Day 159 – Nyborg, Denmark
Goodbye Sweden. Hello Denmark. We set off from Kinney’s house with no destination in mind. We were planning to stay somewhere in Denmark overnight and then meet my friend Gitte and her family the following night and stay at their house. We headed back over the massive bridge system that links Sweden and Denmark and made it to Nyborg for lunch. The bridge that links two parts of Denmark, Funen and Zealand is 18km long and crosses the Great Belt. Nyborg is the first little town on the Funen side.
We also needed a loo stop so we headed into the city centre in search of a loo. Found a free car park, which is always a bonus and walked until we came to the local cinema. We used their facilities, didn’t buy a movie ticket for 70kr each; but it looked like a cute movie cinema. The main town centre had cobbled streets and lots of quaint little shops that we had a quick peek in before hunger took over.
Back to the car and we grabbed our picnic supplies and found a beautiful garden setting to eat our sandwiches. The beautiful garden was the local cemetery; yes, not the first time we have picnicked in such a location. Might seem odd but the cemeteries we have seen in many cities have the most spectacular gardens and you can usually get a car park close to them. We didn’t sit for long because it started to look like rain so back to the car via the old bastion and canons overlooking the River Ladegards.
We needed a room for the night so we headed to Nyborg Strandcamping to see if there were any cabins available. We all felt like a rest from putting up the tent and sleeping on blow up beds. We were in luck as they had one small cabin available for 580 kr. The cabin had a small kitchen and fridge; a toilet and basin; a bunk bed; sofa bed; table and four chairs and a TV.
In the afternoon we went back into town to use the internet at the library since the campground internet didn’t work. It was very handy to use the free internet at the library for an hour and we got some important bookings organised. Next, we headed out to see the neighbouring Nyborg Castle; the original foundation dates from the end of the 12th century and was the residence of Danish kings for several centuries. One of the most important historical battles between Sweden and Denmark in 1659 took place around the castle.
We went for a walk downtown to the small local marina to check out the boats that were moored. The biggest surprise was the clear water with hundreds of jellyfish bobbing around; a really cool sight to see.
We grabbed some groceries from the local Aldi; which for those of you who may ever travel to Denmark and shop in Aldi, take note; Aldi only accepts Danish visa cards. Luckily we had some Euros that were accepted and we received the change in Danish kronas. Heading back to the car we heard the sound of fifes and drums; the Nyborg Tappenstreg. The what you ask?
The Tappenstreg, a group of young musicians dressed in the green uniforms of the 3rd Commando Unit of 1852. According to local tourist information, ‘the musicians make their way every Tuesday evening around to the town’s restaurants with fifes and drums and beat the tap into the beer barrel, just as they used to do back in the 1800’s to call the soldiers home to their quarters’. We were lucky to be in town on a Tuesday at 7pm to hear the group and see them as they walked the streets; something we have never heard of or seen before. There was a small crowd of people following them. We were in our car so we drove around the streets a couple of times so we could take a photo!
During our tour of Nyborg we passed this really neat old building. It is called Mads Lerches Gard and is a well-preserved half-timbered house built in 1601.
Nyborg overall was a nice little town to spend a night in and discover its charms. Back at camp we had to use the campground shower and pay 8kr for 3 minutes of hot water each. I cooked dinner in the cabin’s mini kitchen and watched a little bit of English TV at the same time. The kids enjoyed the campground trampoline and playground whilst I cooked. We ate dinner outside on the deck and then went for a walk along the beach. Steve and I sat out on the deck with a bottle of wine when the kids were in bed and actually got to have a conversation without interruption! It was a lovely evening but without any photos because I left the camera in the car. It really does pay to have it with us at all times although it is nice to have a break from carrying it; it starts to feel like a growth after awhile!
Hi all, Loving seeing your photos and reading your stories. Karina – you will have so much scrapbooking to do when you get home. I never thought of beaches and swimming in the oceans that far north! Enjoy the warmer weather, as it is bitterly cold here in Toowoomba! Take care, Paula and co xx
I don’t swim myself! Need to have a water temperature of 30C before I’ll dip my toes in. 19C is just too cold! Keep warm down there.