Aabenraa

25.07.20

The sunrise shortly after 5 promised beautiful weather. This was true at least in the morning, which we spent enjoying breakfast at the garden table.

Ute, the sister of our landlord, joyfully announced that she is now picking up her brother's children and their father. The transition at the garden table went smoothly and once again we wondered why this house rents out 2 rooms but restricts the guests' stay quite a bit in terms of space.

As nice as everyone really is, it is always somewhat difficult to move around freely. At half past one, we start the tour of Aabenraa, a town with about 16,000 inhabitants in southeast Jutland. We are only about 20km away from the German-Danish border, and it is nice that here people do not automatically speak German at the bakery but both sides use a common foreign language.

Small houses with nice shops line the pedestrian zone, but now practically everything is already closed. Cafés and restaurants are crowded. We walk along the harbor to the town's large beach. The water of the Aabenraa Fjord is wonderfully clear, and a few paddleboarders slowly plow through the bay.

We wait out a brief rain shower before continuing our walk to Brundlund Castle, which now houses an art museum, but we do not visit it. In the castle park, several sculptures can be seen, as well as magnificent old trees.

A huge pear tree, a copper beech, and others - all with expansive leafy canopies that protect us from a light shower. On the way back, we briefly stop at a supermarket, get the last things for our dinner, and by half past six and after a good 10km on foot, we are back in our accommodation. Our conversation from this morning about the somewhat misleading description of the house on Airbnb leads to Ingrid, our host, leaving the scene until midnight and us being able to sit alone in the garden at ease, before we dive into mountains of vegetables and make a huge vegetable pan. Unfortunately, it's too chilly outside, so we unfold on the dining room chairs and chat until midnight, as the living room on the first floor is more of Ingrid's sanctuary.