the
north Jutland coast to Hirtshals, turning out to the beach itself
where we drove for miles on the hard sand between Skiveren and
Tversted.
Peter,
who had seemed rather ill when we arrived, and mostly stayed in the
house, started to get worse and after visiting the local doctor, was
told to go straight to the hospital, where he stayed for several
nights. Luckily, he was well enough to leave the hospital for the
last day and, not wanting to miss out, Mel and he drove on the same
beach and got stuck in the sand, where friendly locals rallied round
and helped to get them out. The hospital at Hjørring
was immaculate, newly fitted out, all white surfaces and spotless,
and he had a private en suite room with amazing facilities, in the
corridor a fridge where patients could help themselves to snacks all
day. The staff were friendly and unhurried. This is what the NHS
could be like if it wasn't constantly underfunded (the Danish pay 25%
more per head than in the UK).
We
finished up with a couple of hygge
nights, long lazy home cooked meals with lots of candles and friendly
chats. We all took turns cooking during the week and ate splendidly,
the local supermarkets being very well provisioned.
So,
back home, via Aalborg and Ryanair. On reaching the house, for the
first time in months we actually felt cold: it felt good to wear a
sweater again. Our slow traverse of central Europe was a great
success, and I can imagine revisiting some of these places,
particularly northern Denmark, some day.
Pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithuk/albums/
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