The south sea islands of Denmark are one of the great sailing areas in the Baltic, and Ærøskøbing must be the jewel in their crown.
The town on the island of Ærø is full of old timber and brick houses, dating back to the 1600s, all askew and looking straight out of fairytales.
There is a tradition for interesting doors, and we all enjoyed wandering through narrow cobbled streets admiring their unique and colourful designs.
In many windows there are pairs of porcelain Pekingese dogs. If the master of the house was at home, the dogs would face inwards, but if he was at sea, the dogs would look out of the windows, waiting for his return.
Rumour has it that on occasion, this may have been a useful signal from a lonely wife, hoping for gentleman callers.
The temperature was in the high 20s, and the water temperature not much less, so we walked across the sand dunes to a beach lined with bathing huts, and cooled off in the fresh unsalty sea water.
A truly magical end to our summer in the Baltic. All that remains is the last passage across to our winter harbour, and a change in the weather is on the way.
Blissful. That last photo. Not so warm here in SE England now. Nor do we have those quaint houses, doors and traditions. So much to enjoy in the Baltic. Hope you are all going to be able to cope with not sailing on into the blue each day, at least for a few months.. Thanks for sharing so much of it with us. Rx
And thank you for your comments! We always look forward to them x