Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Thursday 10 September 2009

Great Danes!

No, we didn't got to Norfolk, Scotland, Finland or the Netherlands - all good guesses and I can see the similarities. We drove to Harwich and took the over-night ferry to to Denmark.

We've explored from Gretten on the far tip of North Jutland - where the Skaggerat's waves from the west crash into to Kattergat's waves from the east and a wind buffeted procession of people walk out to stand on the finger of sand pointing out into the maelstrom . . .


Over many bridges from island to island down to Langeland, almost, but not quite the very south of the country.


The mix of ancient history and tradition and the very height of modern design style is perfectly blended here at Koldinghus, where the old castle has been transformed into a stunning exhilbition space - the current exhibition is about sustainable fashion and 'green' textiles.

For the first part of the holiday we stayed in a hotel in Odense on the island of Funen. This is the old part of the town, with its markets and cobbled streets . . .

On Funen we found sunny harbours and pretty villages, Egeskov castle, the Ladby Viking ship burial and in Brandt's Mill on a rainy morning we discovered exhibitions of stunning creative Scandinavian bookbinding and moodily beautiful landscape photography by Kirsten Klein.


For the second week we had a complete contrast - a little sommerhus in the woods on the shores of Lymfjorden which divides north and mid Jutland. This was the view from the verandah . . .

Dark northern nights with skies spangled with stars; sandy dunes and moors; long pebble beaches - yes there was all that. We visited Skagen (pronounced to rhyme with rain) and saw the beautiful paintings at the Skagans Museum and paid a visit to Silkeborg to see the ancient curled body of Tollund man (the verse in the previous post is from Silkeborg Museum, at the start of the wooden walkway to the building which is now the resting place of Tolland man and Elling woman.)

Beneath the reserved, clean and stylish surface lurks a cheeky sense of humour
. . . was that a monkey? street art to raise a smile in Skive . . .

And what to you think will be in the Resting Garden at Egeskov? "Hammocks that we can lie in" said Cliff . . .

. . . wishes come true, sometimes!


Of course we couldn't not have the harbourside lunch platter . . . mmmm yum!


After two weeks of adventures we had to drive back to the port along the wild dunes on the west caost of Jutland to sail back across the stormy silver North Sea. (Just a bit too choppy for me - oh dear!)



Now, I'm going to break the PPP rule of never appearing on my blog - for the rather momentous reason that

this is my 300th post! Ta-dah!!!!

that calls for a PPP-party
I'll see want I can do ... see you again soon
Celia x

me and Cliff on the top of Koldinghus tower

22 comments:

  1. happy 300th! thanks for the tour--great photos.

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  2. Happy 300th! And thank you for podting this - I went on an exchange trip to Denmark mumble mumble years ago, and I had completely forgotten that we went to see Tollund man too!

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  3. Lovely holiday pics... and lovely photo of you and Cliff! Congatualtions on 300 posts!

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  4. Well done on your 300th post - and such an interesting one too!

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  5. congrats on 300 posts! Smashing holiday tales and photos and lovely surprise to see you both at the end!

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  6. Hi Celia, nice to see your photo.

    Congratulations on your 300th post and for sustaining a very interesting blog.

    I have often thought about a trip to Denmark, thanks for showing us the sights. Maybe one day...

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  7. I was just marveling at how you can take a night ferry to Denmark (!!!!)(the only place a night ferry here would take you would be further into the night!) and musing over the gallery and the landscape and then Tollund Man cropped up. Suddenly I was 13, getting my history exam back and looking over at my friend who was crying (she failed). Underneath the question 'Why did Tollund Man die?' she had written 'because after his last meal, he had nothing else to eat'!

    Congratulations on your 300th post!! PPP was one of my first and favourite blogs and still is. Here's to the next 300!

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  8. Your post makes me want to do meander-traveling! Happy 300th.

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  9. Just a thimbleful........

    Lovely photographs, very atmospheric. I like the green toenails, too.!

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  10. Congrats on 300,Celia.
    I thought you'd gone to Denmark again when I saw those wind vanes and I wondered if you'd tread the same ground as my forbears. Seems you did!(Did you bring back more sock yarn?)


    Blogger is being pesky again so I'm commenting as Dinahmow, but still blogging from Wordpress)

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  11. Oh, tah dah, indeed! 300 blog postings... wow!

    This is a fabulous travel report. I have met many Danes and always wondered about taking a trip to their country. Thank you for keeping my wanderlust alive.

    xo

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  12. Happy 300th post Celia!

    So nice to be able to put a face to your fabulous art and blog ;-)

    What a lovely trip-I adore Denmark and the Danes and have many fond memories of going there often in my teens.

    And the Tollund Man brings back happy memories of my daugher and her obsession/exploits with fans of and the Suffolk band The Darkness. Cant get that tune out of my head now......

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  13. What a wonderful and interesting holiday! I love discovering less travelled-by places. I particularly liked the lunch by the harbour! Many congrats on your 300th post. I don't think I'd be that brave.

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  14. LOVE the monkey crossing the street. Looks so real!

    Congratulations on making it to 300!

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  15. Lovely to catch up with you and congrats on your 300th.

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  16. Wow! 300??!!! Congrats. Here's to another 300!

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  17. Happy 300th post! Looks like you had a great time... what I wouldn't give to just hop on a ferry and be swept off into the night right now!!!!

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  18. Oh Celia, Dark northern nights with skies spangled with stars.... it just makes me want to go out and book a holiday to Denmark straightaway! It looks and sounds wonderful. Congrats on your 300th post and it's good to break the rules sometimes and come out from behind the camera!

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  19. Thank you everyone - 300 posts is a lot! I'm shocked that I've kept at it for so long ... now I must be hooked ...

    Dottycookie - how could you forget!

    Acornmoon - you would love the bookbinding exhibition!

    Jacqui - distances are small here compared to over there in Aus, but we rarely take advantage of being able to explore all the amazing places only a day's travel away!

    Hi Mavis - well spotted! I love my painted toenails - and they're never ever pink!

    Hi Dinahmow - thought you'd guess correctly! And do you know what - yes I did buy more sock yarn!

    Hi PrintedMaterial - Scandinavia is wonderful - it somehow suits my mood and imagination. Maybe it's in my genes...?

    Celia
    x

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  20. You've sold Denmark to me, I'd love to visit. I like the photo of you having a lark on the hammocks! Congratulations on 300 posts, that's quite an achievement. x

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  21. What an interesting post to read just before I go! Thanks for drawing my attention to it. We're going to Copenhagen and Helsingor - can't wait!

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