And just like that, 65,000 miles later, we’re in Scandinavia. We still have 10,000 miles and six weeks left to go, but somehow arriving (almost) in the Baltic makes it feel like our nine month odyssey is nearing its end. I’ll talk about that at a later date, though, because right now we’re in a region of Europe I fell in love with on a cruise thirty years ago.
I said we’re in Scandinavia, and we are, but just barely. Skagen lies at the northernmost tip of Denmark at the appropriately named Skagerrak, the channel of water separating the North Sea from the Kattegat. The Baltic Sea, which most people associate with Scandinavia, still lies ahead.
After all the cities we’ve visited, Skagen was quite a change. A fishing village, arts community, and tourist mecca, Skagen is home to only 7500 permanent residents. Two million annual visitors make the place feel larger, though. It’s a picturesque little community of red rooftops and yellow sidings, and today’s excursion was a walking tour through the downtown area after a stop at the lighthouse and a wonderful little museum.
The current lighthouse is out near the point, too far to reach on foot, but it was the original one, constructed in 1626, that was of interest, and we got a good, close look at it. It was a simple device resembling a catapult, with a bucket that could be lowered to fill with flaming material, and then raised up into the air to alert passing ships to the proximity of the shoreline. I’d never seen anything quite like it. Its three successors were each more effective, but nowhere near as interesting.
The Skagens Museum houses the world’s largest collection of paintings by the Skagen painters, a colony of artists who painted here in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Skagen painters were basically impressionists, though they followed no rigid rules, and touches of romanticism, realism, and academic style can also be seen in their works.
And it was here that I discovered that I have a long hidden eye for great works. After our tour by a remarkable in-house guide, I approached her and told her my favorite painting was a small one she had not discussed, titled Will He Round the Point?, by Michael Ancher. The guide responded that it was a breakthrough work by Ancher, so well liked by King Christian IX that he bought it, drawing attention to Skagen and its painters. How about that. Me and King Christian.
After touring the museum we walked over to St. Laurent Church, a pretty little church that like the rest of the town has yellow walls and a red tile roof. Our guide explained the town’s predominant colors this way. Tile roofs are necessary to handle the strong winds that are common here, and red is the color that was available and looked good. As to the color of the walls, she said that at one time houses here were painted in many different colors, but the yellow ones (ochre, actually) were selling for more money, so homeowners quickly jumped on the bandwagon. It was that simple.
We finished the tour with a walk through the busy downtown, which was lined with shops, restaurants, and a goodly share of the two million tourists who visit every year. In my humble opinion those tourists were missing out by shopping and eating rather than admiring the paintings in the Skagens Museum, but what do King Christian and I know? 😀
With that it was back on board, because we had an early departure time due to the distance to tomorrow’s port of call, Warnemunde, Germany. From there we plan to take the train to Berlin, a bucket list destination for me. I’ll be sure to take you along and tell you all about it, so stay tuned.
Skagen is a fishing village, and I found my first fish before we even left the pier.
We began our walking tour at the 1747 lighthouse, the second of four, and a great improvement over the first, as you will see in the next photo.
The 1626 lighthouse. Lower the bucket, add flaming material, raise the bucket, and voila, you have a lighthouse.
Walking into town from the lighthouse. We saw lots of Danish flags in Skagen.
And lots of these. I’m told they’re rose hips. They’re pretty, whatever they are.
Entering the town. More on the tower in the background shortly.
Outside the Skagens Museum. These two painters were instrumental in starting the museum.
This remarkable lady has worked at the museum for thirty years, and giving visitors like us guided tours is clearly a labor of love. Her knowledge of the museum’s history, the paintings, and the painters is encyclopedic, and her presentation skills are outstanding.
One of the featured pieces is titled Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Skagen Beach, by Peder Severin Krøyer, one of the museum’s founders.
The Skagen painters painted what they saw.
This room, of wood, was the original museum, before additions.
They often painted their get togethers, such as this one.
You can’t tell from my photo, but this painting is huge, and covers a whole wall. It’s on loan to the museum while a new home is found for it. It’s really quite remarkable, and shows fifty actual stockbrokers at the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1895. Their names are displayed on the adjoining wall. The painting was hung on the Stock Exchange wall until the building was destroyed last year in a fire. The painting was saved, and is in safe hands here while the Stock Exchange works out its future.
As I said, the painters painted what they saw. Here, fishermen are pulling in their nets.
And this is the painting I fell in love with. It shows fishermen looking out to sea, speculating as to whether another fisherman is going to be able to safely round the point in obviously rough conditions. Their concern is doubled by the fact that if the fisherman comes to grief, they will have to go out in the boat one of them is sitting on and attempt a rescue. The painting was a breakthrough, because its focus was on something not seen in it. King Christian IX liked it so much he bought it. He and I knew our art, didn’t we?
This was the home and grounds of Michael and Anna Ancher, both Skagen painters. Their home, Ancher Hus, is now a museum. Michael Ancher was one of the Skagens Museum’s founders.
Once a water tower, this brick structure is now an observation tower, offering lovely views of Skagen.
St. Laurent Church.
A church interior doesn’t have to be elaborate to be beautiful.
There are two ships hanging from the church ceiling, a nod to Skagen’s ties to the sea.
Downtown Skagen is lined with attractive, well maintained shops and restaurants.
The houses, lawns, and gardens are neat as a pin. The town gives awards to those that are especially attractive.
Skagen is popular with the well heeled. That’s a Lamborghini parked in front of the hotel. We saw a lot of expensive cars in town.
Even the ice cream shops are charming.
Some of the two million annual visitors to Skagen.
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