Interns Tour the Coast

Dec 09, 2021

UW's SDF Landscape Architecture Interns Explore the West Coast of Denmark

Authors: Alex Burgos (pictured left) and Emilio Craddock (center)

Greetings from Denmark! This past November, UW’s Scan Design Foundation Landscape Architecture interns Alex Burgos and Emilio Craddock were joined by former intern Krista Doersch (pictured right) on a whirlwind tour of Denmark’s West Coast. The crew rented a car in Copenhagen beginning Friday and returned late Sunday night. While the trip was short, it was jam packed with fun and adventure. Here are some of the highlights!

The first leg of our trip took us from Copenhagen up a narrow peninsula called Sjællands Odde. From there we drove onto the MOLSLINJEN ferry and rode to Aarhus across Samsø Bælt, part of the Great Belt. After lunch, a coffee, and a kardemommeboller from the famed Jumbo Bakery (aka the best cardamom buns ever!) in Aarhus, we headed up the coast toward Aalborg.

Once in Aalborg, we were treated to a moody evening stroll along the waterfront and quick stops at the House of Music by Coop Himmelb(l)au and the Utzon Center by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. Next, we explored the downtown’s pedestrian streets which were beginning to be sprinkled with Christmas cheer. The city of Aalborg was cozy and a great place to stop on our way to Vorupør. After a lovely dinner at Aalborg Street Food, the three of us were off to our cabin in Thy National Park.

Nestled in the National Park was our cabin, a quaint stay heated only by woodfired stove. As you can imagine our initial entrance was crisp, but once the fire got going (which took some teamwork), we had the coziest weekend filled with dinners, wine, card games, and the best part - a typical Danish birthday cake!

Now for the highlight of the trip - winter surfing off the coast of Denmark. This was probably not on any of our bucket lists, but boy does it feel good to add it and then check it off! We rented our surf gear from Westwind Surfshop who took great care of us. When we explained we wished to surf, the gal at the shop promptly replied "you want to surf...today?” Yes, yes we did. After hopping into our wetsuits and choosing our boards, it was time to hit the waves. Wow, what an experience! With the right gear, it is not as cold as you expect, but there is still a shock factor. We got lucky and had the perfect, rookie sized waves and almost no wind. We spent 3 hours in the water, first practicing our technique then attempting to catch some waves. We did this with much success, all of us caught at least one wave! Most importantly the three hours were filled with laughter and memories we will never forget.

The tail end of our trip brought us the long way back to Copenhagen. We stopped a number of times as we headed South along the coast to explore the dunes and woodlands of Denmark’s first National Park, Thy National Park. Finally, we arrived at Bovbjerg Lighthouse for one last view of the North Sea before heading back inland.

This weekend was filled with amazing experiences and we are so grateful to the Scan Design Foundation for giving us the opportunity to explore and learn in such a beautiful place.

Learn about Scan Design Foundation exchange programs for students on our website:
SDF Education Programs