In The Footsteps Of Hans Christian Andersen

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

WHAT YOU VISIT
Bangsbo Botanic Garden
Located in a wooded area outside the port town of Frederikshavn, the 19-acre English-style park boasts mature trees, a rose garden, a medicinal and culinary herb garden, a sensory garden, a historical fruit garden and a bonsai tree collection. But its most celebrated attraction is the Crevice Garden. Acclaimed as the world's largest, it's 114-feet long with an area of over 3,875 square feet. Built with 200 tons of limestone, 3,500 plants thrive in this large alpine garden.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Rising out of the sand dunes, the Sand-Covered Church (also known as the Old Skagen Church or the Buried Church) was built in the 14th century and is the largest church in the region. Beginning in the 1600s, the sand levels began rising, and the foundation had to repeatedly be dug out prior to services. It was permanently closed in 1795, and much of the church was demolished, but the remaining walls were quickly covered by the shifting sand. The story of the church appealed to the imagination of Hans Christian Andersen and it became the main character in 'A Tale of the Dunes.'

SNACKS
Enjoy coffee or tea and Danish pastry at the Mollehuset, a half-timbered restaurant adorned with a red tile roof that gives this former mill house a romantic aura and old-world charm. Dating back to 1748, it's one of the oldest buildings in Frederikshavn.

WHAT YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY
Before returning to the ship, you'll pass the historic Brøndums Hotel, which hosted such notables as Hans Christian Andersen and Karen Blixen who stayed for several months in 1936 to write 'Out of Africa.' Lured by Andersen's fairy tale descriptions of 'tarred wooden buildings with thatched roofs!' in his book 'Folk Calendar for Denmark,' a group of impressionist artists, known collectively as the Skagen painters, flocked to Skagen's shores to capture its seascapes and luminescent light and made the hotel their meeting place.