Categories: denmark, postcards
Date: 10 September 2008 12:14:45
The natural surroundings of Skagen are really quite remarkable. Hans Christian Andersen (he of fairytale fame) described the area thus: “a desert between two roaring seas...an aspect of nature which will give you a picture of Africa's desert, of the ash heaps of Pompeii and of the sandbanks in the great ocean above which birds soar.”
I walked from the town down a long thin road which was probably about 3 km to the point at which the walk to Grenen starts - probably about another 1.5km along white sand - or in my case - paddling along the edge of the water. Grenen is the tippymost toppy bit of Denmark and the point at which the two seas, the Skaggerak (part of the North Sea) and the Kattegat (part of the Baltic Sea), meet. This is no gentle flowing of two bodies of water into one. The waves meet each other at right angles causing a certain amount of turbulence. Although a blowy day, the impression was relatively calm - but I can imagine in winter storms it is a very dangerous place to be. The authorities are clearly taking no chances and swimming here is strictly forbidden. I did the typical tourist thing though and stood with a foot in both seas before walking all the way back into Skagen for a well-deserved - and delicious - raspberry sorbet.
To the south of Skagen is another curious sight to see; den tilsandede kirke - literally “the sanded-up church”. Oddly, for the size of the fishing village, this church was the largest church in Vendsyssel in medieval times. As the winds blew the sand from the dunes so ferociously, parishioners were obliged to dig the sand out of the way to open the doors (and possibly to get out again if the service was a long one!). It was closed in 1795 by order of the King and eventually in 1810 all but the tower was taken down. The tower was left to act as a landmark for sailors.
After such a miserable summer in the UK, it was very pleasant to wake up every morning to sunshine and warm winds. By mid-afternoon, it would cloud over, which allowed me time to pursue some indoor activities having made the best of the sunshine.