Bornholm, Denmark

 

Smokehouse

The Denmark flag is the oldest national flag in the world. The legend is that the Archbishop of Denmark prayed in 1222 for God’s blessing against the Swedes and a red flag with a white cross floated down from heaven. Bornholm is a 30 x 40 km. island only 30 km off the Swedish coast. It has 14K people living here. Fishing was the primary industry, but now agriculture and tourism predominant.

Hammershus Castle

We visited a former smoke house. Here the women smoked the fish and then hung them on racks to dry. The island is primarily made of granite in the north and we saw several quarries. Our most interesting stop was Hammershus Castle. Built in 1250, this was once the largest castle in Scandinavia. It was deserted in 1525 when the Germans took the island. We explored St Olaf’s Church, a Nordic Round Church built in 1115.

St. Olaf's Church

In the afternoon, we took a hike from Gudhjem along the coast from the seashore to the cliffs and through the forest. We made good time, so the bus driver suggested another short walk to his favorite spot on the island.

Hike along the coast

That evening, Krishna, our restaurant manager, MCed the Crew Show.