Fanø, island in Denmark

Fanø is a small island in the Danish Wadden Sea, just over one kilometer from Esbjerg on the mainland. A trip to Fanø takes 12 minutes by the ferry, so Fanø is very popular for day trips. But also among owners and tenants of the 2500 summer houses on the island. There are only three villages with Nordby as the largest. We went to Fanø for the first time last summer, after the arrival, we drove to Sønderho in the southern part of Fanø. About 300 very old original houses, many of them thatched and with narrow roads, or sometimes even just paths between them offer a great and tranquil atmosphere with the small gardens. In the church, there are about 15 model ships, the largest collection in Denmark. Close to Sønderho, there is a 125 years old corn windmill. It is still in use and on some days you can buy the flour milled there. Not far from the mill there is an old rowing lifeboat station which is now an open museum. From Sønderho we drove on the beach to Nordby but also visited some of the many farm shops selling their own products like sausages, cheese, and woolen clothes. In Nordby, we also found the Fanø Bryghus (brewery) where we had a wonderful and interesting beer tasting accompanied by a delicious lunch. A special type of facemask was already worn by the women of Fanø more than 150 years ago, at that time to protect from sun and supposedly also the flying sand. Some of the most interesting species of animal life on Fanø are definitely the wild rabbits and the seals. The rabbits dig thousands of holes in the dunes, Maggie was extremely interested in the holes . Seals are also very common but it still takes a little luck to get a good glimpse of them. Fanø is a special place, and we will definitely visit again.