Bornholm

We were lucky enough to take a trip to Bornholm, an island south of Sweden in the Baltic Sea but still a part of Denmark.  It happened to be a beautiful weekend, too.

The cool berths in the overnight ferry we took to the island.  

 The town we stayed in, called Gudhjem, which translates as God Home.  We stayed in a youth hostel, as the trip was organized by DIS (where Mark has been teaching).

 The hostel had bikes for us to borrow, but it turned out that the island was very hilly and the bikes were very shabby.  So the biking wasn't too much fun, but Max made a friend.

 And we saw this cool old church with some Viking looking symbols.

 The rocky coastline was a big draw for the kids, who turn into mountain goats at the first boulder in order to scare the crap out of their mother.  Also, here are some stone age burial markers.

 We also had a nice forest hike to a pretty waterfall.

 We abandoned the bikes the second day and took the bus to Hammershus, a castle ruin on the north end of the island.  Max is standing watch in the guard house remains.

 You can just wander around the ruins, which are on a hill overlooking the sea.  Spectacular.

 A window with a view.

 A path down to the sea.

Of course, we are continually amused by the word "fart" in Denmark.  It most often means "speed" or "tour, " this word actually means something like "boat service."  Or maybe "boat tours?"  Oh, Danish!