The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse do then,
Poor thing?
Roll’d up like a ball,
In his nest snug and small,
He’ll sleep till warm weather comes in,
Poor thing.
Traditional ballad, The North Wind Doth Blow
It was a bitterly cold day. For some reason I had an urge to visit the ducks down by the old mill. I enjoyed the scenery for a moment when suddenly I heard voices from under the road where a small passage allow people to sail through in canoes.
To my surprise a stand up paddler was on his way under the road and two more followed him.
The last stand-up paddler made me speechless. He was wearing plain clothes, as well as an overcoat. A crazy excursion if you ask me and yet I could not help laughing.
We have a saying in Danish: Never go down on equipment.
In this case you can take it literally 🙂
A woman passed me in the park. Her daughter walked … no, she jumped and danced behind her mother with a red toboggan.
I nearly woke you up last night, when it started to snow, said the mother. She laughed and turned her head towards the child, who smiled happily.
A mother who loves to play, isn’t the worst thing you could wish for as a child 🙂
I counted till they danced so
Their slippers leaped the town,
And then I took a pencil
To note the rebels down.
And then they grew so jolly
I did resign the prig,
And ten of my once stately toes
Are marshalled for a jig!
– Snowflakes by Emily Dickinson
We had a wonderful sunny walk along Lake Esrum some days ago.
Lake Esrum is the largest lake in Denmark by water volume and the second-largest lake by surface area, after lake Arresø. It is situated in the central part of North Zealand (the northeastern region of Zealand), straddling the boundaries of the municipalities Hillerød, Fredensborg, Helsingør and Gribskov, some 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen. wikipedia.
I had a happy walk yesterday.
For once the sun shone, and there was only one place where the path was impossible to walk. I did not want to swim and had to turn around. On the other hand, I managed to balance along the ski trail, where snow and mud were adorned by small lakes.
Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.
Edward Stanley
You don’t have to travel far to experience magic.
We are carrying the magic inside ourselves, though it needs to be rediscovered occasionally.
Small children don’t look for magic. The magic lives within them and they are surrounded by it.
Their world is full of trolls and dragons, castles and mountains. Tigers, lions and brave knights. Not necessarily in that order.
I met a young Spanish couple in Jægersborg Dyrehave. They looked so bewildered, that I asked if I could help.
Did I know the way to The Eremitage Castle? I pointed out the direction. They asked me if there was anything else I could recommend?
I told them about the very special Hawthorn that grows on the plain.
And about a place nearby where many people from Copenhagen were buried back in the 1800 due to a cholera epidemic.
And about the deer, I met the day before and while I told them about the nature I noticed the difference in their facial expression.
As if they woke up.
The woman spoke softly in Spanish to her boyfriend, and pointed up into the treetops. It was the ravens.
Their scream and busy life, tells about the fall.
The mood is suddenly magical.
The silence, interrupted by screams of the ravens, the roar of the stags and then silence.
And while we look in between the trees, shadows come alive.
Sometimes it’s a deer and sometimes it’s just fantasy.
Fantasy is magic.
The way they thank me when we part tells me they’ve just regained their magic ❤
The old town of Elsinore is like stepping into a fairy tale. One sunny day we went for a stroll from the harbour to Kronborg Castle. Old medieval buildings lure with history, interesting facts and legends. Elsinore and Kronborg Castle always entice with a tale.
Copyright © Hanna Greenwood, Hanna’s Walk 2016.
Note
Elsinore by Wikipedia
I’m standing on top of the Citadel’s ramparts looking over the harbour while swallows fly closely by. I am sure the birds benefit from the steep ramparts one way or another.
Particularly two traditions link the Citadel to the public holiday, Stor Bededag and the night before.
Best known is the custom of eating warm wheat buns on Stor Bededags evening. The reason is that not even the bakers were supposed to work from sundown the night before Stor Bededag and throughout the following day.
Therefore very large wheat buns were baked the day before which people could take home to heat and eat the next day.
However, the wheat buns were eaten the same night – while they were still warm and crisp.
Today it is possible to buy the wheat buns all over when Stor Bededag is approaching.
The second tradition normally associated with Stor Bededag, was the habit of Copenhagen’s bourgeoisie walking on the ramparts on the evening of Stor Bededag. The custom can be traced back to the 1700s and is said to be caused by the melodious chimes of Our Lady Church’s carillon, which lured people of Copenhagen out on a stroll to enjoy the newly sprouted, spring green linden and chestnut trees.
The carillon was set up in 1747 and destroyed by the British bombardment in 1807 the church’s spire was hit and crashed into the main building, which burned completely.
It seems that the tradition once again is popular among people from Copenhagen and every day might work
Notes
Useful information on this site: Copenhagenet.dk
Kastellet
Kastellet, Copenhagen, Wikipedia
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 🙂
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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
HANNA'S WALK 
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