A VISIT TO AN ISLAND (2)

It was my birthday this weekend, and my wife's present to me was a weekend on Ærø, the small-ish island to the south of where we live.

Someone had the bright idea of establishing a long-distance footpath (the "island sea path") along the southern coast of Fünen. Well-established in other countries such a the U.K., long-distance footpaths are still relatively rare here in Denmark, presumably because of the different rules regarding land ownership. From our base in Ærøskøbing, it was 20km in one direction to Søby on Saturday and 16km in the other to Marstal on Sunday. In both cases, we caught the (free) bus back.

For an island, Ærø has a very diversified landscape. There were small hills, dykes, a wood or two, even a walk along the beach. And very few people. Wandering along a farm track between ancient hedgerows, I kept on thinking of Thomas Hardy, a rural life dominated by the seasons and collective tasks that disappeared long ago. Poorer undoubtedly, but probably more interesting.

Because the downside of economic development has been a marked loosening of the bonds that tie people together. Farms have consolidated and become mechanised; the institutions that held villages together (church, school, smithy, village hall, post office, store) have either closed or fallen into disuse; homeowners keep to themselves. Without cash income, it becomes increasingly difficult to live. Since, post-crisis, there is less income to go around, everything on Ærø looked a little bit more deserted than when I was last there four years ago.

Still, that thought was for the pondering. The weather was fantastic, hot with a slight breeze. When the sun is on your face, and you are walking in a wood on your own, life can seem surprisingly good.  

Walter Blotscher