It’s fun to think of special ways to really connect with Back Door destinations we recommend in Europe. The next five blog entries include tips on how to do it right.
Aeroe Island — My favorite rural experience in Denmark
As you wander around town, peek through windows and into homes. Locals love it. That’s why they leave their drapes open.
Be on the Urehoved Beach at the edge of town at sunset, when Danes gather to barbecue shrimp and sing songs.
The best lunch deal in town is smoked fish at the Aeroeskoebing Roegeri. When they open the cooker, an eruption of smoke announces to hungry locals that their choice of delicious fish is ready.
Each evening in July and August, the night watchman (Jan Pedersen) takes anyone who is interested on a historic stroll through town. Unless you want to hang out with the farmers in one of the town’s two pubs and drink, it’s the best (actually…the only) action going on after dark.
Baden-Baden — Relax with the Germans in their ultimate spa resort
Ride the funicular from town to the 2,000-foot summit of a peak called Merkur. From there, enjoy a frothy beer on the restaurant terrace while watching thrill-seeking paragliders leap into space.
For dinner in a cozy cellar or a leafy garden courtyard, eat at Weinstube im Baldreit, where Nicole serves and her husband Philippe cooks gourmet regional dishes at great prices.
For a chance to connect with the latest town scandal, ask a local about the Russian mafia owning most of Baden-Baden…and what the current mayor is doing about it.
If you’re going to the casino to gamble, you’ll need to dress up. Men who don’t wear a coat and tie can rent them for 11 euros.
Blackpool — Party with Brits in a low-end Coney Island way
Harry Ramsden’s is a fixture in Blackpool. It’s considered the place to eat mushy peas with fish and chips – surrounded by families who actually get excited about good mushy peas.
If you visit any time but summer weekends or during “The Illuminations” festival (September through October), there are plenty of rooms, and prices are soft. But during those crowded times, you’ll pay a premium to sleep in Blackpool.
Blackpool is accessible to Brits who can’t afford to vacation in Spain. During a soft drizzle, take a photo of families on the beach pretending it’s actually sunny.
If Blackpool is too far north for your travel plans, Brighton (two hours south of London) provides a similar, Coney Island brand of tacky fun.
Harry Ramsden’s (a chain, the original was in Yorkshire) is likely a tourist trap. The two branches in which I’ve eaten (admittedly quite a few years ago) served some of the worst chips I’ve tasted. The Blackpool outlet could be an exception, I suppose. They might all have improved since I emigrated from the UK, in 1997. If I were looking for a chippy in Blackpool, I’d go a couple of streets back from the seafront and look for a small chippy which had a queue. You’re likely to get a much better meal, and quite possibly cheaper, too.
Brian, I think your advice is right on. A queue is the best indication of a good chippie. I’ll be in Blackpool in a couple months and reconsider Harry Ramsden’s. Thanks. Rick
Why do people in Aero island want strangers looking into the windows of their houses?
Ærø Island – 1 night is tolerable, 2 nights was torture. I guess you can always bowl with the teenagers.
Peeking in windows in order to meet locals–local cops maybe? My captcha is knothole which brings to mind old comedies where someone peering through a knothole in a fence gets more than he bargained for…