Tag Archives: culture

Planning a bike trip to Ærø

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Spring is here and soon it will be more comfortable to enjoy the outdoors more again.

Ærø is a tiny island, around a 3rd of the size of Als, which is part of the South Funen archipelago of islands. It is well connected to Als via a ferry leaving from Fynshav 2-3 times a day. Also, once you get there, due to its small size, it is easily manageable by bike or even on foot (especially with the help of the free bus service). But how would you plan your trip?

Skjoldnæs Fyr, Ærø

Last year we went there for a two day stay. These are two route suggestions based on our trip depending on the time you have. For other routes read the last section.

One day on Ærø (cycle 16km or 36km)

Taking the early ferry at 7:45 ferry from Fynshav (every day except Sundays and public holidays), arriving in Søby, in the north of Ærø at 8:55, means that you can get a decent amount done in one day.

The route is 16km from Søby to Ærøskøbing and if you loop back on the bike it is 36km. If 16km is enough for one day you can take the bus back to Søby.

If you are doing the trip with turist-erria (as we did), grab the picnic lunch from Cafe Arthur just next to the ferry and get on your way.

From Søby cycle down cycle route 90 to Ærøskøbing along the east coast, getting great vistas over the Danish Baltic seas and the Ærø countryside. This is around 16 km and should take 1-2 hours at a leisurely but reasonable speed.

Once in Ærøskøbing park your bike and have a walk around town, to enjoy the town landscape kept intact since the middle ages. Grab lunch here in the centre of town – we had a really good lunch at På Torvet right in the centre of town. If you are not yet hungry (or you’ve had the picnic lunch) but want something sweet, ice-cream from På Torvet or Cafe Aroma by the harbour will probably hit the spot.

After a quiet lunch/snack and a walk around the town, get back on your bike and cycle the 10-15 km to Marstal along cycle route 92. This route is much flatter than route 90 and although around half of it is on gravel road, most of that is really nice to cycle on. Once in Marstal, if you have time, drop in at the Marstal Maritime Museum close to the harbour or, alternatively into Marstal church, which has votive ship models attached to the ceiling.

By now it is probably time to start thinking of getting back to the ferry. The best option to get the most out of your time is to take the bus at 16:08 from the Marstal harbour, arriving in Søby at 17:00, just in time for the ferry at 17:10. If you are using bikes do be aware that the bus will only take 2 bikes on each trip. You are now back in Søby, ready for a restful trip back to Fynshav after a very busy day.

Two days on Ærø

Two days on Ærø will allow you to experience the island at the more relaxed pace the island is probably meant to be experienced. It will also allow you to walk rather than cycle if that is the way you want to unwind.

If on bikes, start the trip as you would a one day trip, cycling from Søby to Ærøskøbing, stopping at pretty locations along the way for a rest, a picnic, or a quick look around the various shops and stalls set up along the way. Once in Ærøskøbing, rather than quickly rushing off to Marstal, we would recommend spending the night in Ærøskøbing, which is the prettier of the two. By now you are probably in need of a well-deserved break, so have a drink and a leisurely lunch, before checking in to your accommodation. We stayed at the holiday accommodation offered by På Torvet in the centre of Ærøskøbing.

Cozy cafe "På Torvet"

Once you’ve had a rest go on an amble around town to get your orientation and learn more about the town. We used the plan as set out in the book Byens Rundt, which took us round most of the streets with information on what we were seeing. If reading all the book and seeing all the sights this will take around 2 -3 hrs, especially if you get distracted by all the shops selling pretty items in town. If it is good weather you can also go for a swim in the beach off Vestre Strandvej. It was May when we went, but we still braved the ‘fresh’ experience!

For dinner you have a number of options. One of the options is to have dinner in one of the restaurants in town. Alternatively, you can do what we did on the recommendation of Gunnar, the owner of På Torvet accommodation, and grab a bottle of wine and a picnic and go see the sunset on the beach next to the beach houses before collapsing into bed for the night.

The next morning buy some rundstykke (Danish rolls) and pastries from the baker in town. Continue as in the plan for the afternoon of a one day trip, with a cycle to Marstal, which should take around 1 hour. During the trip you can make a short detour at one point to see a stone age Jættestuen (burial mound), which we would recommend just for the experience.

Once in Marstal you have the time to properly check out the museum, before having lunch. We had lunch in town, but for our next trip we have our eye on Fru Berg, a fish restuarant on the harbour.

After lunch, grab a bus back up to Søby harbour, even though it is still a while till the ferry is meant to leave. From Søby cycle up to Skjøldnæs lighthouse, which is around a 5 km trip. This is the first thing you see on the ferry when approaching Ærø from Als, so is a fitting way to finish your trip. Once there you can go up to the top to see the views all around. The lighthouse is in a golf club and, if lucky, you may be able to buy an ice-cream or coffee from the club house.

Cycle back to Søby where you can grab a hotdog or ice-cream at Cafe Arthur if you haven’t managed to buy one at the lighthouse and enjoy the last few minutes of relaxation before the ferry arrives.

Our trip to Ærø was sponsored by Ærø turist (ferry ticket), turist-erria (picnic pack and books on Ærø) and På Torvet (accommodation and lunch).

Gymnastics…Danish style

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Gymnastics is a big deal in Denmark. Talk to any Danish person (regardless of age) and the probability that they were part of a gymnastics group at some point in their life is very high. Gymnastics is seen as a sort of collective activity here. The Danish Gymnastics Association, DGI, has more than 300,000 members at this time.

As the Danish wikipedia page says, there are two kinds of gymnastics in Denmark: popular gymnastics, and competitive gymnastics. When a non-Dane thinks of gymnastics, they probably think of the competitive form. However, when Danes think of gymnastics, they think of the first kind.

So what is the difference?

First of all, gymnastics here is not competitive. The output of the groups is, instead, shown at exhibition events at various places around Denmark. During the past weekend, there was such an exhibition weekend at Humlehøj-hallen in Sønderborg. Having heard a lot about it but never experience it, we decided to check it out.

What did we find?

Well, first of all, there were groups of various ages participating, from very young kids who cannot really follow a routine, to an ‘experienced lady team’, with an average age of 74. And, of course, everything in between, though not people between 30 and 60, it seems. These people are, probably, ferrying their kids to gymnastics groups instead and no time for their own participation.

Another thing that struck me is what the routines really showed. Now, as a non-Danes, I typically think of the Olympics when I think of gymnastics. However, that is not the case here. Instead, there seems to be 2 types of routines: that which I would call tumbling, and that which I would call dancing.

The tumbling routines mostly consist of the whole group of kids, typically 10+ kids, doing the same tumble one after each other. The dancing consists of, hmm, a group dance routine. Most routines are an either/or between the two, so the dancing is not done to link the more technically challenging tumbling parts, as is the case with rhythmic gymnastics in the Olypmics. Instead, if the two are interlinked, you might have a flip-flop between the two, so say, a few minutes is done as a dancing routine and the next few minutes as a tumbling routine. The only routine that could be considered somewhat of an exception to this during the event we saw was the Vesterlund efterskole group, where, possibly as they were around 180 participants, there was more scope for amalgamating the two it seemed.

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It was an eye-opening experience to look into this really traditional part of Danish culture that is still going strong. In a way I am glad I didn’t grow up here, as I am sure I would have been absolutely rubbish at it (with even less motivation to do it). However, if you have kids it seems that doing a parent and child class is the thing to do. In that case, I think, I will have to leave it up to Michael to introduce any kids we might have to the delights of gymnastics.

Kieler Woche

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Kieler Woche, or Kiel week, is the largest sailing event in the world combined with one of the largest town festivals in Germany, attracting over 3 million people every year. Events are organised all along Kiel Fjord, with most of the cultural programme focussed on the inner parts of the Fjord and the sailing events focussed around the Olympic harbour (Schilksee).

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Every year Kieler Woche falls on the last week of June, with the events starting on Saturday 22nd June and ending with a fireworks display on Sunday 30th June this year (2013). We made it down there on the opening Saturday to get my first ever taste of Kiel.

Getting There

Driving from Sonderborg to Kiel takes around 1.5hrs. However, Kiel week is particularly crazy, with parking being a big issue. For a more relaxing arrival and departure, leave your car in Flensburg and take the train from Flensburg directly to Kiel. There are trains every hour during the day, and running into the night (extra trains are organised at night on this route during Kiel week). If you are 2-5 people in the group, a Schleswig Holstein group ticket is your cheapest offer.

Getting around

An issue with Kiel week is that the events are spread all over the Fjord. Good walking shoes are a must, but even those will not be enough to get you from the central harbour area to Schilksee for the races. There are two options here: buses (if you have a Schlewsig Holstein ticket you can take a bus from the train station to there for free) or the more scenic option, a ferry. Buses 501 and 502 run from the train station (bus stop A1) to Schilksee every half an hour (3 €) and takes around 45 minutes.  The ferry (4€) takes around 1.5 hrs but is a good way of resting your legs on the way back after a day of walking.

What to do

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Where do we start? There is plenty to do, and having been there only once we don’t dare to even think that we figured out half of what is going on. However, a good plan if this is your first time is to arrive at the train station and have a walk around the harbour area. This area is mainly full with food stalls. From there, walk along the water to the Kiellinie (harbour promenade), where there is more food, fair ground areas, but also other stalls e.g. by the University of Kiel.

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At the end of Kiellinie your main next destination is Schilksee to see some races. We took a bus back to the train station, where we grabbed some lunch and jumped on a bus to Schilksee. This is probably not the best option. We later discovered the ferry: so what you can do is either back track a bit to Reventlou bridge or walk a bit further to Bellevue bridge and take the ferry from there to Schilksee.

Schilksee is the area where most of the sailors are located. It is nowhere near as busy as the inner harbour area. There is also a beach right next to it if a swim is what you are looking for. Having enjoyed Schilksee you can then take the boat or bus back to town, where you can grab some dinner and enjoy the atmosphere.

To know what is going on in Kiel, you can also download the Kieler Woche app to be able to quickly look through events.

When to go

Kieler Woche, as the name implies, is on all week. However, the weekends are the busiest so if you’re going for the atmosphere that is your best bet. We also arrived in Kiel around 10:30 am (it should have rained later and wanted to get in as much as possible before it arrived). In the circumstances, the rain didn’t arrive, so 10:30 was a bit early. Arriving around 11-11:30 is probably a good idea, especially if you want to enjoy the night life of the place.

If you want more information, a good website we found for planning our trip was this one.

Sonderborg Welcome Experience

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You arrived in Sonderborg. Excited about your new life. The sun is (hopefully) shining. The water is shimmering. A great start. You explore the place for the first few days. Questions arise. But where do you find the answers? What have you missed by exploring on your own?

These are questions that hit most newcomers to Sonderborg at some point or another. There is the kommune for regulatory questions (if you can speak Danish), the tourist office for tourist-related questions. But what about those other questions? And that is where the ‘Sonderborg Welcome Experience‘ comes in.

This event was the outcome of a university project by a group of non-Danish students at SDU in Sonderborg. The question they were trying to tackle in their project is how to make newcomers to the area feel more welcome. During a workshop to discuss this, it was clear from all present that a big problem people find is how and where to find the information they need.

Sønderborg Welcome Experience

And this is (part of) the solution: A tent set up in front of the town hall, with information about Sonderborg, Danish food, activities in the area, as well as a way of showing that you are not alone in struggling with the Danish language and culture. The first such event was held the past weekend. However, there are plans to repeat this at semi-regular intervals.

Another great thing is that the resources generated for this event are not restricted just to people attending. One of the possibly most useful resources is a map of sports clubs and cultural sites in the area. Although I am a member of 2 clubs, I had no idea there was actually so much variety! So if you’re into sports, and you haven’t found the relevant club, or are looking at starting something new, do check it out. And if anything has been missed, do leave a comment and we will make sure it gets added.

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A Year of Working in Denmark

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Working in a new country will undoubtedly raise questions about the working style to be encountered. Every company has its own working culture, which is also affected by the cultural expectations of the employees. Before I started working in Denmark I had a number of doubts about what I would find.

These are the points I would have highlighted to myself one year ago, based on my experience of different management styles I have encountered:

  • Expect to be trusted to do you work without being checked. Conversely, be careful how you ask questions to others. They might see it as criticism rather than an attempt at understanding (or knowing that 2 heads are better than one).
  • Expect to receive emails starting ‘Hi’, or even ‘Hello’. Formality is considered redundant.
  • Oh – and don’t expect to receive a reply saying thanks for a report or even confirming that they have received it! no contact = no issues (normally).
  • Expect to be taken seriously, regardless of age or gender. Equality (at least in this sense) really permeates the working life more than I had ever imagined it could.
  • Enjoy a flexible working situation and a good work-life balance. Arrive early and leave early. That said, you can do whatever you want, as long as the work gets done.
  • Forget about management styles you are used to. Decisions making is much more consensual. Great if you are the worker, not so great if you are in need of a decision!
  • Your colleagues are not your friends. Friendly enough at work, but don’t expect this to extend to life outside. Make friends elsewhere.
  • Phone usage? Forget most previous experience. Answering your phone during meetings is fine. But do walk out of the room if possible.

What about you? What would you add to this list?

Review: Being Danish – Paradoxes of Identity in Everyday Life

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I have often wondered about why do Danes act the way they do, or why do they say what they say. In one person it might be an individual trait, but when you notice the same behaviour repeatedly you realise that there is something else beneath this behaviour. However, it was only when I received this book as a gift that I could put some context to my thoughts and some grounding to my feelings.

Being Danish: Paradoxes of Identity in Everyday Life is an ethnographic study of the concept of identity in Denmark. Written by Richard Jenkins, a Professor of Sociology in the UK, it is mainly based on field work done by the author in around 1997 in Skive. The book discusses the paradoxical nature of Danish sense of identity, both inward looking within Denmark as well as outward looking towards Europe and the rest of the world.

The book, although being an academic study, is also quite accessible, though certain parts are a bit tedious for the leisurely reader like me. Even if I am used to reading academic texts, this is a completely different subject so I easily miss the nuanced points the author is trying to make in such sections. In particular, I found the first chapter tough going. However, don’t despair at this stage! The further on in the book you go, the more relevant the book was to my interests (i.e. understanding the people and culture around me).

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Danish sense of identity, be it as an immigrant living here, or as a Dane seeking to understanding the reason behind their actions. I liked the book as it made me think deeper about where I am living, understand the people around me, as well as exclaim very often “Phew – I am not the crazy one here!”.

Urging you to read the book, I leave you with the ‘entertaining observatory explanation’ to the following question, as summarised in the conclusion:

How could it be that despite the overwhelming obviousness of everyday differences between ‘ethnic Danes’ the story that ‘we are all the same’ continues to be sufficiently convincing?

It suits them […] It allows them them to feel better than they are […] It enables them to feel special – even smug and superior […] It allows them, indeed, to overlook the fact that Denmark isn’t actually as wonderful as they think it is.

It also answers part of the question I asked in an earlier post on Danishness. And why not? Feeling smug and superior myself!

A Country of Contradictions?

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Talking with Danes you immediately realise that they have a strong sense of identity, what being Danish means, and why something that you do or the way that you think is NOT Danish. However, Danishness is not as clear cut as most Danes you meet on the streets like to believe. To a foreigner (or at least me), being Danish is also a quagmire of contradictions:

A fair and equal society.

A homogeneous/equal society that focuses on the individual.

Rules so that no one is left out

All of these characteristics are ideal aspirations in themselves. However, reaching a real and sustainable balance between the two is often much harder than it may at first appear unless people consciously keep this in mind.

Kelly Draper, writing for the Copenhagen Post, makes an excellent show of how being fair and equal can be contradictory. Both of these characteristics are to be aimed for. However, a fair society is not necessarily an equal one. A fair society is one where people get what they need when they need it. Otherwise we risk wasting resources ‘helping’ people who do not need it and missing the ones in need as we put rigorous checks and balances in place to ensure that everything is equally divided at the specific level rather than the holistic one. This is, of course, easier to manage, but helps no one.

Another issue I am struggling with is how we teach our* children how to be inclusive citizens and thoughtful about the circumstances that others may be in. Talking to parents (and at work I am surrounded by them) it is usual that there are rules in place at school as to who you can invite to a birthday party (all girls, all boys, or all children in the class), how much money is to be spent on gift, and also who to play with**.

Of course, teaching kids that no one should be left out is an excellent ideal. And there are instances where rules are necessary and important, when someone’s rights are being trampled on. However, when putting such rules in place, are we teaching the kids the importance of what lies behind them, or are we just teaching them to follow rules. And, what about teaching kids that not everyone can afford the same things, so be grateful for what you got in terms of what they could afford. Again, it is easier to put a rule in place than to teach the kid why such an action is important. After talking with parents, unfortunately, I strongly suspect that the second part of explanation is often forgotten.

As a foreigner thinking about the society I am living in I am sometimes criticised for saying anything below stellar about Denmark. I can understand that no one likes hearing criticism about what they do. But I often wonder if what I say stops at the ‘being rebuffed’ level, or if some people also think about it following our encounter. Quoting Socrates “the unexamined life is not worth living”.

 

* Yes. I say OUR children. Although I have no children and am not ethnically Danish, I am living in this society now and am making an active contribution to it. So I am entitled to an opinion about it ( just like everyone else).

** In at least one school, the teachers organise kids into groups of 4 and once a month they go to each others houses to play together.

Multiplicity of Culture (Video)

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A group that calls itself Anonyme Sønderborggensere (Anonymous Sonderborgians) has created a stunning video that shows some cultures in Sønderborg that are a bit underground or in the dark for one reason or another.

I haven’t figured out who they are, or whether they are connected to Sonderborg2017 but they make some amazing shots. My favorite shot is the BMX rider speeding along the road shot from a tall building (or crane).

What’s your favorite bit? And do you recognize the different locations?

Connect-Confront-Celebrate: My take on the S2017 Theme

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The cultural programme for Sønderborg 2017 European Capital of Culture is based on a three-pronged attack: Connect, Confront and Celebrate. Looking in on Danes and Sonderborg as a relative outsider I feel that this strategy, although it does not necessarily feel comfortable, fits precisely what is needed in a Danish context to achieve a European and (hopefully even) global dimension.

So why do I feel so strongly about these 3 words?

Connect

We have to connect to each other as Europeans to reach our full potential. Only together can we bring along the change we envision for our citizens, our artistic community, our region and our friends and peers in Europe.

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Denmark is a society built on strong networks. Unfortunately, breaking into these networks as an outsider may often prove difficult, due to the insularity of most Danish groups. Although Danish society was traditionally multi-ethnic (with minorities mainly being Germans, Norwegians and Swedes), wars with neighbours meant that the size of the country decreased over time such that most of what was left were ethnic Danes. This gave Danes a strong sense of identity, but also fear of ‘the others’. Diversity is often not celebrated, but looked upon with fear – fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of all that is different.

However, in the global society we are living in today, no society can remain isolated. No society can put itself on a pedestal. No society can keep believing that it can go it alone. This is why connections across the border and throughout Europe and beyond is an important aspect to think about.

The idea of networking and collaboration is already a well-ingrained activity for most Danes, so showing the necessity of taking these connections one step further (while accepting the equality of the partners) is a logical, and necessary, progression. Connecting isn’t simply about teaching others ‘your way’, but a dialogue where both learn from each other.

Confront

We want to confront differences and challenges in human relationships to promote new ways of thinking. We can’t risk getting stuck in our old habits and closed-minded thoughts.

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A fundamental aspect for most Danes relates to the concept of ‘hygge‘. This can be loosely translated into ‘coziness’, but really transcends that to a principle that permeates into all aspects of Danish life. It is something you aspire to in all that you do. It is also what pushes Danes to stick to the familiar rather than connect to the unknown.

An issue with this concept, however, is that ‘hygge’ is completely antonymous to confrontation, challenging and questioning. The concept of hygge also reaches up to the highest level of Danish society: the party in government typically seeks consensus in ruling. However, this may leads to the less inspirational middle ground that is legislated for rather than a visionary change. Furthermore, a push for consensus means that it is often the voice of he who shouts loudest that is heard.

However, if one is not challenged about ones thoughts one risks being soothed into a peaceful bubble of self-righteousness, as the thoughts turn into beliefs and the beliefs become set into stone as dogma. It is only by being pushed to think clearly and deeply about our ideas and hearing other people’s thoughts on the same idea, such as happens during an argumentative discussion, that we can ensure that we are not lulled into a false sense of calmness. Otherwise, one risks losing the competitive innovative edge as you isolate yourself as you see no reason for continuous improvement. This is a very dangerous place to be.

Challenging these well-set behavioural norms is a hard slog. However, by putting confrontation at the very top of the agenda, S2017 is actively showing that it realises the importance of such activities. In a more confrontational society (like Malta, where people take sides in everything), focussing on such a theme would have been slightly bewildering. But in the context of a Danish society aiming to be visible on a European platform, this is exactly what is needed.

Celebrate

And we will celebrate cultural diversity and difference because we believe that culture is the strongest vehicle for change.

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Celebrations are a mainstay of all cultures, not least Danes. In the words of someone else “the Danes may be ultra liberal but they’re painfully traditional. Every season, every feast, every holiday, every celebration from cradle to grave has a Danish tradition attached”. So it goes without saying that an event such as this would require its own celebrations.

Besides fun, celebrations may also help consolidate the other two strategies: Typically, Danes like to celebrate within their own houses, making it difficult for people outside the circle to get a glimpse in. However, by focussing on celebrations outside of homes, Danes can experience connecting to others while in the familiarity of something they enjoy. This is particularly so for the big events planned, such as the opening and closing ceremonies.

However, Sønderborg 2017 is also hoping to take the celebrations one step further, and rather than simply celebrating Danishness, also celebrating diversity. Confrontation does not necessarily have to be done in an aggressive way. Celebrating diversity leads to the unknown becoming known, hence losing the fear in the process. Again, a perfect way of not pushing the boundaries of comfort too far, while supporting connections and confrontations.

Smoking in Denmark

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I always equated a wealthy, well-educated society, such as Denmark, with a health-conscious society. I think this is a general assumption, and in the case of Denmark was reinforced further in my mind when Denmark was the first country to introduce a fat tax (though we won’t go into the minefield of pros and cons of that law here!).

However, if Danes may be eating healthily, they have definitely not stopped smoking. A report by the World Health Organisation shows that around 25% of the Danish population are daily smokers. That’s a very significant proportion.

When looking at the statistics from other countries (e.g. UK, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic) it is clear that smoking is more prevalent in Denmark than in these other countries (by over 10% when compared to Sweden) . From my experience, however, where Denmark differs from these countries in an even bigger way is in the way smoking is perceived.

The lack of consideration by smokers in Denmark is almost shocking! People seem to smoke everywhere. While in the UK (and most other countries I have been to, except the Czech Republic) smokers would politely move outside to smoke, in Denmark no one bats an eyelid if a smoker lights up right next to you. Even in small, quite enclosed spaces, such as bus shelters, people will be smoking; most days there is a smoker at my local one, and it is not the same one! I have even seen a mother waiting in the bus shelter with her young kid and smoking!

It seems to be perfectly acceptable to smoke in a room full of people, perfectly acceptable to smoke next to a pregnant woman, and perfectly acceptable to smoke next to children. What is even more shocking to me, however is that no one seems to comment.

Maybe the damage smoking does not just to you but to the people around you just hasn’t gotten through to Danes? Or maybe they really just don’t care? I am at a loss on this subject, so please do feel free to enlighten me!