Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the island of Aeroe (‘Ærø’ in our weird language), one of the small islands of The South Funen Archipelago. Spending most of summer in Denmark, I am being completely unbiased when stating that this country is in fact one of the best places in the world to spend these warm months. We have it all; a pulsating city (just one I would say, but still!), beautiful coastline, lots of nature and open spaces, something I cherish deeply when temperatures hit 25 degrees. The island of Ærø is the perfect picture postcard of everything associated with Danish summer idyll, and such a beautiful place to visit for a couple of relaxing days away from the city.
During our five days on Ærø, we both had time to chill at the beach (see that beach house on photo number five – these charming houses are everywhere on Vester Strand) and to bike around the quaint little villages and beautiful corn fields of the countryside. As anywhere else in Denmark, getting around by bike is highly recommended, but keep in mind that you can hop on all busses on Ærø free of charge and bring your bike for free as well – a lifeline nice having when the physical challenge gets a little too much! One evening we rode our bikes home after having a great dinner in the most beautiful garden, and this city girl was a little overwhelmed with the silence and prettiness of the surrounding landscape.
Although we visited the island in the tourist high season, we often felt that we had the whole island to ourselves and we could have easily spent a couple of extra days on this island, me taking photos of just about everything I saw. Around 7,000 people live on Ærø, which makes this island the 12th smallest in Denmark. However, this place has not stopped in time nor do they rest on their laurels – on the contrary, Ærø is inhabited by with entrepreneurs that have created creative businesses here, producing local goods such as the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had, beef sausages with nothing but meat and herbs from the beach and jam from Aeroe-gooseberries. This island is definitely a delight on both the eyes as well as the stomach!
– Invited to Ærø by the local tourist organization Visit Aeroe –