ÆBELØ

Æbelø is a small island off the north coast of Fünen, the large island in the middle of Denmark where I live. Since 1998 it has been designated a nature reserve, home to mature oak and beech trees, that house deer and birds. In order to reach the island, you have to walk across a 4km causeway, 1.5km of which is under water (ankle deep at low tide, up to and over the knees at high tide).

Today the tides were at exactly the right times, so my wife and I made the crossing together with some German ornithologists. There is an old hunting lodge and a lighthouse on the island, otherwise nothing except nature. We had our picnic lunch in a wooded clearing where we were completely on our own. It was lovely.

On the way back, walking 1.5km in water up to your knees turned out to be pretty tiring, particularly since we had already done 12km plus. However, my tired muscles were compensated by a very large ice cream, which we had when we reached the mainland again. Banana, raspberry and chocolate chip, if I remember correctly.

Walter Blotscher