February started off cold and windy, with several days way below 0 degrees. The country was frozen, the ground covered in a blanket of white, and the air crisp and clear. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as the beautiful winter weather was replaced by spring temperatures, melting the snow and ice in less than a day.
But I did get a chance to enjoy the unusually cold weather before it disappeared. On the last weekend of what seemed like our first true winter in years, I went on a weekend trip to the neighbouring island of Falster. I brought along Kanzi, one of the dogs that live at the farm where I’m currently staying on Lolland.
I’d brought Kanzi with me to work on the Friday so we could catch the train immediately after. He was good as gold as we travelled across Lolland and over the bridge to Falster, soon after arriving in Nørre Alslev, our home for the weekend.
I’d booked a very cheap room at a place called Worker’s Sleep, about a kilometer outside of Nørre Alslev. As you can probably gather from the name, it’s mostly used by foreign workers, but they also have a few holiday guests – and pets too, as they are free to bring! Kanzi and I got a tiny room with a bed, built-in shelves and a window looking out to the snow-covered garden. In a nearby building were the toilets, showers and a small kitchen. Just perfect for what we needed for the weekend. And the best part – it only cost me 264 DKK for two nights! Such a steal.
Back to the Middle Ages in Vordingborg
We didn’t do much that Friday, but I think we both really needed to relax. Kanzi because he’s rather stressed about the puppies at the farm that always tease him, and me because I rarely allow myself to fully relax. There’s always something I have to do – often to do with this blog (but I don’t mind as I love it!). So it was nice to have an evening of just pure relaxation.
The next day – however – was full-on with many hours of walking and sightseeing. We caught the bus to Vordingborg, a large town with around 18,000 inhabitants at the southern end of Zealand, located just across Storstrømmen (‘the Great Stream’) from Falster. The plan was to explore Vordingborg, and then walk over the Masnedsund Bridge, through the island of Masnedø and over the Storstrøm Bridge back to Falster. An adventure that could only turn out fun, especially given the beautiful weather.
We arrived in Vordingborg in the morning, with the sun already high in the sky, the ground frozen and the air crisp. We spent a little while exploring the centre, and I bought some food and dog snacks for our trip. Then we made our way to Vordingborg Castle or rather, the ruins of it.
The castle was built in 1175 by King Valdemar I of Denmark as a fortress, and it was since used by future kings and at one point had as many as nine towers and a defensive wall that stretched 800 meters. Unfortunately, most of the castle was destroyed during the 18th century, but one of the 14th-century towers remain, Gåsetårnet (‘the Goose Tower), towering 26 meters above the roofs of the town. Parts of the 14th-century ring wall also remain, but there is nothing left of King Valdemar I’s original fortress. In 1808, Gåsetårnet and the fortress ruins became the first protected historic monument in Denmark.
Over the Masnedsund Bridge to Masnedø
After a wander around the fortress ruins, we made our way towards the first of two bridges that we were going to traverse back to Falster. Leaving Zealand behind, we stepped onto the Masnedsund Bridge, a 201-metre long bascule bridge built in 1937. It wasn’t long until we reached the tiny island of Masnedø which welcomed us with an industrial hellscape.
I didn’t have high expectations for Masnedø considering the fact that it’s used as a stepping stone between Zealand and Falster, but I didn’t realize that it has such a huge (and ugly) industrial harbour that dominates the northwestern part of the island.
We found a little footpath that lead away from the harbour and down to the tiny village which houses the islands’ 161 inhabitants. There is little island charm to be found here, but the snow did create a cozy atmosphere that unfortunately has become very rare in Denmark in recent years.
Masnedø does have one rather interesting attraction though, the abandoned military fort known as Masnedøfortet. It was built between 1912 and 1915 to guard the waters between Zealand and Falster. On April 9th 1940, the day when Denmark was invaded and occupied by Germany, the fort became the first target in the world to be successfully attacked by paratroopers. By 1973, the fort was no longer used as a military facility, and was instead converted to an art gallery that often hosts music festivals.
Across the Storstrøm Bridge back to Falster
From the fortress, we headed back to the main road through Masnedø that joins onto the Storstrøm Bridge, a road and railway arch bridge that connects the island with Falster. It’s the third longest bridge in Denmark (excluding the Øresund Bridge that connects Denmark with Sweden) at 3,199 meters!
Until the Farø Bridges were opened in 1985, the Storstrøm Bridge together with the Masnedsund Bridge was the main road connection between Zealand and Falster, and it’s still the only railway connection between the two islands. However, as the bridge is in poor condition, it will soon be replaced by a new Storstrøm Bridge, which will allow train speeds of 200 km/h, as well as two road lanes and a foot- and bicycle path. The bridge is scheduled to be fully opened by 2023 and then the destruction of the old bridge will begin.
We crossed over the bridge rather slowly, taking in the views of the icy waters. Although the walk over was beautiful, it felt like it took absolutely ages and that Falster never came any closer. But eventually, of course, we did reach our island of origin.
Through the northwestern parts of Falster to Nørre Alslev
Upon arrival on Falster, we were both starting to get tired legs. I could see that Kanzi was tired as he kept stopping, but I let him rest for a while and gave him some snacks, and then he was good to go again.
Unfortunately, the road through the otherwise beautiful northwestern parts of Falster was rather boring as it was literally just one long road, taking us from the bridge to Nørre Alslev, six kilometers down the road. We did come through one little village and past some beautiful half-timbered farms, but if we hadn’t been so tired, I definitely would’ve chosen a longer and more interesting route, for example along the coast and through Alslev Forest.
Arriving in Nørre Alslev, I dragged my exhausted legs to the nearest supermarket to buy some food for the evening, before walking the last two kilometers back to our cozy little room. We ended up walking 21 kilometers in all, which I think is Kanzi’s record! It’s nowhere near mine, but for some reason, my legs have rarely been so tired. Maybe the lack of hills in this part of Denmark is finally starting to affect my leg muscles!
After watching a gorgeous sunset from the hotel’s garden, we settled in for the night, and I watched several episodes of The Little House on the Prairie before falling asleep, Kanzi snoring loudly beside me.
A frosty morning in Nørre Alslev
The next morning, I woke up early and looked out of the window to a beautiful, frosty world. More snow had fallen during the night, covering the trees in white dust. We were heading back to Lolland in the early afternoon, but first, I wanted to explore the town we’d been staying in.
To be honest, I’d never actually heard of Nørre Alslev before researching for this trip, but it turned out to be quite a gem. It’s actually the second-largest town on Falster after Nykøbing Falster, and is home to just under 2,400 people. Although it might not look like an interesting town for those that just drive through (which, unfortunately, most do), I thought it was really beautiful and I enjoyed exploring its streets which hold several half-timbered houses, an old mill from around 1870 and a church from the early 14th century, which is painted red, a characteristic of many churches on the northern parts of Falster.
But the best thing about Nørre Alslev is its forestry surroundings. Kanzi had lots of fun running through the snow-covered forests, so much fun that I lost sight of him once. Thankfully, he did come back to me after many desperate calls, and then it was time to head home.
A wonderful weekend trip had come to an end. It was my first overnight trip in the area since moving to Lolland, but certainly not my last. I’m currently planning a long weekend on the neighbouring island of Langeland, and I also plan to spend a weekend on the small islands of Fejø and Femø and a few more on Falster as there’s a lot more to see on that gorgeous island.
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