The Mythological Gefion

The Gefion Fountain never stops to fascinate me. I came here as a child with my mother. Now I’m back as an adult being a tourist in my home town.

Gefion

Notes

The fountain depicts the mythical story of the creation of the island of Zealand on which Copenhagen is located. The legend appears in Ragnarsdrápa, a 9th-century Skaldic poem recorded in the 13th century Prose Edda, and in Ynglinga saga as recorded in Snorri Sturluson’s 13th century Heimskringla.

According to Ynglinga saga, the Swedish king Gylfi promised Gefjun the territory she could plow in a night. She turned her four sons into oxen, and the territory they plowed out of the earth was then thrown into the Danish sea between Scania and the island of Fyn. The hole became a lake called Lögrinn and Leginum (locative). Snorri identifies the lake Löginn, as the lake of Old Sigtuna west of Stockholm, i.e., Lake Mälaren, an identification that he returns to later in the Saga of Olaf the Holy. The same identification of Löginn/Leginum as Mälaren appears in Ásmundar saga kappabana, where it is the lake by Agnafit (modern Stockholm), and also in Knýtlinga saga.

In spite of Snorri’s identification, tourist information about the fountain identifies the resultant lake as Vänern[1] ,[2][3][4] Sweden’s largest lake, citing the fact that modern maps show that Zealand and the lake resemble each other in size and shape.

Snorri, however, was well acquainted with Vänern as he had visited Västergötland in 1219. When he referred to this lake he called it Vænir[5] Wikipedia

Add Colour To My Sunset Sky

Today I took the consequence, and found my winter jacket from the attic.
Cold, rain showers and strong winds, forget the summer clothes.
At Langelinie I spoke with a woman from Trondheim in Norway. Few minutes before that heavy rain squall had driven past.
The weather forecast promised sun all day she exclaimed to my complaints about the weather and I understood her frustration.

There is nevertheless comfort to find in this weather with huge cumulus clouds as in the quote by Rabindranath Tagore

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
by Rabindranath Tagore

View from Langelinie towards Trekroner Fort

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Trekroner Fort is part of an old fortification. A defence for Copenhagen against the Germans and The British at the end of the 1800s.

KØBENHAVNS FORSVAR MOD KRIG OG KLIMAFORANDRINGER

An Endless Fountain of Immortal Drink

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its lovliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkn’d ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

A Thing Of Beauty by John Keats

Kapervogn, Jægersborg Dyrehave

Messing about in boats

There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

I’ve been to the northernmost point of Sealand, Gilleleje.
When I arrived the sun was shining, and relaxed people walked about, enjoying the hustle and bustle with ships being repaired, fishermen arranging their nets and some people preparing for supper in their boats. A wonderful cozy atmosphere dwelt over the place.

Messing about in boats – I can recommend that.
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Duckworks

Gilleleje Havn

Gilleleje – Danmarks bedste ferieby 2015

The Conquest of England

The King’s Journey, Kongens Togt is a thousand-year mark for Cnut the Great and his conquest of England. No talk of Brexit back then 🙂

The Sea Stallion from Glendalough

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Vikingeskibsmuseet
Kongens Togt

The Beach

I went to the beach one afternoon. It was a little late but the scenery was a delight.

Børn på strand

Truly unique nature in Denmark

It was my intention to write about Petersværft, a shipyard situated next to Ulvsund.
The place was chosen for naval base and shipyard to reconstruct the Danish Fleet after the British stole it back in 1807.
Petersværft built gunboats and the explosives were stored in Magleby Church. An excellent dry place for gunpowder.
But there are other experiences which make equal impression on me. The enterprising behaviour and enthusiasm that prevails on Møn.
You can find a decent amount of links at the bottom of the post. Amazing bike paths and beautiful walks are established and some are connected with three veteran ferries, of which the ferry Møn is one of them.
The enterprising locals, however, has a major advantage, which is very difficult to overlook: The historic Nature on Møn.

We’re meeting up with some friends on the Ferry Møn. The ship began operating between Kalvehave and Koster in the 1923.
Today approximately 20 volunteers are working to maintain the ferry all winter. During summer 15 “Summer Men” are involved with sailing the ship.
We had a superb boat trip for 3 hours. After a nice walk in historic surroundings we returned to the cozy farmhouse for bonfire food and fun.

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Links if you got curious:
Expeditions in the wild
175 km Camøno as Camino – The Kingdom’s friendliest hiking trail
Færgen Møn Summer Sailing
Peters Værft
Visitsydsjaelland
Program for færgen Møn
Færgen Møns historie

You can get your bike transported by ferry or the mail boat, Røret between four ports in the summer. The habours are: Stege Havn, Kalvehave Havn, Bogø Havn and Nyord Havn, where there is bike break room and suggestions for local hiking and cycling routes. See the timetables in the bike break rooms.

The sailing cycling trails + Map as PDF

Waiting on a bridge

Waiting on Dronning Alexandrines Bro for a new adventures day to begin.

Dronning Alexandrines Bro - Moen Broen

A walk among Mesolithic Ancestors

Yesterday I drove to Vedbaek Havn and took great pleasure in the environment before I went for a walk in Maglemosen, a bog with a very interesting history.
A walk I strongly recommend.

For 7,000 years ago, the water level was 5 meters higher in Vedbæk fjord than it is today. Since then the country has risen, and the sea receded.
The average temperature was 2-3 degrees higher than today, and Denmark covered with virgin forest.
Archaeologists estimate that people lived a good life around the fjord. They hunted wild boar, red deer, wild cats, squirrels and deer with bow and arrow. The biggest bow ever found is 195 cm high.
There are thick settlement strata that bear witness to a continuous settlement 5500 – 4500 BC

People back then had a high culture. Bear teeth suggest trading in Skåne. The graves sprinkled with ochre. An infant is laid on a swan’s wing next to his mother, who has rested on a soft leather with sewn-bear teeth. People buried on deer antlers. Waste reveals which animals and plants that were in the area and what kind of fishing gear and weapons the hunters used.

I went to Maglemosen last year in early spring you can see the pictures from the beautiful walk: På vandring i Maglemosen i Vedbæk.

Skærmbillede 2016-07-22 kl. 12.11.18

I kan læse meget mere i Dansk Naturfredningsforenings spændende folder.

Finally Summer Came To Denmark