There's No Place Like Holm. An Account of My Danish Travels, by Keith J. Klein

#bestplacetobetoday #lpblogcomp #lpblogentry

A crisp autumn journey was taken to a remote Danish island. Bornholm, an island just over twice the size of Martha’s Vineyard, bobs in the Baltic Sea and is part of Denmark. Geographically closer to Sweden and former political ties to Germany add mystique as a unique destination. Bornholm is also an off-the-beaten-path, premier biking destination. I hopped a flight from JFK to Copenhagen, then traveled by rail to the closest port, Sweden. The trip to Bornholm was made by high-speed ferry from the town of Ystad. The crossing of the Baltic from Sweden’s medieval village to the port town of Ronne in Bornholm took over two hours. 

After the distant view of Swedish cathedral spires faded, I saw nothing for an hour as the sun melted into the sea.  I knew that anyone who made the sacrifice of this journey would be rewarded, but did not realize the special greeting I was about to receive.

Upon twilight arrival at port, people on the boat were chatting anxiously.  When I asked the person next to me, a young girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, “what’s going on?” she responded, “there’s a problem”. I continued to pry and inquired to an older man with a cane and ascot. “It is the power source from Sweden. It’s been cut again”, he said. This seasoned resident of the island explained the consequences: No electricity or light on the entire island and things would move at a slower pace. I had read that Bornholm was the quintessential escape from the fast paced life of continental cities but that was with electricity. How could it get slower? I was about to find out.  After arriving at the islands port, I was greeted by the pitch dark city of Ronne, and overcome with an old-world feeling. I imagined what it would be like to live in a medieval village. Then I realized I did not have to imagine. This was it. 

The residents of the island responded to the dearth of power with candles to illuminate homes and shops. By candlelight I deciphered a map to find a guesthouse and place for grub.  After a public bus ride, the restaurant I found in the town square of the seaside village of Svaneke was called Bryghus. They improvised with an array of tea-lights on a hand written menu of wood fire-cooked entrees. My choice, the rack of lamb hit the spot and the on-premises brewed beer soothed the soul. Upon exiting I was saluted by a pitch-black sky filled with stars, some shooting. Walking to my accommodations, I heard the waves of the Baltic loudly lapping the shore. I went to bed knowing the daylight of next morning would reveal beautiful terrain and a memorable landscape.  

Up the road from the guesthouse was a small, friendly bike shop. No computers, no files, no paper, no credit cards. The shopkeeper did not speak English and zero Danish is spoken by yours truly, so we both resorted to what little German we knew. After paying I left the shop when she responded, “Schlussel, Schlussel”. I gladly accepted the key and lock. 

By the light of the sun, Bornholm was an idyllic island fringed with gorgeous sand beaches, scenic rocky cliffs and dotted with tiny time-steeped preserved villages serving regional cuisine in a relaxing environment. Behind the sand dunes were rolling hills of open green fields that went on for miles and gave way to a great forest in the center of the island where deer roam. The rural cycling routes were all well marked and logging 35-40 kilometers a day seemed easy given well endowed aesthetic surroundings.



I biked from the village of Svaneke to Gudhjem (pictured)

Bornholm is both a natural and national treasure. In addition to cyclists and beach goers, ornithologists and nature lovers flock to the island for the diversity of birds, flora and fauna. Since much of the island has remained in a natural state more so than the rest of Denmark, the realm of geological features covers a broad spectrum found across Scandinavia in under 100 square kilometres.

The country’s namesake pastry is a must and available at bakeries all over the island. Breakfast Danish are so delicious here, they make for the perfect snack to throw in the backpack and turn a mere bike trip into a sweet cycling odyssey. There’s no doubt this is the #bestplacetobetoday and there’s no place like Bornholm.