Monday, August 24, 2009

Aero's Fairy Tale Town of Aeroskobing

The main town on Aero is conveniently named Aeroskobing. This is where the ferry boat docks and it could not ooze any more charm if it tried. The only comparison would be a village in Disney World. In fact I kept waiting for Snow White and her dwarfs to pop out of one of the tiny cottages singing! We spent a lot of time biking to and within Aeroskobing and fell head over heels.
Aeroskobing is one of the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," and is described like this: "Folks from relatively stress-free Copenhagen go to Funen to relax; to really get away from it all, they go to Aero, its offshore little-sister island with picture-perfect villages, rolling hills and patchwork farms. It's a popular sailing center which is ringed by some ninety smaller neighboring islands, many privately owned. Low-key life in Aero centers around salty, perfectly preserved Aeroskobing, a market town in the 1300s that reached prosperity as a sea captains' town in the late 1600s. The principal pastime is browsing its small shops and viewing the cobblestone streets lined with winsome, sometimes gently listing, half-timbered houses decorated with red geraniums and lace curtains." The doors that dot the Aeroskobing homes are particularly enchanting and decorative. Everywhere I looked I found another door more photographable than the next. I couldn't help myself. Pick out your favorite!
These next two doors were on the town church and were my very favorites. I love the way the cross and the star are used in the door motif.I thought the light and shadows in the town were just right - no matter what time of day we went. It is as if God carved out a spotlight for this fairy tale village for all to bask in the light.The photo below with the flowers shows "the poorest street in town, with the most architectural and higgledy-piggledy charm. Have a close look at the 'street spies' on the houses - the clever mirrors letting old women inside keep an eye on what's going on outside"I spy my camera and me! I wonder if anyone from the inside was looking back at us?!?We followed Rick Steves' biking and walking tours on Aero and in Aeroskobing which did not lead us astray. I couldn't get over how old and leaning so many structures were. I hope they never fall! This house below - number 37 - is from the 18th century. Its tiny dormer window is from some old ship's poop deck. The plants above the door have a traditional purpose - to keep this part of the house damp and slow to burn in case of a fire.On the edge of Aeroskobing we biked to the beach bungalows called Vestre Strandvejen, a row of tiny Monopoly-like huts facing the sunset. We missed the sunset, but midday fun was still had. These tiny beach escapes are privately owned on land rented from the town. Each is different, but all are stained with merry memories of locals enjoying themselves Danish-style. They are small one-room huts for storing "beach gear" and the perfect tiny room to duck in for a snooze or a game of cards to get out of the sun. I have to smile at the photo below with the naked boy wading with his mom on the far left and Kirk biking Connor on the far right.
We had a yummy lunch with Aero beer for Kirk at Cafe Aroma. The porch made the perfect lunch spot and I adored the blankets strewn across the backs of each chair - you know, just in case it gets breezy!

1 comment:

beth & chris said...

Hey Reid! My name is Beth and I'm a friend of Dorothy's (we went to PC together) - I've wandered in from her blog! I thought I'd leave a comment because my husband and our one year old and I are actually flying to Copenhagen and later Aeroe next week to visit his grandmother who lives there! I could ramble on, but I'd love to email and pick your brain about flying a looong flight with a toddler, how crazy is security, etc. etc. My email is beth.thaxton@gmail.com. Thanks so much!!