Jutland: On the beach in December

Finally, it should be nine in the morning, there is steaming onion soup in compostable paper cups, herbal schnapps and singing. A man waves the accordion and everyone sings along, so loudly and fervently that the bathrobes shake and the wet strands of hair tremble. The last stanza ends in "Paradise", I understand that much. "The Danish national anthem?" I ask the woman at the soup counter. "No, a morning song!" She says with a smile. These Danes! A people of optimists who sing about tomorrow. The new beginning, the freshness!

The "Vinterbadefestival"

Other than with optimism, they would hardly have come up with the idea of ​​winter bathing. We were all in the water today. It is January, the coldest month of the year, and in Skagen, at the northernmost tip of Jutland, where the Baltic and North Seas meet, the “Vinterbadefestival” takes place every year. 350 people have registered, almost all of them Danish, more women than men and hardly anyone under 50. Even before sunrise we climbed over the dune due to the whistling wind and ran into the foaming surf. Most naked, many naked with woolen hats. The water is said to have been four degrees; gray morning haze billowed over it.

Twice I went under up to my neck, my eyes fixed on the seemingly motionless tankers on the horizon, then the cold became hard as a board, and I had to get out again quickly. Others stayed longer, even swam a bit. Winter bathing, it turns out, is a Danish national sport. "Oh, my friends and I do this every morning," waves a woman as we get back into our street clothes. "We meet on the beach at six in the morning and go into the water for a moment. That is better than any coffee. Then everyone drives on to their work place."

January in Jutland. When I planned this trip, I hadn't counted on bathing joys. I'm here because I wanted to experience a different winter instead of just snow, skis and mountains. I wanted unleashed storms, crashing surf, a wide sky, crisp and cold temperatures. And in between sauna. All of this can be found in the north of mainland Denmark, they said.

Most of the guests come to North Jutland during the long, bright summer months. Now in January the vacation homes, hundreds of which dot the North Sea coast, are largely empty. Mine crouches in rolling dunes near the town of Hjørring. It is a bungalow made of dark wood, with window fronts, open kitchen, sauna and fireplace, purist-chic and modern. The sea is just behind the dunes. From the house I can only see a flat strip, but the thunder of the surf and the wind flattening the dune grass give away: There's drama, baby!

A narrow sandy path leads to the beach. Every day I walk there for kilometers along the sea. It becomes a real addiction. I could go as far as the end of the world when the breakers roll up deafeningly, the clouds chase, the wind tugs at the anorak and the seagulls screech against it. I find shells, stones, tiny fish teeth. A rosy layer of haze lies over the lake. Everything is pure energy. After that, instead of falling tiredly on the holiday home sofa, I could pull up trees every time.

Coziness with tea and Flødebolle

But the days are short. From three o'clock in the afternoon I can watch through the floor-to-ceiling windows how a lavender-blue dusk settles over the dunes and transforms them into something that looks blurry and at the same time realistic, like a picture by Gerhard Richter. I watch until the darkness swallows the world outside, then I make a fire in the fireplace. There is tea and a flødebolle, which is a foam kiss, glazed pink and so sweet that it sticks to the front teeth. Outside the wind rattles the wooden facade. Far away a lonely, warm light glows in another holiday home. Whoever is sitting there feels like he – or she – and I are alone in this world. Probably I should fight my way through the big storm, knock and say what Danes say in such cases, namely: "Hey!"

I'll let it go then. "Hey" "I say to Janice Hunter the next day. She makes pottery in the former schoolhouse in Tornby, the neighboring village, and is used to visitors. Janice is English, married to Peter, a fisherman, and has lived in Tornby for 42 years. She sits at the potter's wheel in thick fleece and raves about the Jutland winter. "It's so nice and quiet. I can work undisturbed and take long walks. And of course winter swimming." Soft light falls through the lattice windows on Janice's earth-colored ceramic bowls, on the potted plants and all kinds of beach finds in the windows and shelves. It is warm and cozy in the former classroom.

When Peter walks in, a bottle of home-made myrtle brandy in hand, it turns out that it's Janice's birthday today. We toast. Janice laughs; she has no make-up, her long gray hair is pressed flat. But her gaze is bright and clear, and I wonder how often I still have to submerge in the cold sea and run through the wind to shine as well.

A lot of wind from the front

In the afternoon I hike a little on the cliff of Lønstrup. There it blows so forcefully that I am almost blown over the edge. Besides me, a few isolated trees claw into the ground; the stormy winters have frozen them into absurd, elongated sculptures. Only the sheep with their funny dark faces graze so obliviously and weatherproof, as if nothing were. Lønstrup was once a fishing village. Today, it is summer and arts and crafts colony. There are nicely restored cottages lined up along Dorfstrasse, in which goldsmiths, painters and ceramists are at work. Now that there are hardly any tourists, they have time for a chat. I blow through the door of Leif Vange, a gray-haired glassblower with gentle eyes who offers coffee and water.

Leif's objects look like they were made of the sea: They are shaped like waves, have the patterns of fish, the color of amber and coral. And are so popular with Danish customers that the artist can hardly keep up with the production. Now he even has to build a new workshop. It doesn't even get really quiet in the evening, he grins. "You don't believe what is going on in Lønstrup in winter. Cinema evenings, broadcasts from the opera, discussions, fællespisning!" Fællespisning, he explains to me, are home-cooked dinners that the locals meet once a month for. Unfortunately not today.

As a consolation, I'm going to visit Hjørring. The inland town with its warm clinker buildings turns out to be a place of superlatives: the inconspicuous bookstore where I get a new notebook is the oldest in the country at almost 200 years. Anders Lund, who sits a corner away with a long beard and red suspenders behind his workbench and knots Manchurian horse hair into dish brushes, is the only still active brush maker in Europe. At least that's what he says. I buy a bottle brush and a carpet beater, then I sit down to tea and cheese sandwich in what, according to the self-promotion, is the "most hyggelig coffee bar in Hjørring", the "Uno". And it is really cozy with all the Scandinavian 50s furniture, the floral collection cups and the showcase with the delicious pieces of cake. Hyggelig, they can do that, the Danes. Because the equation is simple: the more uncomfortable outside, the more comfortable inside.

In search of the "gold of the north"

Still, I'm drawn to the sea again. It is already dawn when I stand Løkken on the beach. I want to look for amber, the "gold of the north". The Danish west coast is considered to be a fertile hunting ground. A fire burns in the sand. It was lit by Kasper Nørgaard, a young guy who runs amber safaris. Besides me, there are two couples from Hjørring who never find anything when they go out on their own and therefore want to try it under professional guidance. We slip into neoprene wetsuits and high rubber boots. "There was a storm yesterday, which is ideal because it swirls the amber up from the ground and washes it ashore mixed with seaweed," says Kasper.

While the others rummage through piles of seaweed with UV lamps in their hands and are always happy to see bits of amber, fossil resin that is millions of years old and lights up in the black light like dentures in a disco, I fish through the surf with a large net. Luckily but happy. That atmosphere! What is going on here in the passing light! I wade deeper and deeper into the water. Breakers collapse hissing over the beach pier, above dark night clouds and the last purple shimmer of the setting sun. A kite surfer chases wildly across the waves, he looks like a modern white horse rider who will then throw his equipment into the Volvo station wagon with the child seats on the back seat. On the beach, thickly wrapped people pass by, with dogs that are completely beside themselves with enthusiasm and whose ears are flying in the wind. And then a woman comes running, naked and with flowing hair. She throws herself into the icy sea.

What she did wasn't just winter bathing. That was winter bathing after the sauna. It looks like a barrel and stands a little above the beach, a black tube with a panoramic window facing the sea. You can rent them. And already I'm sitting inside. The fire in the Bollerofen throws an orange glow on the window and on the fishing trawler lying in the sand behind it. It is hot. So hot my hair is glowing. The hottest sauna in my life. I can't take it long, but the cool down is just a short sprint away. She has three degrees. My new favorite temperature when it comes to swimming.

Nice tips for winter in Jutland

COME ON, COME AROUND
By train to Aalborg, from Hamburg in around 6.5 hours, from around 29 euros. The only way to get to Aalborg by plane is via Copenhagen, z. B. from Munich with SAS, from 230 euros (www.flysas.com). A car is essential on site, e.g. B. from Europcar from approx. 60 euros / day (www.europcar.de).

STAY
Vacation homes. The accommodation of choice in Denmark – hotels are rare and expensive here. A classic "summer house" can also be rented in winter, e.g. B. from the large provider Sol og Strand. Most of the houses are cozy and nicely designed, there are also top addresses with a sauna and in a wonderful secluded location. From approx. 300 euros / week (Tel. 99 44 44 44, www.sonneundstrand.de).

Ruth's Hotel. The hotel establishment par excellence in Gammel Skagen! The system is spread over several buildings; white lacquered wood and sea colors dominate the walls everywhere. In the main building, assiduous five-star service and sauna. I found the rooms in the simpler annex "Strandhotel" to be the prettiest. DR / F from 250 euros (Gammel Skagen, Hans Ruths Vej 1, Tel. 98 44 11 24, www.ruths-hotel.dk).

Brøndum’s Hotel. The Skagen painters stayed here as early as the 19th century, and their works are on display in the museum diagonally opposite. Everything has been lovingly renovated and enchants with creaky floorboards, pretty wallpaper, and oiled antiques. Insider tip for nostalgia fans: The rooms in the main building without a bathroom. DR / F from 240 euros (Skagen, Anchersvej 3, tel. 98 44 15 55, www.broendums-hotel.dk).

Enjoy
Skagen Fiskerestaurant. In an old Hutzel house right at the fishing port. The floor is casually sprinkled with sand, the tables are set in a chic wine-red color. There are e.g. E.g. mussels steamed in white wine with french fries (26 euros) or fried herring on rye bread and potato salad for 16 euros (Skagen, Fiskehuskajen 13, Tel. 98 44 35 44, www.skfisk.dk).

Café Møller. In the port of Hirtshals, Lise Møller takes care of tourists and dock workers etc. in her modern glass case. a. with the classic "Sternschnuppen" (fried fish fillet topped with prawns and asparagus, 19 euros), with elderberry juice from the region (Hirtshals, Havnegade 7, www.cafemøller.dk).

Uno coffee bar. It is worth it just to hang out in the beautiful Hans Wegner armchairs. Large selection of smørrebrød, cakes and sweet foam kisses, the Flødeboller (Hjørring, Springvandspladsen 1, www.unokaffebar.dk).

Iscafeen Skagen. Jonna Thygesen's ice cream parlor is so cozy with its wooden tables and blue-lacquered chairs that I like to come back for breakfast in January – with hot tea, toasted bread slices and "Christmas jam" made from oranges and walnuts. In the house next door, Jonna has also set up a really cute teddy bear museum. Admission 1.50 euros (Skagen, Oddevej 2a).

Mormors Køkken. Marianne Mortensens cooks grandmother's way ("Mormor"), but I think her most beautiful creation is pretty fresh and young: the "Fiskekasse", a wooden box, lavishly filled with freshly peeled crabs, fresh cakes, smoked salmon and herring, plus pickles, sauces and Bread (25 euros). Also tastes good in front of the fireplace in the holiday home! (Tornby, Strandvejen 7a, www.mormorskøkken.dk)

EXPERIENCE
Råbjerg Mile. Walks in wind and weather are great on every beach in North Jutland. But the almost one kilometer wide shifting dune in front of Skagen goes one better: a lonely mountain and valley landscape of sandy deserts, small lakes and cripple pines that feels like another planet (about 15 km southwest of Skagen, signposts on the road).

Amber safari. Kaspar packs his guests watertight and equips them with nets and flashlights. Then we go together along the coast in search of the precious "gold of the north". Two hours, including coffee and a lot of specialist knowledge, 20 euros (Løkken, Søndre Strandvej 6e, tel. 20 60 70 71, www.outnature.dk).

Nordsøen Oceanarium. Not to be missed in the largest aquarium in Northern Europe: feeding the 200 kilo sunfish, which suck in buckets of mussels that have been released. I found the seals cuter though. Admission 23 euros (Hirtshals, Willemoesvej 2, www.nordsoenoceanarium.dk).

Skagens Museum. I found the beautiful, clear faces of the North Jutlanders, but also the cozy kitchen scenes and open fires in the pictures of the Skagen painters who established an artists' colony here in the 1880s. Entry 15 euros (Skagen, Brøndumsvej 4, www.skagenskunstmuseer.dk)

SHOP
Janice Hunter. Whether you opt for a bowl, a vase or the little piggy pendant (4 euros): Janice packs her ceramic objects thickly so that nothing happens to them on the journey home (Tornby, Gammel Skolevej 4a).

Galleri Visby. Paintings of the dune landscape, handicrafts such as the gossamer bracelets made of wood, plus modern textile art, gold jewelry in the form of seafood and lots of ceramics: a visit here is sure to lead to a shopping spree (Lønstrup, Mårup Kirkevej 62, www.gallerivisby.dk).

M. Lund & Søn. Bürstenbinder Anders looks like something out of a children's book with a long beard and red suspenders, and his workshop is a nostalgic experience. I wallowed among nail brushes, bottle brushes and dish brushes, shaving brushes, scrubbers, carpet blowers and shopping baskets. From 15 euros (Hjørring, Skolegade 1a).

Nynne cone. Gold earrings in the shape of sea urchins, rings with a sea buckthorn look, pendants in the shape of a cone… The goldsmith Nynne Kegel is inspired by the sea and the coast (Lønstrup, Rubjergvej 34, www.nynnekegel.dk).

IF I HAD KNOWN THAT …
Danish women wear half-height rubber boots in winter: perfect for both the beach and the city. I could have left my chunky winter boots at home.

PHONE
Denmark has the area code 00 45.

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