Samso Island: 3 days to unwind and explore another island
Samso Island is renowned internationally due to the fact that it is completely self sufficient with electricity. 100% of the Island's power consumption is supplied by the 11 community owned wind turbines. Many islanders also privately own wind turbines. 70% of heat production comes from renewable resources, such as straw, solar and wood chips. As well, the large villages on Samso are connected to district heating plants which use renewable energy. In 1997, Denmark appointed Samso "Renewable Energy Island". Within 4 years, Samso was completely self sufficient It is inspirational to see a community come together in such a meaningful and timely way. It is a luxury to take a break from daily travel and stay in one place for a few days. All of the logistics of keeping on the move every day and setting up camp can become tiresome - we were ready for a change of pace. The hostel on Samso has proven to be a good choice - our room offers a good living space with a leather couch, kitchen area, double bed (a rarity in a hostel) and a wonderful bathroom. Like all Dan Hostels, the guest kitchen and lounge make you feel at home. The wind howled all night long. The sound of the wind was quite fierce plus we could hear the rain pounding down - a good night not to be camping. The weather here is so changeable - rain to sun to unbelievable wind - all within a short time. We headed out to explore some of the island and get some supplies. Unexpectedly we ran into Alexandra in the main village of Tranebjerg and she invited us over for coffee. We feel very lucky to have met her - and we really appreciate the opportunity of seeing her and her family in their home Their home is a labour of love as they are doing the work themselves. It is lovely with sleek Danish design in an older home that they are renovating. A unique touch is the lighting feature on the ceiling of their kitchen. They painstakingly drew a template of the constellations relating to the 6 birthdays in the family and then made holes and wired tiny lights to correspond to the stars. The effect was quite magical.
Samso is mostly agricultural land and we were able to eat really well here by buying produce at the produce stands. This farm had an impressive bounty of squash and pumpkins.
We met this group of 22 grade 8 students and 4 parents staying at the Hostel. They are from the Copenhagen area and are here for 4 days of riding and sightseeing. Today, they had the same idea or riding up to the north end of the Island to the village of Nordby.
We saw a poster featuring pictures of the doors of Nordby, but couldn't figure out how to get it home on the bike. So, we're taking our own pictures. The transom windows add to the charm.
Can't resist a cat windvane. Typical of the fall Danish weather that we have experienced: there is a sudden change from sunshine to a blast of cold air, wind and heavy clouds -it will rain soon.
Samso is known for many things. It is internationally renowned for being completely self sufficient for energy. Internationally the Island has become famous for this and scientists from Japan and China have been studying Samso to see how it is possible. It is also known for its beauty and attracts many visitors in the summer. However, they are mostly known for their potatoes. We bought some from a farmer and they are very good - similar to Yukon Gold at home.
Visiting Alexandra in her home was a special thing. We really enjoyed meeting her husband and son as well. Alexandra is originally from Sweden and her husband has roots in Greenland. There are many people of Greenland descent on the island.
This pool is a local curiosity as its original function was for animal manure - or as the locals told us - for animal poop. The hostel buildings are renovated farm buildings and the pool continues this theme.
