Skagen, Denmark
A confluence of beautiful elements is found at the top of Denmark at the northern tip of the Jutland Peninsula. Here are the gates of the Baltic, entry to our voyage’s destination, where waves from two seas lap against each other at a windswept sand spit. We rode on tractor-pulled buses called “sand worms” through deep sand out to this point where the North Sea meets the Baltic.
The interplay of wind and waves, sea and sky, and light and shadow here at Skagen has inspired an acclaimed school of impressionistic art. In the quaint village’s local museum we viewed century-old canvases of fisherfolk and rustic seascapes. Particularly impressive are paintings by P.S. Krøyer who portrayed local personages amid backgrounds of striking natural lighting—blue, suffuse and glowing. In the museum garden painted butterflies adorned colorful blossoms.
After strolling this seaside village we returned to the Endeavour in our trusty Zodiacs and set course south and east through the body of water called Kattegat, the “Cat’s Gate” to the Baltic. Here the luminous naturalistic scenes highlight treacherous waters where strong winds, currents and shifting sands have challenged many ships. We headed safely towards the Danish capital of Copenhagen and points in the Baltic.
