West Coast Magic.
No……, we are not talking California, but the West Coast of Denmark!
West Jutland is a 500 km stretch of windy, sandy coastline that is sparsely populated except for a few weeks in the summer, when the Germans roll up from the south and the Danes come from the east and go to their cottages hidden in the dunes.
Protected by dikes a few small and medium size towns – including Ribe, Denmark’s first Capital – sit exposed to the elements with wind and rain best suited for boots and all-weather gear. Forget the umbrella, it won’t last 10 minutes.
You could think of the coastline as one long beach with a few sandy islands off shore. The geographic contours remain flat and low. Most of the time you feel you can see forever.
The beaches are a paradise for wind- and kite-surfers, and naturally, the chief topic of conversation is the weather. The good news is that if you don’t like it, it can and will change momentarily.
Vikings came from this land and traces remain, as do the remains of Hitler’s unsuccessful Atlantic Wall. Mostly, it is ocean, sand, dunes, small houses and fishing boats, and for those few weeks in summer, there is no better place on earth.
Soren Harbel
www.harbel.com
