Looking for bonfires in Kerteminde

Late Saturday afternoon, we had become a bit pessimistic about seeing any Midsummer bonfires at all. With all the rain that day, The Viking and I were quite convinced that the weather would be too bad and especially too wet.

But around 7pm, it happened! It being the weather change we had been hoping for! Gone were the clouds, rain and wind! We saw a beautiful blue sky and the sun. Did this mean we would be able to fulfill our dream after all?

We had to wait another two long hours… Around 8h45pm we left the house of the mother of The Viking. The blue sky and the sun were still there, so we jumped in the car, looking for the bonfires. We started in Nyborg itself. But nothing much seemed to be going on in the harbor. We decided not to have a look on the beach, since earlier the same day we hadn’t seen any preparations there.

Should we go to Kerteminde? A friend of us didn’t think it was such a good idea. She had experienced Sankt Hans Aften once there and didn’t like the crowds and especially not the drunken people. But my intuition told me to go there anyway; and if we were to encounter drunkards we would simply drive away. So, off we went to the harbor of Kerteminde.

After having dreamed about these celebrations for 3 years, I was exhilarated when I saw the first bonfires in the harbor of Kerteminde! We continued our drive to the beach, which is right next to the harbor and the marina. Here the bonfires were bigger and there were also more people sitting and standing around them. There were some stands where you could buy something to eat and drink and a band was playing rock songs. In short, there was a fantastic atmosphere!

Maybe some of you think: how can you be so excited about a couple of bonfires on a beach? Well, I guess it’s something you have to experience yourself! But think about it: this is a tradition that has survived many centuries. And it brings together people of all ages. We saw young people, old people, young families, and so on. And last but not least: it makes a Danish man and a Belgian woman travel more than a 1.000 kilometers to have a look at it!

Here are the other pictures!

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