Our first trip goes to beautiful Skagen on the north tip of the Danish mainland Jutland / Jylland. Skagen is the place to go when you want to relax and get away from the busy city life and enjoy the true beauty of Scandinavia in terms of fresh air, fantastic light, pure nature and – solitude. The village itself is not crowded very often – and if it is you have lots of free space to head out to. Skagen is famous for it’s local seafood and you should definitely try shrimps and oysters here. World renowned Swedish chef Tore Wretman who introduced the French kitchen to Stockholm actually named his most famous signature dish Toast Skagen (consisting of fresh shrimps, chopped dill, a dash of homemade mayonnaise, horseradish and fresh ground black pepper) after this fishing village. 
Skagen is a beautiful place known for it’s light which has attracted plenty of painters for centuries and considering the images in this post – that is totally understandable. In the 1870’s Skagen became a focal point for artists from all over Scandinavia. With its intense light and its picturesque harbor this village allured painters to catch the landscape and architecture.
We took a stroll down to the beautiful beach with endless dunes where you can easily find private space. The water is still cold in early May, but it is ever so inviting.
While in this historical region we pay tribute to one of the esteemed writers who is no longer with us but has his final rest here, Holger Drachmann. It’s just a stroll up from the beach through a beautiful walking path.
Holger was a renowned poet and one of the members of the so called Skagen painters, a collective of artists active in Skagen during the 1870s and 1880s. He also wrote novels and theater plays – world renowned composer Edward Grieg has also set music to some of his poems. Holger Drachmans grave is actually a piece of art in itself as the gate to his grave was made by painter P.S. Krøyer, naturally also a member of the Skagen painters. 
You can find many works by Skagen painters at the local Skagens museum – well worth a visit when you are in this region.
One thing to look out for though are the local snakes. They are not dangerous at all, actually it’s not even a snake, it’s a lizard without legs. They do reside under stones and in Hugh grass. They come out water side in the spring so you may wanna look out for those little babies. They only eat insects though so not at all harmful.
Skagen has many interesting venues, restaurants and hotels. We’ll get back on that note in our next post.