SUMMARY Such a fabulous day! After debarking the ship in Copenhagen we catch a bus > metro > train to Nykøbing Falster. We are picked up at the station by Jakob, the husband of the Danish friends we made on last year’s Mekong River cruise. He and his wife, Grith, have invited us to stay with them at their summer home mere yards from the Baltic Sea. Our “room” is actually a charming, stand-alone 3-bedroom cottage! We settle in, have a late breakfast with our hosts and two of their three (adult) children - Oskar and Mathilde on a balcony overlooking the sea. The sky is blue and the temperature is perfect. We walk into the town center, have refreshments on a restaurant patio and return via the ocean path. Lunch is smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches). Afterwards we take a dip in the (chilly but not freezing) Baltic Sea. All 6 of us go to a small harbor venue for live music, boiled shrimp and wine then back “home” for a wonderful al fresco dinner of small butter potatoes, grilled chicken and fresh pea salad with Buratta cheese. Finished with the most delicious very local strawberries! - Karen
DETAIL Our smartphones get us up right at 6 am. We shower, coffee, and pack some more. We tip our cabin steward and a number of other favorite servers and bar tenders.
Soon we’re off the ship, dragging all our luggage. The airplanes have a limit on number of total carryon bags. Busses and trains do not, so we’ve exploded into yet another bag we brought with us. There are lots of helpful service people stationed to help passengers get to their luggage, excursion, taxi, bus to the airport, etc. We already have all our luggage, are carrying it ourselves, and are taking public transportation. “Does not compute!” They finally do understand and allow us to pass.
It’s a quick bus ride to the metro and then a quick metro ride to the Copenhagen central train station. We buy our tickets, hop on our train and we’re on our way. We WhatsApp with the friends we’re headed to see and settle in. The trip will be about 90 minutes.
The train car we’re in is labeled Familiezone which sounds scary but it’s actually quiet. There are a few cute kids and the same number of adorable tiny dogs. The loudest are some traveling teens giving each other a hard time.
Out the windows the sun shines and the cityscape soon morphs into pastoral rolling hills. We’re headed to our friends’ country place. We met Grith and her husband Jakob on a river cruise in Cambodia. She’s an interior designer and he does financing for renewable power generation (think windmills, etc.) all over the world.
Here in Scandinavia we’ve heard that Norway has the mountains, Sweden the forests, Finland has lakes, and Denmark has islands. Copenhagen is on the island of Zealand. Where we’re heading, Nykøbing Falster, is on the next island to the south, Falster. We got off in Nykøbing where one of the things to do is ride a particular bike trail. At the other end? Berlin. No wonder these people are so fit!
Jakob picks us up at the train station in a late model Audi Quattro all electric vehicle. We drive a ways to a lovely cottage just back from the sea shore. We see Grith and two of their three grown kids: Mathilde and Oskar. Also there is Hugo, their lumbering, 40 kg, three year-old golden lab. Like so many here in Scandinavia, Hugo’s blond hair is almost white.
Grith shows us “our room”, a large three bedroom cottage connected to their house, complete with kitchen, dining and living room. We retire to the upstairs of their adjacent house, where the four of them are staying. We sit outside for a late breakfast, overlooking the Baltic Sea, enjoying delicious local breads, Danish butter and jams, Danish cheese and lots of coffee.
Later we four older adults take Hugo for a walk and catch up. We make it as far as the next little community down the beach, Marielyst. Our path is a picturesque one-lane road with almost no cars. It’s Tuesday but the town is bustling. There are a couple dozen booths with local artists out selling their wares. We stop for a beverage at a very cute, small outdoor cafe. The place is popular and busy but not crowded. We later hear that Grith, a talented amateur watercolor artist, has art on display inside here, but we don’t find out until too late.
We walk home along the walking/bike trail just in from the beach. This is a beach community where Danes, and people from nearby countries, come to spend their summer vacation. Mathilde and Jakob run to the local butcher’s for awesome smørrebrød. Salmon, egg, potato. The sandwiches are all well dressed, beautiful and delicious.
After relaxing and digesting (and a business call with Canada for Jakob) we change and go to the beach for a swim in the Baltic. I go all the way in and Karen up to her neck. Back at the house we rinse in the outdoor shower. Grith shows off the sauna she had built for Jakob for their 25th wedding anniversary. We’re told in the cool months they get toasty warm in the sauna and then jump in the Baltic to cool off.
We drive a short ways away (to Hesnæs Havn) for a drink. It’s crowded but Grith finagles an empty bench/table for the six of us. We enjoy two bottles of Sancerre, two amazing cookies, and lots of tender local shrimp. This isn’t even dinner.
Back home Mathilde and Grith work on dinner, Oskar and Jakob go for another swim (Jakob’s third of the day, not sure about Oskar).
Dinner is delicious chicken grilled by Oskar and an amazing salad with lots of freshly shucked peas, lettuce, etc. We have local baby new potatoes. This produce, and more, come from a nearby purveyor, which grows, harvests and sells these things. Lots of wine and Mathilde (21) and Oskar (25) partake with us. Even 16 year-olds can legally drink (up to 16.5% alcohol) we’re told.
For dessert we have delicious strawberries from the same place. We’ve read that tonight should be a good one for shooting stars and maybe the northern lights, but at 11 pm it’s still fairly light and the wine is sitting too heavily on our eyelids.
Photos
Finally in Copenhagen. We're happy that the blue sky seems to have followed us here.
On the train toward Jakob and Grith's. City out the window now, but most of the trip it was rolling hills of wheat, sugar beets, and other crops.
I investigate what we might see in the city the train is taking us to. The Museum Obscura is listed as a children's activity. I'm not so sure about that.
This is "our house" for the next few days. Grith and Jakob are next door in their bigger house with the kids and Hugo the dog.
Our three bedroom house for the next few days is pretty spectacular. Grith's an interior designer and she did this place up as a perfect beach house. Their place is really beautiful.
The view from the upstairs back patio, where we had our first meal of the day, overlooking the Baltic.
Breakfast in the sun with Oskar and Mathilde.
Taking Hugo (and ourselves) for a walk. Artists, crafts people, food vendors all set up their booths to temps us summer tourists.
Beautiful Hugo is always with us. He's a faithful dog but does have a mind of his own. At three years old, he's an overgrown baby.
Smøreebrød for lunch. So fresh and good. Great variety and just the right amount of food.
Time for the swim in the Baltic. Grith and Jakob go every month of the year and two or three times a day in the summer.
The sand is silky soft. The beaches are enjoyed, but for a six mile long beach, there aren't that many people.
True to our word we do go in. It'r really not cold. You adjust to the temperature quickly. The harmless jellyfish there now don't bother swimmers at all.
Off to a nearby harbor bar for a drink before dinner.
And some food before dinner (??). Delicious shrip from the north coast of Denmark.
Dinner of grilled chicken, local freshly dug up new bøtø potatoes, and vegetable salad featuring big, tender peas. Grith shucked them and Hugo ate many of the tender pea pod casings.
Pushing 11 pm and it's still somewhat light. Too light to watch for shootng stars or northern lights, plus the wine is really kicking in.
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