Svaneke, Sea Glass Studio and Osterlars Round Church Tour @ Bornholm, Denmark

First Stop: We started our tour at Svaneke, a small town located on the east coast of Bornholm that has a tiny population of just under 1,100.

Despite the small population, Svanake is a very popular tourist spot thanks to its quaint red-roofed and half timbered houses. 

A stroll down the port might evoke the idea of making Svaneke your second home.

Second Stop: The Baltic Sea Glass is a glass studio where artist Maibritt Jonsson and Pete Hunner develop unique glass art, inspired by the daily things in life such as plants, wildlife and landscapes. 

Mini volumetric flasks

Corn inspired glass art

Next stop: Round Church of Osterlars - Build in 1160, Osterlars Round Church is the largest round church in Denmark. It is one of the main attraction on the island with more than 120,000 visitors a year.

The central column of the church is decorated with biblical scenes from the Annunciation through to the Passion, ending with Day of Judgement where Jesus judges mankind. 

A view from the top - This church is often being linked to the Knight Templars, who were warrior monks that lived a modest life during normal times. But in wars, they were feared by the Muslims, whom they fought with in the Holy Land. It is believed that Bornholm was used as a base for a crusade to the Baltic countries. 

Gudhjem Rogeri @ Bornholm, Denmark (Smoked Herring)

Bornholm is a tiny fishing port located 200km east of Copenhagen. It is officially the sunniest part of Denmark, blessed with picturesque streets, sandy beaches and glorious food. 

After our visit to the Baltic Sea Glass and Round Church, we travelled back to the town center where we were treated to a sampling of smoked mackerel before returning to our ship.

Built in 1910, Gudhjem Rogeri is the oldest smokery in Bornholm. Here you will find herrings hanging over an open alder wood fire, smoked for a good three to four hours. 

 The golden smoked herring was served with rye bread, chopped radish, onions and chives, along with some coarse salt and butter. The texture of the herring was firm and crisp, packed with smokey and delicate flavors.

We concluded that the herrings were well worth sinking our teeth into, despite all the tiny fish bones that occasionally find its way into our mouth. 

VERDICT: TOTALLY SMITTEN

Gudhjem Rogeri

Address: Ejnar Mikkelsensvej 9, Gudhjem, Bornholm 3760, Denmark. 

Phone: +45 56485708

Website