Day Trip from Copenhagen: Lille Tilde, Burial Mounds, Island of Møn

And… we’re back to recaps from Denmark!

The day I’m writing about (almost a month after it happened) was my birthday. My brother and sister-in-law took time off work, borrowed a second car—alas, we couldn’t all fit in one—and we headed off on a decidedly Danish adventure.

Our first stop was a little detour to see another one of Thomas Dambo’s trolls made from scraps of wood. These sculptures are incredible works of art, and I LOVED how whimsical it felt to come across something so quirky and fun “hidden” in the forest.

Part of the charm is the fact that the sculptures feel like a treasure hunt. When Dambo builds them, he doesn’t publicly announce the location, so a few lucky hikers are usually the first people to come across the latest troll. Eventually, the word gets out…

I really liked this one, called Lille Tilde.

We took oodles of pictures and everyone appreciated the construction (the kids both thought this was a very cool stop)! There are metal braces to help hold the shape, and then the wood is built up around that frame. We even spotted some birdhouses built right into to side of Lille Tilde, which is the sort of extra detail I adore.

The fingernail and toenail beds were so cool.

So fun! This stop was one of the highlights from our time in Denmark, for me at least.

Lille Tilde looks over a beautiful little pond. It was so quaint and picturesque.

Next up, we stopped at Karrebæksminde, a colourful seaside town.

Indy, of course, thinks the Danish word for speed/motion is hilarious.

He spent at least half an hour trying to break a chunk of crystal out of a rock he found while beachcombing. He was very determined and quasi-successful. There is now a hunk of rock from this random beach in Denmark taking up precious space in his tiny carry-on luggage. Oh well, I am a fan of free souvenirs!

We had brought a picnic with us, but this looked like a perfect place to stop for some fresh seafood.

(I got a delicious mint chocolate gelato instead. Hey, it was my birthday, so I figured having dessert before lunch was in order.)

This is the famous Grasshopper Bridge—which also happens to be a drawbridge—that connects Karrebæksminde to the little island of Enø. (And no, I have no idea how to pronounce either of those Danish names.)

For lunch we picnicked at Vordingborg, best known for Goose Tower.

Goose Tower is the last remaining tower from what was once a giant royal castle in Vordingborg. In the 1300s, King Valdemar Atterdag ruled Denmark from this spot; when he was in power, there were nine towers. Now there’s one. (This feels vaguely reminiscent of Lord of the Rings!)

What’s with the name? Well, there’s a golden goose perched on top of the tower. You can pay to climb to the top, but we saved our pennies or, in this case, Danish kroner.

Next, we stopped at Fanefjord Church. This was the first of three churches we’d eventually see that had frescoes painted by the Elmelunde Master.

We’d debated whether to stop—it’s not the most famous church and I don’t think my brother had ever been to this particular one—but I’m so glad we went. Of the three churches, this ended up being my clear favourite!

The Elmelunde Master was an anonymous painter from the 1500s (give or take; no one is 100% sure). There’s also a good chance it was actually a group of artists working together. Anyhoo, this artist/workshop is best known for decorating churches on the island of Møn with frescoes. The paintings were designed to tell biblical stories to people who couldn’t read, so the church walls and ceilings are kind of like a visual storybook.

You’re in for a wild ride. There are some familiar scenes from Creation and the life of Jesus, but there are also some very bizarre, very bloody additions to the stories.

The painting style is also very distinctive. The characters all seem to have sleepy expressions, and there are lots of colourful nature motifs. Most of these frescoes were covered with whitewash after the Reformation and hidden for centuries. The paintings in Elmelunde Church (stay tuned for more on this in a future blog post) were rediscovered in the 1880s, and the ones at Fanefjord were only uncovered in the 1930s!!!

We joked that all the characters look like they’re standing on baguettes.

The kids were surprisingly interested in exploring this church. And the pictures above don’t accurately capture just how bizarre some of the fresco scenes were…

Next up was our first stop at a burial mound. These are exceptionally old. Like Built Before the Pyramids old!

This one was Grønjæger Høj/Grønsalen. It’s a long dolmen (~100 m), which is basically a Stone Age burial monument. It’s surrounded by 124 large stones.

Indy was more impressed by finding a perfect climbing tree at the far end of the mound.

We navigated to the next burial mound. This one required walking through a GIANT field of rapeseed/canola. It was a very cool experience… but John and Belle’s (brand-new) pants got covered in plant stains.

At times, it was up to the top of my head!

While the adults explored the burial mound—this was one of the locations where you could actually go inside—Belle roped Indy into playing photographer. He did a commendable job! I love these pictures, and it’s always fun to see pictures your kids take.

Indy took the pictures… but I suspect Belle came up with the poses!

I briefly crashed their photo shoot.

Inside the burial mound.

Then we stopped by two final burial mounds.

I’m pretty sure this is Kong Asgers Høj? But don’t quote me on that.

What you can’t tell from this picture is that Belle is belting out O Canada, our national anthem, at the top of her lungs from the top of this burial mound. In Denmark.

Literally across the street, we were able to visit one final burial location.

This one was less grassy and more like a cairn. I think it’s called the Sprove Dolmen?

A great place for a tree pose, if you ask Indy.

Or a handstand.

My brother and sister-in-law had friends with a cottage on Møn, so we were able to borrow that for the night.

It was… a lot. We had to bring sheets, towels, clothes, toiletries, and food for overnight. Admittedly, it allowed us to explore the island at a more leisurely pace during the day, but I was emotionally and physically done in by bedtime.

My brother prepped a curry dish for dinner, and they surprised me with TWO birthday cakes from a local supermarket. Both were delicious, especially the carrot cake.

And that was a wrap on my 39th birthday and our first day exploring the island of Møn.

Your turn.

• Have you ever visited a burial mound?
• What’s your dream birthday cake?