Skagen

It was my last weekend in Denmark and I was hell bent upon visiting Skagen - something which had been put away for a long time. How could I be in Denmark and not visit Skagen all this while? Thankfully the weather was kind and we did have some sunshine. So we gathered at the Aalborg Train Station and we got a discounted pass to travel to Skagen. The first train would take us to Fredrickshavn. From there we took another train to Skagen. The journey was fun with little talks, leg pulling etc.

Skagen station is an old but well maintained yellow building. Right outside the train station is the bus stop. We saw that the next bus to go to the beach was about 2 hrs away so we unanimously decided to hire bicycles. One of us didn’t know how to ride so we got a double bike for him and another guy. Got 11 bikes and pedaled off; in the wrong direction. It was not before 10 minutes when we realized we weren’t any closer to the beach. Change of direction.
The town of Skagen is beautiful. It is a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Most buildings in the old town are distinguished as low yellow houses with red tiled roofs providing a perfect backdrop to this charming place. Like most Danish towns this is a quaint little place with well preserved medieval buildings, cyclists, people chatting at the café tables. The town of Skagen has been the abode of many a Danish artists, especially painters, writers and even music composers. The picturesque locales makes this place really inspiring for these artists. The 60 km long coastline of Skagen is incomparable. The sea, the light, the air, the sand - Skagen and the elements seem to be inseparable.
En route we had to take a stop as two of our cyclists apparently got lost and had a lot of ground to cover. We took a break near this lighthouse (above) which we used as a landmark for signaling our location to those two guys. So while they cycled to this point we snacked on cakes, biscuits and namkeens. Soon we were joined by the lost cyclists and they took a short break. Meanwhile the rest of the guys tried their hand at the double bicycle which had caught everyone’s fantasy.
There is another lighthouse at Skagen which was constructed in 1850. Resumed our journey towards Grenen (The Branch), which is the base point and parked the cycles. From here you can either walk or take a ‘Sandmobile’, which is nothing but a tractor pulling a trailer, to the beach. We decided to walk. Popped up a few beers and started walking towards the beach. The flags of the four Nordic countries Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway (Missing - Iceland) Just outside a cafeteria at Grenen.

From Grenen it would take about 15 mins till the ‘point’, which is the northernmost part of Denmark. It is also the meeting point of North Sea (Skagerrak – the strair that separates Denmark from Norway) and Baltic Sea (Kattegat – The strait that separates Denamrk from Sweden), which is what makes Skagen so remarkable.

You can stand at this ‘point’ and notice the oceancurrents and waves coming from your left clashing with the ones from you right and creating a sort of sand carrying mist.

Walked a little in the waves and then we found a good spot and had lunch. Lazed around for a while and then we started a game of football. It soon dawned that no one of us was in good shape and stamina. Still we managed to play for about 45 mins after which there was just enough energy left to get back to the rest of the gang and lie down and have some beer.

Although the water was cold, we noticed that the temp in the North sea was marginally warmer. So it was decided that we take a plunge in the North sea. The temp was such that only 3 people finally decided to venture inside water. The water was cold and with each step it seemed to be getting colder. We reached a point where there was a kind of sand bank. We sat there and soaked some more sun. Finally we decided to get all wet and swim. Surprisingly, after this the water didn’t feel so cold and we stayed in it for about 15 mins.

Out of the water and finally soaked some sun, chatted with friends, drank beer and watched the ships at a distance. I remember spending a lot of time quiet on this trip as this was my last weekend in Denmark and I was kind of capturing the impressions in my mind. Something like soaking the feeling of being in Denmark for the last few days.

Enjoyed a Café au Lait at one of the cafes in the old town of Skagen and finally took the train back to Aalborg.

I *heart* Denmark !!