Family Trips: 2024

Trying to keep track of places we visit this year.

Part of a plan to introduce a little more culture into the family life in 2024 on the weekend and some memorable holidays, they only count if all 4 of us are there…

8. Sweden – the Bohuslän archipelago.

We opted for a staycation this summer, the Greenland trip having rather busy the holiday budget, and why not? Denmark is lovely in summer, just when everyone goes away… However, it’s a shame not to include our neighbours in the fun, so a 5 day trip to Sweden was organised, drop off and pick-up arranged by a company specialising in sea kayak tours of the archipelago, about an hour north of Gothenburg. We started at Gustafsberg near Uddevalla and we were finally picked up, 80km and 5 days of hard against the wind paddling at Ellös on the island of Orust. A special experience given granddad also came too, some beautiful wild camping sites and swimming too. Would love it to be a little warmer and a little less windy next time. And there will definitely be a next time, a fantastic location for a holiday by the sea..

7. Sea kayaking in Amager Strandpark

I wasn’t quite sure if I should include this, as we’re members but in preparation for our Sweden trip (see above), we did some lovely paddling at our local beach too. Staycation for the win!

6. Ordrupgaard Museum

After the starriness of Greenland, and far too much work and travel for work, an attempt to get back on track with the culture. A visit to Ordrupgaard Museum, partially to see the new work based on Monet’s waterlilies by Ai Wei Wei, and partially because I’ve never been and had heard lots about the sculpture park. The Lego room was a fun diversion, and the range of impressionist paintings genuinely inpressive. I’m a little surprised I’d never heard of the place before, but the sculpture park was a true highlight, including a magnificent bamboo tower, a ring that sprayed water every few minutes, a mirror maze and a giant mushroom. Lots of fun had by all.

5. Greenland

A week in May to see another part of the Rigsfællesskab, coinciding with a work trip, but why not?

A night on the ice sheet in tents and sleeping bags and a hike over the incredible glacier ice around about, a trip to the incredible Ilulissat with its icebergs, hiking trails, dog-sledding (though we were really a bit too late, still we managed) the Ilulissat ice fjord museum, more hiking and then finally a sorrowful farewell.

A true highlight of 2024.

4. Faaborg and Egeskov Slot: Fyn er så fin…

A bit of a split of the moment trip during the Ascension day public holiday, we had only 1 overnight at the very comfortable and luxurious Faaborg campsite but packed it in nonetheless. We rented an electric car, the Renault Zoe, which was still big enough for us and all our camping stuff. There was a beach stop on Fyn after crossing the Great Belt Bridge, a short hike up a couple of Danish Mountains, a visit to a rhododendron park (with alas not very many flowers out yet), a walk around the extremely cute medieval town of Faaborg with a delicious meal in the Hvide Pakhus restaurant and the following day a full day trip to Egeskov Slot. The castle itself is rather small but it turns out to have a brilliant if slightly eccentric selection of museum collections (my favourite was the camping exhibition), some wonderful gardens and lots of outdoor adventure playground type activities for the kids. Highly recommended as a family day trip, there really was something for all of us.

Yes there is a toy museum too (including an enormous dolls house)

The famous view from Svinninge bakke – apparently painted by several famous Fyn artists

Finally, we managed no fewer than 3 Danish Mountains, Lerbjerg, Kongenshøj and Jordløse Bakker

The Frankly beautiful villages of south Fyn

3. Norway! The Easter ski holiday…

Ok, so not a weekend trip exactly, but we did spend Saturday night on the always relaxing Oslo boat, with activities for the kids and cocktails for the adults. A week in Hemsedal with mixed weather and cousin time, including some wonderful cross-country skiing, definitely going to come back to explore that, and lots of time in the snow park. I’m happy my knees held up and noone seriously hurt themselves. Much amusement was had due to our location right next to the local nightclub, it was occasionally a little rowdy, but always good-humoured…

Let’s do it again!

2. The design museum (16th March)

A good hour and a half in the museum, followed by a late lunch at Cafe Oscar on Bredgade. Kids were surprisingly impressed by it. So was I. Really excellent exhibitions on new “folk costumes” of Denmark from a fashion designer, an exhibition of spectacular beautiful jewellery – gold and rubies from Greenland, including how they are mined.