Roundabout Ronne, Denmark

The last full day in Denmark would be spent on the island of Bornholm exploring its main town of Ronne. There is a lot of very interesting history involving this island, due to its strategic position in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It has been ruled at various points by Sweden, Germany and Denmark. During WW2 the Germans occupied the island and at the very end of the war, there were 12,000 troops there. This made the Russians unhappy and they bombed the heck out of the place and then landed there in May, 1945. After a short land battle the Germans surrendered. The soviets ended up occupying the island for another full year, until April 1946. At that point the Soviets and the Western Alliance agreed the Danes could have the island back if Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia could be merged into the USSR. Thank god for the people of Bornholm.

Geographically the island is closest to the southern tip of Sweden and it is a short ferry ride away. With a one-hour ferry and a 90-minute drive, you can be in central Copenhagen quite promptly. Apparently, some people do that commute to live on the island and work in the city. With only about 15,000 people in Ronne, it is pretty quiet so those that are adverse to living in a big city can enjoy the small town vibe, as long as they accept the commute. Today with more people working from home, there is undoubtedly more residents in Ronne on the weekdays. Bornholm is popular with tourists, with it many historical points of interest and some nice beaches on the southern coast. Because the bedrock is for the most part solid granite, it remains warn well into October and it enjoys mild winters.

Gym and his dear wife took a walking tour of Ronne. Mrs. Gym had already run 5 miles in the morning but the tour gave her a 10-mile day. Her hubby was bushed just doing the tour. Ronne is very quaint. It's a  cobblestone town with narrow streets that are lined with colorful brick-sided houses and red-tile roofs. They seem to be able to grow a very wide variety of things in their gardens and the cemetery is one of the most exceptional Gym had ever seen. As evidenced by the tour guide, the locals are unhurried and not at all stressed. Ronne would be an ideal place to write a book.

To sttay "green" Bornholm uses wood chips for power.
Gym thinks the chips come from Canada.

Ronne Citadel was with cannon slots in the top. It was built to 
protect Ronne's harbor from enemy attack. In WW2 the germans stored
munitions here. 

An example of a family plot in the cemetery.
the headstones are arranged in a circular 
garden with lush plantings by in between each stone.

In between these family plots is quite a bite of 
green lawn space and trees.

Ronne was bombed to smithereens by the Russians at the 
very end of WW2. The occupying Germans wanted to surrender to the British
but the Russians wanted to capture the island. Ronne was caught in the middle. Most 
of the buildings rebuilt in place in the late 1940s after having been destroyed

Many of the houses are attached. The pink house in 

thee picture is the smallest house in Ronne. It is sandwiched

between the white house and the yellow house.

The front door on the right has a cool mural above the door 

of a WW2 bomber in the sky.

This larger house used the bottom of wine bottles, in diamond-patterns
between the windows

On the road is a memorial to the spot where Danish patriots
killed a Swedish commandant 

a typical cobblestone street

Ronne shops and businesses

The Ronne lighthouse and St. Nikolas' church
along the waterfront and the road to the harbor.

Let's wrap up the discussion on the people of Denmark. In general, the Danish are tall and blonde.  They are quite fit for the most part and Gym thinks that is because they ride bikes everywhere. They all speak English and many are multi-lingual. They appear quite laid back but are they really happy? Why are they scoring so high on the GNH (gross national happiness) scale? It can't be because they pay high taxes, that makes no sense. So what is the reason Denmark is the happiest country in the world? It must come down to the blonde hair. You know the saying, "blondes have more fun". So Gym figures when you have a whole nation of blondes, everyone is happy. 

A typical group of young Danes. Any Blondes?

Our intrepid adventurers have now boarded the Oceania's MS Marina. Interestingly, this is the first Oceania cruise since the pandemic shut them down. Oceania is being very careful with this re-mobilization. All staff and guests are double-vaccinated. Masks are worn throughout the ship, except when eating or drinking. All the restaurants have been set with fewer available seats and everyone is social distancing. And the guests all needed a negative test result from tests administered prior to boarding, before they could get on the ship. Gym and his lovely wife were tested a second time before going ashore on Day 2. So far, so good! 

The Marina will be bopping around the Baltic Sea the next few days visiting  Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland and will conclude in Stockholm, Sweden. Stay tuned!