Bornhom: The "Sunny" Island

We interrupt this recap of Dunns-Come-to-Germany 2012 to do a quick post about our trip to the island of Bornholm this last weekend.

We signed up to go on a little three day jaunt with the university's International Club because 1) they always plan really great things for a really super price and 2) we really wanted to go see this Bornholm place because it's just kind of an odd Danish duck.

Bornholm actually lies to the southeast of Sweden and is closer to Poland than Denmark.  In it's history, it's been part of various countries, but always seems to wind up back in Denmark, even though, if you believe our proud Bornholmsk tour guide, most residents really feel as if their little island is more like it's own country than part of anything else.

Plus, Bornholm is a rocky island.  I know that sounds...underwhelming...but no other place in Denmark looks like this.  A lot of the time I felt like we were back on the Oregon coast than halfway across the world.  It was so wonderful to see crashing waves and tidepools again.

Finally, Bornholm is famous for being the sunniest place in Denmark.  Which is why it rained practically the entire time we were there.

SO.

After driving over the bridge into Sweden and then taking an incredibly fast catamaran ferry to the island, our first stop was the Bornholm Technical Museum.  Which was a strange name, I thought, since it was explained as a private museum where people donated their collections of things.  Sounds boring.  Actually, it was so incredibly fun because you were free to climb on, pick up, tinker with, try on, and really figure out anything you wanted to.  In one room there was a wall of old gramophones that I could wind up and actually use to play antique recordings.  Or a fully functioning 19th century kitchen where I could use old-timey egg beaters and hand-cranked grinders.

Really.  I would go back in a second.  It was a giant playground of history.

Tea cup collection.  About 10000 of them.

In the WWII collection

Check THAT off my fantasy list

The next day we spent driving around Bornholm and learning about the island's different natural landscapes, villages, and churches.  We went to the echo valley - which is famous for...echoes.

Took a stroll around the village of Sveneke to check out the glass works, chocolatiers, caramel shops, and the infamous home of Danish licorice (nasty, nasty.  It's still nasty.)

And ended at the famously round Ols Church. (It was very awesome).

 On our last day, we had the chance to visit the beach with the softest sand in the world - Dueodde Beach on the far southern tip.  Seriously.  It's famous for its soft sand.  And the reputation is totally deserved.  I could have walked along that beach all day, it was so incredibly nice.

I pretty much just wanted to stay here for 8 more hours

But, we had a lunch appointment to make at one of the famous Bornholmsk fish smokers where we shared a super-Bornholmy meal, including a super-Bornholmy smoked herring.

I'm usually overwhelmed by smoked meat, but I have to admit that the herring was pretty fantastic.  I'd have a couple more in my life, no problem.

Then it was back to the ferry, back to Sweden, and then back to Denmark.  We've had two days back to work now but tomorrow we head off on another, longer trip.  So, stay tuned for more travel reviews in a week and a half or so.

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I'm counting down the days until my third anniversary of living in Europe by recapping trips that I never got around to highlighting.  You can see the list of trips (and links to them as they are written) here.