JÆGERSBORG DYREHAVE //
I'd thought the deer park was a lot farther away, but Klampenborg is just a short train ride north of the city. Jægersborg Dyrehave is a forested park that covers around 11 km², noted for its mixture of huge, ancient oak trees and large populations of red and fallow deer. Neslie and I took the train over, and by the time we arrived, the morning clouds had dissipated and the sun shined down through the trees, warming our skin. We did't need to walk far to find the deer-- hundreds of them, running, leaping, ambling together. The few with pure white coats stood out, giving away the herd, but here in the park they were safe from any real danger. We watched from a safe distance as they passed through the forest, clearly wanting to avoid human interaction, but moving with no real sense of urgency.
We kept walking until we happened upon an expansive field. From there we could see small ponds, or single oaks where deer lounged in the shade.
Returning to the forest we walked on. Without deer, the path felt repetitive, save for huge stacks of timber on the side of the path. We left the path and were rewarded with the discovery of a small hut made of intertwining branches, a serene space someone had carved out of the forest.
MØNS KLINT //
A few days later, Neslie, Allison, Kevin and I drove an hour south to Møns Klint, a 6 km stretch of chalk cliffs on the east coast of Møn. The trails at the the top of the cliff weave through the woods, providing views of the Baltic Sea. The chalk from the cliffs dissolves into the sea, lightening the water to a turquoise that looks more appropriate for a tropical island. We started walking along the trail at the top, but descended to the beach once the tide let out far enough. The beach alternated between sand and large, smooth stones. We stopped on a log for lunch, but our break soon devolving into a stone throwing contest. Kevin had us girls beat with no effort at all, but the focus quickly shifted to teaching Neslie and Allison how to throw. We were silly and fun and happy, even when the rain started drizzling down on us.
With plenty of time left on our rental, we drove through the small town nearest to the cliffs. I can't remember the name, or the name of the restaurant where we all had pancakes for dinner. I stayed up on the drive home with Neslie while Kevin and Allison slept in the back.