DAY 30 - ESRUM ABBEY, COASTAL DRIVE AND CHECKING OUT THE ASSERBO RUINS...

 We have organised a big day or exploring today.  We've told the kids that we will look at getting our own dinner as we had a great list of places to go and visit and as it doesn't get dark until close to 11pm figured that we would just keep going until we had seen all that we wanted to see...

We started the day with a quick trip into Copenhagen, so that Steve could see the Chiropractor once again.  Since his last visit, he has noticed a big improvement.  On his last visit, he was given a heap of exercises to do and he has been very faithful in doing them, hence I am sure the improvement...

Pete suggested we do the Coastal drive along the Danish Riveria today and stop off and explore the Esrum Abbey on our way and finish by visiting the Asserbo Slotruins on our way home...

None of these places were on the list of places that I had planned to visit when I was doing my research at home, but Pete assured us that they were all worth a visit.  It is so good getting info from a local... We had the best day....

The route for our scenic drive today...

 Before we left home, he helped us map out a route on Google Maps which we screen shot and saved.  He mapped our route to take us for a drive through Kongernes Nordjaelland National Park as it was a beautiful drive through the forest.  It was a bit of an indirect route to take, but Pete assured us that it was definitely worth it.. 

 

A large portion of the nation park is taken up by Gribkov, (which we drove through) which is Denmark's largest forest, covering some 5600 hectares.  The landscape here is undulating with varied vegetation, but mostly pine, beech and some very majestic old oak trees.

 

Driving through Kongernes Nordjaelland was beautiful

The first place that Pete suggested that we visit was Esrum Abbey or Monastery.   Unfortunately we couldn't do a tour through the actual Abbey itself as it was closed on a Monday.  However we were able to wander around the grounds and peep in windows and even wandering around the grounds was definitely worth the visit... 

Esrum Monastery and mill farm is located just north of Esrum Lake. A gravel road leads from Frederiksværkvej up to the car park south of Esrum city

 

 

 

Although Esrum Kloster (Abbey) was established in 1151 by  Bishop Eskild and it was located in the countryside of North Zealand.  It was a centre for funerals, education and a functioning residence for Denmark's royal family and nobility. It grew steadily until the Reformation, when it was abolished.  The Cistercian order, who lived on the monastery, never quite finished building the 70 metre long church.  It grew in the landscape and gained many adjoining places in North Zealand.

When the monks came to Esrum, they had the watermill technique with them, and made a small watermill on the meadow.
Later da Chr. IV came to the convent so he saw opportunities to improve performance. He moved the river and built a new mill with a drop of almost 3 meters and a water wheel over 5 m in diameter. The mill burned down in 1854, so the mill that stands today is not the original.

 

Esrum Møllegård with watermill is part of the Foundation for Esrum Monastery and Møllegård, which runs a visitor centre and cultural and nature dissemination.

We didn't see too much evidence of fish in the creek...

 Once in the Middle Ages, this North Zealand area was under the pope's direct protection. The changing popes of the Middle Ages probably had no idea what this monastery would later be exposed to. With the closure of Denmark's monasteries during the Reformation, buildings and lands were not only taken over by the Crown. King Frederik 2 also demolished nine tenths of the huge monastery complex and made the monastery his North Zealand hunting castle.

 

 

 

Love the jet lines across the skies in Denmark -  very common sighting...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The grounds around at Esrum were stunning,  The forests and bushlands here are so different to what we have back home.  We had such a lovely time just checking out the grounds...

 

 

 

 We found the history of Esrum really interesting.  The abbot, the head of the monastery, was often foreign and between the monks, Latin was spoken, as they also came from different parts of Europe. The lay brothers, monks who did not participate in all the card services, were, however, mainly recruited from the wider population in Denmark.

The most important function of the monastery was to intercede for all Christians - but first and foremost for those who had given land and resources to the monastery. Esrum's contacts abroad were also nurtured - each year the abbot attended the General Chapter along with all the other abbots from monasteries throughout Europe.

These days there is a cafe on site where you can enjoy a nice lunch but unfortunately for us, although people were working in there, it was their day off and they were not serving guests, so we had to miss out...

This building now houses  an information centre and a gift shop, but again we could not check it out as it was closed on a Monday and as this was the only free day we had to explore it, we will have to come again when we visit Denmark next to have a good look inside the building...

The grounds were so green and the paddock on the way down to the Abbey itself had herd of sheep grazing in the paddock.  They were the typical sheep we see back home, these were all shades of white, grey and black and all shades in between  and were ever so cute. 

Not sure what this tree was the the flowers were prolific on it and the scent was amazing...

 There is quite a history to the Abbey at Esrum,  Like I said before it was founded in 1151 by Archbishop Eskil.  The Archbishop is an important figure in Danish history who was renowned for his fierceness in battle even in his old age.  In hi capacity as the head of the church in Denmark, he often visited Europe where he became very impressed with the Cistercian order of monks at Clairvaux.  In 1153, he requested Bernard of Clairvaux to send monks to Esrum to start an order there.  The Archbishop himself often stayed at the monastery, a place which was believed to have special significance for him...

The life of a monk at Esrum Abbey was one of harsh and unending routine, beginning at 2am with devotional prayers, which often lasted for several hours.  This was followed by more praying and the confessing of sins, for which punishments of flogging and forced fasting were not uncommon.  The Abbey was self sufficient so the monks were also busy labouring in the vegetable gardens and fields in order to provide their daily rations...

 Over the years, the Abbey expanded and became wealthy, owning more than 300 farms and a large number of churches and mills at the time of the Reformation in 1536.  The  Abbey itself consisted of  large four winged buildings and a massive 70 metre long church.  The Reformation in Denmark, unlike in many other European countries, was a bloodless affair and the king allowed the remaining monk to continue living at the Abbey until 1559 when it was closed down.  Most of the building and the church were then demolished and the building materials used for Kronborg Castle and St Olai's Church in Helingor.  The property was converted into a royal stud farm until 1716 and later the remaining building was transformed into a tax office.  

For many years, the Abbey was used as storage for the National Museum.  In 1992 the old water mill at the Abbey was restored allowing for cultural activities to begin taking place at this historical landmark..

When digging the area during the restoration many relict-plants grew up from seeds which had been sleeping in the earth for centuries. Experts from Scandinavia got together and created a fantastic medieval garden (Esrum Klosterhave) with a various selection of plants with a cultural and medicinal history. Herbs can be bought in the shop. Besides the ecological café in Esrum Møllegård there is also a café in the vaulted cellar in the cloister building , "Broder Rus Café", where people can get dishes made from original medieval recipes and beer, brewed like the monks did. (Munkeøl).

 

Ste

Steve was pretty impressed to find a couple of bee hives in the meadow behind the herb garden and had to take a couple of photos.  We haven't seen too many bee hives in Denmark, we have seen quite a few bees in the gardens, but no hives at such, so he was pretty chuffed to find these ones...

 

 

 Today, Esrum Abbey is a museum, cultural and a nature centre that hosts many activities and events throughout the year.   The meadows and lakes around the Abbey allow for lovely scenic walks and picnic.  Horses, sheep and goats graze in the fields and they run educational courses where folk can learn about the local plants and wildlife and there are also some lovely playground for children on the grounds...

Medicinal plants and herbs from the Middle Ages are still grown at the Abbey garden.  The Abbey Shop sells food grown in the garden and made at the Abbey, such as honey, bread, oil and it's own brand of beer.  

Tours of the Abbey are available and the Abbey hosts different exhibitions throughout the year, as well as displays of artifacts and the story of life at the Monastery.  There are two Cafes on the grounds which specialises in Medieval-inspired cuisine.

There are several festivals held at Esrum Abbey annually, with the most popular being "Riddermarked" or Knight's Market, which is held annually in June.  During the festival, the grounds of the Abbey are transformed into a Medieval encampment with displays of jousting, falconry, weaponry and Medieval music.  Children even have the opportunity to take up the challenge of becoming a knight or lady.  Each Summer an adventure camp takes place during the summer where children can learn about nature and how to live and fight like their Medieval forebears.

A Harvest Festival is held each Autumn and in December the Abbey hosts a Christmas market.  Some of the other special events that are held at the Abbey include author talks, lectures and theatre.

Homes are now popping up on what was once Abbey land...

Beautiful green meadows surround the Abbey...

Wild flowers abound everywhere...

The original well at the monastery

Lots of places on the grounds for families to picnic at.  Taking a rest from our big walk around the grounds...

We found lot of dirt mounds on the grounds and wondered what they were.  As Steve was walking back to join me, he came across one of the gardeners and stopped to have a chat to him.  He asked him about all the little dirt mounds and found out that they were actually caused by Moles.  Apparently they are considered to be real  pests especially in farming communities in Denmark, and they set traps to catch them.  It is probably a lot like we would try and trap mice or rats back home.  In fact in Denmark their Moles would be considered like rats here and they need to get rid of them.  We felt a little sad by this as both Steve and I think they are quite cute....

After spending a good couple of hours here, it was time to move on.  It was already after lunch, although we were yet to find somewhere to eat.  We headed off heading north to check out Hornbaek.  Hornbaek is only about an hour's drive from  Copenhagen and is both the biggest and most popular beach in the region.  It makes up part of the area of Denmark known as the Danish Riveria.  The beach there is wide with fine white sand and beautiful clear water, sheltering dunes in the backdrop and i generally a safe bathing beach for children and adults alike.   The beach here was as good as any of our beaches we have back home.  There is also a great beach playground and barbecue area just east of Hornbaek harbour. 

Driving into Hornbaek....

Awesome take away restaurant right on the harbour..

Typical family bike in Denmark...

Beautiful white fine sandy beaches,,,

Children's playground right on the beach..

We decided to order some fish and chips and sit on the water front to enjoy them.  The place was packed with like minded holiday makers doing the same as us.  We were lucky to get a table to sit at.  If we thought the fish and chips were expensive in Hundested, we realized that they were not that expensive after all.  It cost us $50Aus for our lunch of fish and chips.  I have to say too that the Danes could get a few lessons from those cooking fish and chips back in Oz....

Our view at lunch time...

Drinks and strawberries

Fish and chips for lunch....

Seagulls in Denmark are different to seagulls in Australia...

 

 

After lunch we went for a little walk around the beach area of Hornbaek.  There were lots of little fishing shacks.  I took a few photos before heading to climb up one of the sand dunes so that I could get a good view of the coast line.  Meanwhile whilst I headed for the sand dunes, Steve headed out along the pontoons to check out the boats in the harbour.  There were some pretty impressive boats moored there...

The main beach at Hornbaek.

The views from the top of the sand dunes were really lovely.  It was a huge effort to get up the sand dunes a the sand was so soft and it was hard to get a firm footing in the sand and it was really hard on the knees getting up the hill.  I figured that I wasn't going to manage it back down on my own as going downhill i much harder on your knees than going uphill.

The sand was very soft and loose...

Beach flowers

Views of the harbour from the top of the sand dunes

Looking along the beach from the top of the sand dunes...

Fortunately there was a picnic table up on the top of the sand dune which allowed me to have a seat whilst I waited for Steve to join me.    I don't know what I would have done if the seat was not there as Steve took ages to join me...  He got quite engrossed looking at the boats and then watching a  barge come back into the harbour...

Stunning beaches in the Danish Riveria...  It would actually be nice to spend a couple of days holidaying up here....

The harbour at Hornbeak is a modern well equipped harbour with mooring for 200 boats.  It lies next to "shanty town", a collections of huts where fishermen check their tackle and hang flatfish out to dry.  There are shower and toilet facilities at the harbour which is ideal for those coming in to holiday on their boats for the Danish Summer...

Watching the cargo ships sail past...

Lots of fishing shacks close to the harbour...

A barge coming back into the Harbour...

Perfect weather, perfect conditions to be out on the water...

Whilst I was up waiting for Steve to join me, beach life changed with more and more folk heading down onto the beach...  I spent quite a bit of time watch a family try to launch a kite...

I was thankful to finally have Steve join me at the top of the dune... Mostly as it was now after 3pm and we still had so many places to explore and I know that I would need his help in getting back down and getting back to the car...

Totally chilled out and relaxed...

Such a wonderful spot to stop and unwind...

We made our way back to the car and it was time to be on our way again...  We still had at least another three if not four sea side villages to explore...

We followed the road along the coast passing through the lovely seaside village of Dronningmølle.  Again we drove through some lovely forests on our way...

Lovely coastal drive...

Dronningmølle Bay...

Dronningmølle beach lies snugly in the Dronningmølle Bay between Munkerup and Villingebaek, on the Hornbaek - Gilleleje stretch. Natural conditions have formed a beautiful wide andy beach with low dunes where the water only slowly gets deep which makes it an ideal place for families with young children to spend their summer holidays. 

Just outside of Dronningmølle we came across Fyrhistorik Museum...  Unfortunately we were unable to climb up to the top of the lighthouse as it i only open during June to September so we were a little too early in our visit..   Apparently  from the top  there are  picturesque views right across Oresund and Kattegat.  I can see we are going to have to revisit a few places along here next time we visit in the Summer months...

Today the Lighthouse Museum tells the history of Danish lighthouses.  Nakkehoved Lighthouse actually consist of two lighthouses, one east and one west, both of which were built in 1772.  There is only one lighthouse in Sweden.  Thus shipping could distinguish between the Danish and Swedish coast based on the number of lighthouses.  

Nakkehoved Ostre Fyr,  other call to fame is that it was the world’s first coal-fired lighthouse.

Both lighthouse were built together with a lighthouse keeper's residence, where the lighthouse keeper and his family lived.  The residence by the western lighthouse is today set up as the Lighthouse Historical Museum.  Nakkehoved's two well preserved pines are a rarity both nationally and internationally so are therefore protected...

Beautiful views out to sea...

Back in the cars and moving along again.  We stopped off a couple of more times to enjoy the coastal views.  This next stop was right next to an awesome looking holiday house..

 

 

Beautiful holiday accommodation right on the water's edge...

Views of the ocean.

Having  a rest in the beautiful Danish sunshine..

Steve decided to take a hike done the long staircase to the water's edge and take a walk out along the jetty.  I decided to wait up top for him.  Didn't think my knees would like all those stairs...

Stairs down to the beach

Taking a walk out along the jetty...

Giving me a wave...

The beach here was nothing like Hornbaek.  There was little or no sand at all, mostly rocks and pebbles so there for not a go spot to holiday along here even with the lovely accommodation on the headland...

We took off again this time heading for Gilleleje.  This was the seaside resort that Pete had taken Maria to for their night away on the coast.  He highly recommended that we visit it as it was a lovely seaside village with lots of atmosphere and character...  

In Denmark, the forests go right to the edge of the ocean and again we were driving through beautiful forests as we made our way further west along the coast...

Stunning drives through the forest as we drove along the coastline..

Beautiful clear blue skies with the ever jet lines across the sky.  This is one of the things we have loved being here in Europe.  On a clear day multiple jets fly overhead leaving their trails, the criss cross leaving lovely streaks and patterns and I never tire of seeing them..

Jets flying overhead.

Once arriving in Gilleleje, we found a park down on the beach front.  This really is a gorgeous little village with very narrow streets and houses close together.  

We noticed in Gilleleje that the picnic tables at the beach all had built in BBQ's on them.  We haven't seen this anywhere else in Denmark so we found it quite interesting.

Picnic tables here had little built in BBQ's on each end of the table

The beach at Gilleleje.

We spent some time just sitting at the beach here and watching some rowers row across the bay.  We could hear them giving instructions, and it was interesting to watch just how they worked together...

There is no doubt that Gilleleje's focal point is it's harbour.  It seems to be where most people gravitate to soak up the atmosphere, stroll along the pier and look at all the fishing boats and sailors.  Gilleleje Harbour is the largest commercial port on the island.  The boatyard is not really there for tourists, nor are the fishing net poles, colourful pennants and ropes.  And that's precisely why the harbour is so appealing.

It has been a popular holiday destination since the holidaymakers arrived back in the early 1900', and the harbour area.  The harbour precinct has many inviting restaurants with terrace and courtyard environments, you can also buy fresh fish from fishmongers who are set up there.  We gave it a miss as we still had a few hours in the car and no where to keep it cold.  

There is also an Stejlepladsen, an amazing nature playground for children which has a slide, jungle gym, a sandbox shaped like a boat and porpoise wings.  The children can catch small fish, whilst their parents can indulge in one of the many drinks on offer nearby all the while whilst enjoying the stunning view from the playground.  It truly is a beautiful area and I can see why Pete and Maria were keen to spend 24 hours here...

We just had to park the car and talk a walk around the Harbour area.  We came across this massive bike and of course, with bikes being such a popular mode of transport in Denmark, just had to have our photo taken with it...

Steve was also happy to wander along some of the pontoons and check out some of the amazing boats moored in the harbour her also.   Whilst a lot of tourist would use the harbour there was a lot more evidence of this harbour being used by fishermen and we saw a few of them unloading their catch for the day...

We enjoyed a walk along the waterfront before hoping back in the car to have a bit of a drive through town...

 

We also learnt that Gilleleje played an important role in War World II in that it became the port from where the Danish Jews fled here from the Nazis.  The darling local fishermen in their colourful wooden-hulled fishing boats, sometimes under heavy gunfire transported the refugees into neutral Sweden.  Not only did these fisherman risk their live in doing this but they also risked the lives of their families as well

 

Jewish people in Europe would hold this charming fishing village in the northernmost point of Zealand in a very memorable place in their history.

On our drive we came across a house that was having a new thatched roof installed and stopped to have a good look at it.  All quite fascinating and we are amazed at how think the straw needs to be and how it is bound together...

It's getting a new roof....

Views from the beachfront...

One thing we noticed in our drive around town was how narrow the streets were and how in a lot of cases, the houses were built out onto the front with no front yards.  The houses here were also more like cottages and often painted bright colours.  It was all very very pretty and we loved it here.  In fact, we would love to come again and possibly just spend a whole day here rather than touring around...

From here we headed further along the coat as we still had a couple of places we wanted to visit before heading home... 

 

Iconic beach huts and views of the sparkling blue sea.

Striped bathhouses and beach promenade in Rågeleje

The most famous at Rågeleje Strand must be the iconic striped bathhouses. They are private but cosy to walk past and take pictures of when you are on the beach in the summer.

Jump in the water on a hot day or go for a long walk with the wind in your hair in the fall. In the summer season, the ice houses are open so that you can stroll along the seafront with a refreshment.

Rågeleje is one of the traditional historic seaside resorts on the North Coast. Here you’ll find stately old summerhouses on the slopes high above the coastal road, and the beach is lined with huts featuring the boldly coloured stripes that are so characteristic of Rågeleje.

The coastal road follows the beach for a long way, and Rågeleje is probably the place in North Sealand where you can drive closest to the sea and truly experience the wind and weather. When it is very windy, the area has plenty of kites and windsurfers to watch.

Rågeleje is one of the traditional historic seaside resorts on the North Coast. Here you’ll find stately old summerhouses on the slopes high above the coastal road, and the beach is lined with huts featuring the boldly coloured stripes that are so characteristic of Rågeleje.

The coastal road follows the beach for a long way, and Rågeleje is probably the place in North Sealand where you can drive closest to the sea and truly experience the wind and weather. When it is very windy, the area has plenty of kites and windsurfers to watch.

 We were abolutely delighted to come across kilometres of boldly coloured striped beach huts which are so characteritic of the area around Rågeleje.  I had to photograph these mostly from the car as there was no where to pull of the road and park so that I could get out and photograph them. 

 Rågeleje is one of the traditional historic seaside resorts on the North Coast. Here you’ll find stately old summerhouses on the slopes high above the coastal road.

The coastal road follows the beach for a long way, and Rågeleje is probably the place in North Sealand where you can drive closest to the sea and truly experience the wind and weather. When it is very windy, the area has plenty of kites and windsurfers to watch.

From Rågeleje we continued our drive through to Vejby Strand, another lovely old summerhouse area which is located between Rågeleje and Tisvildeleje.

 

At 49 metres above the sea level, this area is the highest point on the North Zealand coast and is characterised by steep cliffs where steps lead down to a narrow beach.  The view across the sea though is amazing, especially with the beautiful rolling landscape behind... 

 

Like a lot of the other beaches along this northern coastline, the beach has two staffed lifeguard posts during the peak summer months.  

 

Unlike the other beach shacks we had come across, there was plenty of parking on the beach here so we were able to get out and wander  amongt them.  The shacks here were not only more colourful, but much larger also and they were not all painted in stripes.  We were able to get much better photos of the them here as well...

 

 

The beach here was also littered with lots of little boats..

Here the beach shacks were not all built in a row, but were randomly built along the sand dunes and there was almost like a little village of them...

It was nice to see folk enjoying time at the beach in their little shacks...

Some were very colourful and reminded us of the ways back home in Melbourne

It was nice to see that they were still popular and being used today...

There was plenty of parking along the beach front here...

By now it was after 7.30pm and we knew that we would have to keep moving as we  still wanted to visit the Asserbo Ruins before we headed home...

Fortunately it was on our way home.  We set the GPS and headed inland to find Asserbo..  

 

We found the Asserbo Castle Ruins inside between the trees in Tisvilde Hegn, which in itself is another great place to explore a little more.   It has now gone on our list of places to explore a little more when we return to Denmark again in the future...

Tisvilde Hegn is Denmark's fifth largest forest stretching from the coast in Tisvildeleje to Asserbo plantation. The forest is located directly beside the Kattegat and has a coastline stretching 8 km.

The area has many sacred springs. Tisvilde Hegn is characterised by the sand drifts which raged in the 1500-century when the forest was planted to stop the silting up of the area.

The shifting sands ravaged in the 16th century. To counter this the local population in the 17th and 18th centuries planted the forest we see and know today. The forest floor changes a lot, and in some places, the shifting sand has created 20 metre high hills.

 Botanically this forest has a very valuable herbal flora, especially the orchid 'Knærod' and the forest is also rich in rare insects - especially beetles and butterflies. In the plantation area, there is a large and varied bird population.  There are also many walking and cycling tracks through the forest and and there were several cars in the car park when we arrived, so we assumed it was a pretty popular place to visit even at this time in the evening...

Asserbo Castle also has an interesting history and was built at a similiar time to Esrum Abbey back in 12th century.  Asserbo castle  was founded by Bishop Absalon in 1100 the latter half who invited French monks from the Carthusian to inhabit it.  The castle was taken over first by the King around 1560 and in subsequent centuries by drifting sand.  The castle was liberated from the sand in two phases, initially by King Frederik VII in 1849 and then by the National Museum excavations in 1972. 

 

Around  1500-1600 century, Asserbo castle was struck by the great sand drift and probably abandoned in the early 1700s. The castle was excavated in 1849 and ramparts were restored in 1972.

The area around Tisvilde is one of the places in Denmark that has been hardest hit by sand drift. From the middle of the 16th century, the sand added inland over up to 30 meters in height, so that the landscape almost resembled a desert.

It also went beyond Asserbo Castle ruin. Both the castle and the surrounding villages were abandoned and covered with sand. They subsequently managed to bring the sand escape to life, among other things by planting the trees in Tisvilde Hegn. In 1892, the ruins of Asserbo Castle and the moat were excavated, and in 1972 they were rebuilt.

The original building, which has constituted Asserbo castle consisted of a main building, basement, tower with basement and finally some half-timbered houses. Munk stone which has some great bricks, formed the foundation for the bottom of the buildings. Around the castle was one of violence, and to enter the castle you had to cross a drawbridge that lay in a northerly direction. In the Middle Ages the castle was surrounded by wetlands, which meant that it was hard to get to the castle from south.

With the rebuilding of the ramparts by the Museum in 1972 and then the building in 2005, of  a new beautiful oak bridge leading to the ruins, it means that it is now quite safe to walk across the relatively wide bridge with handrails on both sides to explore the ruins.

Relatively new oak bridge leading across to the ruins of the castle..

Great time of the day to visit with the soft evening light...

By now it was after 9pm at night and we could see the sun falling lower and lower to the horizon.  As we still had a good half hour drive until we would reach home, we decided to call it quits on our adventures for the day..

A beautiful day out exploring together...

We managed to get home a little quicker than we expected and were driving into Pete's front yard right on 9.35pm.  What a masssive day... We had left home around 8.30am to drive into Copenhagen to visit the Chiropractor and we hadn't stopped since.  We did manage to see an awful lot today and came home feeling tired but very satisfied.  We discovered some wonderful places now of which had been on our list of adventures we had planned before we left.  

Tomorrow we have another really big day planned as we want to go and explore Frederiksborg Castle.  We have visited here before back in 2016 when we were over for Pete and Maria's wedding, but had no ideal of the grandeur of the place so didn't have enough time to do it justice.  We weren't going to make the same mistake this visit...